Swisher Streets
Double Eagle Member
Glad I hit Highbridge when I did, my trip seems pretty tame compared to some of the recent stories.
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Highbridge Hills - Wisconsin
- Thread starter Adamodisco
- Start date
Muskiebite
Par Member
- Joined
- May 6, 2012
- Messages
- 115
This was my first time to Highbridge with Smarkquart and the rest of the league we stayed in the Honka house. After reading all the horror stories about this place I was fully prepared for the worst and with a 30-40% chance of thunderstorms all weekend I already had back up plans to other courses drawn up if we needed to bail out for any number of reasons. However the weather held and it was gorgeous all three days and everything was within acceptable "Highbridge" Tolerances.
Like Smarkquart already described the abandon tents, tarps and canopys were everywhere but off on the sides of the fairways so while unsightly they were not impeding on play. Blueberry Hole 2 had a huge pile of abandon tents in a clearing in the woods with puddles of water in them, a perfect breeding place for mosquitoes. Gold and Granite had fairways that were muddy but mostly level, there was some areas where some casual relief was used due to poor footing or standing water but not deep ruts and huge puddles. All the courses sans Bear were getting a little feral still short enough to be playable maybe ankle high fairways on some holes. We used a spotter on 80-90% of the all the holes (Blue, Gold, Granite and Woodland) due to a combination of the blind shots, the rough fairways, our skill level , the desire not to lose discs and to speed up play. Very draining when you need to walk down, spot, walk up, shoot and walk down again. Most tees had signs and arrows to the next tee.
We used carts on Gold and Granite, the cart situation was so mismanaged with Abby and John contradicting each other on the availability of carts. John said he would have the carts for us Saturday and confirmed in a phone call, then Friday night Abby swung by and we asked the status of the carts, she said she needed to check if there was any campers with disabilities and we should have confirmed with her. Saturday morning John made no mention of Abby's check and got us three 4 seaters and one 2 seater so one person needed to walk, which was fine since a majority of the time we had more than one person off the carts anyways and it was mostly to carry our bags. The carts were in OK condition, one cart had a tire so dry rotted and cracked it was sagging badly with a full cart so we watched and tried not to overload it, different cart didn't have reverse. Due to the rain some cart paths were unusable or needed to be carefully navigated but there was usually another path that could be used by some back tracking.
Our dealings with Abby were very minimal, she swung by after a majority of the group arrived introduced herself, asked our plans and offered to be a doubles partner if we were short, no asking for drugs or to use the house. We also had the conversation with her about the carts later in the day. A small group of us went to chestnut Friday night for a glow round she was hanging out with the campers and later tagged along for the back half of the course. She was amicable but it was bordering needy/annoying, she was really pushing her Saturday night Ace Race at Chestnut and telling us all these strange "Traditions" on the holes, like the "tradition" on hole 12 was to say your name, where you are from, favorite course and favorite disc… and the tradition on this hole was to howl at the moon…I wouldn't be surprised if she made a comment about my energy or aura. Saturday we only saw her a few times, just a quick hello, reminding us about the ace race and she was on her way. Our group consisted of mostly older players 30s-40s, one brought his wife and one twisted his ankle almost right away so he stayed at house when we were out on our rounds, and we didn't give Abby any reason to hang around with us so that's why I think we had a different experience.
Course condition aside Highbridge does have great designed courses, each course has a unique feel to it, and some beautiful views. Numerous holes that make you want to throw extra shots for fun. Holes that really force you to shape your shots but offer a few different options. Good flow between holes. If the courses were well groomed they would all be 4s and 5s. The only course I didn't like was chestnut because even though it was prompted as a night course the lights on the course were barely illuminating and the flood lights on the powerlines really washed out the lights and kept your eyes from getting truly adjusted to the dark. I heard someone put lights on Woodland which I think would be a really fun tight night course.
