BlueBerry Hill vrs Flip City

[tallpaul]

It really appears that John will have Bear and Whitetail complete by the end of the year. Earlier in the summer, he had the assistance of two "full time" guys; with some time on their hands due to work situation. Things seemed to be moving fast. That said, Bear has been a work in progress for a couple of years now. (The maintenance of the courses that already exist is a daunting task in itself; and he has added the Granberry and BlueRidge portions...made Chestnut a full 18; worked a job; run the place and the shop....endured a couple brutal northern/rural winters; sailed around the...just kidding)

Gold is better than Blueberry for higher rated players. But, I believe they generally like Blueberry as well. Gold has always worn me (and everyone else) out much more than Blueberry even from the short tees.

Granite, is the one that people will mention could be the best of the bunch, with a little redesign. "Best piece of property available," is what they tend to say; and best elevation. I guess I agree; but it does go by the road; i.e. civilization more than the others. Rock faces and stone in general much grander on G. Granite was originally supposed to have a nearly 10 foot water fall. The rock formation to make this happen still exists; but that task was easier said than done. I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen down the road though.

All are saying white tail will surpass all already there. Bear is a wooded beast. Gold tees soon on Gold too; making that a three tee set course.

But, to answer your question; I don't know.

 

[Emoney]

i dont know whats so difficult "Nagheenanajar".....Naghee--na--na--jar:clap:

 

[1Roy]

This I've heard from this site when is it all gonnabe playable

Gold is awesome. bear is not as good. IMO. If you can only play three courses at highbirdge i'd say its, gold, blueberry, granite ridge in that order.

 

[kyleo2o]

Is the Bear completely done? When i was up 4th of July we played the holes that were done and from what i played its gonna be a really intense course kind of combines elements of all the course. Hole 4 is a beast and could be one of the hardest holes up there 735ft and extremely technical with great elevation changes.

 

[jhgonzo]

From the people that have had an inside look at how the finished Bear course will play, it sounds as if it will be one of the toughest courses in the region, if not toughest in the country or even world. I'm really looking forward to the spanking I'll get just based on playing those first 7 the last 3 years....it's humbling, to say the least.

I've also heard a rumor about bankruptcy at Highbridge, although when I was up there in May, with all the long conversations I had with John (he loves to talk!), he never mentioned anything, but all the same I heard it from someone who was just there 2 weeks ago. Not sure what it all entails, but I guess the locals just don't support the place like they should (and apparently a few of the very few DGers in the immediate area feel they can just play for free). Hopefully what I've heard isn't true, and since I haven't heard it directly from the source I will neither confirm nor deny this. If anyone can chime in, please do so. I'm sure the national DG community would love to know if a treasure like Highbridge was in some type of trouble...

 

[kyleo2o]

I haven't heard anything like that. I sure hope not. Maybe the PDGA and some major companies should step up and put together an annual tournament up there. IMO it should be a perm super tour stop, this place is too nice to not have one and with soo many courses to choose from its just wrong to not have events up there. Its pretty outrageous that there were none up there this year. But back to the bankruptcy, i heard he recently put in new shower stalls near the learning center. Can't be doing too bad if there are new things being added..?

 

[tallpaul]

In regards to hosting tourneys; John is not really a PDGA kind of guy. I'll leave it at that. He is very industrious though; and regardless of the situation; he likes to keep busy doing new stuff; improving this and that.

 

[BucketBonanza]

i thought they had the 07 worlds there at highbridge? did something bad go down? don't leave it at that!!

 

[superberry]

If HHSC goes bankrupt, I will cry.

 

[superberry]

JohtoVillage talked about Bear and Whitetail being just a c&nthair away from being complete, I think he was pulled in by John's ability to make your ears bleed. It sounds like Bear is STILL not done (not just since Memorial Day, but since 2007). Whitetail it appears is another brainchild that is just taking away focus. I mean no ill will, but John is very scatter brained, and needs to focus. Sincerely, I love the guy and the whole complex, but he has a bit of a focus issue.

Granberry tees?? Blueridge Tees??? "Crown Jewel" pins???? C'mon! What about Bear?! Now the teaser with Whitetail???!! I'm vowing to reroute my memorial day weekend trip elsewhere until some more real 18 hole courses are complete.

Sorry for the negative rant.

 

[tallpaul]

I think it's under-appreciated just how much time it takes simply to mow all the fairways he has to deal with. There are also many areas that require week whacking; due to rock situations that simply can't be mowed around. Think of it in terms of your weekly/bi-weekly yard mowing. Hour or two project right? Well, your yard is more than likely much less than one hole on a disc course. Now, multiply that times 72+. Takes a couple or more days a week; just to keep up with the maintenance, up there. Still, the biggest thing HB gets dinged for is course maintenance! The Blue Ridge and Gran Berry holes; I think, were added, just for this reason. If you're in that area of course(s) already; the thought often crosses your mind as to how to make said areas more effective. Whereas the new parts of the complex add an entirely new level of maintenance. Tim,I know you've been wanting to see Bear done for a long time. But, remember, that if you had a similar number of courses in a given area; there would more than likely be different groups in charge of each course. In the case of High Bridge, there's basically John and any help he can get. His original help crew from Minnesota, are intent upon their own projects now; some of which are being built as direct competition against HB....and their pool of players/helpers is much bigger than the few locals that John has to work with. The scale of HB and the private nature of the complex presents serious challenges.

