Pros:
- After playing over 200 courses, most new courses tend to fall into one or another of a few basic course templates for me. For example, there are only so many flat, open, grassy, boring-ass park-style courses you can play before you're able to pull up to a similar course and know (more or less) what it's all about before even exiting the car. Other courses fit on the other end of the spectrum: true destination courses where every detail is dialed in to perfection. And then there are the huddled masses somewhere in between, from solid 4-disc courses that have great golf but bad amenities to boring but amenity-laden 2.5-disc layouts. Leila Arboretum is a bit of an anomaly, in that I'm not sure I've ever played another course quite like it. Even after a couple of weeks' reflection, I'm still uncertain exactly what to compare it to, or what to think of some of the design elements.
- The course plays through a weird but beautiful park. At the entrance you'll see what looks kinda like an amusement park: large colorful statues and dinosaurs and the like. The course is at the top of the hill, by the pavilion. You can also find parking by #2 in a small lot and start there, if you choose. There's a good mix of park-style, heavily (and I mean HEAVILY) wooded holes, and mixed holes where you play from woodland to open or vice versa.
- Elevation galore. If you like ups, downs, sideways, basically anything but flat golf, this course will be right up your alley. #1 starts off with an undulating, ridiculously awesome fairway that is truly a "right outta the car pucker shot." #2 works from a flat open area up the side of a ridge into the trees. #11 is a huge downhill bomb across a big grass-filled valley back up into a pine-strewn hillside, where the protected basket awaits. The designers sure knocked it outta the park on using all the possible elevation to max effect.
- Water comes into play a bit, but mostly is avoidable. #5 has a swampy lake to the left on the approach, that really will only punish the most errant of shots. A few other holes offer a bit of water, but again, nothing like a massive water carry or anything.
- Difficulty. Holy good god, this course is DIFFICULT. I'm used to playing gold-level courses , taking my lumps, and loving it. If you do, too, then Leila Arboretum is for you. There are several factors here: the elevation, the hole lengths (only 4 holes are less than 300'; 12 holes are over 400'), the extremely narrow fairways in the extremely dense woods, the blind pin placements, and the not-obvious-first-time-through landing zones that NEED to be hit to score anywhere even close to par. And don't even get me started about getting off the fairway...the wooded rough is brutally punishing.
-Solid amenities: signs, concrete tees, next tee markers...good flow.
- Beauty. Despite the public park style of a couple of the holes, there's more than enough wooded seclusion and natural beauty here to really enjoy oneself if, like, that's your thing, man...
Cons:
- The signage, which is really great, still gets a con. Why? They're descriptive, mostly accurate, and well-maintained; however, I still found myself walking almost every damn hole scouting for the pin because, well, the signs just aren't BELIEVABLE. What I mean is, when I looked at the signs, and then looked at the fairways, I kept saying, "It can't POSSIBLY do that...I'd better go check." Only to walk halfway down a 500' hole to realize, I'm still not going to see the damn basket (always seemingly tucked away behind a hill or a bunch of trees) unless I walk the whole thing anyway. Because of the uncertainty of where the hell you're supposed to be going, the first time through this course is a chore. I really cannot recall walking as many fairways in disbelief only to get back to the signage and say, "Huh, it really DOES do that....crazy." This is mostly because some of the wooded holes have fairway shapes that look like they were designed by some mad scientist disc golf genius. I'm still uncertain as to whether these holes constitute some radical new breakthrough in dg course design, or if they're poorly constructed landing zones coupled with nearly impossible 90-degree turns to the fairway (sometimes only 100' or so from the tee), or if I just suck at disc golf. It's probably a bit of a combo of all three, but maybe mostly the second option.
- So, mostly an extension of the above point: this course could really be an unhappy affair without a guide if you're unfamiliar with it. I think a lot of the stuff that seems sketchy after one play, might come out to be really fun and challenging once you know the full layout: where to layup to landing zones, where to go for it, etc. HIGHLY recommend not tackling this course solo, it's a beast to scout, walk, play...having someone spot first time through would help immensely.
Other Thoughts:
- I really can't wait to get back to Leila to give it another go. This course, at its worst, is highly compelling and interesting disc golf that is extremely challenging for players of all levels. The fact that the biggest con is "this course is mad-scientist-bent-on-world-domination levels of crazy" should make you want to play this course, like, immediately.
- I saw the listed par, said "Cool, I know what to expect." By hole 3 I was like, "I had NO IDEA what I was getting into!"
- To paraphrase Clapton:
Leila, you've got me on my knees.
Leila, I'm begging, darling please.
Leila, darling won't you ease my discin' mind?