Pros:
- Tee Areas: Large concrete tee pads with mulch, bench, and signs
- Multiple Pin Placements
- Red and Blue tees: Course was installed with the Reds as priority
- Water carries are fair from both tee locations
- Signs and Navigation
- C1/C2 landing difficulty: most basket locations have trouble and/or mental distractors around their Greens (trees in C1, roll aways, elevated basket, water)
- Red tees' Fairways: all holes looked fully developed shorts to shorts already. Almost friendly enough for a true first time player (minus 200ft water carry) and enough difficulty for someone to play for years.
Cons:
- Prodigy Cross Chain Baskets: very poor catching due to lack of penetration towards the pole. Should consider removing some of the cross chains.
- No "Turn": this course does NOT return to the parking or meeting area between the front 9 and back 9
- Green Access in the woods: After the A placement on the woods holes, prepare for mostly pure scramble. Lacks "reward" and "optimal landing zones" deep down fairways (new course)
- Red and Blue tees: Course was designed with the Red tees as priority
- Secondary lines in woods: Course is new but most wooded fairways are single option only at this time
Holes that I disliked/felt needed the most work for "Championship" quality:
2 red - Hyzer over everything, no reward for fairway
3 blue - rewards the layup over the water carry too much
5 red- Nothing in the way
6 "A" position- Elevated basket on elevated green leads to lay ups
6 red- walk by all the trees to throw in an open field
7 blue- Par 5 or 6, brush piles blocking scrambles
7 "C" pin placement- Par 6 due to trees not being cleared
10 blue- trees need to be removed, the shot to "A" will be a silly pitch out off the side of the pad
13 red- no fairway, hole not finished
13 blue- worse than red
14 blue- throw into open field, then play 14 red from a shorter spot
15 blue - throw into open field, then lay up to basket or huge rock
16 blue - has a mando and no fairway, lay up to red pad
16 red- FH roller scramble from tee
17 blue's mando- blocks a "fun" hyzerbomb
17 missing hole- anyone else think the hill/drop off behind 17 is crying out for a hole
18 "C" pin position - Par 4 unreachable off tee since fairway forces you right. Also easier from blue tee.
Other Thoughts:
A solid addition to the St. Charles Course List. Great property with early signs of possible 1000 rated difficulty holes from Blues (2 or 3 out of 18 currently). Currently plays very random and scramble heavy from Blues in the woods and landing zone heavy when in the open. Plays half technical and half shorter/open from the Reds. Course is new and has the potential for 1000+ rated play; but still needs more time and work if that is the true goal.
Reds Only as a local course: 4 stars
Reds Only as an A Tier: 2 stars (requires tee times)
Blues Only as a NT/Major course: 1 star
Blues Only as a local course: 3 stars
Overall Course Rating: 3 stars