Before starting your round, warm up on the practice bunker near the driving range. From the vantage point of the range tees, turn around to get an excellent view of the Rock River. You might want to bring your camera with you. There are a lot of scenic views to take in when playing this course, with the river, marshes, hills and trees framing almost every shot. There are no boring holes here. The multi-tiered greens are contoured and well groomed. The fairways are forgiving unless you really shank it off the tee. The rough is very playable, with an intermediate cut along most of the fairways. The signage is very helpful and colorful. And don't be too surprised if geese fly overhead every few holes.

Many of the holes are quite challenging. The signature number 7 is a long Par 5 with water along the left side of a gradually curving fairway. But trees pinch in from the right as you approach the green, forcing you to play dangerously close to the reeds on the left. The 15th hole is very pretty, with a wide pond all along the dogleg left, but most hackers on this Par 4 will find it very difficult to reach the green in 2 shots. And the Par 3 16th was designed by a sadist. When going for the green, 160 yards away from the white tees, you need to hit it almost entirely over water. Leave it even a bit short or left and you are in cruel bunkers that curve halfway around the green. In addition, there's a cluster of hillocks and bunkers on the far side if you overshoot.

The rustic clubhouse has a huge patio overlooking the 9th hole. The hot wings special at the bar is a great value and very tasty, especially with the bacon blue cheese dip. The only ding would be the weak beer selection. In a state with so many fine breweries, Rock River Hills needs to upgrade what it serves on the course and in the clubhouse.

That said, this is a course most golfers will want to return to again and again. Even when cursing some of their errant shots, the regulars were understandably passionate about the place.

Latest Update: 12/26/2010