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- "Great course"
 Course was in very good shape - Greens 9/10; Fairways 8/10, Bunkers 9/10, Tee Boxes 6/10. We were able to get a cheaper internet rate, but it goes through a third party and your card is charged immediately. If you need to cancel or raincheck it has to go through that venor, not Stonebridge. But it did save us about $22 per golfer. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 This is one of the top three courses in the Charlotte area in my opinion and again it did not disappoint. Greens were smooth, FIRM and fast. Fairways, bunkers and tee boxes were in good-great shape. I love the layout and love walking this course. Just an FYI, we had a 4:10 tee time and when I booked it online the twilight rate for a cart was $55 and the rate to walk was $60. I called the pro shop to confirm the walking rate was higher than the cart rate, I was told yes it was and I could pay the cart rate and walk instead. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
This is purely about the rates.
Ridiculous.
$90 for a good, not great golf course is causing us to look elsewhere.
Just an observation but there were plenty of tee times available last Sunday AM and that is normally sold out. Go look today, there are plenty of tee times available this weekend as well.
The consumer has spoken. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 I had stopped playing this course years ago because of the very poor playing conditions and management still charging top dollar. Complete turnaround so far. Greens (which were previously the biggest issue) are back to almost perfect condition. Everything else was in great shape. It was a charity captain's choice event, so the pace a play is not a true representation of a normal round. Will start playing there again if these conditions stay consistent. Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
 Rock Barn continues to be my favorite course within an hour of Charlotte – and it stretches that radius to the max as it's located in Conover just west of Statesville. The course is well worth the drive, however, and the price. At $65 for a weekday round and $75 on weekends, Rock Barn is still a great value for what you get.
The Tom Jackson course is the public track but the resort also has a private Robert Trent Jones, Jr. course for members only. Both courses share the same clubhouse and practice area, which are resort quality. The practice putting green is by far the largest I know of in the Carolinas and it allows you to practice those 200-foot putts if you want a fun challenge.
The Jackson course is a par-71 layout that tips out at only 6427 yards. So you may feel it plays short, but your first shot will have to carry 180-200 yards uphill across a hazard to reach the short grass. Several holes feature dramatic elevation changes, both downhill and uphill on tee shots and approaches.
With the shorter length, you get some fun risk-reward choices throughout the round, none more exciting than the 10th hole. This downhill then dogleg left par 5 is one of my favorite public course holes in the area. If you hit a good drive, you should only have 200 or less yards to reach the green. However, that shot will be 90% carry over water! I didn't trust my 210-yard carry and so I laid up to about 80 yards during my round to give myself a birdie putt.
One of the signature stretches is Nos. 5 and 6. No. 5 is a narrow par 4 tee shot with a severely downhill approach to a green that falls off the back into a pond. That same pond surrounds the front and right side of the par 3 No. 6 hole that plays dramatically downhill. And speaking of dramatically downhill, the par 3 9th hole is another long tee shot over a hazard with a 100-foot drop from tee to green.
The back nine closes with a fun stretch from Nos. 15 to 18, again with elevation changes and ponds in play. The closing hole requires an uphill approach shot to one of the largest greens on the course that protects par with a two-tiered, back-to-front steep slope.
Overall, this layout is very memorable and fun to play, which is one of my criteria for the Top 10 list. The course is part of the Rock Barn Resort & Spa and so the amenities (which include a very nice public bar/bistro and a members-only restaurant) are top-notch. Your range balls are included in your round, making the price even better by comparison to other Charlotte courses that charge another $6-$8 for a bucket.
Not to give too much away (the new Top 10 list will be out in a few weeks) but Rock Barn was No. 1 last year for good reasons and not much has changed.
NOTE: the course will be aerated next week. So give it a few weeks to recover. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 Good to be back at Red Bridge after almost 2 years. They had some maintenance issues in the summer of ‘21 and so it had been awhile. I still love the layout and a few of the holes stand out as very unique to Charlotte.
I was playing in TheGrint Tour’s two day Spring Sizzler event (Oak Valley was the day 1 course). We were playing the Black tees (just under 6800 yards) and that was a first for me, playing the tips here. I’m not a long hitter so this made it extra challenging for me today.
From the Black tees, several tee shots require a 220-240 yard carry to reach the fairway (!). With houses and backyard fences now guarding the dogleg on the par 5 third hole, it can be a very intimidating tee shot. Speaking of those new housing developments, Out of Bounds stakes now encroach very quickly on the left side of holes 3 and 4.
With the layout featuring five par 3s and five par 5s, it feels fun and score-able (just not from the tips!). A few years ago, they redid the bunkers British Open style on the signature par 3 9th hole and it’s a very picturesque hole now.
The short downhill dogleg right par 4 17th is still my favorite though. Lots of risk reward on both the tee shot and the approach, with a creek and a pond threatening those shots.
The 600+ yard par 5 18th is the longest hole in the Charlotte public golf landscape. From the tips yesterday, the GPS on TheGrint app showed it playing 627 yards (!). After my tee shot got into trouble left forcing me to punch out, I managed to reach the green in *five* but missed my bogey putt. [sigh]
The Bermuda greens were quick and in good shape overall. Although most looked like they had been raked (?) when they were last aerated and most had several old cup scars, they rolled true. A few of my competitors thought they were bumpy but I guess everyone’s mileage varied.
For the price, conditions and the fun factor in this layout, Red Bridge is worth playing and in the top 15 tracks in the area. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
 The Divide is trying. I can say that. But it's a work in progress with ways to go. They have an amazing range. And greens and bunkers were for most part solid. They are currently sodding some tee boxes. Everything else needs major work.
I love the layout so I hope it becomes what it has potential for. And it's close to fair for the price.
