Pros:
Fresh-water spring near tee-12.
Two very differing nine-hole loops.
Between the natural flow, next tee arrows, and surveyor's tape, this course, even sans map, was a cinch to navigate.
Cons:
Currently, single tee/basket, although there are plans to add shorter tee locations.
A couple of the baskets on the front nine are quite hear to a steep, wooded slope that ends in a river, and a couple of holes on the wooded back nine have some extremely tight lanes to hit and maintain for a long duration.
Other Thoughts:
The course plays across two distinct terrains. The front nine plays in-to, out-of, across, and along small, gently-rolling grassy areas containing small groupings of trees and bordered by thicker woods. The back nine plays on the other side of the dirt road, within a homogeneous, wooded slope.
The holes on the primarily-open front nine have the following characteristics:
- While there are some elevation changes early and late, most holes are fairly flat.
- About 2/3rds of the fairways are primarily open, exiting some trees early, entering them late, or needing to miss some trees at about the midpoint. The other 1/3rd? While the holes are shorter, the trees are much thicker, with two of the baskets located near to a steep, runaway slope - don't be long!
- Holes require primarily straight throws, with some right-turns as well - not too many left-turners needed. For the most part, turns tend to be subtle, and mid-fairway.
- Distance-wise, this nine is where you'll find the extremes, ranging from 211' to 615', averaging ~430', with four holes > 500', including the 7-9 trifecta.
The holes on the wooded back nine can be described as follows:
- There is a fairly even blend of elevation changes, including flat, on these holes, with the downs being more extreme than the ups.
- About 2/3rds of the fairways are cut out of the woods, and range from moderate to generous. The other 1/3rd? Tight and erratic - a challenge to negotiate.
- Holes require primarily straight throws, with some right-turns as well - a definite paucity of left-turners. What turns that are needed tend to be near to the basket.
- Distance-wise, the range is tighter than on the front: 285-455', ~380' average.
Favourite hole: #12. Long, slightly up-slope, generous fairway, gentle right-turner cut out of the woods, with the basket sitting somewhat elevated in the midst of a small rock formation.
An excellent course in and of itself, even a better option considering quite different but also excellent Black Falls is just down the dirt road. Although a bit off the beaten path, it is worth the effort to visit if even remotely in the vicinity.
A complete game - big arm and accuracy - is needed to score well on this varied, challenging course.