 

[superberry]

I feel for him, I do. I know all he does up there and all he has to do. This wet year must have SUCKED for him to mow also!!! We've had our hands FULL just with Winter Park (my wife and I mow). It's either been too wet to mow, or raining whuch makes the growth rate astounding. The fact that he has some focus issues is just a fact, nothing more, nothing less. I mean, when I'm up there talking to him about dirtbike tracks, RC car races, music festivals, etc, etc, etc - it sure seems like he's grasping for ways to make this a profitable venture, while in turn neglecting what the true draw is - DISC GOLF. I also know entirely too well how disc golfers are mainly unhelpful and have no interest in helping him out, they just want to play and get out. That's why 10 people show up for work days on courses and 100 people are trying to play through. It's a sad state of affairs, I'm thinking that maybe the thought of highbridge closing down brings about some fear, sorrow, and actually anger. Lot's of things to blame, let's let speculation fall to the curbside, continue to support highbridge, and if speculation becomes reality, let's look into some creative solutions.

I'd be interested in investment/ownership if HH was like a public stock offering. I've looked at the opportunities he has presented, but none are entirely appealing as a true owner/investor with some say in the course or the property. Mainly, as a true investor, I'd shut it down to anything other than disc golf, unless his property truly allowed a non-collaborative use for mountain bikers. Disc golf is what the property is about. I'd charge more because it's worth it. I'd offer more sponsorship opportunities for local business as well as the general disc golf masses. I'd TD a supertour or NT event up there and make it annual. I hope if bankruptcy ever looms in the very nearby shadows, that some creative and collaborative solutions be looked at. If not an offering of ownership to interested disc golfers (maybe the old school bunches that are nearing retirement), then another possibility I had in mind was creating a county or state park out of it. Grant the property to the state under the conditions that they maintain the direction of the complex and maintain the physical gorunds.

 

[tallpaul]

I wasn't getting on you at all Tim, just pointing out to the masses the enormous efforts needed up there; and that he has the chips stacked against him to a large degree. Look at how long Tic has been getting Osseo towards full 18 status. The terrain you and you wife have to deal with is intense. And, yes the help of the "disc community" is mostly sorely lacking. I was out with our local designer, working on Saturday and it was just the two of us. Northwoods was going on; and so, lots of our guys were up there; but, two people, I mean come on! Since it was announced that O'hauser is probably going pay to play; what little help there was is now nearly non existent. Will be better for the long run though. Those who end up paying to play every year; with costs probably rising as the year's go by; will wish they were back in the days when they could have helped a few times a year....and played for free. But, with no local assistance; something has to be put into place to keep the course(s) maintained.

 

[Scoot_er]

Maple is still better....or at least that is my assumption.

 

[superberry]

You know what happens when you assume...

I won't assume HHSC is better than Maple Hill cuz I haven't played Maple. But how can you beat a complex with Blueberry Hill, Highbridge Gold, Granite Ridge, The Bear, Whitetail Run, and yes even Woodland Greens??!??!?!?!?!??!?!? And the lit all night 18 hole chestnut course that sports a bonfire to throw thru every Saturday night?

Don't dis HH on the words of any of the many crybaby touring players who played 2007 worlds. So many of the country club boys complained nonstop about the 'roughness' of highbridge. Play for yourself. Then write a detailed and thoughtful review.

 

[TheWCG]

You know what happens when you assume...

I won't assume HHSC is better than Maple Hill cuz I haven't played Maple. But how can you beat a complex with Blueberry Hill, Highbridge Gold, Granite Ridge, The Bear, Whitetail Run, and yes even Woodland Greens??!??!?!?!?!??!?!? And the lit all night 18 hole chestnut course that sports a bonfire to throw thru every Saturday night?

Don't dis HH on the words of any of the many crybaby touring players who played 2007 worlds. So many of the country club boys complained nonstop about the 'roughness' of highbridge. Play for yourself. Then write a detailed and thoughtful review.

I just played Highbridge Hills DGC last weekend. I've played a few "Top Rated" courses including my favorite still, Winter Park DGC. I would consider myself a decent player for the most part, I usually hit my lines and putts. But Highbridge? That place slapped me so hard in the face!! And all I could do is smile... That place is beautiful! And having a place with such variety and courses to choose from is the reason why it's on top. I have yet to play Flip City (Next weekend for the meet). But I have a hard time believing it can even be compared with Highbridge. I think Flip is going to be an excellent course along with an excellent atmosphere. I think...............opcorn:

 

[tallpaul]

Flip is a good course with an excellent atmosphere. Camping situation is perhaps even better than High Bridge and cost is more at your discretion. In terms of numbers of courses; of course HB has many and Flip is only one. But, it's 24 and Ludington (@1/2 hr. away) offers 64 holes and Leviathan offers another 24. There are also some other good courses in the area. So, though not at one site; the opportunities for an excellent weekend/three days of good disc are somewhat the same as HB.

 

[tallpaul]

For those that have played multi course venues; the obvious advantage is that after a round; you can head back to your camp site/lodging, and have meal, a beverage, a rest, whatever. Whereas, when you need to travel to another course, you gotta hop in the car; follow directions, drive to course, get all cramped up, etc.

 

[iloqutiss1]

I finally got to play Blueberry! Definitely a great course. I only wish We could have stayed a few days. Maybe next time. I'm not ready to review it yet because it all seems like one big blur. I don't know if I'd give it 4.5 or 5. Personally I like Winter Park and now Sandy Point more so it might be hard to justify a 5. Speaking of Sandy Point.. What a fun, challenging wooded course. If your headed to Highbridge, do yourself a favor and stop at Sandy Point on the way.

 

[kyleo2o]

Yea you don't know about woods till you play SP.