Pros:
1) Owner lives on site and plays regularly, so he is always maintaining the course when possible. He always seems to be wanting to add routes, new basket locations and tweak the layout. I like the idea of an onsite superintendent.
2) The setting of this course is awesome. It is in the middle of nowhere WI, yet only a few miles off of I-94. It is set on a diverse property with the typical topographical features of this part of Wisconsin: rolling hills, pastures, dense hardwood forest.
3) This course has so many layouts because the owner likes variety. He has an aces wild layout that you can play at any time as well as the regular course. The course has multiple basket locations, multiple tees, and multiple formats for play.
4) Variety is the spice of life here because the course plays through open pastures, down in a wetland, along a creek, through the tight woods, up and down the hills in the woods, and uses a little bit of everything to make it a course you could never get bored with.
5) Shot selection is key on this course with many holes playing differently than the next. There are options available on many of the holes also because of alternative fairways. Some more safe and much longer or some more tight and more rewarding of a great shot.
6) You are bound to see deer, squirrel, hawks, eagles, and all sorts of other plant and animal life on this course. Just beware of hunters who also apparently use this property with the permission of the owner.
7) Distance flags on #17 are nice to help you guage how far you threw and how far you have to go.
8) Scorecards and maps available in the mailbox on your way to his shed. The map is tough to figure out at times but does a good enough job to help you get your way around. Some tees will still be hard to find on your own however.
9) Pro shop and barn full of discs and other disc golf stuff. Give him a donation or just buy some plastic to help support this course!
Cons:
1) The biggest weakness here are the tees in my opinion. A few of them have been excavated and made out of brick and some have carpet laid down, and a few others are simply natural tees. The inconsitancy can be annoying. Some of the carpetted tees are lumpy and can cause issues with a runup. There also are a couple tees where a runup is virtually impossible because of the surrounding area as well as the slope that they are set on.
2) No tee signs indicating where you are, this could be confusing at times because they use colored flags to indicate the tees in play but there are so many flags its hard to keep track of what you are playing.
3) I have only played in the fall when the discatchers are in place, but if you play in season many of the holes do not have regular baskets. There are tone poles made out of a variety of things like wind chimes. You can see many of them off to the side during the fall and it is a great idea for a cheaper solution for a course, but I need a basket to putt into or it just doesn't feel the same. Those who have been playing longer probably do not care because that is how the sport originated. The discatchers make their way here from Tower Ridge in Eau Claire when the skihill goes in and the course gets shut down.
4) A guide is certainly needed the first time through the course because of no tee signs and some tees in locations you might not expect. There are no directionals because it is a private course and DOn would most certainly like to play with you the first time at the very least. After that he will give you permission to play on your own if you want, but do him and yourself a favor and play with him at least the first round.
Other Thoughts:
The first time I played this course it was after a fresh 12" of snow. I played with Don and his friend Jerald and had a good time. I didn't write the review because I really wasn't sure what to think of the course with only that limited visibility round. I finally got back up there this November and got to see it with no snow (well there actually were a few spots on the course from overnight). I am glad I got to see it with no snow, but I also have still not seen it during the summer. I cannot comment on what this course is like with the tone poles, with the pastures mowed or unmowed, with leaves on the trees, so please take my review with a grain of salt. I liked the course but certain things keep it from being great in my opinion. I am sure as more people play it, more people will donate and maybe Don could continue to add to the basket collection and get his own all season. I have given him $5 both time regardless of him having waived the fee, because that is what I would expect to give to someone who lets me use his/her private land for disc golf. If you get there please be sure to slide Don a donation, lets help him better this already fun course.
I am giving this course a 3 overall. If it had permanent baskets in place all year, improved tee boxes, some tee signs and/or directionals, and the maintenance was on par with a city park I think this course could easily get a 4 rating from me, but in it's current status I think it is overall just above average. Some may think this is too harsh, but I am being consistent with my criteria for courses. With that said I would play this course any day, and would love to play more rounds with Don the owner. If I lived closer I would certainly volunteer my time and tools and expertise to help improve the course.