Highbridge Hills - Wisconsin

[Big Nasty]

ALL RIGHT!! I am heading for my first trip to Highbridge. Any insight, hints, guidance from you savvy vets of this complex?

Make sure you catch a sunset from the bench near Blueberry 1 and a sun raise from the bench near Blueberry 18; among the best i've ever experienced.

 

[da Crippler]

Make sure you catch a sunset from the bench near Blueberry 1 and a sun raise from the bench near Blueberry 18; among the best i've ever experienced.

That bench at Blueberry 1 is my most favorite place in the entire world. I've always found peace while sitting there.

 

[DavidSauls]

 

[BogeyNoMore]

A wonderful collection of courses I never got the chance to play.

 

[Countchunkula]

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Didn't he make a similar announcement last year to try to attract investment?

I mean, it's not surprising with as remote as that place is that they have trouble getting enough paying customers. I guess I'm just hoping this isn't truely the end of the line.

 

[BuiltTooLong]

A similar thing did happen last year, unclear how it was resolved... He had been making comments early on in the summer on how desolate the hill has been this year. Not sure how many last-ditch efforts they can put together to keep the dream alive.

 

[ru4por]

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I just got back. Getting there before this happened had become a mission. Had the chance to talk to Mountain Man last week and I got the impression he is very serious. I think he believed that investors would be stepping up to assist in his dream. I sat with a few local legends of the area and Wisco one afternoon and tried to encourage some brainstorming. I think the consensus was simply....outside investors or close. The property is just too remote to sustain itself with play and events. The property is stunning, the courses are spectacular and MM did a phenomenal job of improving the experience and infrastructure. ..............................................................

 

[da Crippler]

The last tournament is the Highbridge Fall Classic C-tier Oct. 21

 

[DFrah]

Ugh. I can't say I'm surprised. SO glad that I got to play there last fall. It was a truly memorable experience.

 

[Countchunkula]

Looking better than 50/50 that I'll be heading up to Highbridge for the final weekend.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Seems keeping Highbridge operational has been a real challenge pretty much as long as I've been on DGCR. Few destinations/courses have had as much drama over the years.

 

[Steve West]

A wonderful collection of courses I never got the chance to play.

You HAVE the chance to play it. Until October 31. You won't regret going there, you will regret not going there.

(If something actually is preventing you from getting there and playing, you have my sympathy. Then this advice is for everyone else.)

 

[BogeyNoMore]

You HAVE the chance to play it. Until October 31. You won't regret going there, you will regret not going there.

(If something actually is preventing you from getting there and playing, you have my sympathy. Then this advice is for everyone else.)

Unfortunately, I'm still recovering from surgery on both knees. PT has been going well, but not able to handle very hilly courses (yet), let alone a bunch of them.

 

[playrecords]

I spent a week in August up at that complex every year from about 2010 - 2016. Absolutely loved it, and always was amazed that it existed. John was always a gracious host to me personally so have nothing to say negative about that. Always wondered though how this mecca could survive...

Haven't been up there since Mtn Man took over and have read good things but the reality stands: It's just too far from a major population area to get the traffic it needs to pay the bills.

RIP and thanks for the memories. I have stories I could share but am too sad to recount them now...

 

[BuiltTooLong]

Looking better than 50/50 that I'll be heading up to Highbridge for the final weekend.

I've already committed to playing a tourney in Madison on 10/29, or I'd be real tempted to roll up that weekend.

 

[Countchunkula]

I've already committed to playing a tourney in Madison on 10/29, or I'd be real tempted to roll up that weekend.

Damn! I was already committed to something I couldn't get out of literally every other weekend in Oct, otherwise I would have tried to coordinate something.

 

[wolfhaley]

This is unfortunate, but kind of expected news. Like others have said, it's just too far from anything. Mountain man did his best and had the place looking the best I'd ever seen it. If this is truly the end of the line it's a sad time. Mrs. Wolf and I went on our honeymoon there so I've got some great memories on the hill.

 

[Mocheez]

With the beetle problems in Georgia, maybe Highbridge can become IDGC 2.0. Probably too far off the beaten path to be the center of anything though.

 

[DavidSauls]

Somewhere between the pine beetles at IDGC and the announcement for HH, I was in a discussion with someone about the beloved courses that are gone. Which includes far too many of my all-time favorites.

It's a challenge for a private course, particularly if it needs the revenue to be sustained. If it's close to people, the land is expensive; if the land is cheap, it's too distant. It was amazing to watch Mountain Man resurrect Highbridge Hills, but I don't know what his financial position was. It probably needs to be a place that someone buys to live there, and runs the course as an incidental side effort. Even then, it would be a LOT of effort.

 

[BuiltTooLong]

One more year! At least!