The thing that sticks out most to me is the things that are just accepted as "Because Highbridge" like all the half completed houses/shelters/structures scattered throughout the courses. I've seen these things have been discussed before but it is truly something that needs to be seen to be believed. There was three baskets laying around the Honka house, just tossed in the tall grass or sitting unassembled next to the house, when I asked my group who have been there before the only answer I got was "Because Highbridge" Why is a mustang considered an acceptable work vehicle, Because Highbridge. Why does the Honka house have two nonfunctioning hot tubs, why does the Honka house look like it was made by Ikea were parts were missing and they needed to improvise or get close enough, Why do they have a gym…outside…in a region where it snows almost half the year. I came to disc golf not to do pectoral flys and leg extensions, I'm getting enough of a workout bombing gold and walking miles and miles of course.
Like Smarkquart already described the abandon tents, tarps and canopys were everywhere but off on the sides of the fairways so while unsightly they were not impeding on play. Blueberry Hole 2 had a huge pile of abandon tents in a clearing in the woods with puddles of water in them, a perfect breeding place for mosquitoes. Gold and Granite had fairways that were muddy but mostly level, there was some areas where some casual relief was used due to poor footing or standing water but not deep ruts and huge puddles. All the courses sans Bear were getting a little feral still short enough to be playable maybe ankle high fairways on some holes. We used a spotter on 80-90% of the all the holes (Blue, Gold, Granite and Woodland) due to a combination of the blind shots, the rough fairways, our skill level , the desire not to lose discs and to speed up play. Very draining when you need to walk down, spot, walk up, shoot and walk down again. Most tees had signs and arrows to the next tee.
We used carts on Gold and Granite, the cart situation was so mismanaged with Abby and John contradicting each other on the availability of carts. John said he would have the carts for us Saturday and confirmed in a phone call, then Friday night Abby swung by and we asked the status of the carts, she said she needed to check if there was any campers with disabilities and we should have confirmed with her. Saturday morning John made no mention of Abby's check and got us three 4 seaters and one 2 seater so one person needed to walk, which was fine since a majority of the time we had more than one person off the carts anyways and it was mostly to carry our bags. The carts were in OK condition, one cart had a tire so dry rotted and cracked it was sagging badly with a full cart so we watched and tried not to overload it, different cart didn't have reverse. Due to the rain some cart paths were unusable or needed to be carefully navigated but there was usually another path that could be used by some back tracking.
Our dealings with Abby were very minimal, she swung by after a majority of the group arrived introduced herself, asked our plans and offered to be a doubles partner if we were short, no asking for drugs or to use the house. We also had the conversation with her about the carts later in the day. A small group of us went to chestnut Friday night for a glow round she was hanging out with the campers and later tagged along for the back half of the course. She was amicable but it was bordering needy/annoying, she was really pushing her Saturday night Ace Race at Chestnut and telling us all these strange "Traditions" on the holes, like the "tradition" on hole 12 was to say your name, where you are from, favorite course and favorite disc… and the tradition on this hole was to howl at the moon…I wouldn't be surprised if she made a comment about my energy or aura. Saturday we only saw her a few times, just a quick hello, reminding us about the ace race and she was on her way. Our group consisted of mostly older players 30s-40s, one brought his wife and one twisted his ankle almost right away so he stayed at house when we were out on our rounds, and we didn't give Abby any reason to hang around with us so that's why I think we had a different experience.
Course condition aside Highbridge does have great designed courses, each course has a unique feel to it, and some beautiful views. Numerous holes that make you want to throw extra shots for fun. Holes that really force you to shape your shots but offer a few different options. Good flow between holes. If the courses were well groomed they would all be 4s and 5s. The only course I didn't like was chestnut because even though it was prompted as a night course the lights on the course were barely illuminating and the flood lights on the powerlines really washed out the lights and kept your eyes from getting truly adjusted to the dark. I heard someone put lights on Woodland which I think would be a really fun tight night course.
The thing that sticks out most to me is the things that are just accepted as "Because Highbridge" like all the half completed houses/shelters/structures scattered throughout the courses. I've seen these things have been discussed before but it is truly something that needs to be seen to be believed. There was three baskets laying around the Honka house, just tossed in the tall grass or sitting unassembled next to the house, when I asked my group who have been there before the only answer I got was "Because Highbridge" Why is a mustang considered an acceptable work vehicle, Because Highbridge. Why does the Honka house have two nonfunctioning hot tubs, why does the Honka house look like it was made by Ikea were parts were missing and they needed to improvise or get close enough, Why do they have a gym…outside…in a region where it snows almost half the year. I came to disc golf not to do pectoral flys and leg extensions, I'm getting enough of a workout bombing gold and walking miles and miles of course.
