Pros:
(4.130 Rating) A heavily wooded technical course with lots of elevation change.
- THE LAND - The terrain here at Highland Brewery is incredible. Hole (1) to start, is an eye catching downshot into a protected green. The next six holes are all fun wooded holes with sections of slanted elevation. Hole (8) is a killer looking big downshot with evil ricochet potential. The new back nine is even more over-the-top with the topography elements. Both (10) and (13) appear to be down at least 60 to 70 feet. (14) is a pucker up throw along a creek. Finally I'll note (17) and (18), which are both herculean par 4s to the long placements and play along the side of a valley with bigtime slanted elevation.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - To me, this angelic landscape is in my top 25 all-time for beauty with 666 courses played as of this review. Big elevation change, heavy woods, giant trees and even a small creek. The only drawback is seeing the garbage and eye-sore buildings along the boundary properties. But even then, I got lost in this environment and was at peace… until I threw my next shot into the first available tree.
- HOLE VARIETY - 70-foot down shots, 70-foot up shots, big benders to the right, water plays, heavy woods, heavier woods, pockets, gap shots and even a few par 4s. It's wonderful. What's missing? Lame open park style play. Oh darn. For those that enjoy the bland and boring former ball golf course designs with their lame fake ob stakes, this one is not for you.
- AMENITIES - The course is tricked out with just about every bonus item a player would want, except for benches. Two tees on most holes and a couple holes even have 3 tees. Multiple basket placements on most holes. I saw 3 practice baskets. High quality artistic tee signage and a posted course map. Off the course there is a bar obviously. I wish I could comment on that aspect more, but I was here way too early. Also volleyball courts and several little shelters that I'm sure can be rented out by groups looking to relax and party after the round.
- NAVIGATION - As noted above, high quality signage. There is a lot of golf crammed in here, so I also appreciated the many next tee arrows placed throughout the woods. I had no issue getting around, but I did look at my map a couple times.
Cons:
Ain't no rest for the wicked.
- LACK OF BENCHES - As of March 2024, zero seating at the tees. I have got to believe that they are going to install benches here at some point. Having to trod up and down these slopes several times wiped me out. I'd label the course between somewhat cart friendly and not cart friendly due to the elevation and some steps.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - The front nine short tees are probably doable for athletic first timers. The back nine will slice and dice the survivors. This course doesn't translate for beginners and they won't understand why their masochistic friend loves playing here.
- TIME PLAY - I logged 70 minutes from the short tees. This is not a quickie course. This is more of a savor and chill kind of place. I never subtract or add rating score for time play.
- NO OPEN BOMBS - Players that want to bomb it 100 feet past their noodle arm friends will rarely get the opportunity to do so. So a con to them, but a big pro for their woods loving noodle arm friends.
Other Thoughts:
Highland is the newest gem in the Asheville metro area. It's about time Asheville got a second killer course. So, is this one better than Richmond Hill? I think so, but I doubt everyone would agree. There are many similarities between the two, like the terrain change and heavy woods. However, the two have some notable differences. For one thing, Richmond Hill's gameplay can't be dialed up or down, whereas Highland Brewery's gameplay can. Highland Brewery also has beer on tap. Cmon Richmond, where's your bar? I was also going to note that Highland has better tees, but it appears Richmond Hill finally converted to concrete. Tip of the cap to Richmond Hill. Anyways, for those that haven't been out this way in a while, now is a good time to head back due to this lovely addition to the Asheville disc golf scene. I personally got it as a high 4.0 for now, but could see myself upping it another 1/8th of point or so. In addition to Richmond Hill, other similar courses that come to mind include Tommy Schumpert and the front 9 of the Claytons, both in Knoxville, the wooded portions of Panther Creek in Northeast Tennessee, Etowah in North Georgia and even my backyard course V-Rock in Huntsville.