What we didn't like was zero ranger influence. Our front 9 took 2:10 (fair on Sunday). The back we got stuck behind a couple who was clearly new to golf. That's understandable but they wouldn't let us play through even when we asked, were waiting for par 4s and 5s to clear for long 2nd shots in, etc. Back 9 took over 3 hours. No ranger to police them. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Course was in pretty good shape, greens were a little slow, likely because of all the rain the 24 hours before and the morning dew, got a little faster on the back 9. Some sod and mulch work on the first 4 holes to get rid of a the hard pan has improved the look, still too soon to tell how it will hold up. Always enjoyed this course and grew up playing it, but between reversing the 9s and the weekend price going up to $90, it’s lost its value to me. Trips out here will be less frequent, but still worth playing if you are in the area and don’t mind paying a premium. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 Some of the best greens in the area, course always seems to have some drainage issues and some spots that struggle coming out of winter, consequently a lot of areas marked as GUR in the fairways, but outside of the rough spots the course is fine. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
 Showed up early for an early morning tee time. They're doing a lot of construction/upgrades, but there was no driving range. Many of the bunkers were under construction and were free drop areas. The course drained pretty well, especially after the heavy rain the week we played. Greens rolled well. Had a lot of fun at this course and will drive up to Statesville to play this again. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
My first trip back in over a year. Carolina Lakes got a lot of bad reviews last summer when they had issues with their Bentgrass greens. Not only did they suffer in the summer heat as Bentgrass can do sometimes but they had some sort of fungus or disease.
I'm happy to report that the greens are in fine shape with no major issues. The greens were very consistent with good speed (not slick but not slow). I saw very few problems on any green. I wouldn't say they were perfect (I have been spoiled at Longview), but by comparison to say, Olde Sycamore, they were better. I think Edgewater's Bentgrass greens were smoother and quicker, but not by much.
There were a few holes on the back nine that had areas in the fringe and within a few yards around the collar of the green that were dotted with clumps of poa annua - similar to Edgewater. I didn't notice this problem on the front 9.
Tees and fairways were good with a few exceptions. The fairway on the par 5 13th hole (one of the signature holes, I might add) was dotted with burnt out spots, almost like winter kill scars. It was more of an eye sore than a problem that affected play, though it made for a thin, hardpan lie if your ball was sitting directly on one.
I really, really love this layout. It is one of my favorite public tracks in the Charlotte area. I started on the back 9 and was reminded how tough those first few holes on the back really are. The 10th hole is a long dogleg right par 4 that requires a very accurate approach. The 11th hole is a short dogleg right with such a sharp left to right sloping fairway that it is extremely difficult to hold the fairway. The par 3 12th hole requires an all-carry tee shot of at least 135 yards (depending on your tee) to a wide but shallow green. Just some nervy shots to start your round (or rather your back 9).
The stretch of holes 13-16 is picturesque and breathtakingly dramatic. The par 5 13th is reachable with two good swings but the perched green is protected by water on 2 sides. The par 4 14th is a dogleg right that climbs steeply uphill to a large two-tiered green. The short par 4 15th is a driveable dogleg right but you have to challenge the pond and fairway bunker on the right side to get there. The long par 3 16th requires a 160+ yard carry over water and a murderer's row of bunkers protecting the green. Just an exhilarating stretch of holes.
The front nine is similarly fun and varied with elevation changes, hazards, doglegs and tricky greens. My favorite hole on the front is probably No. 9 with bunkers protecting the dogleg right and the opposite side of the fairway. You can't see the green from the tee, but big hitters who can cut the ball left-to-right have a chance to get close with a good drive.
Overall, I was happy to return to Carolina Lakes and play this layout again with greens in good shape. I worry about the Bentgrass surviving the summer after last season, but right now the course is in very good shape.
The course still ranks as one of the more expensive ones in the area ($49 for a twilight weekday round felt pricey), but when conditions are good, it can be worth it. And right now, it is. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 I've played this course many times since I retired about 2 years ago.
Especially so since COVID.
This year, I decided to become a member.
As a Senior, I like this course because you really can't get into a lot of trouble.
There are some creek crossings but not too much water comes into play.
Not too many fairway bunkers and not many around the greens.
The fairways are wide open, it's well maintained and a great value overall.
They have a Starter, Friday to Sunday and the pace of play is well maintained.
On a busy day, they have a Marshal who will cruise the course to ensure pace of play. They are always willing to give you an update if it's going to be backed up
The greens are well maintained and they change the pin placements regulalrly.
It's always well staffed and the food is good with lots of options.
You can call ahead from the 9th tee and they will have your food ready at the turn. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 Edgewater has always been one of my favorite layouts with excellent Bentgrass greens. Playing yesterday afternoon in a tournament with TheGrint Tour, I can say I still love it and it shows! I shot one of my best rounds of the year with my career lowest putts for 18 holes (25). This review may be a tad biased due to that, but I will be frank about a few things.
The greens were in very good shape overall. While the putting green seemed furry and on the slow side, the greens on the course were quick and rolling true. These greens are very large and while there were one or two with burnout spots, they did not affect play at all.
The one issue that *did* affect some play though was the clumps of poa annua grass just off the greens around the fringes. These were common around most greens and they had not been treated or buzzed with the mower. That meant that if you were a few feet off the green your putt or chip could be bumped off line. For those of you like me who putt from off the green whenever possible, this was especially problematic. I ran into this on at least 2 holes (15 and 18) but saw it affect my playing partners a few times as well.
Tees and fairways were fine. The bunkers were like beach sand. While they were very consistent that way, it was difficult to not hit it heavy each time.
A few comments about the layout. The 1st hole is a medium length par 4 that is steeply downhill and very drive-able for most players if you catch the right bounce. If you catch the wrong bounce, however, you could get lost or deep into trouble. So be careful with that tee shot.
The 7th hole is my nemesis hole here. It is a downhill, then uphill 90-degree dogleg left with a pond guarding the corner and thick trees (and mud) to the right of the cart path if you bail out. I was in the latter this time. Just a very challenging tee shot for players like me who hit a cut.
The 8th hole is a benign looking par 3 with just a bunker front left. However, beware! Any shots right or long will bounce or roll down over the cart path into a drop-off ditch that is not playable. In my opinion, this area should be marked as a lateral (red) hazard but is not. So you are re-teeing if you hit it there. Several other holes have similar woods or marshes and were marked as lateral. This one should be as well. And I'm not just saying that because I made triple bogey here (promise ;-).
10 is a lo-o-o-ong par 4. In my tournament we were playing a mix of the tips and 2nd tee from the back. The tee marker said 419, but into the wind and uphill for the approach, this hole played like 450, 475 today.
