The Highlands

Decent course for the price. They’re apparently changing the type of grass for most of the holes this year, so the quality isn’t the greatest right now on greens.

What a miserable experience. It seems as though the Highlands believes they are still a private country club yet they have become one of the worst courses in Grand Rapids. Not only are the course conditions terrible but on top of that you have golf course ranger ass hole putting the stop watch on people at a empty golf course. Maybe play would speed up if you weren’t hitting off concrete fairways and greens surrounded by what could be used as a muck farm. If your looking to get wasted in your cut off Jean shorts and get a good tan with no shirt on, the Highlands is your place.

Okay, so I have to admit this is a place trying to make do on the cheap. But it’s doing a better job than than the other reviews would indicate. First, the layout remains spectacular — an interesting test of inventive shot-​making that still demands the occasional brass-​balls crushed drive. Your game will get a full-​featured work-​out, and your score will be what you deserve. Second, they cater to the golf nut, open whenever the weather and the light allow it, interested in trying to get any kind of group out on the course somehow. Third, the regulars keep up the pace of play — and expect you to do the same or else let people through, but what exactly is the problem with that? And fifth, they focus upkeep where it matters most: fairways and greens. My scores have a tighter range here than any other course I play often, and I see that as a testament to the quality of the course design and the most important conditions. If you’re not a golf nut, maybe you do want to be somewhere else. If you are, it’s a pretty good deal.

My brother and I golfed here last weekend. Our overall expereince was okay, but there are a fwe things that make this a poor place to golf. Within minutes of arriving, we witnessed strife between a fw golfers. Apparently some players had made it to the turn too fast, and asked to play through a few younger players that were just assigned to start off the back nine. The youngers players told them off, which created a slight situation. It was weird.
A few minutes later, when we went to check in about twn minutes before our tee time, we were told it was not in the system. We had booked in the previous day on their website. Apparently this will save you money, but you also have a 50 50 chance at it not showing up in their computers when you arrive. To their credit, they did manage to get us on the course at our allotted time.
The course itseld is nice. The grass is well maintained. But there was not a refreshment cart at all. Which would have been okay, had there been even a single water jug along the course for refreshment. There was not. We asked Mike, the starter, about this and he mentioned «you just can’t trust people anymore» whatever that means. Most courses we play have them locked in a wooden housing to prevent tampering. Maybe Highlands is cheap. Who knows.
Also while playing, we were being pressured by a twosome behind us. Not enough to warrant them playnig through, but they played close. Close enough in fact, that they actually hit someone on a green one hole over, square in the head from the tee we had just played from. We were on our green still. No joke.
As we approached the green on 18 we were met by another starter, or shotgun event oragnaizer, not sure who she was. She basically told us to hurry up and finish the 18^th promptly becuase we were holding up a shotgun start. We hadn’t been playing slowly, so this just added to our experience. She must have said the same thing to the twosome behind us because as we exited the 18^th green we heard «FORE!» as their ball landed within spitting distance of us. The same jerks that had hit someone earlier. Figures.
So overall, the course itself is nice. Just bring some water of your own, and dont expect courtesy from other players or the staff. Also, it might help to call them in person to schedule a tee time.

What a surprise… I played this course 2 years ago and it was pristine… played yesterday, the course is a MESS! No service at all. Very surprised at how quickly this place has gone down hill… consider playing Indian Trails instead… I’m not kidding.