The East is the type of course where trouble comes in the form of mounds, sand bunkers, fescue, and other wild grasses, that although penalizing, do offer the opportunity for recovery. Trouble on the West Course is more likely to come in the form of actual penalty strokes from a shot into a water hazard or a ball lost in the thick rows of trees that border each hole. Even the greens play differently. Green-side recovery on the West Course is more likely to require a pitch from the rough. On the East Course, collection areas allow for more chips that fit into the running kind of shots that could be favorable elsewhere on the course.
Slopes blend the collection area and green and make for more putts with significant breaks.
Players wanting to try both courses can save on the greens fees. The country club caliber experience starts when golfers pull up to the bag drop and continues through the round of golf and beyond. The West Course provides the opportunity for a strong start, but gets tougher as the round progresses. Depending on which of the five sets of tees are used, the back nine plays from 102 to 143 yards longer. It is on the back nine that two similarities to Pine Valley, the New Jersey private club that is often regarded as the finest and toughest course in golf, are highlighted.