After playing at Bowler’s Mill Country Club, this par 72 is another beauty from Bullpupp2, but much more challenging with narrow tree-lined fairways, slight elevation changes, and (often) small and challenging greens, especially on the back 9 where you will face plenty of risk/reward holes, which will make you pay dearly if you are not patient enough and try to gamble too much !
On the front 9, I like the right dogleg par-5 1st hole, with a tree-lined fairway and more tall trees in the middle (two-third of the way) hiding the green (on the edge of a wide lake), and the pretty par-3 2nd, with its narrow fairway and elevated green.
Then, after the short (around 330 yards) and uphill par-4 4th hole, where you can forget about reaching the green from the tee box with a deep ditch around the elevated green, you will move on to the right dogleg par-4 5th, with a tee shot over a wide lake, halfway, and a second shot over a little stream, flowing out from the lake, before heading back the other way, with the left dogleg par-4 6th hole, with a slightly-downhill tee shot and a nice approach to the green, next to the lake on the left.
The par-3 7th is a nice downhill hole, with a blind tee shot and a big inverted horseshoe-shaped bunker in front of the green, but I prefer the right dogleg par-5 9th, with its narrow fairway and elevated green, hard to reach on your approach, with tall trees, partially hiding it on the left, and a big bunker below, on the right.
If the back 9 is also very pretty, it is even tougher, starting with the slightly downhill par-3 11th hole, with a small pot bunker in front (on the left) of the green, next to the lake on the left, and the beautiful and short (less than 400 yards) par-4 12th, with a tee shot over a wide lake landing onto a very narrow fairway and another shot over part of it to reach the elevated and undulating green.
The par-3 13th hole is nice and long, with a narrow fairway and another undulating green, unlike the... short (around 320 yards) and straight par-4 14th, with a very risky shot toward the very tiny green, surrounded by four wide and deep bunkers.
The left dogleg par-5 15th is another very challenging and pretty hole, with a blind and uphill tee shot landing near a serpentine creek flowing across and all the way past the green (on the left), but wait until you face the last two holes...
On the beautiful and very tough right dogleg par-4 17th, you will need two blind and downhill shots to reach the pear-shaped small island undulating green, before finishing with the right dogleg par-5 18th, with an uphill tee shot and a long and very risky second shot to the green, with the lake right in front, and a bunker behind it.
With its beautiful design and very challenging holes, Bullpupp2 came up with another gem and, needless to say, this Smuggler's Notch course is another top... notch that you should fully enjoy !

Shot placement is key on this beautiful course. This is one that should be downloaded by everyone and played regularly. Absolutely loved it!

A testing course, but absolutely a beauty!
Somewhere between 4 and 5 stars.

Hello BULLPUPP2, Just a heads up that when I tried to install the course the library Royal Troon Structures 08 needs to be added to your list of libraries used to play the course. Im sure you got a great course one you have done that. Maybe others didnt pick up on it cause the library was already loaded on there computers when they loaded this course. I will be back to let you in on my observation of what you put together. Thanks for the hard work.

This one really forces you to concentrate on every shot! It is very enjoyable to play! Looks great, too.

Thanks for the kind words. I have been getting mixed reviews on this one. I made it to give people a challenge. Its not your average grab your driver and wack it course. Play it a couple times and you will find where the trouble is and plan accordingly. I guess its just not for everyone. Thanks again and keep the comments coming, good or bad....Bill

Absolute beauty and a huge challenge as well. Played it under calm conditions and still got it handed to me. Cant imagine how tough it could play with a little wind. Graet job, I enjoyed every minute of it.