Pros:
-very large, beautiful park with hundreds of mature pines
-well thought out design, uses terrain very well
-tons of really fun and signature holes
-bright yellow baskets, easily visible and well-thought pin placements
-3 sets of tees: red and blue stakes, concrete for the whites in between
-nice tee signs with distances and "Next Tee" signs throughout
-great elevation changes, very well utilized
-distance variety (though on the smaller side) and great hole variety
-large parking area
-easy to find, close to route 80
-very friendly locals! sunday morning minis at 10am
Cons:
Not much to say here, this place is well designed, well finished and gorgeous. My only complaint is that the 3 different par 4's are on the easier side but there are significant trees with which to contend. Oh, and also the two concrete pads I mention below.
Multiple basket locations would be great but another reviewer claims they are on the way. Concrete or some other upgrade to the other tees could really help too. Add another 9 holes with some legit par 4's and find a way to incorporate the lake and this course could be rated even higher. The land is there to do it, so it seems.
Other Thoughts:
This course is set in a beautiful park with a unique atmosphere and some very cool rocks buried in the terrain, hence the name. Mature pines are everywhere and the course flows very well throughout several areas of the park. There are a couple tricky navigation spots but there are "Next Tee" signs throughout the course.
The front 9 has a number of more open shots before things start to get a bit tighter and quite dense on the back 9. The open shots tend to have great pin placements offering a bit of challenge for upshots and putts. There are a wide variety of elevation changes and four areas in particular that have drastic elevation changes: the short but sharp uphill shot on hole 1, the hillside with 9, 10 (downhill with a cool double-mando), 16, & 17, the totally awesome signature downhill bomb on 12 and the equally cool over-the-gap shot on 14.
There is also a wide variety in hole length and shape with a good balance of lefty v. righty holes and an equal number where left or right you just need to find a route through the trees! A turnover shot is well rewarded on 4, 7, 15 & 17 and a big hyzer is the order for 2 & 12. The vast number of trees means that even with 8 holes under 300' and 12 under 350', the shorter distances still make for some challenging par 3's if you don't hit your lines and/or hit a tree. There are also 4 over 400' and the final hole is a 820' monster that takes you right back to the parking lot.
As far as the trimmings go, the baskets are brightly colored, easy to see from the tee and in great condition. Three sets of tees and the middle tees are well-sized concrete, though numbers 6 and 18 in particular are not flat and a little short considering those are the 2 longest holes on the course. A rare oversight on this course. There are numerous benches, trash cans and "Next Tee" signs throughout, a couple little bridges and though I didn't check, it looked like there was a building with bathrooms on the way in the park.
I really enjoyed playing here and would definitely recommend it to anyone nearby or passing through the area. Worth going out of the way for this one. The course seems to be very well kept and the locals were quite friendly. Several different groups said hi and told me about the Sunday morning minis, random dubs.
As I said above, I really think this course could be a 4.5 with a few improvements. There are just a few quibbles and it is a little lacking in general distance. But that's just nitpicking: It's got a great atmosphere, a wonderful varied terrain and lots of challenging and signature holes. The land looks to have the potential to take this course to the next level and the local club seems to have the initiative or at least a strong start. I wish this was my home course!
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