Pros:
• Excellent use of elevation
• Heavily wooded/technical
• Rewards accuracy rather than power
• A number of holes have alt. tees and/or pin positions to increase challenge
• Not too tough to 'bounce back' from errant shots due to short course length
• Broken in - the layout flows for the most part, there's low disc loss probability due to lack of undergrowth, baskets are intact, there are amenities (bathrooms/pavilions/ample parking), course is regularly used & easy to get to.
• Makes for a fun, quick, easy play
Cons:
• Rocky to the point of ridiculous - footing is definitely an issue (be careful in unsavory conditions and wear the proper footwear)
• May be too frustrating for some due to the terrain/heavy woods/elevation/lack of tee signs & 'next tee' directional arrows - and at the same time not nearly challenging enough for others because of lack of diversity, variation, length
• Heavily used/incredibly worn gravel tee boxes
• Neglected & deteriorating
Other Thoughts:
South Mountain was my introduction to disc golf & is my 'home course' so consider me a biased reviewer.
Back when this course was first built, it was one of just a few in the Lehigh Valley. Therefore it was given great care and
well maintained by the now defunct 'Barking Spiders' disc golf club - basically some of the 'cons' listed in the reviews here were at one time 'pros' (tees, signage, etc). But that is no longer the case. As the years have rolled by and more courses have been built in the surrounding area, South Mountain has been left by the wayside. Which is a shame because I really like this course for what it is - a short, technical, heavily wooded course that for the most part flows well, plays quick and gives a decent workout due to all of the elevation changes. It also has a nice balance of left/right/straight holes and when some of the baskets are in their long or alt. positions, it can be a challenge to make par since accuracy is the name of the game here (all holes are par 3 regardless of pin placement/tees used).
For those visiting from out of town, it's easily added to a 'courses played' list with its quick, straightforward play, easy access off major roadways and close proximity to other area courses. But don't confuse this with a destination course. If you're looking to just tackle the highly rated, world class courses in the region (Nocky, Jordan, Little Lehigh, Tinicum and Blue Mountain when available) then you'd be better off skipping this one as it may disappoint in comparison. However if you're local and haven't yet discovered this course, I recommend giving it a play as it offers a unique dynamic which complements the other valley courses.
Even with the neglect, deterioration and surplus of area course choices, this place still gets a good amount of play. The 2010 Lehigh Valley Disc Golf Ice Bowl is being played there this Saturday, Jan. 30 so that may give some indication of the regard the valley players still hold for this place.
South Mountain DG will always be special for me as I remember all the good (and sometimes frustrating) times learning the game, playing with groups of friends and meeting new people. Overall I give it a 3.5 discs as my sentimental, nostalgic memories, while fading, haven't gone away entirely and I still to this day enjoy playing here.
Side note - A year or so ago, I was having a casual discussion at work with a contractor and I mentioned playing disc golf at this course. He proceeded to tell me about how, back in the early/mid 1980's, he and his buddies used to play disc golf here (with Frisbees - you know the Wham-O type) and created their own object course. He mentioned how that layout is spray-painted on the water tower at the top of the mountain (check it out if/when you play here). I just thought this was an interesting piece of history showing how people have been enjoying various mutations of DG here for some time now and encourage others to continue this tradition.