9 in the Pines is a newly added course located in the Mahaney Recreational Area north of Hermitage. Look for a pink flyer directing you to the course, with hole 1 starting right by the parking lot. The course plays in a beautiful setting with a few open holes but mostly sculpted out among mature pine trees. For 9 holes, it offers a great mix of hole types and shots, starting with hole 1's fun downhill shot to a blind basket. This is a nice way to open the course and warm up for the rest of the round. Hole 2 is a tight tunnel shot and 3 gives you a final chance to really open up. Holes 4-9 then take you through the pines, offering a wide variety of shots.

I was impressed with how much clearing has been done to design the holes in the woods. This isn't the case of the course taking advantage of preexisting paths; a tremendous amount of clearing has been done to develop these holes and offer multiple lines and shots. Hole 7 is a really beautiful hole and - while it is still tight and technical - is a great change in scenery from playing right within the pine trees. This helps course flow and variety. Hole 9 presents you with a long par 4 through a tight tunnel. 5 was my favorite, a fun sharp, downhill left to right shot to a blind basket. The biggest elevation change on the course.

Two tee positions do a good job of offering different difficulty levels in changing distances and looks on many occasions. Baskets are in great shape with huge rims.

Lots of navigational aids point you in the right direction from hole to hole. This really helps since there are often multiple paths in view.

Most of the problems exist because this course is very new, but I still feel the designers have already done a great job up to this point. Most of these aspects should improve over time:

Tees are natural but have been cleared and leveled. Tee signs are nice but they are small and temporary.

The rough isn't terrible but there are lots of weeds, sticks, and other undergrowth in the woods. Should only get better as more people play here.

There are many paths within the woods. Since the course is newer, I think people have yet to discover the additions that the course brings to the park. The area wasn't too crowded, but I ran into some trouble with people walking through fairways.

Again, not huge cons, simply the makings of a new course.

There are slight elevation changes on some holes, but the land is mostly flat.

9 in the Pines offers a well-balanced 9 holes and is a nice addition to the area. It offers a good technical challenge without being too demanding. Nothing really wowed me here, but it is a solid course that plays in a beautiful setting. I am sure that the course will only improve over time - especially if another 9 is added - so I see my rating going up in the future. A pretty quick round, so well worth a stop if in the area.