Pros:
Immediately upon getting to hole 1's tee pad, I knew Whitetail would be better than Dogwood. Whitetail feels more manicured (like a ball golf course) while Dogwood feels like every other woods course (rough and newly cut). This might change with time as Dogwood ages, but for now Whitetail stands out.
The number one thing I look for when reviewing woods courses are how fair the fairways are. Sure a course could be "challenging" if it has an old growth tree too many in the fairway, but if your holes are "poke and pray" I won't reward it with a high review.
The fairways at LC - Whitetail are more than fair. If ball golf courses had wooded holes, they'd look as nice as Whitetail. The only hole that came close to being a poke and pray was hole 6?, but it's still fair if you hit the tight line.
I hope you're comfortable throwing drivers in the woods! When I said this place was the best woods course, part of that was because I threw more drivers through trees than I usually do. Normally it's smart to club down in the woods, but if the pin is 1000ft away (as it is on 16) what else are you to do? You'll probably have to throw a confident driver or two in these woods, which ups the challenge.
Looking back, I believe I threw 8 Putters, 2 Mids and 8 Fairway/Drivers off the tee. I tend to throw putters where most might throw a mid, so all things considered this is as well rounded of a woods course as you can imagine.
Counting left/right/straight shots, the pattern continues. You'll throw a lot of straighter shots to start things off, but depending on the pin position, they could be doglegs also. It doesn't noticeably favor one particular throwing style. You'll need to do it all.
Speaking of alt pins, it's always a good idea to have many alt pins if you can, and Whitetail does for most holes. It also has 2 sets of pads per hole which is also important to be able to reach a wider range of players.
Whitetail doesn't have any navigation issues as far as I could tell. We navigated without a map and were just fine. (same couldn't be said of Dogwood). The signs are very nicely made and give you all of the information you need.
My favorite hole was 17. It was close to being a semi-open hole, but was SO WELL DESIGNED. It reminded me of the longer par 4's and 5's of Europe. I loved this hole and wished there was 1 or 2 more like it out there. Hole 18 is also a fantastic finished hole, really allowing you to end on a high note, both aesthetic and challenging.
The property itself is breathtaking, especially as you make your way towards the water. It's not only the best woods course I've played, it also is one of the prettiest. I saw plenty of wildlife and many whitetails (imagine that). It's a place you'd spend a weekend with the family at, regardless if it had a course or not.
Cons:
I wrestled with the fact that the tee pads are only natural. Part of me feels like some turf or similar pad would really up the respectability of this place. At the same time, if there was ever a natural/beautiful property that deserved to stay as close to natural as possible, Whitetail is it. They really do work out here, BUT since you already have big hunks of metal and chain + signs everywhere, maybe a proper tee pad wouldn't be terrible.
There weren't many (if any) benches to take a quick rest at. If this course were highly trafficked (the location makes this rare, I imagine) it would need benches. If any huge tournaments were ever held here, with the long waits at holes that are inevitable, I feel some nice seating would really help.
It was strange to have all of the longer holes on the back nine. Not really a con, but it would've helped the flow to have a few more on the front.
The course isn't two 9-hole loops, so there's no going to your car during the round. This also makes it harder to host tourney's/weekly's as many people will have REALLY long walks to their starting pad. For the traveling player, however, this doesn't matter.
Other Thoughts:
I can't really say too many good things about this course. It deserves the praise it garners. I'm a very nit-picky reviewer, but it's because I believe constructive feedback (and never settling) is the only thing that will push the envelope. Dream big and grow the sport!
As I've said before, I can't find myself giving a "one-trick-pony" course a 5. I believe you have to challenge ALL aspects of a players game to be considered perfect, and to date I've only given a 5 to two courses (Selah Lakeside and Hawk Hollow). This is one bad ass woods course, however!
That being said, there are places for woods only courses in our sport and many would say they're arguably MORE challenging than mixed courses. Lake Claiborne is, simply put, the best woods course I've ever played. I feel kinda bad that my 4.5 will pull the rating down slightly, so normally I wouldn't review the course, but at the same time I feel my review is needed. I'm a trusted reviewer and this course has very few of those reviews. It's also a newer course that doesn't have the number of reviews to gain a reputation, so hopefully this helps.
As an aside, it seems like there is camping on site. If you're into that, I'd certainly recommend it as it's a drive from the closest town (Ruston?). It's feasible to stay in West Monroe and drive in early if you need more stuff to do at night.