I love the closing stretch of 15-18, with the long, downhill par 3 15th, the long par 4 16th, the short, eagle-able par 5 17th (which I've eagled before), and the tough par 4 18th with two large pine trees just in front of the fairway, forcing you to pick a side and then work the ball one way or the other to hit the fairway.
Edgewater still ranks as one of the best public courses within an hour of Charlotte and right now it is in very good shape (the poa clumps, notwithstanding). Read The Review
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- "Great course"
One of my favorite layouts and again it did not disappoint, Bunkers were in excellent condition, just wish there were more of them, kidding of course. Greens were smooth and very firm. Fairways were rock hard and can really use some rain that is predicted for Saturday. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
 Have returned to play here a couple more times this spring. Not a lot has changed except the bent grass greens were very firm, which I found odd. The course will be closed all summer until post Labor Day for green conversion and they are operating on 16 holes until mid-june when the conversion starts as they are reconfiguring 2 holes currently. It is my hope they alter a couple greens during the renovation. Greens on #6 & #9 need restructuring since many near perfect approach shots, even many putts, end up in the creek or marsh hazard due to their current lack of fringe and slope. Most Fairway grasses this last visit were fine, except for the landing areas on #10 & #14 where ALL the cart traffic is directed. I was hoping for cleaner Golf Carts this year however they were nastier & more grimy than before. Hopefully after all the construction is complete .. next year these things will get the attention they need. Read The Review
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- "Average"
A little disappointed in conditions. The front 9 greens appeared to be recently verticut. The grooves affected your putts, but they left the waste, cut grass on the greens. This made you putting difficult to read putts as the loose grass and the cut lines into the grass.
As always there the tee boxes need plenty of growth. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
 Been awhile since I've gotten back out here. I used to play this course frequently about 15 years ago or so, but not so much anymore. Olde Sycamore is one of the last holdouts among public courses in Charlotte with Bentgrass greens (Stonebridge, Emerald Lake, Highland Creek, Carolina Lakes are among the others). As greens fees have gone up the past few years, it's been more difficult for Bentgrass courses to compete with the nicer Bermuda ones (e.g. Rocky River, Skybrook, Mooresville, Verdict Ridge, Warrior, etc, etc).
So while I would say Olde Sycamore is in very good shape for Olde Sycamore, it is just middle of the pack for your public golfing dollar. In fact, it's pricey for what you get in comparison to the market. It was $55 for a weekday morning and I've heard from folks that it can push $80-$90 on weekends. That's outrageous, if true.
Back to the conditions, the greens were fine. There were several greens with bare dirt spots but most were near the edges and holes were cut to keep them out of play (No. 11 was the worst example). No ball mark issues for now and the greens were lush. The speed was decent. Not really fast or slow.
Fairways and tees and bunkers were fine. There was some work being done to clear trees and other brush (Hole No. 5) in some places, but we didn't encounter any issues.
Layout-wise, this track is unique. Tons of doglegs and layup tee shots. If you are a long hitter, you don't have to hit driver literally all day, but definitely shouldn't on Nos. 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, and 15. That's 2/3 of the par 4's and 5's! I remember I used to like that when I didn't hit driver very well. Now though, the course doesn't play to my strengths as much.
The course has a mix of everything with the doglegs, elevation changes, ponds and fountains, creeks and rocks. It plays *very* different from the Gold to the Blue to the White tees.
As for the tough holes... No. 3 is a tricky target tee shot with OB right and trees left and then a valley in the fairway where you want to land a good drive. That leaves you with an uphill approach to well bunkered green. No. 15 is similar on the back nine. Downhill par 4 with the fairway running into a hazard, then a long-ish uphill approach to a big green with bunkers all around.
The par 5's are all gettable though and the par 3's are fairly benign. Generally speaking, if you are swinging well you will get rewarded here.
Overall, this is a fun course to play and it brings back memories for me. So I will return once or twice a year. Now's a good time to play it but don't pay $70+! Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
First time playing Red Bridge Golf Club in over 10 years. I was surprised by the build up in the area and the sign on the back door requesting golfers not cut the corner on #3 due to houses.
Course conditions were good. #3 fairway had a burst water pipe which made the fairway about unplayable but that we the only water situation on the course that I saw, which was pretty good considering the downpours we had over the weekend.
Tee boxes were thin on grass at times. Greens were good. Approach shots held the greens well and putts tracked pretty good. Sand traps were average.
It seemed like pace of play was slow but we finished in 4:39 which is only 9 minutes over the posted pace of play. Course was very busy today.
I will go back and play the course again. Very good value for the price. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 RIverBend YMCA is one of the best, I have lived behind the #2 tee box for about five years now, but have played this course for the last 25 years. I think it's in the best shape now that it has ever been in.
Phil (Wallace) and his staff have the course in top shape. If your in the area its worth a day to come out and give this course a play. You will come back.
RT Read The Review
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- "Great course"
The improvements on the course continue. A lot to tell here.
First, the course is closing around June 12th to re-do all of the greens in Mach 1 Bermuda (I think that's the right kind, it was used at Streamsong) with the plan to re-open around Labor Day. Some updates to the clubhouse and driving range are also part of the plan.
In addition, they have been building new tees on several holes (back tee on par-5 18th, new tee to stretch par-3 11th to nearly 220! if you are brave, new tees on 3 open for play). A lot of sod has been put down in places to fill in bad spots and around tees and greens.
All of the tree stumps that were still there a couple of years ago from the removal of hundreds of trees on the parallel holes 12-15 on the back nine have been removed.
And finally, they have begun work on moving the 1st green back behind the pond where it was originally and moving the 8th green back and to the right to a higher spot to avoid the flooding problem the creek on that hole has presented over the years.
