Pros:
Pharaohs Way is a quick and concise 18-hole course. It doesn't try to do anything flashy, but it doesn't fail to provide some challenge with its woods.
The amenities are well cared for. Tee signs with distances from both pads, serviceable (but not brand new) Gateway baskets and yes, two concrete tees on each hole (except Hole 2). Two pin spots on each hole add re-playability to the course
Challenge is added by the mature trees on the back half. Shaping lines through the trees on 14 and 15, zipping down the tunnels of 11 and 13, and trying to crash the hillside perfectly on 12, 16, and 18. There's also a hole punched in the trees on 4 that makes a nice dogleg left once you get through, and the tree ceiling off the tee of 6 makes that a tough 2 to get.
Mild elevation throughout is the other good feature of this course. 1, 6, 8, and 11-13 all have some slight up and down movement, and 17 and 18 have the starker changes, dropping away from and then climbing back to the parking lot.
Cons:
Much of the front half just does... nothing. 2 is a flat hole with the only thing going for it being a double-mando. 3 is an easy right-finisher with a creek behind to deter the rhbh play. 5, 7, and 8 can all be easily beaten with a righty forehand, and 1, while I liked it, is just a simple downhill blast. One or two holes is excusable in a city park, but a whole tray of nothingburgers is hard to swallow.
None of the alternate tees change the hole much at all besides 1, 7, and 10. Very disappointing.
The baskets of 4, 5, and 10 all play dangerously close to the back fences of properties. 6 has backyards all the way down the left side, but the only way those will come into play is with a really bad tree kick.
Hole 10 is either a tunnel blast with an impossible left skip at the finish, or an impossible high right finishing line. Basically parking 10 is nigh on impossible.
The only interesting holes: 14 and 15, are board flat and have their pins out in the open instead of protected by the abundance of trees. Decent tee shots, but once that's accomplished there isn't a lot to the second half of the hole.
Other Thoughts:
This course seems like it had potential and just fell flat on its face. The front 9 alone would be an even lower score, but the woods redeem some points for the course. However, the distance in the woods is diminished so that challenge is weakened. Nothing is done to try to extract major challenge from any of these holes, so at the end of the day we must accept that this is a course that is made to be simple and easy.
A quick stop off as you make your way through Southern Illinois isn't the worst choice you'll make, but if you're pressed for time go ahead and pass this one by. Or just go and try to find the Firebird I dunked in the creek on 3.