As you read my reviews, you may wish to keep the following in mind:
I'm a purely recreational player; I can barely drive 250 feet, I've never played in any kind of tournament, and for me the enjoyment is as much or more about being outside in a nice setting as it is about throwing a good score. Your results may vary.
I like variety. The more discs I use on a course the better. I love water challenges, and I love throwing downhill, the bigger the better. I like variety of length too. The best courses have some holes that only need a drive, and then a short approach or long putt, but other holes that need a drive and a long approach, or even two drives. Most courses have only the former, but I think the best courses have a mixture from 250-foot holes to 600-foot holes (or longer).
I appreciate the obstacles to putting in concrete teepads, benches, and other permanent fixtures, but from a pure playability standpoint, nice, long concrete teepads sure count for a lot in my opinion. Graded, graveled, and boxed-in tee areas are cool too.
A lot of the courses I have reviewed I only played once, possibly years ago, and things change. My reviews were all written soon after I played the course for the first time, so I believe all the reviews are an accurate representation of how I last saw the course. My reviews may not, however, be an accurate representation of how the course plays now, or even how it usually plays, just how it was the last time I played it.
I think the rating system on this site is just about perfect, but for me personally, I also think of my ratings this way -
4.5 - Must see. These courses are worth a road trip and should be your first choice if you're in the area.
3.5-4 - Well Worth the Effort. Perhaps a step shy of elite, but still worth going out of your way to see.
2-3 - Worth Checking Out. Several key factors away from elite, but still time well spent if you're already in the area, or have already played the higher-rated courses in the area.
0-1.5 - For a Change of Pace. Only worth playing to do something different or if you really need to play every course you come near. But even these courses have their niche - low rated courses may be good for beginners or kids, for instance.