Out of necessity this course was built into the side of the hill on top of which the impressive castle-like hotel stands, so that hotel guests can walk straight to the first tee. Considering this rather severe limitation the routing actually is very good and must be attributed largely to Donald Harradine, who massaged the course after modest beginnings as a local 9 holer into its present high end form. The first hole plays down the hill and into the valley, where the flat part of the site was used for much of the front 9. After climbing back up to the hotel largely within the 9th hole, the really exciting part starts at tee 10. Those who are not up to or do not prefer mountain golf thus have a fairly manageable loop and can go straight to the clubhouse after 9.

They would be missing a classic Harradine back 9 with many fairways hanging in the air, blind shots galore, eminently scorable yardages and recovery options ranging between heroic and hellacious. As far as the green complexes go, some are very difficult - undulated and hard to access - others are somewhat basic (but in good nick), especially on the quirkier holes, where the terrain is the star.

Sure, the property swings every which way and the golfer has to climb or descend steeply on occasion, but the routing keeps everything together and does not force anything on the land that is just not there.

There's just one major drawback which keeps this track slightly below the top tier of Alpine layouts and that is the loamy soil. Other courses in the region are much drier, so standing water can be an issue especially on the flatter holes down in the valley. On the other hand the wild terrain of the back 9 could create an uncontrollable ground game in very dry conditions.