Pros:
Harmon Hills is a premiere disc golf destination and certainly deserves the hype it receives on here. As we made our approach from the country roads onto the property, my excitement grew - nothing better than purely secluded land that is dedicated to and made for disc golf. And, I'd imagine with its remote location and the course being so spread out, that you usually feel like you have the course all to yourself. Just the setting alone is worth experiencing. But let's be honest, you come here to play quality golf. And that's what you get here throughout the entire round.
The greatest quality to HH is its consistency. It offers such a consistently solid and varied round and that says a lot for 27 holes. No two holes were designed similarly and none feel like throw-away holes just to move you along. While the setting maintains a similar feel for the front 18, there is a great variety of looks, shots, and risk factors. You have holes where you have the opportunity to reach the green from the tee (though not easily), like hole 1's downhill shot through trees to a tight pin position among rock outcroppings. You also have multi-staged holes like 3, 6, 12, and 17 that change dimension from tee to the basket; these kind of holes at HH are what really make the course stand out. And with 14 par 4's, 1 par 5, and holes ranging from 177-646', you get a blend of everything in between.
The variety on this course really is amazing. There are plenty of chances to navigate through short, tight holes in the woods, like 5 and 8, as well as numerous opportunities to open up on a wide fairway, like 2, 7, 10, and 18. But really, you have a combination that equals "all of the above" at HH.
Elevation is a huge variable in the course's fun factor with the constant rolling hills. There are too many downhill, uphill, side hill, and across-the-valley shots to count. Add in the many sink holes and some sketchy pin positions (like 7's drop off right behind the basket) and this aspect of your game will be greatly tested. Hole 20 is a fun one that stands out, playing steeply downhill and sharply to the left, almost making a horseshoe. It's fun being able to watch your disc soar down the fairway but it's still very tight and technical with little room for error.
While 1-18 are challenging and IMO the more enjoyable loops, 19-27 offers probably the toughest stretch of holes I've played. It's not like there were too many trees without clearly defined lines either. The holes are nicely carved with purpose out of the thick woods. They just provide some crazy tight and distinct lines, massive sink holes, and long multi-staged holes that require you to hit necessary landing zones. Definitely a stretch of holes you have to experience to understand and play if you love to challenge your game.
For being an enormous private course run by two guys who have other jobs (along with not charging a mandatory fee), the course was in tremendous shape. I was a little worried about the course conditions since we showed up after only a day's notice, but the fairways were freshly mowed.
The course is conveniently set into three 9-hole loops that take you right back to your car. This is definitely a place where rest and refueling is needed throughout the round, plus it gives you the option to play each 9 in the order that you'd like. If I played the course again, I'd probably play the last 9 in the middle of the other two loops.
Again, just a beautiful, peaceful, special piece of land that is dedicated to disc golf.
Cons:
Normally I wouldn't mind having simple tee signs - it does add to the rustic charm and I'm not one to knock a course just because it doesn't have John Houck-level tee graphics - but players would benefit in having more descriptive tee signs. We had to do a lot of scouting before we threw. The back 9 would really benefit in just having tee signs. The tees could've been longer in a few cases too with the long, open shots. I understand that this is a private course and these factors hardly took anything away from my experience, just things that could be improved.
With there only being one set of tees, you're forced to tackle head-on the beast that is HH. I think this limits who would enjoy playing here a little bit. I wouldn't bring new players here. While this speaks for the entire course, I'm especially thinking of the last 9.
Other Thoughts:
HH's current rating very accurately defines the level that the course is at. I'd give it a 4.75 if I could and I can see how many have given it a 5-disc rating. It wasn't like I was disappointed when I played here, but I also wasn't completely blown away like I have been when playing courses I've given a 5. I didn't feel that there was anything too transcendent about HH, but it does offer a consistently awesome 27 holes. I really enjoyed my round here and it is one of the more memorable disc golf experiences I've had. I just don't quite think it's in that top echelon. Still, I encourage you to head to the hills and play this great course. I really can't see any avid disc golfer not enjoying their time here, regardless of personal taste.