Pros:
-If you simply look at hole design and take nothing else into consideration, this is a good course. It strongly leans toward the casualty spectrum as it is short and runs through the entire park. The park itself is very neat with a nice topography. Has a fishing pond, playground, tennis courts, a pool with a 12 foot deep end, and is in the middle of the city next to a big lots store.
-I enjoy the start to the course. #1 is over the pond and nearly halfway up a large and steep hill. Hole is short but accuracy is crucial for a secure birdie. It's only 195' but uphill and often leads to a scary putt because of the pin placement. A birdie is a great score here. #2 and #3 played on top of the almost seemingly terraced hill. The top of the hill has some rock croppings and has a small little dip where #2's basket is. #2 is a memorable short hole being blind off the tee. Slightly uphill and back down over the dip.
-Some real shot shaping requirements. The fact that's short and mostly open doesn't mean it doesn't have relevance. It has a lot. I looked at the pictures, and it looks too easy and open but it's better than I expected. #5 is a tight uphill wooded shot. #7 is a very tough par three that's kind of in its own league for this course. It's through a very tight group of trees from the open. Does give a big anhyzer option around the trees. #8 is a very fun valley hole!
-#18 was a nice ending being the only longer hole on the course at 413'. It's slightly downhill between the parking lot and the road to the right. There may be risk in landing in the parking lot but chances are, there won't be many cars there. Brings me to mention that there is a good amount of parking here.
-Nice attraction. There's a performing stage on #11 that some of the best musicians have performed on. Such as Brad Paisley! I'm not a fan of modern country, but I am a fan of some of the older artists like Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Lonestar, and a few others.
Cons:
-Navigation is terrible. I could navigate thanks to U disc but it still isn't easy to navigate with the app. There's no signage. You'll see pale markings on the ground but they aren't really visible unless you are a few feet away. There's no hole info and the numbers on the baskets are vaguely marked in white.
-You often tee off on paths, or the edge of a road. #15 has you teeing off in a parking lot. Vaguely marked "do not park". Other safety hazards as well. #9 is too close to the basketball courts.
#10,11,13,16, and 17 have you playing along the walking trail. The parking lot is close to #18's green. To sum up, The Ville runs through a lot of the other recreational park activities. Course doesn't have much of its own space.
-No actual bathrooms. Just port a johns. Personally, I'd just walk the fifth of a mile over to the Big Lot and use their bathroom and purchase something. At least they have a sink at Big Lots.
Other Thoughts:
-This is a pretty fun little layout. It was fun enough for me to play a second round. I'd rate it higher if was marked a lot better and if there weren't as many safety concerns. Usually, I rate a course strongly toward how I feel about it and if I really love it, I'll undermine some of its issues. But navigation and safety were a very serious problem here. The course itself is maybe a 2.5 and I considered giving it that rating because I thought the holes here were funner than the holes at Whirlwind (a course I gave a 2.5). The effort put into Whirlwind as far as signage and safety was a lot more evident even though it's not to me, a fun course.
-I will say though, The Ville is pretty fun. Signage would for sure, be a turn in the right direction and make locals enjoy this course. It's a great starter course, but people that are new to the game won't want to constantly look for the next tee and that problem could drive them away from a beginner friendly course such as The Ville. It needs signage so that players will have a better idea on what disc to throw.