Pros:
Challenging and interesting course that plays all around the park.
• Disc Play: Wonderful variety encompasses a gamut of fairway types (open holes in grassy fields, lightly, moderately and densely wooded holes), shapes, distances and terrain with red, white, and blue layouts to accommodate a range of skill levels. A few holes start in the open, playing to well protected baskets nestled away amid the woods. Nice mix distances - allows for a full range of lengths without having to different color tees. Some have several routes you can take, some give you only one or two and challenge you to hit a specific line. Makes for a well-balanced and quite complete round.
+ Elevation: About half the holes feature substantial elevation, ranging from subtle to dramatic. Splendidly employed in all sorts of ways, features uphills, downhills, ravines and plenty of rollaway potential (not only on putts and approaches but a few fairways as well).
+ Does a great job making short holes challenging. Quite a few baskets are short enough for almost any player to reach from the tee, but all of them really make you earn birdies. Short holes playing over deep ravines can be a real difference maker. Get through the trees and across, and you could be parked... take a bad kick off a tree and the resulting rollaway can be crushing. Others feature well-guarded pins or drop offs behind them. Bottom line is Highland's shortest holes aren't necessarily the most birdie-able ones on the course, especially for those who can hit 300 +.
• Equipment: White and blue tees are all concrete (except for #16) and in decent shape. Red tees are "natural" on about half the holes with a different look from the whites, and share the white pads on the other half. Most of the blues are unique with some really providing very different looks and challenges, but a few blues are common with the white as well. Signage is pretty good and reasonably informative (although you'll have to scout ahead to spot the basket on some holes). Baskets are older DGA's and functional (but not much more).
• Routing/Nav: Pretty easy to follow for the most part, course gets a lot of traffic, so paths are pretty obvious, which is good...'cause there's no map. Two 9 hole loops play back to centrally located parking.
• Aesthetics - Highland's standout features are the spectacular shots across deep ravines... very scenic with the steps leading down and away from the tee, coming all the way back up the other side. The rest of the course is a fairly pleasant stroll from field to woods and back ambling across some varied terrain.
• Memorable holes: For me, the holes with major elevation really stand out as the most interesting: #'s 6, 12, 15, as did 17 and 18
• Extras: Some holes feature steps that make an otherwise treacherously steep descent/ascent (especially when wet) fairly easy, while adding a certain rustic charm.
Cons:
• One or two holes play near roads - hitting cars is a possibility (particularly on # 9).
• Baskets are old and pretty shallow, wouldn't surprise me if you get some bad bounce outs.
• Poison Ivy - easy to come by off the wooded fairways.
• # 13 (might have been 14): not saying you can't get to the pin, but there's no reasonably executable line from the tee - seems hopelessly poke and pray'ish.
• # 16: tee is a depression in the dirt/gravel - less than desirable footing.
Other Thoughts:
Great course, offering a fun, scenic and challenging round with a little of everything. While I haven't played extensively throughout the Chicagoland area, I've played several of the higher rated courses and Highland has to be one of the very best (if not the best) in the area.
There are a few spots on the course I really don't think are traversable using a stroller or cart (holes 6 and 15). The terrain's not so demanding that one needs to be in particularly good shape, but it does require you to be reasonably able bodied and wouldn't I recommend playing here if you're recovering from an ankle or knee injury as some of the slopes are both steep and fairly long. Check out the course pics for #6 and 15 to see what I'm talkin' 'bout... do you really wanna deal with a cart on those?