Pros:
Sunset DGC is the closest course in the Gulf Breeze/Pensacola Beach area. I wasn't sure what to expect given the array of reviews, particularly the more recent negative ones, but I found the course to offer a worthwhile round during my visit to the area.
The strength of this course is the front 10 holes, where tight lines and well-situated water hazards combine for some engaging risk versus reward type shots. I'm not generally a fan of water hazards - too cheap, for one thing - but the ones at Sunset provided enough play-it-safe options that I felt I was in control of how much risk I was entertaining. It's one thing to lose a disc to the water because there was no other way to play a hole; it's another (better IMHO) thing to lose a disc because you were playing too greedily or boldly and aware of the risk you were taking. I can live with the latter much more easily, and I appreciated the presence of such hazards at Sunset. They made for an enjoyably tense challenge.
The water hazards on these front 10 come in the form of a small island that the holes play onto, over, and adjacent to. The island is dotted with a variety of shrubs - small magnolia trees, skinny pines, etc - that make for a variety of obstacles to work your way around. These set up a variety of lines - tight turnovers, S curves, hyzers of various degrees, and even a few overhand opportunities - that, though generally of middling distance (even from the pro tees), make for some engaging looks. The pro tees on this part of the course were well integrated, and the am tees were beginner friendly, even with the water in play, while still not being total throwaways. As an upper rec player myself, I stuck to the pros where possible but could have gotten some satisfying play from the ams, too.
The course's back half is something of a drop off from the front (see below), but it still contains some technicality due to the tree-studded terrain it winds through. There are no out-and-out throwaway holes here.
Concrete tees on the course's front half were level, a bit short, but even with the ground enough to allow for a comfortable run up from behind if desired. They did their job well.
Cons:
The aforementioned drop off on the back half comes largely from the fact that it is squeezed into a relatively small wooded section of the park. This effort to fit an additional 8 holes constrains how this part of the course plays. Already a shorter course, the hole lengths become even more compact here as things become crammed. I had trouble finding the pro tees here, if they existed at all, and found myself missing the extra distance they provided on the front half.
This section of the course seemed to be undergoing a redesign when I visited (the overal layout seemed to deviate at times from the course map), meaning that navigation was occasionally a bit dodgy and most of the tees were rough, sandy natural tees that didn't provide steady footing. The short hole distances meant that this didn't affect play too much, but it still bears mention: I found myself driving from behind or next to the tees to ensure good footing on several holes.
The lines in this section of the course ranged from straight forward to poke and pray, and were generally of standard quality at best, save for one or two worthwhile tight shots. Without the water-induced tension of the front half, the holes lost their bite. The woods aren't dense enough to regularly punish an errant throw, meaning you'll rarely regret pushing for birdies. Otherwise, the shorter distances allow you to play it safe and take your 3 without much effort. There are occasional exceptions to this lack of risk - 11's basket sits in front of a tiny pond that will punish shooting long off the tee - but in general I felt like the terrain and shorter hole lengths allowed me to get away with some off shots here.
Overall, the short length and tighter nature of this course could be turnoffs for some, and do limit the course's ceiling.
Without any images on the tee sign, you're regularly forced to forge ahead to spot your basket. The shorter hole lengths kept this from frustrating me, though.
Other Thoughts:
This course isn't going to stick with you months after your visit, but it provides a fun 18 as long as you're comfortable with water hazards. If anything, I wish it wasn't constrained to such a small area: with room to grow, Sunset DGC could really blossom. As it stands, it's a combination of a solid 3.0ish front 10 and a utilitarian 2.5ish back 8. For me, the interesting looks and enjoyably risky water of the front half triumph over the slightly drab back half in my final rating. I'd encourage anyone visiting the Pensacola Beach area to check Sunset DGC out. I was glad I visited.