Pros:
Poncha Springs is very unique for a mountain-style course in Colorado. Most of the holes are fairly short (many holes under 200, most holes between 200-300), and all of the holes are extremely wooded. This course is very technical as around 13 out of 18 holes are in VERY thick trees. The trees are thick... but the lines are there. If you enjoy practicing short technical lines, this is a fantastic course. Many putter/midrange throws requiring large amounts of accuracy, usually resulting in a steep hill or thick trees if you miss your mark. There is a fair amount of elevation change, as the course uses the natural contours of the land very well. You will be throwing up, down, near a river, and next to a cliff. The river is helpful as this area gets very hot, and the river can provide a nice breeze to sit down.
I greatly enjoy this course to work on my birdie game, and shoot for an ace. If you know where the pin is, 90% of the holes on this course are aceable. There are even a few shots that are easy aces, and it can be seen as many people have signed the back of the signs at the tee box. The tight windows keep you on your toes, and there is usually more than one route to pick, making it ideal for working on your game. If you play one round here, you will throw a fair amount of throws in your bag. If you throw every line here, you will throw everything in your bag (not including all bombers... however there are 2 long holes). It's hard to call this course easy because small mistakes and make large differences, but if you are a skilled discer you should be shooting for a few over par-par your first time here.
This course is a fairly quick 18 if you are in good hiking shape. For those from lower elevations, it may take a bit longer, but since the course is so short in distance, a quick round can take 40 minutes. Expect to be looking for a few discs here, as many times your disc will disappear behind trees far before it hits the ground.
The course has shown effort to place benches at every hole. Most of them are very primitive, made of rocks or stumps and some are very uneven. To me, it's the effort that counts though. The benches are at 50% or more of the holes, and while they may not be perfect, they are something to sit on.
Cons:
The first and major issue I have with this course is the tree height. While every hole has technical lines that eventually lead to the pin, it is possible on almost every hole (about 85%) to throw above/over the trees and land your disc close to the hole. This is just to say that if you're shooting for a great score, it is usually easier to bypass the trees and throw a nice high shot. That being said if you're looking to shoot and have a fun round, the technical lines through the trees are the way to go. They are tight, tough, require high levels of precision, and are super fun.
While every hole has a sign denoting distance (which I heard from locals are usually incorrect), the signs do not mark the best routes to the pin. This can be a major disadvantage as 85% of the holes on this course are blind. It is truly a "play two times" course... because even if you scout every hole the first time, it is very hard to pick the best route, and often the trees are so thick its hard to remember EXACTLY where the pin is.
To elaborate on this, simply finding the directions from hole to hole can sometimes be an issue here. I highly advise bringing a map, and remember that the map provided is a "loose estimate", and you should always be looking in the general area the map points you in. Many holes criss-cross and take long detours which can be very confusing for a first timer.
Many holes also come very close to intersecting one another, as this course squeezes 18 holes into a fairly small plot of land. Since there are so many trees everywhere, it is nearly impossible to see more than 100 feet ahead, so bad shots can come flying in from other holes at any time. Beware of this! That being said, not too many non-locals play here, so not too many strays discs will find their way to you.
Other Thoughts:
If you plan on coming here, I would plan on playing two rounds. One to familiarize, and one to shoot for a quality score. It is a very fun course, but the fact that nearly every hole can be overpassed with a tomahawk or high RHFH/RHBH was a tad bit annoying. If you go in knowing what to expect, this is a quality course to keep it low, work on your game, and pump out a few fun, short rounds. This place can get hot!... but if you're in the area and like technical courses (and like getting aces), this is a must see. While I did muster up many cons, this place was super fun and I would definitely return if I was in the area.