The Highlands Golf Club at Fisher Mountain

Couldn't have been a better experience. Very enjoyable.

When you’re having an off day on the course, it can sometimes be hard to not blame the course itself for at least part of your woes. And looking at the slope rating on the scorecard for the Highlands Golf Club, you certainly shouldn’t expect a personal best. But there’s a difference between a hard course that’s still fun to play and just a plain hard course.

Those who have not played this course before will find added difficulty in the various blind shots, multiple hazards, thick rough, and green contours that take inspiration from the steep West Virginian mountains that surround the course.

The layout itself is similar to other traditional mountain courses (my favorite flavor of golf courses) with elevated tees, fairways that slope down, up, and sideways, and beautiful scenic vistas. Most holes have their own unique character, from the over-hill-and-dale par-5 6th and the right-angle-fairway par-4 9th to the iconic island-green par-4 10th. There is certainly inspiration in the design and they’ve added some rudimentary signage to keep you accidentally jumping from #9 to #12 like I did on my first visit last year.

Course conditions were a mixed bag when I played. Fairways and rough were lush and well maintained and there were no signs of summer burnout on the greens. Unfortunately, to prevent burnout, it appears they’ve heavily watered the greens and grown them long; they are soft and slow. Most glaringly, however, are the disrepair of the bunkers, which I voluntarily played as GUR until I saw signs that indicated as such. There’s no sand in them to speak of, just rocky dirt.

The soft, slow greens are actually welcome do to the rather extreme slope of the putting surfaces. Miss a putt by an inch and you’ll be lucky to have less than 8 feet left coming back. As mentioned before, there are many blind shots and with no cell service in the area, you’ll often be left guessing yardage, so bring a rangefinder.

The staff is friendly if minimalist (no starter or beverage cart) as are the off-course amenities (though they have separate putting and chipping greens). Pace of play is what you’d expect from a difficult mountain course and the distance between the cart path and greens doesn’t help. That said, the course is far from crowded so if you play as a single, you’re not likely to get completely stuck behind a train of foursomes.

The Highlands Golf Club is more suited for locals who play there frequently and know the course well than for someone just stopping by for one round. With the current poor course conditions and long drive from VA, even the VERY cheap GolfNow hot deals probably won’t be enough to entice me to keep coming back to learn the course enough to enjoy it. But if you find yourself in Franklin, WV for a decent amount of time, play a few rounds and decide for yourself!

A hidden gem. Spectacular mountain course in the middle of the WV mountains. Well worth the trip to play as the course is extremely well maintained, excellent pace of play due to minimal golfers, fantastic value for the course, first class clubhouse, and very friendly staff. Will definitely play again and have already highly recommended to golfing friends as a must play trip.

This was the fourth or fifth time I've played here, and always enjoy it. Lots of slopes make it challenging, and the condition is usually pretty good. This time, the greens were a little slower, and the bunkers needed some work, but considering it's still early in their season, I definitely wouldn't hold that against them. Will definitely go back!!!!

Beautiful mountain course one hour from Interstate 81. Greens are in great shape - although there will be discussion regarding the shape of the greens. Not pool tables. Three puts common and some are hard to hold. Worth the travel. You will return.

The Highlands has always proven to be a challenging course and is always in great playing condition. It is one of the most beautiful courses in the area and will leave you shaking your head after many holes. Must see it and play it!

We visited the course with friends and we all enjoyed the course, the views and the overall excellent condition of the fairways and greens. I will say that several of the greens are challenging as they have significant undulations.

This is one of our favorite courses to play. Great conditions and mountain views. Greens are in terrific shape....and tricky!

Course was in great shape but very difficult. Not very many flat lies in the fairways and greens were huge and very undulating. decent players will enjoy, not a course for average golfers.

