My initial impression of this course, seeing the first few holes in the field, was hoping that the whole course wasn't just wide open.
Be careful what you wish for.
This course has a nice concrete long tee on each hole, and a nice sign with distance to both basket positions. Also, each sign has something I've never seen before on a course. A picture of basket on the bottom right of each sign, with a camera logo on each hole map to show the view the picture was taken from. This really helps with the MANY blind shots on this course, and saves first-time players like me the trouble of having to scout out every hole. Kudos to designers for that
This course offers a ton of variety: Some more open holes to warm up, then woods, woods and more woods, with water lurking in spots.
The course design really makes good use of what's there. The first few holes that play through the open field make good use of late trouble, at least in the long baskets.
On the field holes, just because of the terrain available, the short baskets are pretty open, but the long basket spots are really tucked into the woods with some interesting challenges on every one.
Also, the small trees planted in the field will grow into interesting, fairly wide fairways given a few more years, which will make the short baskets less of a drop-off from the tricky long placements
This course, from the current concrete tees, is probably the hardest course I have played in the Houston area so far. The course does not favor right or left-handed throwers, either way you will have to make shots that are difficult for you. Accuracy is rewarded here, the shule is thick, so staying on the fairways is key to shooting well on this course, as well as throwing far.
Many holes are blind throws off the tee, which only adds more challenge
On top of the long blind fairways. This course does a great job of throwing late trouble at you. Wherever possible, they have tucked the baskets amongst guardian trees, making precise approaches as important as accurate drives. This course does not give you an easy way out. You will need multiple good to great shots on each hole to shoot well.
Though the fairways are fairly narrow, they are very clean and intentional. The rough here is thick and punishing, but there is always a line if you stay on the fairway, so it again rewards accuracy, as a well-designed course should. There are not pro-spike hyzer routes on these holes, the thick foliage does a great job keeping big arms honest, and thus when I call this a championship course, I mean that it is a challenge no matter how far you can rip it. Most courses this length are significantly less wooded, but I prefer courses like this that force accuracy
This course also uses water for two memorable holes, where you must throw a right curve over the river/bayou/creek thing off the tee to carry the water. The designers mercifully made these two among the shortest holes on the course, allowing for birdie opportunities for those who make the scary shot.
Also, some elevation comes into play on this course. The designers have put baskets on these inclines where possible to create rollaway and high-risk putts, also a nice challenge on the course.
This course has great Par markings, all the holes that are marked par 4's are legitimate multi-drive holes, with the basket in either setting. This also adds to the challenge, since it allows this course to stretch you even more than all the long par 3's do.
Overall, this is a championship difficulty course that will test your skills and will force you to earn par. There are no throwaway holes here, every one has forces you to think and almost all are quite challenging, but very intentionally so. This course is hard, by design, and uses the limited elevation and water very well, in combination with the thick woods these fairways are carved out of