Pros:
Fox Run is the second course on site here at Smuggler's Notch. While Brewster Ridge plays as a true New England wooded course, the currently 9 hole Fox Run plays much more as a open meadows type course. When you combine the two courses, they've made Smuggler's Notch a true disc golf destination. The drive up here is scenic, especially the incredibly tight, twisty turns of Smugglers Notch Pass, the Green Mountains are beautiful and once you arrive, there are a bevy of golfing options available to you.
To start with, the total package of amenities, takes a back seat to probably no course I've seen. Maybe only Bryant Lake Park, in Eden Park (Minneapolis) compares to Brewster/Fox Run in it's amenities. The pro shop is well stocked with discs and anything else golf related you'll need for your playing time here, plus drinks and snacks. Outside are honey buckets, cold water to fill your bottles and a wonderful shaded area with picnic tables.
One of my favorite aspects of this course was the four tee pads for each hole. Playing from most challenging, the Golds to the Blues, Whites and on down to the beginner Reds gives players the option of playing to their own level or splitting their group. Each tee had an informative sign giving all the useful information. Sometimes, two colors would play from the same tee pad. I like this as it sometimes forces one of the tee colors to kind of "play up" a tee color and maybe play a hole slightly and or more difficult than you've been playing on the rest of your round.
The tee pads are rubber mats with a wooden border for the Golds only. The other colors were just driving off the grass. I would believe that this will shortly be fixed. The baskets were the Chainstar models. There were lots of helpful little bridges and wooden walkways built over wet areas.
I really like the fact that there are some shorter holes here, actually giving you that chance for a ACE or the tough birdie.
Nick, the Pro Shop guy, knows his stuff and is very helpful. $10 to play all day is more than fair. There is a professional scorecard available that is first class all the way showing not only the distances for all four tees on both courses but also the course map for both courses.
This is not a little 9 hole course. From the Golds, it plays 3805 feet with three legitimate Par 4's making it a Par 30 course. The Whites are in some case 200 feet shorter than the Golds.
Cons:
The holes on Fox Run are numbered 19-27. I find this a little confusing especially when they are considering putting in another 9 to make this a full 18.
Lots of very challenging holes. Lots of pretty holes but once again no real "Wow" factor for me. There's some elevation here but nothing dramatic. # 20 is 700' from the Golds but it's a pretty gradual downhill.
Teeing off grass was OK today on a dry August day but I don't think I would like it on a rainy day of any kind.
Other Thoughts:
This is a very challenging course. It gives you a different look than Brewster Ridge, more open. Combining the two makes for a full day of golf. Throw in the little Village 9 Pitch & Putt and that's three courses for us course baggers. By playing from a tee that challenges your particular skill level, you can certainly make your round/day as challenging as you want to make.