This course is a great value and definitely worth the drive to get there. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 This continues to move up my list. Everything is coming together. Course knowledge helps on a few of the tee shots. Especially 10, feet here you need to play the tee shot further right than you think it the slanted fairway will push the your drive into the trees. The greens were tiling great, but a little slow. You need to land in the correct areas or you’re three putting. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Played Rocky River as part of a Grint Tour event. Greens were in great shape as always, as they are consistently some of the best in Charlotte. There were some areas of the fairways and approaches that were surprisingly in rough shape for Rocky River's standards, with very little grass or some even just bare dirt. Surely will grow in as the season progresses. Round was pretty slow paced at around 5 hours, but that is somewhat expected during tournament play. Overall, still one of the top tracks in Charlotte. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
 It was cart path only. Kind of surprising, but there were several areas that still had standing water. The greens were smooth with a few spots of grass growing in them. The traps are need of some upgrade. They were very hard and appear to not have been raked in awhile. This used to be the premier course in Union County. It’s slowly declining. Still a good course at this time. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
 Got out to Springfield as I make my rounds for the updated Top 10 list (coming in May). This course has never left a great impression on me but I tried again to see if I could come to appreciate it. I made some strides in that direction, but a few things keep this course just outside my Top 10.
The greens are in great shape and I don't remember them not being good. So in that regard, the course is a good value every time out. Almost every one of these Bermuda greens is elevated and sloped or crowned. So they can be very tricky to hold and to putt when they are slick. Today they were quick but not silly fast.
The dormant Bermuda fairways make this course play hard and fast. With all of the slopes and elevation changes, your ball can bounce or roll out of play quickly. That can be very frustrating and make the course play very difficult at times. Several holes play severely uphill, making them play much longer than the yardage (and several par 4's are already over 400 yards from the Blue tees).
So, from a layout perspective, this course is very challenging. From a conditions perspective, outside of the near-perfect greens, the tees, fairways and rough were just okay. Thin, sometimes bare dirt lies. A few fairways had patches of weed grass throughout. The course is using the Cart Path Only rule until May. On a dry afternoon, that was no fun. That also meant the fairways were dotted with unfixed divots.
The rate was only $40 for a weekday afternoon (2:30pm) and that felt like a good value. Checking a few other courses online showed $50-$62 rates for the same time.
My primary reason for not ranking Springfield higher is that there are very few memorable holes. The long dogleg left par 4 No. 9 is probably the signature hole (it would be a great finishing hole).
I rate Springfield as one of the better but not best public courses in the area. The price puts it in the value half of the courses in the area. With very good greens, Springfield is definitely worth playing. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Mooresville continues to be one of the best values in the area. $34 for a weekday afternoon is very good, especially given the conditions/amenities. So my 4.5 star rating is based on the price and the greens more than anything. Speaking of, the Bermuda greens were near perfect. Slick and smooth. The fairways were extremely wet and muddy and it was cart path only. So to be honest, it's not the best draining course around town (especially hole 1).
Pace of play was solid despite the cart rule, though we had a twosome and single in the two groups directly behind our foursome. Seems like the twosome and single should have paired up so they wouldn't be waiting on us, but to each his own. By the back 9 we were waiting on almost every hole. High school matches were teeing off No. 1 when we made the turn and I believe the course let a group out in front of us on No. 10. So that slowed us down a tad, but it wasn't brutally slow.
I did not notice any significant changes to the course since last season. We played the tips and given the wet conditions, several holes played very long. I seemed to shoot about the same score I would normally expect. So I was kinda surprised that it didn't seem brutally difficult from back there (6800+ yards).
I do like the diversity of the layout. Some folks don't like the back 9, but not me. I appreciate the full 18. There's a great mix of easy/difficult holes and risk/reward. Some holes seem quirky (Nos. 4, 13, and 16). Others are just difficult (Nos. 5, 11, 17, 18). But overall, I really like this course. It will once again rank highly in my Top 10 list. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 Played Sapona for the first time in early March. Course knowledge is everything on this course, as there are lots of tee shots that end up in blind landing areas or where fairways run out and you need to hit less than driver. Driver is not needed on several of the front nine holes, as hazards or doglegs make it a risky play. The course was in good shape for early Spring, and according to their member newsletter, work is constantly ongoing to make even more improvements. The day I played there were 3 holes that were CPO, even though it wasn't wet, but this illustrates their desire to make improvements that are lasting. There is water on several holes sometimes in the form of creeks, occasionally in the form of ponds. The tees and greens were in good shape with the dormat grass. Greens were in great shape. The practice area is good, and the staff is friendly. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
I’m starting to get a little disappointed in Monroe. Being the course I grew up with and knowing its potential, they’ve let the conditions drop the last couple of years. The fairways are struggling to keep any grass and there’s several worn areas where the water has come through.
The greens were slower than normal, but rolled nicely.
It is still a course I recommend playing. Hopefully, they will put more money and effort to regaining their he condition from a couple years ago. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
Trending in the wrong direction. Greens were fine, bunkers were decent, and the TopTracer range is nice. Rest of the course is in bad shape. Not worth close to the $70 rack rate. The range was also full which allowed no warm up prior to round. Pace of play was surprisingly slow for carts on fairways. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 Played Warrior this afternoon in warm but blustery conditions. The course is in good shape currently, with a few projects underway to improve the course even more. They are making improvements to the driving range area. They are also in the process of removing trees in areas that may not necessarily be in play, but are areas where a lot of tee shots end up. This will allow for faster pace of play and the chance of playing a recovery shot as opposed to a lost ball. The one big project underway is the renovation and repositioning of the bunkers on the par 3 6th hole. The two large bunkers that were on the front left of the green have been removed. In their place will be two smaller bunkers that are directly in front of the green, as well as a small pot bunker to the left of the green.
As for the rest of the course, the greens are in great shape, and roll faster than anything else in the area. Teeboxes are a little beat up, but they are moving tee markers around to utilize better areas of turf. Fairways are in good shape, and you get good roll on the dormant grass. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Still a very nice course. It was cart path only. Not as pristine as it used to be, but a very good municipal course. The greens were slower than usual, but rolled true. I recommend this course to anyone. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
 I was disappointed. We were instructed cart path only. I asked the started why since there was minimal water around the course. He said their carts wouldn’t hold up charges for a full 18 holes. They were trying to save the batteries. Buy new carts!!!