That was us. It was dope. Other than the occasional trip hazard, Woodlands is a great night course.
The lights on the street by Chesnut are the exact opposite of what you want for glow. Dark, moonless nights are the best, not searchlights blasting you everytime you look up.
"Because Highbridge" = "because John has huge ideas but no ambition, cash, or know-how to finish any of them"
Also, I'm almost positive the reason Abby mostly left you alone is because you had a female along. I'd guess she doesn't like any competition for attention.
Also, I'm almost positive the reason Abby mostly left you alone is because you had a female along. I'd guess she doesn't like any competition for attention.
Just don't misplace your wedding ring while you're there and everything will be fine. :\
I've had anxiety about not wearing my ring ever since the infamous chips and salsa stretching session. Scarred. For. Life.
tbird888
Salient Disc Test Team
Brent takes off his ring, and all the ladies start "stretching"...
Airfishey
Par Member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2009
- Messages
- 166
This seems to be a common. We ran into the same thing in 2014. The holes seemed somewhat maintained until the back 9 where the mowing seemed to stop. We quit half to three quarters of the way through Bear since it looked likely that we were going to lose a disc in the middle of the fairway.
The rest of the courses seemed well maintained in 2014. Maybe it's harder to get a mower into parts of Bear?
deadbody
Eagle Member
So I was on the same trip with Muskiebite and Smarkquardt. This was my third trip to Highbridge.
The good: The house was cleaner than before. I tented the last two trips next to the house cause I figured the chance of catching some sort of incurable super virus was lower if I didn't sleep in the filth. This year the house was at least surface very clean, it had a couple nice sitting areas, and the foosball table was a nice touch.
The good: The courses. So at the end of the day we go to throw frisbees in the woods. And these are really nice courses to throw frisbees. The grass was a bit long in spots (I didn't go on the Bear run cause I played that **** once and that was enough for me) but most of that was due to the weather. Standing water on almost every hole because of the heavy rains means you can't get a mower there, and I'm sure the mowing schedule is so tight with limited machines and help that there is nothing you can do.
The inbetween: Abby. So I was super worried about her this trip. I have a 17 year old son who came with us, and he has some issues with impulse control. We had a serious talk about "Don't stick your dick in the crazy" but she mostly left us alone. I was annoyed about the cash grab for the carts on friday night when we had reserved them back in february, but other than that my interactions with her were minimal and she was pleasant enough if a bit weird for my tastes. I was annoyed by her comments about how she wishes people would talk to her instead of John. Your failure to set up your business the best way isn't the customers fault or issue. Don't bring it up to us.
The inbetween: John. John is super nice, I like him, I like my interactions with him. If he was just the face of the place and kept people happy it would be fine. Instead he wants to have his fingers on everything and he just doesn't do a lot of it well.
The bad: Honka house maintenance. It was cleaner than last time, but still going downhill fast due to cheap materials and lack luster maintenance. The toilet seat cover was ziptied on (at least until I tried to move for optimal pooping and tore them off), part of the deck railing is tied together with rope. The deck itself hasn't been stained or sealed in years and is looking pretty bad. The hot-tub wasn't working or full, which is probably good because I'm not sure the part of deck it is on can support the weight. Basically the house looks like a cheap rental owned by a slum lord.
The Bad: The trash: It wasn't on the course proper, all pushed to the sides and off the fairways. But it still looks like ****, and it still leaves puddles for skeeters to breed and egg and ****. Bad things.
The bad: Tore up courses. Every course had spots where the heavy stuff to move stages came through and tore up fairways bad. Every course had spots where the concert goers tore **** up just from having tons of people there in the rain. It sucks, and will take years to fix, and thats if it is done right (bladed down, seeded, and no one on it for months). It won't be so in a couple years those spots will just be grown over with weeds, and be nasty bumps that will continue to **** up the already busted carts.
