Pros:
The course is very well laid out, with the start easy to find after the large Rotary Club sign (they were kind enough to pony up the dough.) This course has a fantastic blend of holes, with tight woods, wider alleyways, and a couple of wide open field shots. There is only one hole <200 ft, but a strong arm will have an advantage only when accompanied by accuracy.
Each hole had a butt can and a garbage can, and more often than not, a bench. The signage, while primitive, was effective on all holes but one (13), and there were ample next tee signs.
***UPDATE 5/30/10
The signage and tee for 13 has been placed higher, in a much more appealing location. A spotter is advised as an errant high drive can easily disappear beyond line of sight.
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Cons:
The signage is primitive. Hopefully these are temporary signs, as the inclusion of distance measurements and a picture of the hole would do wonders for game-play. The natural tees were serviceable, but wouldn't hold up for long. Not an issue as new cement tees were beginning to be installed as we left
***UPDATE 5/30/10
Concrete tees are fully installed and are 2 generously sized segments, one in front of the other. Short holes (e.g.2, 16, etc.) have only one tee segment making a full X-step difficult, so plan on standing drives for these. This struck me as being unnecessarily frugal.
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For a course on a ski hill, there is not a lot of drastic elevation utilized within individual holes. Apart from hole 11, which is a marathon uphill, only 4 and 15 have upshots at the end of the hole, which you can find at many courses with flatter terrain. Hole 12 is a significant downhill bomb, but only 9, 13 and 19 have a noticeable downhills. The main ski runs are unused.
The remainder of shots are relatively level from tee to basket, and the treks from hole to hole are what incorporate uphill/downhill climbs, notably before 5, 13, 16, and 19.
Other Thoughts:
Even without cement pads, I enjoyed my round here so much, I am already planning my next visit. This is still a work in progress, but all the signs point to a first class course when they are finished.
The day I played was very hot, and there isn't the wind you will encounter playing courses closer to Michigan lakes. Bring lots of water, and sunscreen as well. Even though many holes are wooded, the walks between the holes are not. Appropriate hiking/climbing footwear is highly recommended.
There is a very bizzarely placed cemetary just after the basket of hole 16. A fair amount of energy was employed to create it, yet it is only a few thousand square feet near the summit of the hill. Be careful to not accidentally uncork one off the 16th tee as you could end up within the security fence, and I am sure it is to be considered OB from a stroke perspective.
Once there are cement tees and improved signage in place, I may increase my rating to a 4, but even with that, the lack of amateur tees on every hole and more significant elevation changes within holes will be what keep this course from getting near a 4.5 rating from me.
A great course, and a great time. Catch a round if you can.