Thoroughly enjoyed the outing, despite Andrew and George hitting everything they looked at from 35 feet and in. Thought the course was alot of fun, and would definitely make the trip back out to play it again.
Here's a hole by hole matchup of Highlands v. Shepherd's Crook
1 - HoE - both holes allow for a gentle start to the round, but I think the hole at SC is too short to compete. It does win points for a more interesting green.
2 - HoE - the par 5 presents more strategic options than the par 4 at SC. Again, the green at SC is a bit more interesting.
3 - HoE - two great short par 4's that can play fairly similar. I think the width of the fairway and the myriad of options off of the tee swing the hole to HoE.
4 - SC - the par 3 at HoE was interesting, but the 240 yarder at SC is all Chicagoland and a great ground game hole.
5 - SC - one of my favorite holes at SC. I found the par 4 at HoE to be a little disjointed. Perhaps it grows on you with repeated playes.
6 - HoE - probably my favorite hole at HoE, really like the risk reward nature of the drive and the blind approach when going at it in 2 (or 3 if you duff your second). Both holes have solid greens, but the bold features of HoE win out over the subtleness of the punch bowl at SC.
7 - SC - SC's most strategic hole. Options off of the tee to set up your approach to a shallow green. HoE's long par 3 was compelling, but I've seen that hole before.
8 - HoE - a very cool short par 4 vs. SC's least interesting par 3. Even though I played it like an idiot, the nod goes to HoE.
9 - SC - the par 4 at HoE really reminded me of the 10th at SC. However, it doesn't measure up to the par 5 at SC which has strategic options galore.
10 - SC - agree with Chris that the 10th at HoE seemed crammed in. After playing to so many wide fairways, this hole seemed out of place.
11 - HoE - Tough matchup. I really like the par 3 at SC which plays extremely different depending on wind direction. The demanding nature of HoE's par 4 wins out.
12 - SC - Thought there was something missing on the 12th at HoE. The short par 4 at SC has a ton of quirk, including blindness, internal fairway hazards and split fairways, a massive speed slot, drivability for the bombers and a great green complex.
13 - SC - I'll let others who have played these two chime in, but 13 at SC is my favorite par 4 on the course.
14 - SC - battle of the par 5's. The hole at SC plays like a stretched out version of the 12th at HoE and works much better in my opinion as the burn is placed in a better position to challenge a second shot and is not quite as penal. I like the uphill nature of the hole at HoE, but it loses out on the challenging nature of its rival.
15 - SC - My least favorite par 3 at HoE v. an uphill par 4 to a skyline green.
16 - HoE - I really like the short par 3 at SC, but I think the 400+ yarder at HoE is a good test, mostly due to the hazard lurking on the right side.
17 - SC - dogleg par to a green nestled in a grove of trees v. an exposed par 3. I'll give it to SC by a slight margin.
18 - HoE - although I like 18 at SC alot, I found HoE's closing hole to be a solid test replete with options - layup short of the bunkers or try to sling a draw up the left to gain a shorter approach from a more difficult angle. Both holes have a perched green, but I like the open nature of HoE's that would allow a long low shot to climb up the slope, or not if the execution was lacking.
I've got it 10-8 SC.