I played here Saturday morning. Went a little out of the way as I headed back home, but this is a course I've always wanted to play. So glad I made the detour because I absolutely loved it! I had book... Continue »

I played here Saturday morning. Went a little out of the way as I headed back home, but this is a course I've always wanted to play. So glad I made the detour because I absolutely loved it! I had booked a 7:40 tee time, but knew there'd likely be a frost delay. The guy in the pro shop, Terry, was great and called me as I was driving in to let me know it would be an 8:30 start, but I was already on my way. The thermometer on the clubhouse showed 25 degrees when I arrived! By the time the frost delay lifted, there were a handful of groups ready, so they did a mini shotgun. They put me off on the 2nd hole as the lead rabbit by myself. It was cart path only most of the front nine, but eventually burned off. I finished 18 in about 2 hours and then went back and played the first quickly hole alongside another foursome to complete the round. Price was $55 and worth every penny. The folks inside made it sound like the course was just in OK/mediocre winter condition, but I was pleasantly surprised. Mostly green throughout and nice lies throughout tee boxes, fairways and rough. I did notice more thin/brown spots on the back nine than the front, but still pretty good considering the temperature swings they've been dealing with this year. The greens changed a lot during my round. Early on they were completely frozen, which meant hard to stop any approaches or chips but a slow putting surface. By the time they dried off, they softened up a lot more and also sped up, so it was a constant adjustment for me. Bunkers had great sand. Only condition complaint is many holes have been overtaken by Canadian geese and there's a lot of poop everywhere. This is a really beautiful course and excellent design. I can't imagine anyone not liking it. It's not super tight, but you still have to hit good shots to avoid trouble. It's not overly tricked out because trouble can be seen right in front of you and it's not hard to figure out where to aim and where you want to avoid. The main trouble is the bunkers. There are a lot of them and they have a great rugged look to make them extra intimidating. They are well placed in the fairways and near greens, so they come into play on pretty much every shot. Greens are well protected and most are elevated, so approach shots can be a little difficult to judge as a first-time player. The GPS in the carts is great to show all the details, but mine was a bit screwy and the yardages was often off by exactly 200 yards for some reason. It wasn't a big deal, though, as it was still pretty easy to judge based on the 150 poles in the fairways. A really great course that I'm sure is even better when in peak season conditions. The staff is great, the layout is excellent and the setting is gorgeous.