Pros:
Highland Creek's nine-hole layout is a fun, casual play. Enjoy throwing on a nice stroll through several fields.
- This is a short layout. This isn't a difficult layout. This is a fun layout.
- Course is divided into two sections. Holes #1 - 4 play in a figure 8 layout between two fields and a wooded hole. From there, #5 - 9 are in the same general field, playing up, down, up, across, and back down the hill to round out your nine. The second set of holes is much better simply due to the elevation factor compared to the flat layouts in the first section.
- Good course for beginners and casual players. There are places where the rough gets thick, the right side of the fairway on #4 being perhaps the worst. Otherwise, players have to really shank one to risk a lost disc and/or extensive searching.
- Good for a casual, relaxing round. Beginners/casual players can navigate with one disc. More advanced players only need putters and midranges. I played with two discs.
- #5 is a fun uphill shot. Starting in the woods, the first portion of the fairway is tight. Clear the trees and your in the open. It plays longer than 165 feet, but it's still a potential ace run.
- #6 is the best multi-tee shot throwing hole. It's a downhill, 170-foot hole. Throw it on a rope straight for the basket or play a little fade. Either way, you're trying to nail that ace.
- My favorite hole is #8. It's a dogleg left, double-mando between two trees. It's only 210 feet, so a high, sweeping RHBH or LHFH shot is playing the corner and getting towards the basket. There's an oh-so-slight chance the road comes in to play. Really, not much of an issue unless you really let one rip long and straight.
- Tee signs make for an easy navigation. A couple of tee areas are open for interpretation as the markers aren't always clear. I found this coming into play on both #6 and 9 as it wasn't clear if you throw from the sidewalk or somewhere else in the vicinity.
Cons:
- It's not clear from the parking lot where the first tee is. The parking lot appears to be only for the swimming pool and basketball courts. There is no signage for the course. Walk down the trail, past the pool, past the court, and you'll see the first tee marker.
- Signage for transition from #4 to 5 could be helpful, For a regular disc golfer, or people with intuition, it's obvious to follow the small trail through the woods. I could see non-regular players looking for a nicer, larger trail. That's the only reason I bring it up.
- I didn't like the layout for #9. Your entire fairway is a gravel path. Halfway down the fairway is a closed gate. Again, for a non-regular disc golfer, there could be a slight confusion as to where they're throwing.
- With the course playing in three separate fields, there may be times some holes are unplayable due to other activities.
Other Thoughts:
For a relatively small area, this course is laid out nicely. It seems to have a relatively small footprint in the overall space. Good to keep people complaining about disc golf.
- The course is considered private - for residents and their guests only. The parking lot 'requires' a resident's tag. That wasn't an issue when I played; however, if you don't want to take the chance, there's also a side street by holes #7 & 8.
- #3 is a sneaky fun tee shot. It's a blind tee shot - slightly downhill, slight dogleg. Between that and the rough on the side, it's the only hole that you may want a spotter, especially if there are beginners in the group. I think this is the best true layout, feeling like this belongs on a full 18-hole layout.
- You walk past different holes to get to the correct hole multiple times throughout the round. After #3, you walk across #1's fairway to get to #4. After #8, you walk past #5 & 6 to get to #9.
- Very little risk of being penalized for an aggressive tee shot. Players should have easy times salvaging par if you're aggressive off the tee. Nobody cares about 8 pars due to overshooting the basket by 40 feet if you nail an ace on the ninth hole.
- A perfectly enjoyable short course. Average hole length is 185 with nothing longer than 223 feet. Fun for practice. Think an easier version of Dorton if that course is too much to handle.