With 21 holes, Hiller Park provides a variety of looks. Within these, there's pretty much something for everyone: 5 gives you a taste of out-and-out wooded golf, 19 and 20 are comparably tight, the copious water makes for several risk-versus-reward shots, and the numerous long open holes give you some opportunities to air it out. There are even some rolling hills, the kind of which are rarely found this far south. The range of distances - the intermediate tees have three holes under 200', three over 400', and pretty much everything in between - is especially nice here.

The water hazards at Hiller are well-integrated. They offer an increased risk while still providing ways to play it safe. I hate being forced to take an already-tough shot over a water hazard: it seems unnecessarily harsh. Hiller's water, however, adds a degree of difficulty while not locking you into approaching the water a certain way. I really liked that.

I appreciated how the white tees (the ams at Hiller) offered true beginner shots. This would be a great course to take newbies to, even with all the water present, as the whites mitigate that threat to a notable degree. Three sets of tees are uncommon in the south from what I've seen, and their presence here helps broaden Hiller's appeal.

Navigation is pleasantly transparent. The course loops around the park and takes you right back to where you started.

The convenient position off I-10 makes for an accessible, appealing stop when you're out on the road.

Bathrooms, playground, parking, and other amenities are readily available.

Despite occasional respites, especially at the course's beginning and end, there are a lot of very open holes here. This is more a product of geography than anything else, but the course suffers for it. It's doubly noticeable given that the most wooded holes lie at the course's beginning and end, meaning there's a big stretch in the middle of your round where your shots are given lots of leeway, often too much for my taste.

Given the variety of distances and hazards here, and the more occasionally-varied levels of woodedness, the shot variety could be better. I threw hyzers on the vast majority of my shots. The aforementioned openness is partly to blame, but it's not the only cause. More holes like 2, which forces a RH forehand, controlled turnover, or one hell of a thumber, are needed to mix things up. When-all-else-fails tools like mandos go largely un-utilized. A few make-life-easy hyzers could be prevented this way, such as on 6.

Pin placements could be similarly improved. Opportunities to spice up approaches are seemingly missed at times. For example, 7's basket sits wide open, with a group of nearby pines and some shule off to the right going unused. Not every obstacle can be integrated into a course, and not every hole can engage from drive to putt, but unseized opportunities like this stand out in Hiller's relative openness.

A couple of the holes play too close to the road for my tastes, although this would mostly be a concern for wild-armed beginners. More experienced players should have little problem steering clear.

When I played, concrete tees were installed on the intermediates. These were too short for my comfort - especially noticeable on the numerous longer holes - and they're raised several inches off the ground, which prevents a safe approach from behind. Concrete tees are great, of course, but these could have been better executed. The ams and pros still had natural tees when I visited.

A powerline comes into play in a slightly disconcerting way on hole 9. Be sure to aim low or throw high!

I always hate giving a lower rating to a course that seems well-liked by many. Hiller has some great endorsements on DGCR from some experienced and knowledgeable reviewers. I'm sorry to say I am less enthused than these fine folks: the openness and lack of shot variety detracted from my experience. Hiller still made for a fun stop along I-10, and I wouldn't talk anybody out of visiting. I just wished for more than Hiller seemed to provide. While there's a nice variety of distances and a decent mix of topographies, the challenge factor and shot variation were lacking for me. C'est la vie.

Disagree with me? Feel free to start a conversation about it! I always enjoy a reasoned dialogue about course opinions.

Nice challenge on hole 1 throwing immediately over water. Good variety of shorter and longer holes. Grass kept short.

Finding the next tee was sometimes tricky. Would be nice if there was a sign with an arrow showing next. Tee boxes were muddy and slippery.

Overall I will be back to play again.