The bad: the carts. One ran out of gas on us, one had a tire so bad we couldn't use it to its fullest. One didn't have reverse. 25% success rate on carts is bad, but thats cause those carts aren't designed to take the pounding they do on that course. Charge more and spend the money to get good UTV's and call it a day.
Overall it was a great trip, that had more to do with the people I was with than Highbridge itself. I would love to see the rates increase and an equal increase in maintenance and such. The Honka house has the makings to be a very nice condo that sleeps 10-12 in an amazing area. Those get $500+ per night, once you are traveling all the way there to stay and play you will spend the extra cash. So make the house amazing and charge for it. Then spend a week in the off season making sure everything is fixed and perfect. The courses need some upkeep. Raise the daily rate to $20 and buy a couple NEW good mowers to stay on top of it. The time you spend trying to fix and beg and pray for the latest POS that keeps breaking down is time you could be making the course perfect, and worth the extra money.
From the standpoint of a consumer who is willing to spend for quality (and there are more of us in the Disc Golf world than we are given credit for) I'd rather spend more and know I am getting great, then go cheap and get cheap.
The good: The house was cleaner than before. I tented the last two trips next to the house cause I figured the chance of catching some sort of incurable super virus was lower if I didn't sleep in the filth. This year the house was at least surface very clean, it had a couple nice sitting areas, and the foosball table was a nice touch.
The good: The courses. So at the end of the day we go to throw frisbees in the woods. And these are really nice courses to throw frisbees. The grass was a bit long in spots (I didn't go on the Bear run cause I played that **** once and that was enough for me) but most of that was due to the weather. Standing water on almost every hole because of the heavy rains means you can't get a mower there, and I'm sure the mowing schedule is so tight with limited machines and help that there is nothing you can do.
The inbetween: Abby. So I was super worried about her this trip. I have a 17 year old son who came with us, and he has some issues with impulse control. We had a serious talk about "Don't stick your dick in the crazy" but she mostly left us alone. I was annoyed about the cash grab for the carts on friday night when we had reserved them back in february, but other than that my interactions with her were minimal and she was pleasant enough if a bit weird for my tastes. I was annoyed by her comments about how she wishes people would talk to her instead of John. Your failure to set up your business the best way isn't the customers fault or issue. Don't bring it up to us.
The inbetween: John. John is super nice, I like him, I like my interactions with him. If he was just the face of the place and kept people happy it would be fine. Instead he wants to have his fingers on everything and he just doesn't do a lot of it well.
The bad: Honka house maintenance. It was cleaner than last time, but still going downhill fast due to cheap materials and lack luster maintenance. The toilet seat cover was ziptied on (at least until I tried to move for optimal pooping and tore them off), part of the deck railing is tied together with rope. The deck itself hasn't been stained or sealed in years and is looking pretty bad. The hot-tub wasn't working or full, which is probably good because I'm not sure the part of deck it is on can support the weight. Basically the house looks like a cheap rental owned by a slum lord.
The Bad: The trash: It wasn't on the course proper, all pushed to the sides and off the fairways. But it still looks like ****, and it still leaves puddles for skeeters to breed and egg and ****. Bad things.
The bad: Tore up courses. Every course had spots where the heavy stuff to move stages came through and tore up fairways bad. Every course had spots where the concert goers tore **** up just from having tons of people there in the rain. It sucks, and will take years to fix, and thats if it is done right (bladed down, seeded, and no one on it for months). It won't be so in a couple years those spots will just be grown over with weeds, and be nasty bumps that will continue to **** up the already busted carts.
The bad: the carts. One ran out of gas on us, one had a tire so bad we couldn't use it to its fullest. One didn't have reverse. 25% success rate on carts is bad, but thats cause those carts aren't designed to take the pounding they do on that course. Charge more and spend the money to get good UTV's and call it a day.