The course itself was in ok shape. The greens were on the slower side, but rolled nicely. A little overpriced in comparison to other area courses. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
The course was in really good condition. Greens were excellent, albeit hard due to the winter temperature. A few of the sand traps needed some attention as were still suffering from the previous day's rain. All in all the course was really good for a January round. Pace of play wasn't bad at all even though we were stacked up a bit due to the frost delay. And no one chooses which course to play based on the cart paths, but holy cow are those paths in bad shape - make sure your bags are strapped in tight!
Would I go back, for sure. The layout is fun, with some very challenging holes, but not so hard that even a mid/high handicap can't enjoy a round.
The price of a round has really increased, presumably since the addition of the covered TopTracer technology bays recently added. Those were definitely cool, but you'd think for the price they're charging for range balls (you can use the tracer technology for no additional charge when you get a bucket of practice balls, though only half of the bays have the tech installed currently) would more than cover their recent tech spend.. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Fun layout and the zoysia greens are solid. Little firm as they are new and it's been cold. Practice facilities are solid as well.
Fairways and bunkers are what you would expect for this time of year and all the rain.
Areas around the tees, fairways, and greens have some pretty significiant issues but if they can improve upon these in the spring this might get back into a regular course for our group.
It was cart path only so giving the pace of play a bit of a break but even so it was brutal. We teed off just after Noon and barely finished before sunset. Lots of log jam on last 4-5 holes. (To be fair group in front of us was playing it back and we didn't see a drive go over 220) Read The Review
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- "Below average"
The Divide has a lot of work to do to get back to it's roots. The majority of the tee boxes are ruined and all sand/dirt. Most of the cart paths need full replacement and they are charging way too much for what this course is. For $70, i expected them to spend more time and effort on making all aspects of the course nice. All they did was replace the greens(which they should have done a long time ago) and add a Top Tracer range and that still doesn't justify the cost of the round. I know Charlotte golf has almost doubled in price during Covid, but it should reflect the quality of the course, and not just because people are willing to pay. I love the layout of the course, but i wont return due to the lack of maintenance and the cost. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
 I heard they are closing for 8 months for a sewer project, hopefully they use that time to fix the issues. The greens are newer Bermuda and were fine (but fast and hard, I like those, some may not). None of the bunkers were playable. Full of mud/water etc. To be fair they might be purposely neglecting them since they will be unused for 8 months, but the price should reflect that.
I love this course design and remember when it used to be top notch. Hope it comes back. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 Played Eagle Chase for the first time yesterday. I had heard about the elevation changes, but I wasn't expecting as much as I saw. If you're a straight hitter, you'll have no problems here. If not, plan on losing balls. The Bermuda rough can be brutal, and if you get in the thick stuff, good like even finding your ball. The layout is spectacular. Can be difficult but fair. The greens were a little slow for me, but they were smooth and true. The undulations in the greens were problematic for me, but it will take quite a few rounds to figure them out. The staff was very friendly a professional. I had read some complaints about the marshals, but didn't even see one all day. On the drive out to the course, it's quite a nice drive through the NC country side. My wife jokingly said "wow, this is in the middle of nowhere". I said, "I know, and I think the zip code is EIEIO". Looking forward to coming back soon! Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Played in TheGrint Tour's season opening event yesterday at Sapona and the greens were immaculate! I mean, they played like artificial turf. Every green, Nos. 1-18, would not make a mark even with a wedge shot. Yet, the greens would hold shots. They were firm and fast but did not produce hard bounces.
These Zoysia greens are the toughest, fastest I've played all year. They were legit 13+ on the stimpmeter. And with the slopes and undulations, several pins were 10/10 difficulty. I saw a 4-putt and a 5-putt in my group. I had several 3-putts. They roll true, but if you struggle with putting, I wouldn't recommend playing Sapona.
Outside of the greens, fairways and bunkers were in good shape (though I was in several with bad rake jobs). The sand is that heavy stuff that takes one swipe with a rake to smooth out, too. The tee boxes were just okay and hard to get a long tee into.
The course is very challenging with tree-lined, hilly terrain throughout. This time of year you will have some trouble finding balls in the leaves off the fairway. Knowing the course or having a good GPS app like TheGrint will help tremendously. You need to know where fairways run out or what yardage you need to carry certain hazards.
To give you some context on the difficulty of the course, my flight of players with handicaps ranging from 4.0-7.9 played from a mix of the Blue and Green tees (~6400yds). The winning score in my flight was 81 (+10) and I tied for 3rd with an 86 (+15).
Sapona is a semi-private course. So it's open for public play at very reasonable rates. Only about 45-60 minutes up I-85 from Charlotte, too. It's worth the drive and money if you are up for a challenge! Read The Review
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- "Great course"
First time playing here since 2020. Course was in great shape, greens were fast and smooth, fairways were lush and the bunkers were in great shape as well. I love the layout, no houses in sight, at times on certain holes you feel like you're out in the country. Pace of play could have been better, it was ~ 4 hrs and 40 mins and we caught the twosome ahead of us on every tee box and the twosome behind us watched us tee off on every hole. ONly saw the marshal once on the front 9. We will definitely be back, one of if not the best course in the Charlotte area. Read The Review
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- "Average"
Tee boxes - above average
Fairways - excellent
Greens - below average
Played the course more times than I can count in the last 5 years. The greens were the best the crew can make them, but more than half of them have dead spots. They put the flags in the best spots, but there was no avoiding the dead spots.
Tough for bent grass greens to survive the summers down here. I hope they change to hybrid Bermuda like much of the area has I’ve the years. Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
 First time playing in a year and what a treat.Te course was in the best shape that I have ever seen it.Tee boxes good,real sand in traps,and the greens were perfect with no issues at all.The fairways were plush and the rough was actually-well rough,not too high but thick and consistent.
