Pros:
Personal rank: 13
Top 1.5% receive a 5 rating, so Creekside is on the low end of my 5 rated courses, and might better relate to the higher end of my 4.5s than the courses that I consider the true elite. That said, I can't take away from the fact that this is an incredible course and that I gave it a 5 for a reason.
In traveling the country playing every disc golf course possible, I've seen the best of the best, and I definitely rank this one among them. Those I rated higher are typically more extreme/rugged and include significant elevation. That said, Selah stands out as one of my favorite disc golf experiences and I will make it a point to return as soon as practical.
Variety. Most of the holes will require multiple strategic shots before reaching the green. Many open holes, most with water in play of varying lengths and difficulty ranging from challenging to extremely challenging. The occasional open ace run utilizes water to raise the blood pressure. Many technical holes, from long placement line shaping to the ace run if you can hit your line. This course will challenge nearly every aspect of your game, with great risk reward shots. Every shot requires smart thinking and execution, random grip and rip won't get you very far.
Multiple tees. Provide alternate challenges, not just longer or shorter, but different routes and difficulty. Both tees are a very enjoyable round, from the shorts it's a much more manageable "all par 3" type of a round. From the longs it is a brutal beat down of an awesomely challenging round that will test your entire game. If you are only going to play one round, my suggestion is to play the longs, get the full experience that Creekside has to offer.
Camping on site. For no additional fee ($10 to camp, and $10 off the DG fee for "guests"), firewood, fire ring, fire starters, picnic table, a flat place to camp, and showers are all included. There is other lodging available for a fee, I cannot comment on that.
Carts. A necessity? Nah, I heard of people playing the courses without, but if you want to get the most out of your day, I'd suggest it. I'm confident I could walk both courses no problem, but I'd be worked at the end of the day(I measured lakeside long at just under 5 miles). As it was, I was still going strong after 4 full rounds. As others have said, 2 rounds is about max for the carts, ours made it a full 3 rounds but was moving pretty slow by the end. A rarity on the DG course, worth it for the experience. Having a cart allowed us to get a full round in on each course from each tee for 4 rounds total. So to us it was worth the price.
Beauty. Heavily wooded to Wide open lake view reflections, bring your camera, it will be hard to put it down. And the pictures never do it justice, it's one of those places you must experience yourself to believe it.
Replayability. One round wasn't enough, two rounds barely whet my appetite, this is a course that I wouldn't mind playing several times a month, it will continually test you and make you a better player.
Friendly staff. The folks at the ranch were very friendly and helpful in making sure we had everything we needed and were comfortable in our campsite and prepared for a full day of disc golf.
Cons:
Limited elevation in play. Obviously not a fault of the course and doesn't detract from the round, just don't be expecting any of those epic elevated bombs.
Tough on Beginners. For the most part, the short tees cater well to beginners, or at least intermediate players. But lower level players will likely get frustrated and quite possibly lose plastic. Besides, if I had learned the game on this course, I would be sorely disappointed in most every course I encountered after that.
Most expensive round of DG I've ever played, worth it for the experience, I wouldn't want to have to pay this price on a regular basis.
It is likely you will not leave with all of your plastic, the ponds, though not terribly difficult to avoid will likely eat even the best players discs regularly.
Obviously the cons don't outweigh the pros, and this course remains very near the top of my favorites list.
Other Thoughts:
I've played over 1000 courses all over the country and am happy to be sharing my opinion on many of my top favorites, and to play my part in pushing this course into the number one spot on DGCR.
I would love to see a tournament in action here, I imagine an awesome scene with a hundred people camping out, and a grueling disc golf adventure all weekend.
As far as destination areas, Selah comes in at my third favorite behind Highbridge Hills and Ozark Mt.
Make Selah a destination, give yourself at least a full day if not an entire weekend to enjoy the ranch to its full potential. I highly recommend it, you will not regret it.
Congrats Selah on being the number 1 disc golf course in the country.