On the first hole, the size and scale will let the player know this is going to be a great day! 
When one glances at the scorecard, the length catches your attention because it looks and feels longer than what it really is. A good drive leaves a short to mid iron approach. Judging the elevation change and selecting a good club is key. Most find out right away an extra club is best.
The second follows with a lengthy par four that doglegs left. Playing atop the hill, I like how Art Hills placed the green on the side. It brings the danger on the left more into play. Then the third follows with a classic par four that doglegs left up the hill. 
The safe play is up the right side, but the approach is longer and from a sidehill lie. The aggressive player who can carry the trap will have a much better view and a flatter lie.
The fourth is our first par five of the day. 
The views are awesome from the tee! What a exciting drive too!! If this doesn't want to make you turn your shoulders and unleash a cork of a drive, then golf isn't your sport! The criticism that I hear bout this hole comes at the second shot. 
There is no bailout area to go for the green in two. The shot would have to be absolutely perfect. I have no problem with that. Of course I'm laying it up and wedging it close anyway, but my opinion is why should there be bailout? There's three other par fives to come that are reachable! Just a beautiful hole!
Five is a good par three across the valley. 
It takes advantage of a natural hazard and is fun to hit over. That being said, this is the best par three at Longaberger. Art Hills short-changed the place with some underachieving one shotters, especially on the back nine.
One, six, and eleven are my three favorite holes here. (All three are dogleg right too!)
Six is a driveable par four if the player can carry the traps visible on the right. Art Hills makes that line visually intimating too but it's a bold play that's totally doable if one has the length. A player of my length can try to scoot the ball past the trap to set up a little wedge. Some might argue it's not needed since a prudent drive straightaway leaves 100 yards anyway. But the better view can be gained by being past it.
Seven is a good par five that doglegs right off the tee before going uphill and bending back to the left. There is plenty of bailout area for those going for it in two. For us shorter hitters, it's imperative to be atop the hill for our third shots if we have any thoughts of getting a birdie.
Then we come to the eighth, arguably the most memorable hole on the course. 
Looking at pic above, two options are presented. Out to the right the fairway curves around the trees. Down the left it's straightaway, but the drive must carry to the fairway. Having played this hole several times, I can't think of any reason why one would play it from the right. The left side cuts off significant yardage, and the lie is relatively flat. Granted the green is a penisula, but there's plenty of room to bailout right. 
(The view from the right shows just how well protected the eighth green is)
The front nine ends with a solid par three. 
Nine plays across the water with the green perched above it. I've heard it likened to Augusta National's twelfth. The left side is a lil shallower then the right, so a crisp strike is required to find the green. Being long leaves a downhill chip with water waiting for a mishit. Three is a good score.
Ten is a short par five that is reachable in two. (All those complainers about the fourth should really be quiet after this hole.)
While the green is protected by a small creek, the layup is very ho-hum for the short hitter. It really emphasizes Art Hills underachieving here. As you can tell in the picture, it's a bland looking hole.
Eleven follows thankfully with my third, and last, favorite hole on the course. 
From the tee, the player is looking at a wide fairway on the left while the right side looks awfully small with the hazard guarding that line. Players who are brazen enough to challenge the hazard are looking at a much easier approach. The green is well defended by a water hazard and the approach from the right plays into the slope. The left side is partially blocked, played from a sidehill lie, and brings the water more into play. It's a great hole!
The next three holes are the weak link at Longaberger. After playing some good golf, these holes are nonchalant, seen them before on lesser property type of golf holes. And that really is the issue. Hills has all this room to make some awesome golf holes and the 12-14 are boring holes. Twelve is a slightly uphill par three. Mounding behind the green is the view from the tee. Thirteen is a long straightaway par four. It's length is the only real obstacle to overcome. The green does expand out on the right making those pin locations all carry to attack. Fourteen is a par three and the last hole in this sequence. It's similar in look to twelve except its downhill and the mounding is on the left. A picturesque view greets you on tee and gives a glimpse of the last few holes. I guess it's not too horrible a hole.
Fifteen gets back to Longaberger golf! It's an uphill par four where the pro told me to favor the left and I'd be rewarded with much shorter approach. The right half is more into the hill so the drive stops quickly. The green is on a little ridge and the shorter approach is much appreciated. It's a tough target to hit a long club in hand.
Sixteen is a short par five and one that entices players to be aggressive. 
As the pic above shows, the corner of the lake hugs the right side and it's imperative to know how much you can carry. The water etches in the closer you get to the green. A long drive therefore makes it possible to carry the ball all the way to the green. There's little room to run it on, so for a player of my length, that's the biggest concern. The green is two tiered and has an elevated back shelf. It's a fun hole and comes at the right time.
Seventeen then follows with a mid length par four that doglegs slightly right. Along with eleven, this might be the second most natural looking hole on the back. I'm surprised that the green isn't better defended. A bunker just cries out to be posted on the right. Instead grass is there and doesn't really present too difficult a shot to get up n down.
Eighteen finishes the round with a monster par four. 
It plays uphill and doglegs to the left. The pro told me that Art Hills tricks you into playing a draw off the tee but the right side will hold the ball up. Instead he said to shoot it just inside the left bunker and he drive will gain a significant amount of yardage. Like the first hole, I think it's size and scale dominates the view and makes it a dramatic finish.
Longaberger is in the 6 (very good) category of my rating but all the anmenities is what propels it to be rated as the best course in the state. A great clubhouse, a wonderful bar and grill, and nothing but serene and relaxing views in all directions. It really is a golf experience. That being said, Art Hills missed on an opportunity to design a top 25 public golf in the USA. Yes I think the property gave him that chance.