This course is in the Potomac Highlands--gorgeous mountainous area of WV. It is a mountain course, with all the associated challenges. The course was in excellent shape, only negative comment was some golfers are not repairing their divots. I'd read the reviews on GolfNow and expected a good experience. I was not disappointed. Firstly, we received excellent service from both GolfNow and the course, allowing my twosome to combine two different tee times in order to get the best rates and still play together. We teed off just as the busy time was ending, and were behind a foursome, who courteously allowed us to play through when we caught up, so pace of play was good.

We often visit Massanutten Resort in Harrisonburg, VA and have played all the local courses, including one called Packsaddle Ridge. This course is about an hour west of Harrisonburg, and reminded us of Packsaddle. It is a hidden jewel and I would recommend it to anyone who will be in this area. One note: It is called The Highlands at Fisher Mountain Resort, which will come in handy when trying to find it with GPS. We kept asking ourselves: where are the houses? Where is the resort? This course was remotely located: a matter of taste, but I appreciate mountains and woods. If you do, also, please go there. You won't regret it!

Very scenic, very wooded, & just beautiful. Lots of elevation changes, sloping fairways, contoured greens,difficult, but fair. Greens were immaculate, & not too fast or too slow,. Scenic & interesting drive to get to, but worth the drive. I would love to see a,PGA tournament there. They might have trouble.

Recommend fall playing for beautiful fall foliage view. Nice course

This is an exceptional course hidden in the mountains of West Virginia. I was amazed at the course conditions, as they were excellent. The greens were moderately fast with some having significant undulations. I was able to book a time as a single and ended up playing alone. However, on a Saturday I only encountered two groups who quickly allowed me to play through. There are a few blind shots, and driver is not required on all par 4s for longer hitters. There are not a lot of directional signs and yardage markers are hard to come by. All that said, if you have a chance to play this course, don't pass it up! The lady in the pro shop was not very friendly, and I played so fast I didn't stop in the snack bar. Didn't see a refreshment cart or ranger during the round.

This is a beautiful course in a gorgeous setting which I enjoyed playing and look forward to playing again.

Really enjoyed the round(s). Enjoyed the first time around so much, took advantage of a very reasonable replay rate.

This is a great test. A one horse town with a 5 star course. Slope rating of 144 will test your ego. People are great and willing to help with your needs. This course is a hidden jewel. The greens are very tough to putt and requires total concentration or you will 3 and 4 putt. A premium is placed on hitting fairways and greens. Anything in the rough will require a punch out. Give a shot and write a review.

Great course. In very good condition. Staff was very accommodating and friendly. Have to keep it in the fairway! Greens were challenging. Can't wait to go back.

Golf this course once and you will want to play it again and again. Outstanding layout with great views. The greens are fast and undulating. The course is always in great condition. The staff is very friendly. This is a fun course to play, but it will humble you. If you love to play golf don't miss playing this course. I drive all most 2 hours to get to it and it is worth the drive. Play it you will not regret it.

Surprised to see a $29 Fee for Sunday morning 9am round. I scooped up my Son at JMU early Sunday morning, drove a beautiful Route 33 west from Harrisonburg and arrived at the course about an hour later. Definitely worth the drive! What a well conditioned golf course we arrived at! Afterwards, worn out from the dramatic shot making necessary to score here, we found a Sunday Buffet starting so we indulged. Never have combined such good golf with such an excellent meal afterwards! Do this for yourself sometime! Highly recommended. I will make the trip back next month for sure. Hope the trees are in full Fall glory.

I have played at a lot of courses here in this area of WVa., Maryland, and Pennsylvania and this course rates very close to my top of courses. The fairways were mowed and kept in great condition and the rough was fair. I only wish the fairways were bent grass rather than rye. The greens were well manicured with no summer burn out and are quite challenging, some, in my opinion, were a bit unfair with respect to steepness; think Payne Stewart at the 18th at the US open in San Francisco many years ago. The scenery was majestic. Greens fees were exceptional for a course of this quality and a great value. Move this course closer to Pittsburgh or DC and the fees would easily triple. The 2.5 hour trip will be made by me and my friends again this year. I wish the restaurant would be open all day instead of only on the weekends. If you are close, this is a must play course.