My only downside was that there was a significant rate increase in July which makes the senior rate of $44 M-Thur.and $80 for everyone on weekends,not such a good deal for us fixed income,senior citizens that must drive nearly an hour to play.However,with the conditions and layout,it is probably worth the price. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
 Really enjoyed the layout. Plenty of challenge for all levels of play. Tee boxes are the best I have seen in the area. Fairways were good. Rough was actually rough, lol. If you were not in the fairway it was a penalty and I really like that. The course actually makes you think about what shot to hit, driver was not always the correct choice. Bunkers in excellent shape and placed so they are in play no matter what tee you use. Greens were soft, some crab grass and bare spots, which is really the only detraction I can give this course. Range was nice and putting/chipping area was nice. Well worth the money. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
 Tee boxes and fairways are in good/great shape. But the greens are the worst in the area I have seen all year. A combination of weed and crabgrass infested PLUS dead and dirt patches. And at $70 (plus a fuel surcharge?!? that makes it $75), it will be off my list for a while. We showed up a bit early to our 10am Sunday tee time to hit a few range balls. If you know the course, you know that one tee is just next to the range. We should have known when no groups went off the tee between our 9:15a arrival and our tee... on a Sunday. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 Conditions were terrific. I would have liked slightly plusher tee boxes to allow for turf-tees, which were not an option. Fairways were in excellent condition. Very forgiving. Not tight. Greens were faster than most other public's I've played recently, but not too quick (maybe 25% faster).
There are some really hard par 4's on this course (long) - especially the front where water is in play. The par 3's were fairly long too.
If it weren't for the heat and walking, I'd have loved it. But by the back 9, I was roasting and soaked. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
recently aerated, slow, fuzzy, lumpy and inconsistent. but that wasn't the big issue. a number of greens had significant die-off. worst i have seen.
tee boxes were in better shape than Emerald, for example.
Fairways were AOK.
I plan to give it a couple of months for the greens to recover from the Summer onslaught before returning again. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Course is in excellent shape. Aeration scars still slightly visible, but greens rolled smooth, were consistent, and pretty fast. Played ball down all day and never had a bad lie in fairway. Traps well maintained. Tee boxes in good shape with normal wear. Course was set up very difficult from green markers, which were pushed back next to black on several holes, and most pins were 5 paces from an edge. Pace of play generally good at 4+15 on a hot day. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Fairways were in good shape. Greens were also in pretty good good shape, although they were extremely slow. Course may be cutting down on mowing/rolling the greens because of the heat. About a third of the tee boxes were really chewed up. There were a handful of bunkers that were unplayable, either from erosion from rain or standing water. If I had paid more for my round I would have been disappointed. The new driving range when it is up an running looks awesome. (They are installing trackman) Read The Review
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- "Average"
Grasses on the course are currently great (although slightly thin & compacted in several fairways on the back 9 due to 80% of the carts following the same track). NOBODY here follows the 90deg rule and prob 35% still park on Tee Boxes. As noted in a prior review, course conditions are not the current issue at ROaks. It’s the totally unstructured operation of the place. Every visit we have to sort thru the carts to find any that actually have Sand in the Divot Bottles, and or, no sticky residue from prior use. The clientele currently using River Oaks is all over the board. Due to its troubling history but current great course conditions you’ll find a wide Range of Folks playing here. One group will be wearing sleeveless Wife Beater Tee Shirts, cut-off Jeans with 20 yr old tennis shoes while the next group very well dressed. You’ll find a new $70,000 Truck parked next to a 40 year old delapidated one with 2 Giant ‘Don’t Tread on Me” Flags sticking of of the Bed. Guess that’s where some of the Dogs I’ve seen on the course in Carts rode on their way to the course! River Oaks has reached a transition period to where it needs to decide which direction it wishes to pursue. With very little effort RO could be come a Nice Golf Club. Adding Water & A Bathroom on the course, repairing several dangerous delapidated cart Bridges, keeping the Clubhouse Restroom presentable, replacing the 3 unusable/broken ceiling fans on the back patio, maintaining the Cart Fleet and enforcing several common Industry Course Rules would go a long way in upgrading the place! Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
 Sifford is in good shape, no issues to report. Greens were consistent and cut to medium speed. Fairways were solid. As always here, if you get off the fairway, wide left or right, your lies can be dicey, with bare dirt or rocks and tree roots. I play a regular 9 hole game on late afternoon weekdays with a few friends and Sifford is a great place for that. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
 It was a wet morning. Greens were super slow and lumpy (not true). Needed a mow badly. But conditions were good. Quite a lit of ground under repair and some standing water on some par 3s.
But for the money, a surprisingly good round.
Course itself is very forgiving of tee shot errors except on a couple of holes (#6 for example).
I would play it again. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Eagle Chase has gotten even better over the past year. They've completed the bunker renovations and they are excellent now. And glory be! They repaved cart paths throughout the course! I've been complaining about broken cart paths and recommending that you don't even use them for years. They finally fixed them!
There are 3 covered pavilions next to the clubhouse now, including one with tables and stools for gatherings and events. It's a great place to settle bets after the round over beers. I was disappointed they didn't have any hot dogs on this Sunday. So just pre-packaged sandwiches as far as food.
The fairways and greens were in fine shape. The greens were consistently good throughout. Typical speed not lightning fast.
The rate was $54 for a weekend morning. That's at least $20-$30 less than other top tier public courses around Charlotte. This course and Deer Brook are the best courses for your money locally.
Living uptown, Eagle Chase is now a good 50-60 minutes for me but I will continue to go back every chance I get. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 Have been playing here on & off for nearly 40 yrs. I’ve found it very hard to top… especially if you like golfing where it’s calm, clean, & neat with decent patrons around you. Much like the town of Maiden itself, Glen Oaks is a nice, relaxed family oriented facility where prices are reasonable. It’s actually a better bargain than all of its neighboring courses.. especially ones in the Statesville direction. The facilities here are top notch.., the clubhouse is relatively brand new as are the Golf Carts which are always spotless! Like many older courses that started small and evolved Glen Oaks has a few odd holes for sure… however I consider that to be ‘character’. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
This was my first round back at Waterford in many years. I had heard good things about conditions recently and they were in fact pretty good, especially the greens. The Bermuda greens were all in good shape, pretty consistent and fairly quick. The size, slopes and undulations in the greens make them challenging to putt but in my experience they roll true.
Tee box conditions were just okay, fairways were fine but some had rough spots, bunkers were good, but oh boy, the rough! Perhaps it was because of the U.S. Open last week, but the Bermuda rough had not been mowed throughout the course, even around the greens, which made those shots very penalizing. In some cases, you had to walk right near your ball to find it because they tended to settle down in the grass to where you could barely see the top of the ball.
