Pros:
Pro's:
Test of the mental game - I absolutely love the way this course has two distinctly different sides, each with its own personality. The front side tests your ability to "go for it" and rack up some birdies while the back side tests patience and damage control.
The front 10 are all par 3s which vary in difficulty from hole 1 which is a 300' relatively open hyzer to hole 4 which is a long and somewhat tight, low ceiling & winding fairway (this hole probably averages about 4 strokes).
The front side is the optimistic side - your drives can be big and bold. Little trouble is found on most of the birdie holes (1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10), but all of these require very skilled shots to get 2's and bogeys are easily be found on any of the front 10 holes with a poor drive or upshot.
Heading into the back side, you hopefully have tallied up enough birdies to counter the bogeys which are likely on their way. Upon reaching hole 11, the course demeanor immediately changes. If the front side were described as "be here FOR birdie", the back side would be "be here OR bogey".
Hole 11 is a high bombing right to left shot that plays easier for a big lefty/sidearm. However, if you don't have a big arm, you will be navigating many short pines to find good placement for par. If you haven't reached the obvious landing zone, you'll be navigating a lot of trees and a fast green that slopes away from you on the upshot.
Similarly hole 12, the first par 4 of the course, requires a medium range hyzer through woods to a landing zone which sets up for a low-ceiling midrange or putter shot to an enclosed green. The drive and approach by themselves should be quite easy in isolation, but combining them both on this hole makes it a challenge to get a 3.
From hole 14 onwards, you have almost 0 chance of an eagle 2 and also little chance of running all five holes without one or several 4's or 5's. Each of these holes requires both a well-placed drive and a great upshot for 3. These holes can slaughter a great round. Going in you can be 5 or 6 under par and still come out at or above par with a few bad shots.
Tees/Baskets - The baskets are a mix of Mach's and homemades which are all high quality and catch well. The concrete tee pads likewise are very high quality.
Luck - I put this in the pro's section because there are a few holes where luck is required; however, these are holes where you can create your own luck in the long-run. Hole 14 is probably the most complained about hole on the course - with some legitimate reason. You drive from an elevated tee across a mostly open field for about 280 feet and then enter tight woods with little visible fairway. However, it should be noted that there are distinct pockets and landing areas that make getting a 3 more likely. Yes, you will get bad kicks on good drives, but in the long run the more often you can find the high percentage areas, the better your average score will be.
Navigation - It is fairly easy to find your way around this course and there are usually tee signs to direct you to the next hole. Even if these are removed from time to time, a first-timer should be able to find their way around.
Variety - To score well, you'll likely be throwing a large variety of shots both off the tee and to save pars. There are several great sidearm or backhand favoring holes, several which require high booming shots, several low-ceiling, and several which are well suited to a controlled or distance roller.
Maintenance - This can be a pro or a con depending on when you visit. So far this year, every time that I have played this course, it has looked great. I know the volunteers down south are doing A LOT of mowing, weed whacking, and general maintenance to keep this place in check. From what I hear, in past years the course is barely playable in the summer because the fairway grass is so tall.
Jet wash - Because you are so close to the airport, on some days you'll see/hear/feel the effects of plane jet wash which is pretty cool. You do learn to hold up on shots for a few minutes after a really close plane because the ensuing mini-tornado can wreak havoc on your shot!
Cons:
Vandalism/Trash - This park is not in the best of areas and because parts of it are quite secluded (like #14's teeing area) you'll find a lot of vandalism and trash from bored kids. In addition, lately there is a tree hacker who is going to town trying to make the course fit his game. The course is pretty resilient but the continued chopping is starting to ruin some of the fairways L
Skill level - My opinion is that this course plays great for the silver and lower gold rated players, but probably not to the elite professionals. Most of the par 4's probably seem quite simple and somewhat boring to the elite player but still mostly out of range for realistic eagle attempts. All levels will certainly be challenged on some of the holes out here but the elite pro's will probably find holes like #12 #15, or #16 somewhat boring while players below 1000 will find them challenging and fun. This course will also likely frustrate players who have not yet developed a consistent, controllable shot. There is a lot of rough out here and it would not be fun to walk through it for an entire round.
My one hole design beef - two really tiny issues on hole 18. First of all, there is a paved path which runs along the left side of the fairway for the approach shot. Currently, across the path is played as IN bounds for reasons which I cannot understand. It may help to lay out the shot: On your drive, the righty must throw a low ceiling hyzer or skip shot which hooks hard left around a patch of thorns to a clearly defined placement area. The second shot is usually a high booming turnover which stalls and drops over the top of the basket. Poor approach shots or shots attempted from outside of the landing area frequently lose turnover and fade left across said path. I think this deserves the extra punishment of an OB stroke so players will evaluate their ability to throw this shot safely from their current position. It will set up a risk/reward scenario in which poor placement on the drive necessitates safe play for 4 rather than a no-risk pump over the trees. Currently, good drive placement is being somewhat compromised by the lack of adequate punishers later on in the hole (reward/no reward). In addition, the path is clearly defined (no question about OB or not OB) and is used by pedestrians which poses a safety hazard as this approach is a blind shot.
My second tiny design beef is the little OB pond (about 4 feet by 2 feet) which is directly in front of the basket on 18. I think it is a fun and quirky little OB area but tends only to punish relatively good shots that are on target. I'd prefer a bunc'r type ruling for this rather than an extra stroke punishment on a good throw that gets unlucky. That's it! The rest of this course is pure gold IMO.
Other Thoughts:
If I were to recommend one course to play near Seattle on a trip through the area, I'd recommend Seatac. It is very well laid out, the most challenging, and easiest to find your way around on.