Where do you stand on the Arthur Hills courses you have played and why?

[Chris DeToro]

I've played quite a few Arthur Hills courses, mostly due to proximity to a lot of them since a lot of his work is in the Midwest.  Here's my take on the few I've played:

Weatherwax--decent public track in southern Ohio.  Not great, but some good holes and a nice value
Shaker Run--agree with most of the sentiment that it's overrated
Longaberger--played it this spring in terrible conditions, but I really enjoyed it.  This is by far my favorite of the courses he's done.  I thought there was a good variety of holes, strategic use of hazards
Pipestone--played it once.  After I hit what I thought was a perfect tee shot on the par 5 (2nd hole?) down the right side and ended up in the water hazard to the left, I was pretty much done with it
Bay Harbor--glad I paid the early season rate
Links @ Lighthouse Sound--it's been probably close to 10 years since I played this course, but I remember liking it.  The only thing I didn't like, as an avid walker, was that I don't think it was even remotely close to walkable

I'm planning on going to Egypt Valley at some point this fall.  I've not heard one good thing about it, so I feel like it's worth the trip just to see what all the fuss is about...

[Tom Yost]

Weatherwax, in Middletown, is a 36-hole public facility that I really like. There are a lot of really solid holes there, and only a couple of bad ones. When I lived in the area I played there nearly every week.

Weatherwax opened the year after I fled my hometown (~1974).  I assume is is one of Hills' early efforts.  Can't say there is any greatness there,  but it's a solid lay-of-the land course on a very gently rolling property that offers a good mix of hole styles (uphill, downhill, long, short, left, right, etc...).  I enjoy playing it on every visit home.  A tremendous value.

In Arizona, I'm only somewhat familiar with his two Phoenix area renovations of the Red Lawrence Padre course at Camelback CC and the Roy Dye Anasazi (Mummy Mountain) course now called Stonecreek.  

He does have one original course in Arizona, The Highlands at Dove Mountain (formerly Heritage Highlands), in the foothills north of Tucson.  I have yet to play it.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Tom,

Hills also has Palm Valley here in the West Valley. It's not worth the ride for you. See Matt Petersen's post and my "disaster" comment.

[Sean Remington (SBR)]

The difference in feel between Columbia and Chevy Chase was striking to me and I wondered how the members felt about the difference between an original versus a renovated course.  I don't know how to exactly say it but Columbia feels old (which to me is a good thing) with a very natural and simple routing, nothing too striking or visually exciting and challenging Poa greens.  Once you see that perfect bent grass green and those bunkers you get a totally different feeling at CC.

How much work has A. Hills done at Columbia?  I can't recall him being there much.  Columbia did a massive bunker reno in the 90's but Hillls was not involved with that.  I was thinking Columbia was one of the few DC area courses that had escaped him?   Chevy is much more manicured and in my view is a differect olf feel than Columbia.  Chevy probably out spends Columbia on maintenance.

[Carl Nichols]

I'm not aware of Hills having done work at Columbia.

[Tom Yost]

Tom,

Hills also has Palm Valley here in the West Valley. It's not worth the ride for you. See Matt Petersen's post and my "disaster" comment.

Of course, Palm Valley.  I quickly skimmed the thread and missed both your and Matthew's posts.

Matthew, I show Quail Creek attributed to Ken Kavanaugh, but there is a course called San Ignacio in Green Valley that I have credited to Hills.  

I'm a little bitter about Camelback, the original course wasn't particularly outstanding, but it did have a set of really cool push up greens with some nice bunkering.  All gone now.  Replaced with a totally forgettable layout with lots of water hazards.

[Matthew Petersen]

You have it right, Tom.

When I was in college in Tucson my parents stayed for a while at a home in Green Valley and I played quite a few of the courses down there, which are all pretty bland, if I'm being generous. Quail Creek is Kavanaugh. The San Ignacio South Course is Hills.

[Joel Pear]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Thouroughbred in Roxburry, MI.  I played it years ago and thought it had some interesting holes.  I am told that Art said the second hole there was either the best hole he ever designed, or the worst.  He wasn't sure.

[Pat Burke]

Cross Creek
Journey at Pechanga
Black Gold

I believe TPC Eagle Trace???

Of the first three, CrossCreek and Journey had land with more potential than final
products.
In fairness though, I believe CrossCreek ran out of money and finished the course cheaply

[Jordan Caron]

My only Hills experience has been at Oitvos Dunes outside Lisbon Portugal. They use to hold a European Tour event there. It got eaten alive!

None the less I enjoyed it. It only had a couple of holes I disliked and considering it was almost 6 years ago and I can remember every hole, it's a good sign.

Anyone else played there?

[Greg Gilson]

Hi Jordan, I think you & I are the only ones so far (below my post earlier this month)? Although maybe I played a different Oitavos Dunes?

I have only played his Oitavos Dunes course outside Lisbon. Pleasant enough but largely forgettable IMHO. 2 or 3 good holes and a couple of clunkers. The main point for me that it was so over-ranked and over-rated (at mid 60's in the World or thereabouts) that its laughable. Spectacular job by the resort marketing team.  Alongside my other personal lists, I have a "most overrated" list...OD & Medinah #3 are equal top (or bottom?) on that one.