Overall it was a great trip, that had more to do with the people I was with than Highbridge itself. I would love to see the rates increase and an equal increase in maintenance and such. The Honka house has the makings to be a very nice condo that sleeps 10-12 in an amazing area. Those get $500+ per night, once you are traveling all the way there to stay and play you will spend the extra cash. So make the house amazing and charge for it. Then spend a week in the off season making sure everything is fixed and perfect. The courses need some upkeep. Raise the daily rate to $20 and buy a couple NEW good mowers to stay on top of it. The time you spend trying to fix and beg and pray for the latest POS that keeps breaking down is time you could be making the course perfect, and worth the extra money.
From the standpoint of a consumer who is willing to spend for quality (and there are more of us in the Disc Golf world than we are given credit for) I'd rather spend more and know I am getting great, then go cheap and get cheap.
BKRanger
Par Member
In 2014 we encountered Bear to be in the best shape of any trip we have made. The entire course was mowed and in great shape. Sad to hear that its back to normal maintenance, was really looking forward to the beat down after not playing last year as the back 9 was pulled. All of these reasons are absolutely why I always say try and go late late summer into the fall when it hasn't rained so badly and also the grass has started to slow down on growth. I know not everyone wants to go or has the time to go when it isn't in the summer but for the best quality of the courses I feel that is the time to go. Everything else yeah that is a constant up there. It really seemed to me that things may be starting to turn around and rebound up there, I hope that it gets back on track.
Swisher Streets
Double Eagle Member
If that thing worked it and was filled it would probably be the grossest hot tub on the planet.
Its going to be our 5th year that the Highstakes at Highbridge crew heads up to play... And every year the courses are in amazing shape minus Bear the past two years. Bear is our favorite so kind of a bummer but understand why the focus is on the more playable courses.
Always reading this thread and seeing horror stories, but I think the expectations are just too high and people expect a luxury resort style disc golf weekend.
We use the camp ground and skip the Honka house... We play 63 holes a day for 3 straight days, throw out our arms, and have the time of our life. I've been told we're lucky to have avoided Abby on all our trips but maybe that's because John knows we will take care of him at the end of the weekend.
Can't wait for Highbridge this year... Nothing but good experiences.
Always reading this thread and seeing horror stories, but I think the expectations are just too high and people expect a luxury resort style disc golf weekend.
We use the camp ground and skip the Honka house... We play 63 holes a day for 3 straight days, throw out our arms, and have the time of our life. I've been told we're lucky to have avoided Abby on all our trips but maybe that's because John knows we will take care of him at the end of the weekend.
Can't wait for Highbridge this year... Nothing but good experiences.
BKRanger
Par Member
Plus the views up there are even more amazing with the fall colors
Yes Bear to me is a true top level championship course where even the top pros will likely struggle (I feel like I heard somewhere that it was one of the hardest courses ever played for worlds or something, maybe i'm making that up too idk?)
What we did was played the front I believe it's 10 of Bear and then you end up and swap over the road and play 10-18 of woodland greens. It was super nice to have that mix of long challenging front 10 and then back 9 or so be more tight technical.
I agree with recob for the most part. We should stop expecting luxury stays for $25-35 a night. Basically think of it as tent camping but they provide a roof over the head.
I will add though that there are some upkeeps needed to the place like the rails should be secure and they should fix all of that before adding a TV and Wifi which I've heard they have done this year.
Aside from a member of our group having a bad run in with Abby, all of our trips have been excellent. Haven't had any problems that I know of and remember. John has been nothing but great to us, I've heard stories but I will always trust a person until they do me wrong and John has never done such a thing to me. I would highly recommend Highbridge to anyone. It's a bummer that it's up in the middle of no where and can't get more consistent traffic.
Cgkdisc
.:Hall of Fame Member:.
Highbridge Gold is now the 4th toughest SSA course played in Pro Worlds behind Nockamixon, Blue Lake and Renny Gold. The Bear has never been played in PDGA competition. Woodland Bear with 7 Bear holes and 11 Woodland Green holes was a hybrid course played in the 2007 Worlds by divisions other than Open.
Thank you sir for the clarification! Superb
Muskiebite
Par Member
- Joined
- May 6, 2012
- Messages
- 115
I don't think anyone is expecting luxury @$25 a night but I think we can expect accommodations like windows that have screens, and toilet seats.
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