Pros:
[The Complex]- There are presently 5 complete 18-hole courses, with 2 more still being constructed. I like the fact that the courses are designed to be at varying levels of difficulty (hardest-> Gold-Granite-Blueberry-Woodland-Chestnut <-easiest) so if you come and play them all you will have a well-rounded experience of both challenging ¬skill-testers and more relaxing, fun rounds. Each course has different colored baskets that correspond to the course's name. John, the owner, is very nice and loves to have people come and play. He works extremely hard on the courses and on the facility as a whole.
[The Course]- The Grove was originally 9 holes, but is now a full 18. The signs are simple but effective and the baskets are standard Machs. It is mostly wide open, but a few on the back are a little more technical. The front is flat, but the back has a couple of holes with a little elevation, including #16 which is a really fun downhill shot to an old barn. Then there are the gimmick holes- #5 throwing through the bonfire at night and #18 with the super huge basket. This course is convenient to the campground and a few holes actually play through it.
Cons:
[The Course]- Most of the holes are wide open and not very interesting as this is probably the worst section of land on the property. There were no fairways when we played, just solid rough. Navigation was more difficult than it should have been because there were no paths, lots of visible baskets, and the tees were hidden in the tall grass. Only on the day we left did we see what it looked like mowed with defined fairways, paths to the next hole, and the basket pattern etched into the hill.
Sure some of it plays through the [littered] campground, but there were multiple tees that were right beside some really foul-smelling port-a-potties and outhouses that, at the least, added a unique element of difficulty when teeing off, but in reality it was disgusting. There was 1 hole that played over a pool of mud in the road that smelled (and might have been) raw sewage. Also, many of the tees on the new 9 were sections of broken concrete salvaged from somewhere else crudely pieced together almost in the shape of a rectangle. And other tees had begun to erode away.
[The Complex]- Can be summed up in two words- trashy and incomplete. The land is beautiful but is littered with junk and trash and numerous unfinished projects. And then add on top the most important thing of trying to maintain 5 courses while building 2 more, but nature is easily overtaking things. John is fighting a losing battle with an unpaid staff of 2 that can't complete the things that are already here while simultaneously trying to build more stuff. Things appeared to be breaking faster than they could be fixed. The campground was trashy and smelled of raw sewage in several spots. The Honka House has a lot of potential but the pics of the outside don't tell the whole story- inside it is missing basics like drywall, outlet covers, lights, etc. and seems to be used as much for storage of junk as it is for housing guests.
Other Thoughts:
[The Course]- The Grove might have been better as a 9-holer which was intended to be a beginner or a glow course. Many of the new back 9 holes don't fit these categories. Chestnut is nowhere near the quality of the rest of the Highbridge courses, so skip unless you happen to have extra time, but you won't be missing anything if you don't play it. Also, this course is apart (thankfully) from the rest of the courses, right off the main road and visible from it (you can't miss the giant basket in the daytime!) It is the lone free to play Highbridge course (it would be a crime to have to pay).
[The Complex]- If you like lots of holes and very rustic lodging then you will love it here. If you have high expectations of well-manicured courses and hotel-like lodging then prepare to be disappointed. John's mission is noble as he wants people of all ages to enjoy the outdoors and has plans to have 7 courses, as well as numerous other activities, but he does not seem concerned with creating a first-class disc golf facility. He dreams big, but appears to have bitten off more than he can chew. Highbridge needs manpower, but does not have the advantage of disc-golf loving locals or park workers that most other courses have. Other private courses don't either, but are usually only 1 course, not 7, and much easier to maintain!