I had the opportunity to walk this course and have to agree with Tom that there are definitely going to be some holes at Hidden Creek discussed, studied and argued over (in good fun) for a long time. He summed up the site well, though I was struck by the extreme variety of soils. What a nightmare this had to have been! You'll see every color of dirt imaginable out there. Like at Friar's Head, they have moved various soils around for different purposes. The heathery mounds have the worst soil, so they'll never get too lush, the sandy stuff is where you'd expect to find it, including on them really, really cool farm roads/cart paths. What a great subtle touch and so refreshing not to see any kind of hard surfaces for carts.
Ran, the site is a bit like Pinehurst in terms of elevation change and long, gentle rolls with a couple of slightly elevated tee shots. Really nice for golf, the kind a lot of architects might look at and say is flat or in need of some work to set up more dramatic possibilities. Matt, the only other course I saw that you asked about was ACCC, and they are just two different kinds of golf. The only way to put it, is that each serves a different clientele and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
I don't think the look of Hidden Creek will compare to anything really, it has its own style. Heathlands in some ways, but the bunkers figure to be an ongoing feature that will be of interest. Definitely different and certainly not comparable to anything in the neighborhood. If you like clean, shallow and gentle on the eye, Hidden Creek won't be your kind of place. These are nasty "sunken pits with raised faces."
I'd agree with Tom that holes 2, 4, 5, 8, 12 are the real standouts, as interesting as architecture can get. I'd also nominate 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15 and 17 in the excellent/very interesting category. The greens are large and may fuel a renaissance toward building lmore arge greens, which I'd love to see. The size gave them an opportunity to build some incredible contours both bold and subtle. The tie-ins and chipping areas are wonderful, the strategy evident on some holes, more subtle on others and deceiving still on a few.
There is still a ways to go in developing the look of the course, particularly the heathery mounds, the bunker faces and the crusty fescue transitions. But I suspect that with Jeff Riggs and his asst. Pete, understanding the concept so well and being open to the "evolution" of things, it'll all come together rather quickly next spring, and then evolve in interesting ways during the next few years.
Geoff