Pros:
So, we essentially decided to play this course by virtue of being in the McDonald's parking lot and being vaguely familiar with the area. It was more or less across the street.and we had the time, so why not?
The SAU course plays through the main campus of the university. It's more or less a pitch and putt - a mid and/or a putter will do you fine for the entire course. Don't worry about lugging a bag.
Holes are scattered around what I would consider the campus square. It's highly visible and serves as an ambassador to the sport. We actually ended up giving a number of spare discs to a group of students who saw us bumbling through the course. They were playing with a set of "beach frisbee" style discs after we had blundered through. Felt pretty good to be "ambassadors to the sport".
Cons:
Ooof. I hate to say there shouldn't be a course where there's a course....but there shouldn't be a course here. Spring Arbor's campus simply doesn't have the real estate necessary for a disc golf course.
Navigating around the course is an absolute SOB. We used U-Disc to kind of sort of find our way around, but there are NO markers to indicate where the next tees are. Considering the holes dip and weave over streets and through...unconventional terrain, it's a damn game of Where's Waldo trying to figure out where to throw from. It's *almost* basket to basket, but some of the holes require you to trek across some unintuitive terrain so you'll be hopelessly lost trying to find the next hole.
Most of the holes are what I would consider "unsafe". They throw across multi-purpose areas that cross walking paths, gathering areas, and come uncomfortably close to roads. One hole in particular is what I call "The Gallery of Glass", as you need to thread your shot between two buildings full of windows in order to hit a basket placed near a set of dumpsters. The chance of an errant shot hitting a building, car, or student is waaaay to high.
I hate to say it, but there just shouldn't be a course here. It's not a sufficient space and fails the sniff-test regarding safety.
Other Thoughts:
I understand that there is a mentality that more courses = good. This is not an example of a good course. While the designers tried to implement a "real" disc golf course in a limited space, they were simply fighting against the inexorable tide by trying to cram a course where it was inappropriate. I never felt safe throwing a disc here - from the students on campus to the windows of the buildings lining the fairways to the cars parked in the street, the course was an exercise in anxiety.
The course is a pitch and putt. Sufficient for learning the game, nothing exciting for experienced players.
Unless you are "bagging" courses, there is utterly no reason to play here. It is dangerous, short, and crammed into a space inappropriate for disc golf.