Very easy to navigate (except for one hole).
#1 starts right next to the parking lot, and #18 finishes there. Very short walks to and from your car.
Holes are close to each other but they don't feel on top of each other.
Good use of mandatory shots, they're not ridiculously unfair, and they add value to the holes
Most of the holes are pretty straight but when there is a curve, it's well designed.
The island hole turns a nothing hole in an empty field into something kind of fun. We should have more of those, but with bigger islands.
#10 is a very fun hole, off the cliff then down a staircase made out of old tires. Safe? Well, if you're careful.
#4 is also a great hole through the trees and along the creek.
It is very unlikely you will lose a disc. There are a couple of steep embankments that might make getting your disc tough, but the creek usually doesn't have much water in it, and most of the holes are in an open field.
Pretty flat so it's an easy walk. The only steep hill you must navigate is after #10 tee shot.
I played the back tees to the long baskets today and that does make it a much more interesting course. So much so I'm moving my rating up to 3.5 because it is very good.

It is not easy finding #18 tee after #17. You have to walk over to the main road, cross a bridge, turn left, then make a right on the walking trail. #18 has only one basket, but you can use a line on the walking path as a long tee.
There aren't always long baskets even though they might be on the sign. There are a couple of holes with long tees, but they're not cement and you kind of have to know where they are, but they are fun.

Holes 5-9 and #15-18 are kind of bland, they're in a part of the course where there aren't many trees. Some sort of additional obstacle near the basket would perk them up a bit. Like making #16 an island. I'd probably expand the island though, bring the front of it closer to the tee. 255 is a long shot for most people and to have to hit C1 or you're in a hazard is a tough ask. (I was basket high but about 4 feet too far left)

Where the island is on #16 is not visible from the tee, but it's a C1 sized island. Once you get near the basket you can see a circle of bricks in the ground.

This is a pleasant, easy to navigate course that mostly has one teeing area and two baskets per hole. There are stretches where you're just kind of going back and forth in a field, but they do what they can to make it interesting. There are very few areas of thorny rough, and if you play all short baskets you probably won't run into them at all.

The short baskets are excellent for beginners and someone who needs to get in a quick round. Most of the holes are wide open, without much danger, but there is still enough of a challenge to make it fun. You still have an island green, some mandos, two shots down the cliff, etc.

The long baskets do make it much more of a fun adventure. Most of the long baskets are pushed back into the woods compared to the open short basket. Not every hole has a long basket but you can find them on 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 15.

From the standard tee to all of the back baskets, I'd estimate the par for normal golfers to be 61. 1, 4, 5, 9, 11, 15 are definitely par 4s to the back basket location although none of them are crazy long. They recently put in a new back basket on 8, that is at the bottom of the cliff behind the regular basket. I've been playing it as a par 4 since it is over 400 feet. I can't even get to the gap so playing it as a 3 seems unnecessarily painful.

Overall, this is a great place to learn how to play disc golf. There is enough challenge to force you to learn shots, and it's not so difficult that the average beginner will become discouraged by endless tree hits and lost discs. The township and the local club also takes really good care of it. It's definitely very good.

The course at Laurelain is a work in progress. In its original 9-hole state, the course hosted a few events and weekly leagues, but the ultimate goal was to expand it into a full 18 holes. Of course, hurdles exist. The small group of organizers have been trying to generate more interest among the community. They've developed leagues and a few events, and they've even helped to maintain the course landscaping. Parks & Rec can only do so much mowing at Laurelain since several of the newly implemented holes are plagued by Japanese Knotweed, one of the most invasive plant species (think bamboo, folks!). Yes, the course needs some polishing. But that small team of volunteers (most of whom have full-time jobs and families) can only do so much. Rabid disc golfers need to be patient. The tee-signs signify all 18 holes, and the baskets (some sporting the wrong numbers) are now in their proper places. I'd like to point out that most of the basket/tee sign relocation is the work of one man--a very dedicated, community-minded volunteer. Yes, the course needs better signage. Yes, the course map needs updating. And, yes, Japanese Knotweed is not our friend, and eradicating it will be an ongoing process. Hopefully, with some luck and more volunteers, Laurelain Disc Golf Course will become an added gem to the already terrific Muhlenberg Parks system. For those who have visited during this transition or are planning to do so, I would highly recommend keeping an open mind and taking it in for what it is--a very pretty course that will promote this great sport for years to come. And to those who feel too frustrated with the course, please consider revisiting in mid-summer. I think you might have a different experience.

For impatient disc golfers, the course's growing pains may cause frustration.

The reason the Lancaster and Lebanon courses thrive is due to the terrific volunteers/organizers who have devoted a great deal of their time in order to promote disc golf, and if you ask them how long it took to develop their great clubs, I'll wager they'll say something to the effect of, "Years and years." UPDATE: Each basket now has a sign pointing to the next tee. The confusion has been eliminated.