Excellent tees; like all High Bridge courses. Two sets on gold course offer two different experiences. Short tees here better/tougher than long tees on 90% of the courses anywhere. Long tees/ definitely gold level player quality; but fun for lesser players as well. A quick example would be hole #1: Short tee requires a quality @280 ft. shot with a slight right hand finish, to look down a tunnel for your @100+ foot upshot; with tree blockage near pin for both lefties and righties. Long tee requires a fairly long drive for all but gold level players to get to same upshot position. If you go too far right on the drive...fagetaboutit...cause you'll have to take one shot just to get yourself clear of the schule. Schule is rough off the fairways here. Don't make it far enough to get to dog leg right entrance...fagetaboutit...because it will be near impossible to get near pin on second shot... So, three perfect shots from short tee to make par. From long tee; big armed first shot; followed by two perfect shots, to get par. Here's where perhaps, I should mention that this is considered a par three and thus, an "easy" hole for this course.... Repeat similar scenario's for the entire course; including a 1,000+ ft. hole, as well as some other monsters; and you can see where gold will be challenging you from start to finish. In fact, to me, this is perhaps one of the outstanding/tough features of gold....course wears you down....even if you're playing well; enjoying yourself and the scenery, etc., it is highly possible that at some point you will find yourself saying, "I still have seven holes left?!" Can you suck it up, and finish well? This course will be a test of that kind of fortitude. Not to say that you won't be enjoying yourself; but, be prepared for the mental and physical discipline necessary.
Par fours and fives here; but, not just due to length...yes, this course has length; but it's not a pure big arm course by any means. Big arms have an advantage; as it should be, for gold level courses; but lesser arms should still enjoy the challenge; due to the fact, that placement on drives is important here. There are definite areas you need to get to off the tee (from either set of tees) to be in optimal position for your second shot (which, for players below gold level; will most often, still require challenging shots to get in prime putting position.)
As has been mentioned in other reviews; Honka House is at present only $25 per night, per person. Honka House has bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, large area for additional bedding (when we were there, group of 10+ persons were all comfortably accommodated), multi floored layout; tons of glass windows for scenic views, newly installed hot tub, multiple refrigerators, etc.
Four wheel go carts can be rented for $25 a day.
Camping available for even cheaper. Camping is rustic; but showers available to anyone/anytime in basement of Honka House.
Porta Johns near courses.
Pro shop near courses (one on top, by main courses; another pro shop on bottom, near Chestnut course).
Top parking area near hole #1 for all courses.
Chestnut available for night play, with Saturday evening bonfire in play on one hole; if gold and other courses have not given you enough action during your day....
Multiple tiered driving areas for 1,300+ foot hole are gorgeous. (Finish of this hole; especially long pin, is also a challenge....just in case, you're thinking all you have to do is hit three 300 ft. drives and make a putt for your eagle...) There are other tiered tee areas here and on other high bridge courses; that serve functionally and aesthetically very well. Same goes for some tiered greens on this and other courses here. Rock wall formations, forming theses tiers, are simply beautiful, and well done. Hole #8 gold one of the very best examples of this.
After running through the pics here one more time; and visualizing the holes; I can't emphasize enough, that the greens are tantalizingly tough and beautiful on nearly every hole.
I deuced #14 both times I played it last time here! So, a deuce or two is possible.... (#16 island hole is another real, probable deuce/ if you can stay out of the moat! Island fairly small.)
#18, nice finishing hole, requiring one or two drives, and a finish onto an elevated, tiered green, which is also tree blocked. See pic for this beautiful finish.