Pros:
- Full 18 holes, plus an additional short 9
- Short 9 well suited for ace races, battle of aces, ect
- Multiple pin positions for each hole
- Rubber teepad mats
- Lots of free parking
- Low traffic
- Landscaped fairways
- Epic views of Anchorage
- Pet friendly course
- Lots of elevation changes
- Course maps available on site and online
- Bathroom at the chalet
Cons:
- Pay to play
- Seasonal course
- Prone to windier weather than other courses
- Tee signs are low quality and some are missing
- The signs lacked details and some distances were off.
- Lack of signs showing the way between each hole.
- You need a spotter for most holes
Other Thoughts:
This course is only available between ski seasons. The long 18 course features many uphill and downhill shots, but not many lateral holes. Throwing uphill is tough and if you get greedy the downhill can be disastrous. I enjoyed the views from top and watching my disc carry down a few of the massively down slopes. Playing alone will almost guarantee multiple lost discs before you even get halfway through a round. I didn't like the idea of the ski lift being an OB line. A big arm course that penalizes players for exploiting it's best feature seems counter productive.
The rubber tee lads were a great substitute for concrete teepads. On a course where you're more than likely throwing 110%, having mats to throw from makes a huge difference. Unlike the short 9 Innova baskets, I had a hard time seeing some of the Discraft baskets. Some bright obnoxious color would really help on those plain gunmetal gray baskets, especially on overcast days.
Even though Hilltop is a much more justifiable pay to play course than Russian Jack, it's hard to compete with the free Kincaid course across town. I'd like to see a little more of a polished product (tee signs, directional signs, basket visibility ) if I'm knowingly going to pay for a course that's rated lower than Kincaid. Daily passes are 5$, season passes are 150$. Discounted season passes are cool, but I could only see it working financially if I had a group of people/spotters to throw with of the 30+ times it would take for the pass to pay for itself.
Overall, I think this course is one of the top courses in the state. The holes flowed well and the layout was fun and competitive. There is a lot of flexibility to change hole layouts and pin positions with all the available land, making this a great venue for tournaments as well as keeping things fresh for regular rounds. I'm glad I finally got around to playing this course.