The one thing I remembered about this layout that is still true – it's very easy to lose golf balls here. Every hole feels tight and sloped, with trees, brush, creeks, rocks and other unplayable areas awaiting errant shots – many of which are blind. Several guys in my group hit seemingly good shots that bounded into trouble anyway. The "rub of the green" was evident throughout our round and it felt very British Open-esque.
There are some fun holes in this layout with risk-reward choices to make. So if you know the risk (because you've played here before or have a GPS phone app like TheGrint), then it's cool to try for the reward on some of those shots. The par 5's on the back 9 along with some of the short par 4's were my favorite holes.
Pace of play was not good. Our group had a 1:10 tee time and times were running about 10-15 minutes behind when we started. We finished just after 6:00, a shade under 5 hours.
While the price was great ($56) considering the condition of the greens and course overall, I won't be in a hurry to come back and play Waterford again. With so much trouble on every hole, it can be a frustrating round of golf. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Had to get back out to Stonebridge since I had been hearing good things. First off a conditions update. Greens were in good shape though I noticed the slowness of the Bentgrass more this round since my last round was on Cramer Mountain's lightning quick Bermuda. Tough comparison and while the difference is exaggerated since Cramer is private, it illustrates what a public Bentgrass course is up against. It is difficult to keep these greens firm and fast during the heat of the summer, which for Charlotte lasts pretty much late May to early September. It was difficult to get the ball to the hole, especially from just off the green even thru just a few feet of fringe. A few of my putts were bumped off line by old ball marks. So, all in all, I have to give the greens a B-minus. A couple even had some sizable bare spots that almost looked like vandalism or maintenance mistakes (No. 8 in particular).
The tee boxes, fairways and bunkers were all in good shape and I didn't notice any other issues that affected play. As reported in April, they've flipped the nines to improve pace of play. A source told me rounds are 12-15 minutes faster with the nines flipped. While I appreciate that improvement, I sure miss the Nos. 5 through 9 being the closing stretch. It's the best part of the course, bordering the large pond and featuring risk-reward choices on every hole.
Since my last visit, the course has undergone another significant change, with developers finally clearing land to build more houses around several holes. The clearing has changed sight lines and aesthetics (arguably not for the better). This has changed the surroundings on No. 2 (left fairway and green side), No. 3 (left fairway), No. 10 (right fairway), No. 13 (right fairway), No. 16 (left fairway, now out of bounds), and No. 17 (left fairway). So far, it's just clearing and marking of lots. Once construction starts, expect significant intrusions and distractions to what was once a fairly peaceful round of golf.
Stonebridge has one of the best practice areas and staff of teachers in the Charlotte area, led by GM and PGA Master Professional Nick Jacobi. The range servant accepts credit cards and Apple Pay. So it's easy to get a bucket of balls for the range or the short game area. You can now check in online when you get to the course. So you don't have to wait in the pro shop. That was nice.
Finally, I have to mention the price. The online reservation said $75. That did not include taxes or the $2 reservation fee per golfer that the reserver has to pay when booking. You get the fee back as a credit assuming your group checks in, but we're talking $82 for a Saturday late morning tee time. On a value scale here in Charlotte, Stonebridge falls somewhere in the middle. It's not the worst (I'm looking at you, Olde Sycamore, and your $97 weekend rate), but it's nowhere near the value of Rock Barn, Mooresville, or Deer Brook.
I'd keep my eye on these reviews to see how the greens hold up this summer and I would suggest finding an afternoon time or weekday to play this course at a better rate. Read The Review
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- "Average"
This COURSE has a long (often rocky) history, now called River Oaks it has continued to improve each year under current ownership. Condition wise it can now compete with many of the other Public courses in the area. The primary issue at RO is now not the course conditions as much as it is everything else. For many years this course was a goat track due to bankruptcy and ownership changes. During these down times the only patrons using it were lower income golfers or new golfers just looking to get on a course. Current ownership (approx 10 yrs) has brought the course and the clubhouse back, however the general environment of the place and its clientele has not been elevated to a level resembling a higher-end or nicer golf club. It operates on a skeleton staff… Thus many things suffer.. including dirty carts, dirty or unorganized facilities (ie. bathroom) and little to no monitoring of the course nor cart management on the course. The Maintenance Superintendent is one of the hardest working guys you’ll find, ownership leaves the majority of decisions up to him, however he too is short handed. Many areas of the course struggle due to cart traffic with little to no cart controls. Too many patrons drive on to Tee Boxes and park greenside, ignoring cart paths. These actions are the primary issues for compacted grass & soil in areas that harm your game the most. As for the course layout… it’s an enjoyable course that has been altered several times. IMHO hole#10 needs a bulldozer taken to it (and the extremely rocky hillside cart path leaving the primary Tees is ridiculous). The landing area for drives on this hole is severely steep, given that the cart path dumps all cart into the center of this fairway conditions can be rock hard. Several of my near perfect drives have landed near the 100 yard marker but ended up rolling backwards down the hill some 50 to 75 yards into several rough areas or holes. These compacted areas can be found on numerous holes and approaches. River Oaks can be an enjoyable golf outing, and as mentioned earlier the grasses on the course have reached a level rivaling any Public course. This place could very easily become a Top Course, however it never will until Staff & Ownership understand what’s required to be a Top Course with Quality Facilities, Clean Carts, Respectful/Knowledgeable Patrons, and more restrictive course rules found on Higher-end Courses. River Oaks… Give it a try.. I’ll bet up find it interesting if nothing else. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Golf course was in decent shape. Greens were nice but slow and inconsistent in terms of speed from green to green. Collars on some of the greens were chewed up and there were some places that were ground under repair. My groups biggest complaint was pace of play. Our tee time was 10:30 and we were told on the putting green that they were “at least” 30 mins behind. We teed off around 11 and we’re told to expect a 5.5 hour round of golf even though there were rangers on the course. I understand a 4.5 hour round but 5.5-6 hours to play is unacceptable. If you go, try being one of the first groups off to avoid the all day round of golf. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Background: First time in 5 years posting a review; 6 month's since playing following a year of health issues; and 3 years since last (recorded) play at Skybrook.
