Chautauqua Park DGC has a nice variety of terrain, with downhill shots (1, 15), lots of rolling hills (4, 5, 11), and tight wooded holes (12, 14, 16) in addition to some more straight-forward fare. Pin placement is particularly well done, challenging you with a risk of rollaways (5), drop-offs (13), and water hazards (1 & 2). I had to break out my ultra floppy, hit-and-stick Soft Vibram putter more during this round than I've ever had to before. Being made to sweat my approaches even more than usual is a good thing from a course design perspective, even if it doesn't help my score or my blood pressure.

The elevation here bears special mention. It's very pervasive, and can be fairly extreme, especially in the rapidity with which it shifts. Holes such as 9 (from the pro tee) and 13 have you throwing blind shots over prominent mounds in a way I've never quite seen before, which I appreciate. Elsewhere you're throwing straight ahead over a drastic dip that can add a few strokes in a hurry if you hit an obstacle (11, 12), stray from the fairway (14), or fall victim to a rollaway (3). I found the elevation to be the most distinctive aspect of the course.

Although their distances aren't currently listed on DGCR, the vast majority of holes feature pro tees that often add a good challenge to the hole or provide a completely different look. The concrete tees that are put in are, for the most part, very nice.

Course is easy to find and right off the highway, which I always appreciate.

Favorite holes: 5 (plays across a rolling fairway dotted with trees and the pin perched on a fairly steep hill; one of the most complete holes on the course) and 15 (nice downhill shot in the woods that starts out tight and opens up, with a creek guarding the pin).

I would have liked to have seen more complete holes on this course, especially given the rich possibilities of its hilly, wooded terrain. Many of the holes allow a single shot to make or break your play though. Although smart pin placements regularly challenge your approaches, these usually come in the form of wary layups. I was left wishing for some true par 4s, which, again, seem very possible on such a sprawling, obstacle-laden course. As it stands, an opportunity for some real high level golf seems a bit unseized.

Additionally, 5 or 6 holes linger near or cross into the realm of being throwaways, due to wide open fairways or straight forward lines. All but the best courses have a few such holes, of course, but they seemed a bit more prevalent at Chautauqua.

Perhaps this is partly because the wow factor is a bit lacking. In a setting this beautiful, on a course where space restrictions are seemingly nonexistent, there seemed to be the potential to create some memorable moments both visually and technically. As it stands, I recall a few shots fondly (such as the blind downhill drives on 13 and 15 and the movement across hole 5), but much of the course recedes into a general "good-but-not-great" milieu.

As others have mentioned, navigation can be dicey at times. This is due in equal parts to confusing/missing-where-needed signage, odd course flow, and tee and pin numbering not matching up. Renumbering/redesign seems at least partly to blame. I was fortunate enough to play with a local, but can imagine I would have had a hard time finding my way around without him. If you're playing without anyone with prior experience, bring a map, and still be prepared for a few confusing moments.

Concrete tees became less common on the final 1/3 of the course. The natural tees were often rough, but playable.

The vast majority of holes only have one pin position.

Chautauqua is a solid course that I enjoyed playing. I did however come away feeling that its present 4.0+ rating isn't quite representative. I view such courses as being destination-caliber, or at the very least the kind of places that lodge themselves into your head well past your round, and unfortunately Chautauqua didn't quite meet these expectations for me. Is it worth visiting? Absolutely - it makes for a fun round. But I wouldn't call it a must-play.

Thanks to Travis ("WSP420") for being a willing and knowledgeable host and all-around cool guy during my visit.