Pros:
- Right from the start, on #1's long tee, Bird's Ruins' rough lurks menacingly, serving warning to those foolhardy or talented enough to enter The Bush. Because, ultimately, that's what Bird's Ruins boils down to: the test of wills between you and The Bush. The Bush looms, omnipresent; here in the form of a massive hill covered in the densest patch of continuous sumac in existence, there in the form of pin-ball jails with literally no escape/scramble route/exits, and in the open prairie area as dense, thick, impenetrable schule encountered immediately and ubiquitously off, and sometimes *in*, the fairway. Recovery shots are grim affairs, usually requiring a second set of eyeballs to spot, as you say a prayer and fling it hopefully forward, always forward, in an inevitable death march toward each pin, somewhere in the distance, through The Bush. I witnessed a thrown disc rebuffed wholesale by The Bush, it smacking down this feeble vainglorious attempt to simply reach the fairway, nearly returning the disc to the thrower's arms, so impenetrable is the rough in places. Sumac prisons abound. Even after you emerge from The Bush, more or less, the fear of having to play back towards it lingers for the remainder of the round as the punishment now shifts to largely unshaded prairie scrub holes almost as bad as the thickest of the sumac.
- There is tasty elevation out here. Even the flatter holes like #'s 1 and 2 have little dips and wrinkles. The creek in front of #1's green is an example. Hole #'s 5 & 6 up the ante and start moving up the more hilly section of the course, with a few relatively easy warm up holes to lure unwary souls into a false sense of comfort. Hole #'s 7-10 work through established woodland with fair, commensurate punishment off the fairways, as the holes climb up and down a small ridge. While definitely not "easy" these holes are nice and technical, and some of the nicest on the course to play from a "I'm not going to die stuck in the rough 1" off the fairway" sort of vibe. #17 plays uphill with the narrowest of gaps between The Bush to hit a sumac-surrounded green. Prairie holes on out with a few wooded exceptions, before the last hole forces a water carry over a pond that, of course, leaves you a long walk all the way back around the pond to the parking lot. Just for one last kick to the shins.
- Amenities: all here and in fine shape with the exception of a few tee signs missing. Benches throughout, which was a welcome addition, from someone who typically does not use them during a round. Elevated basket on #12 in the prairie wind will test putting skills. Tees in fine shape. Bring water. In fact, slam water on the first several holes before the course crosses over the road past the parking lot, and then refill while you have the chance.
- A fairly good variety of hole types over a fairly good variety of terrain, requiring a multitude of shots, escape shots, trick shots, rollers, and anything else you can do to manage The Bush.
- A variety of yummy wild berries and fungi throughout.
Cons:
- Overgrown in spots, not to the point of complete unplayability or anything, but did have to skip one or two of the long tees due to the sides of the fairways having grown almost to the point of touching. Long tee #19 was especially bad. Nothing a quick trim wouldn't correct; overall, the course is maintained well.
- There are holes where I'd posit the following: the punishment doled out by the rough is incommensurate to the poorness of the shot. The prairie holes and the Sumac Bush are prime offenders, while the established forest ridge holes are innocent, by and large. I'm used to playing long gold-level courses, taking my lumps, and loving it. This felt a bit unnecessarily sadistic in places.
- Do we really really need 28 holes here? I appreciate the bang-for-your-buck aspect to this, but my intuition tells me this course could be "shortened" to, say, 24 and become more digestible while still retaining a high level of difficulty and punishment. Eliding some of the prairie shots on the "back back 10" into perhaps a more manageable bomber hole or two without having to worry about the rough could be a nice touch, for example.
Other Thoughts:
- $5 pay-to-play gets you more than your money's worth.
- If I had brought any lunch money to this course, it would have pushed me down, skinned up my knees, and taken it. Also, my name is now "Sally."