Pros:
This is scenic course in a beautiful and spacious city park. Course is played on gently rolling hills containing several isolated large trees with nicely manicured fairways. There is a lake in the middle of the park that comes into play on several holes, and as a bonus is almost always in view making for a very nice backdrop. (The pics on this site do not do the course justice, playing in the Spring or Summer just adds to the overall beauty.) As a whole, this course is very nice- it reminded me of the potential that all disc golf courses could be if they were viewed with the same importance of having nice land like what is used for ball golf. The city of Madisonville was very generous in dedicated this land for disc golf!
As always with HB courses, there is a large full color map at the kiosk by hole 1 with scorecards. (take note of after which holes the course crosses the road) Every hole has concrete tees, a nice detailed map of the hole, and the baskets are in excellent shape. There are a couple of holes that play really long over the water (only pros and the longest of arms will make it), but there are shorter amateur tees for these holes that still make the hole challenging, but make it more realistic for most players. Other than the lake, it is hard to lose a disc as there is not much rough.
This course makes good use of the land, with challenges coming from trees, elevation, and water hazards. One of the strengths of this course is the overall basket placement- they are extremely well placed making approach shots very important- on hills, behind trees, over the lake, on the edge of the lake, on peninsulas, etc. Those that like to throw the long bombs will enjoy this course as well, as there are several longer holes and not too many obstacles in the way giving you a chance to let them fly.
Beginners will like the relatively openness of this course to work on their game without fear of super thick disc eating rough, but this course is one that most advanced players will enjoy as it is longer and birdie opportunities are definitely earned, not gimmees, as there are only 2 holes under 300'.
Cons:
Because of the openness in general you are not often forced to take any particular route of the tee, just the best way you can to throw it really far- backhand, forehand, rollers will work on almost every hole. There were a couple of holes that weren't at the level as the rest of the course. #1 and #18 come to mind as they were just open with little to no obstacles or special challenges. Even though each hole is somewhat different from the rest, the overall style of each hole is the same. (for example: not any tight/wooded/technical type holes or dogleg style holes of both left and right)
Other Thoughts:
*Tip- Hole 1 starts on the far side of the baseball field near the golf course. The first big parking lot you come to looks like it is where you should start (there are restrooms here), but drive on around and turn right and you will see the kiosk. Navigation can be a little tricky at a couple of spots mainly because the course is relatively open and you can often see multiple tees and baskets at all times- don't assume what you see first and what is next.
I was not blown away by this course (not a 4.5-5.0), but it is definitely a nice and enjoyable top level course geared more towards advanced players and those with better than average distance.