Pros:
This is a stretch of highway I drive fairly regularly and I've planned a stop on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, it always seems to be raining as I'm passing through Brunswick. So' I've never gotten to play it. But yesterday, even though the forecast had called for rain in South Georgia, the clouds parted and I pulled off the highway and into Honey Creek to find an ideal stopover course.
Let me digress for a minute, on what makes a stopover course great. First, it's close to the highway. I don't want to drive more than ten minutes off of my route. (Honey Creek was 6-7) Moreover, I don't want to see traffic, or street lights, on the surface roads. Nothing is more frustrating than finishing your round and then having difficulties getting back to the interstate.
I want to be able to play a fairly quick eighteen. Get off the highway, throw a few discs around and get back on my way. I don't want to spend time looking for discs. I don't want to spend any time looking for tees or baskets. At Honey Creek, I did neither. It's a relatively open course, and while the maps on the tee signs are mostly faded out, I could always see the brightly colored posts, with big, readable numbers, from the previous baskets.
I also don't want too good of a course. I am not looking for a four-star course. I don't want it to be too challenging and moreover, I don't want to feel like I'm rushing something special. I don't want to feel that I'm not fully enjoying something that deserves my full attention. Ed Austin(somewhat along the same route) while a better course than Honey Creek, would not be as good of a stopover course, because, (in addition to being much further from the highway) would take too long. I played Honey Creek from the far tees in just under sixty minutes.
But I do want a good solid course, and Honey Creek is that. It's open, but there are plenty of thick live oaks with heavy branches that love to knock down shots. Keeping it low will often be a prioroty here.
Many of the holes inhabit the same "area" but no fairways conflict. And from the long tees, there is a surprising amount of length. The big dog will get a chance to eat on several holes.
The course plays parallel to the creek on three holes. The water will make you think a bit, (and the view, over the creek to the extensive wetlands, is fantastic) but it would be a truly errant shot to actually go in the creek.
Cons:
But while it is a great stopover course, it isn't a great course. The holes, while good enough, are typically nothing special. While there is distance, and variety in distance, most of the tees point straight towards the holes. There is nothing extremely technical: there is little "shaping" necessary.
While I don't mind that the maps themselves have been washed out, (I could always see the basket) and the baskets and tees were in great condition, I do have to dock the course for an absence of tees. I don't mean natural tees. I mean, teeing off happens from somewhere near the post.
Two holes also played on the camp road. I have the feeling that this isn't much of an issue as traveling discers will be playing either with the camp completely empty, as it was for me, or not playing at all if camp is in session.
The one hole I did not care for was seventeen. It's a long water carry over a pond. As much as high risk/reward shots belong in great courses, they are out of place in stopover courses. The reason: there is really no reward. When I'm playing a quick round and want to be on my way, I'm not going to get much satisfaction from nailing a shot over that lake. It becomes a risk/risk shot. I took the drop.
Other Thoughts:
I wouldn't drive to this course. But if I want to break up a four hour drive, I don't think I could do much better.