Some takes on Mickelson
-Visually stunning. Some great views and some amazing views (both of the course itself and the landscape beyond). But take out 75% of the trees that were planted. Some of the plantings are kind of cool, but most of the trees will just block views and block shots, the latter of which the course doesn't need.
-I wouldn't want to play it all the time, but I'd definitely want to play it at least once a season. Not sure how it will do as a private course (if membership sales were were going so well, they wouldn't be letting people tear the place up for free), I think it would be far more successful being public because every serious golfer in the province would make a trip to play it and local ones would definitely keep it near the top of their list because it isn't a place that will attract a lot of hackers.
-The driveable Par 4s will be great golf, but will make pace of play a challenge (a worthwhile tradeoff. I figure pace of play is a problem at all golf courses, so it might as well be for something interesting).
-If you're a good golfer, there's a lot of opportunities for some fun golf (picking how much of a hazard to cut off, going for the green on a Par 4, picking between landing zones for your next shot). But if you're a mid-to-high handicapper I think a lot of it will seem like a grind because even with the good teebox variety, we just can't take advantage of those same opportunities.
-The greens were shockingly thatchy considering they were recently seeded. They look nice but play like crap, which was a shame because everything else exceeded expectations.
Would I play it again and play relatively regularly if given the opportunity? Absolutely. Would I consider joining? Absolutely not. Between Windmill's track record at not putting money into their courses, and a supposed $50M+ of construction debt that is dependent on housing sales to put a dent in, I fear the course will be on a downward right from it's official opening (and given the greens, they'll be working from behind already). I'd say if you get a chance to play it, do it as early as possible because it's definitely a unique experience and is a place every serious golfer in the city should make a point of trying to play. But I just wish there were a different group in charge because it's a course that deserves elite conditioning, and they just won't be given the resources to provide it.
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