To “celebrate” Bob Hiker’s decision to return to designing, I decided to play this Ancient Lakes fantasy course, one of his favorites, and I am glad I did...
What an stunning course ! As you get ready to tee off on the right dogleg par-4 1st hole, you can’t help but stop and admire the majestic scenery of the... “grand” canyons all around before hitting your first blind (and very steep) downhill tee shot and your approach to the green, surrounded by a serpentine stream, behind and to the right.
The right dogleg par-4 2nd hole is not as steep but is nice too with a second shot over the stream coming down from the mountains surrounding the fairway, unlike the “scary” and short par-4 3rd, where you will be shaking all over just looking way down at the green, set above a lake at the bottom of the valley, and the par-3 4th hole, dizzying and gorgeous too with a tee shot flying steeply down above the wide canyon lake, giving you plenty of time to admire its awesome panoramic view.
Thankfully, the left dogleg par-4 5th hole will bring you down “back to earth” with a “normal” downhill tee shot landing near a wide lake on the left and another downhill approach to the green, before moving on to the tough left dogleg par-4 6th, with a downhill tee shot above a wide lake and a blind and very steeply-uphill second shot toward the green.
The par-5 7th hole will provide you with a big sigh of relief with its straight and slightly downhill tee shot and its blind and slightly-uphill approach to the green, as long as you are not afraid of the stereo sound of the stream coming down the mountain behind the green.
Then, after the ‘easy” right dogleg par-4 8th hole, whose fairway is above two lakes (left and right), you will face the spectacular par-3 9th, with its small island green, way down in the middle of the wide canyon lake, and its long and narrow little bridge leading to it on the right !
The back 9 starts with two par-5 holes, the right dogleg 10th, uphill all the way with its fairway hugging a wide canyon below on the right, and the prettier 11th, slightly uphill but more vertiginous with a tee shot flying above the canyon, again on the right, and a stream coming down midway, and a blind and long approach to the narrow green.
After the par-4 12th hole, and its slightly-uphill tee shot above the dizzying canyon on the right and its green, slightly to the right, you will head on to the very scenic par-4 13th, with a beautiful panoramic view of the valley, a steeply-downhill tee shot and a second shot over a small lake, formed by the stream coming down the mountain, and flowing past the green on the left.
Another par-5 hole awaits you on the 14th, downhill all the way and quite picturesque with a tee shot over a small creek, running then deep down the valley to the right of the “step-down” fairway, and a long and blind approach to the green, overlooking a gorgeous winding lake, surrounded by canyons.
The par-3 15th hole is pretty too, with a tee shot over that big lake landing onto a small green on the other bank, and is quite different from the uphill par-3 16th, whose green is set at the bottom of a big mountain, with a stream coming down on the right.
Finally, after the right dogleg par-4 17th hole, slightly-uphill all the way, and with a green, set at the bottom of the mountains, brace yourself for the very tough and gorgeous par-5 18th, with a fairway winding its way around the mountains, requiring two blind shots over them, with a steeply-uphill second one to reach the green and see its nice little house on the left !
With its gorgeous canyon panorama, steep elevation changes, sparsely-planted trees, and challenging water hazards, this par 73 offers a very unique layout and is definitely not meant for the faint-hearted golfers. And thanks to Bob Hiker's vivid imagination, it is in my book one of the best fantasy courses you will ever play !

Well now, this course is something else! If you like some elevation this wee track is for you. A really terrific design, creative and unique, smooth and plays true, and challenging in the best of ways. I love the look of this course - can't say I've seen many like it. And yes, that layout.. well it's a heck of a ride, full of great holes.. many of which will rattle your golf bag as you reach. A good score here may well feel lucky as much as earned. Awesome course, kudos HB, cheers!

Only 3 comments & 3 black boxes for this little gem? I realise there are some who aren't into courses featuring a lot of elevation changes, but this one certainly deserves a much higher rating. It looks sleek & plays that way, with super-slick greens - all without being too radical. Good news Hiker Bob - I just gave a 5* rating & that filled in half of the 4th box. It has been more than 5 years since the last comment, so maybe if others read this & give the course a try, that rating might just go up further...

Certainly something different! I liked it alot!