But more on that later. As in the case of all new courses, it'll take another year for course conditions to truly fill in and mature. Smith did an excellent job of making the layout as member-friendly as possible. The fairways are wide and inviting. Bunkers are more strategic and visual in orientation rather than being deep-pitted prisons.
Green complexes have open approaches and, best of all, chipping areas abound.
Those who have played both the popular Fazio and Smith courses at Treetops will recognize many of the same design qualities at work here. Amen and hallelujah to all that. The only drawback with the layout, from a playing perspective, is the preponderance of 'forced carries' due to the wetlands throughout the 18. Most of the carries here are unintrusive and relatively tame, especially for mid- to low handicap players. At the same time, the wetlands, marshes, streams and surroundings are also what make the course such a pleasure to experience, especially since walking is encouraged here.