Sugaree is a very fun course that has a unique feel. It is definitely a destination level course. Gorgeous from start to finish.
The course feels like a labor of love. While it feels rough around the edges compared to a course with a 100+ member DG club and city parks department maintaining it, when you consider its largely the product of one man's ambitions you have to look at it within context. Its a pretty remarkable accomplishment in my eyes, Rich deserves a lot of credit for the work he's put in.
In terms of pure golf, I would not rank Sugaree with the best courses I have played. It's not a 5/5. Many of the holes are pretty short and straight forward. I threw a putter or mid off the tee on about half the holes, and found most the holes were simple to birdie. I feel more challenged by Nevin, Angry Beaver, Moraine State Park, Portage Lakes etc. This is why I am giving it a 4 rather than the more common 4.5 or 5's it has received. It is hands down a superb course, but it is a notch below the best I've thrown when it comes to the different lines and difficulty factor.
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I'd like to touch on one last thing, but before I do I want to note that this will probably not affect anyone reading this review.
I was in contact with the course designer prior to playing Sugaree, letting him know I intended to make a video. He had seen my videos before, and knew what to expect. I put a lot of effort into filming, throwing, and editing that video, largely to do him a favor to expose his course to a wider audience.
Since posting the video he has asked me to take it down because, in his words, I made Sugaree look like a pitch and putt. He accused me of not including all of my throws, implying there were holes I drove, approached, then putted, and I'd leave out the approach.
The entire experience left a very bad taste in my mouth and made me not want to ever return to Sugaree. It's a shame because I enjoyed my time here and would have made a return trip, but the hostility and rudeness I encountered after spending hours on my video drove me off for good. It's a shame that his actions had to mar an otherwise positive and memorable experience.
To top it off Rich responded to my review with an assortment of blatant lies. For example I offered to help work on the course after I played my round, and he told me not to worry about it. I had tools and work clothes in my car ready to go, so him saying I had no intention of working on the course has no truth to it. If he wants to know my score, he can watch my video and add it up. I don't keep track of that during non-competitive rounds. My PM box has nothing from him, and I let him preview the round before it was posted. He gave me the OK to post it.
"His rating is obviously not about the course, but rather me making him remove his movie. " - If this statement were true I would rate the course 0/5 for how Rich has behaved towards me. Instead I rated it 4/5, which if you check my reviews you'll see I rarely rate courses that high. I have multiple courses in my favorites I did not rate that high, that alone tells you that's BS. If his statement had any truth to it I would not repeatedly state that Sugaree is one of the best courses I have played.
"he just wanted to make a movie to showcase his skill. " - If this were true I would not have driven 4 hours round trip to film Sugaree. I live within walking distance of an 18 hole course and could "showcase my skill" much more conveniently there.
If there is a super course here he made no mention of it, neither does the course page, neither does the course itself.
Despite my extremely negative interactions with him, I gave his course an objective score. It's an amazing course but it is not as tough as I expect from a 5/5 rated course. If I play a perfectly rated course I expect to walk away satisfied in every possible way. That is not how I felt after playing Sugaree. It is one of the best courses I have played, make no mistake about it, but a 5/5 rated course has to test my abilities more.
I would not hesitate to recommend this course to anyone. I have repeatedly suggested others play it, and commended Rich for the work he did.
I am not the only person who has had negative interactions with this individual. I am merely the only one willing to speak my mind on the matter. I have received numerous private messages from others who have had similar experiences as me. Go check the following link to see the owner of DGCR stating that Rich has had issues with less than stellar reviews in the past -
https://www.dgcoursereview.co...;postcount=32
This is not limited to my interactions with him. He has a chip on his shoulder.