All week, Sunday’s forecast wasn’t looking great for golf. There wasn’t any rain but the winds were going to be an issue. The winds were supposed to howl between 20 and 30 miles per hour all day and the high wasn’t going to make it to 50. However, a day off in an area with courses I haven’t played makes it almost impossible for me to pass up a round.

Sure enough, when I pulled into the parking lot the wind was whipping and it felt more like December than October! I checked in and the proshop said that I could go early, but that I’d need to be aware of a college tournament that went off earlier.

I bundled up and headed to the 1st tee, knowing I didn’t need to play all that quickly. I caught the tournament’s last group on the 5th hole and gave them plenty of space until the last couple holes, when a twosome started pressing me. At 4.5 hours, it sure wasn’t a speedy round, especially in the cold. However, since it is almost the end of the season it was just nice to be on the course.

Dauphin Highlands is a newer, Bill Love design that is situated between downtown Harrisburg and the airport. The course occupies some hilly ground not far from the Susquehanna River, although you cannot actually see the river because of a nearby industrial complex. The surrounding area is a little more urban than I expected, however one of the nice things about the course is that it still has a natural feel. The clubhouse is at a high point and from there you can see almost all of the front nine and if you look closely, you can see the top of Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station.

The front has a nice mix of yardages with shorter and longer par-3’s, 4’s and 5’s. For example, the 2nd is a 288 yard par-4 with options. It is uphill so only the longest hitters will be able to drive the green, however you can hit any club you want off the tee. If you get aggressive you can leave yourself a better angle into the higher, right half of the green. At the other extreme is the long par-4 9th, which is 428 yards. The hole plays along a decent-sized shelf that is tucked into the hillside. Bunkers pinch the driving area and again up around the green.

The back nine is more what I’d call a traditional Mid-Atlantic design, because more trees surround the holes. The back nine is highlighted by the 14th through the 16th.

The 14th is a 375 yard par-4 with a blind tee shot that drops down into a valley. There isn’t any lost ball trouble down there, but the fairway does narrow significantly. If you miss the fairway then tree trouble lurks. Even after a nice drive I had to try to clip a wedge from a downslope, to an elevated green.

The 15th is a pretty par-3 that plays back across the valley before the 16th is a bit of a wacky par-5. At 565 yards, the 16th is the longest par-5 at Dauphin Highlands. Unfortunately, most golfers shouldn’t be hitting driver because the fairway runs out around 230 yards. The 16th is some target golf on an otherwise open layout from tee to green.

Unfortunately, I didn’t catch the course in great shape. Everything was waterlogged, but for $26 the price was right. The fairways were full and I had plenty of nice lies. The tees were full too. The rough was thin. The greens on the front nine rolled well, although they had a bit of a mushy feel to them. Four of the nine greens on the back were semi-lost and need work to get them back in shape. Those four greens were furry, patchy and sandy.

If you are considering playing Dauphin Highlands then you might want to wait until you hear reports that conditions have improved. The maintenance wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t representative of the normally solid conditions found at courses in South Central Pennsylvania either. The layout is strong, with modern design features that still allow a golfer to score with decent shots.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):