Boyne Highlands (Arthur Hills)

The Donald Ross Memorial course at the Boyne Highlands Resort was not actually designed by Donald Ross, which makes the Arthur Hills course the only one at the resort named for its designer (an honor that escaped even Robert Trent Jones at the resort’s Heather course).

Hills must have taken the honor as a matter of pride, and saw fit to combine his signature quirk with a study of strategy when creating what is also the resort’s longest challenge (at more than 7,300 yards). Despite the long number, the Hills course may also play as the fairest at Boyne, thanks to its wide fairways. Hills is happy to reward the wise player with a par when playing wisely, however the trap will snap on the hands reaching for too much.

The first three holes give a taste of the massive sand expanses one can expect to find throughout the round, most of which sit in a position where the conservative player can easily find the center of the fairway, while the wishful tiger may end up in the Sahara.

No. 17 is a curious beast, giving players two fairways to choose from. There are also two separate sets of tees boxes, separated by 50 yards of pond, which the superintendent can swap between to create a slew of possible routes from day-to-day.