Observations: Addition of two, new restrooms on the course is a BIG improvement; trap's and bunker's conditions (previously a failing grade for the course) are very much improved with no obvious problems; and changing the Green Tee locations on some of the holes (lengthening in all cases) increased the challenge, but not unfairly, for this senior golfer.
All-in-all, I agree with, and support, B-Man's recent elevation of Skybrook in Charlotte's top 10 rankings. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
I arrived at 940am for a 1040am tee time. There are no markings on the three buildings that share the same address on the GPS.
The Club House is the building with the 3 flags flying in front.
You drive around behind this building for the bag drop. There will be an attendant who will provide your cart and load your bag and direct you to the back door of the Pro Shop.
I made my way down to the driving range and began to hit some balls which are included in the $75 green fee which also includes the cart.
I made my way to the #1 hole which was not marked.
The carts have GPS so it did say 'Jackson' and hole #1 even though there is no yardage marker on the 1st hole
I was told there would be a starter named Grant to check me in and confirming my pairing, there was no starter.
I waited a few minutes and saw another cart coming down the path.
I introduced myself and it was Ted & Carmen. A local couple who had played the course several times.
They explained the GPS operation on the cart and impressed upon me the importance of staying within distance parameters of the greens. If you go too far, you'll hear a loud beep and text on the GPS screen instructing you to 'put your cart in reverse back to the cart path' Happy to be paired with some locals who explained this as the cart attendant never said a word nor did anyone at the Pro Shop on check in.
For the most part the course is top tier for a public course, The tee boxes are well marked and in very good condition. The fairways were not so great. Very sparse with grass in areas, it's been a while since they had some rain and it showed.
The greens were in really good condition, they are mostly large and very undulating creating challenges.
Most every green is gudarded by at least one bunker
There are ponds on many holes but no creeks
My favorite hole was The Signature #6 a Par 3. From an elevated tee box you look down 150 yards to the pin. There is a massive pond on the right and trees guarding on the left. There are 3 large bunkers on the left side which slope down the to the green.
I nailed my tee shot, my red Callaway sailed beautifully and landed on the green and bounced a little before stopping about 25 feet from the cup.
The round took about 4 hours total. We called ahead to order food on the 9th tee box & food was ready in the bar/restaurant when we arrived.
At $75 it's more than I would normally pay for a public and non-resort type course. I will have to think long and hard about another 1.5 hour trip here from Fort Mill, SC but it's #1 on the B-Man's ranking of the top 10 courses so it's now checked off! Read The Review
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- "Great course"
It's a hike to get to this course from the Charlotte area, but it's well maintained, affordable and pace of play is excellent. Aside from the fairways being mowed a little too short and the bunkers having more dirt than sand, I would definitely play here more regularly. Fairway width is very forgiving. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
 The last time I played this course was in 1999. It was somewhat new at the time and built on re-claimed property from a land fill.
I was most impressed by the driving range and practice area for chipping and putting. Nearly every course I have gone to in the CLT area is challenged to keep real grass growing on the driving range tees but not this place.
Over all this course is about what you would expect for a Charlotte area public course. The tee boxes are in decent shape, the fairways are spotty with grass that needs water and scattered bare spots. The cart paths are a disaster. Broken concrete and MIA in many cases, at times you're on gravel.
Sometimes a challenge getting on the correct cart path from green to tee, the paths are not well marked.
What I found exceptional was the condition of the greens. Not a single bare spot on any of the 18 greens. all well cut and rolling true.
There are quite a few blind shots, up hills and severe dog legs. There is a fair amount of water and you'll be punished for missing the fairways.
If you're distracted by the sound of gunfire, you might want to avoid this course as there is a nearby gun range.
I played 18 holes with a cart for $34.00 bucks with the Perks + plan.
Even though they have a dining room and kitchen, it remains closed due to COVID. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Only my 2nd round at this course, but both times I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the condition the course is in. Fairways in great shape and the greens rolled true. Tee boxes are the only thing that need some love as they look to have had a lot of play. Fun/attackable layout that is pretty forgiving from the tee box. Staff was friendly and helpful, but would love to see a better clubhouse and food options. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Played Sunday in TheGrintTour's Classic at Mooresville. Overall, the course was in great shape. The greens were typically immaculate, rolling quick and true – watch out for some of the pin positions near slopes! Tee boxes and fairways were lush and green, except for signs of heavy play. I did end up in one sand-filled fairway divot and a few of the par 3 tee boxes were divot minefields. Bunkers were in good shape and I didn't notice any maintenance issues throughout the course.
My only *complaint* is the inconsistent markings of hazard areas. In a tournament, you have to play things very strictly. If an area of high grass or marsh is not marked Red, you have to play it as a lost ball if you don't find it or unplayable if you do find it but don't have a shot. This made the course play very difficult. I went through scorecards and probably 2/3 of the field had at least an 8 or worse – there was even a 13! I lost a couple of balls in the high grass, which comes into play on many holes: #1, #5, #8, #11, #13, #15, #16, #17, #18. Several of those are not marked as Red hazards. This slowed play tremendously and led to those high scores.
The other difficult aspects of this course are the long, forced carries from the tee on several holes: #1, #8, #10, #11, #16. In some cases, those carries are 175-200 yards to safely reach the fairway from the White Men's tees. So, by no means is this a course I would bring a beginner or high handicapper to play.
If your game is in good shape and you can putt slick, Bermuda greens well, you will like this course. It's kept in great shape and has top-notch amenities, including an excellent practice area. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Green were in excellent shape. Fairways were in good shape. Dirt/clay bunkers - not ideal. Driving range area needs a lot of love . For a true muni course, very much worth the price compared to other courses with either the same or even worse conditions. Will start playing there more often.....probably will save me a couple hundred dollars over the summer. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
I've been reading about the B-Man's Guide to the 'Top 10 Public Courses' in the Charlotte area and this course came in ranked as #7.
If you've got some 'wind shield time' take a minute and download the 'Taking Dead Aim' Podcast and listen to the B-Man and Charlie Nance talk about the 'Top 10'.
It's a long haul from Fort Mill, SC. It took me an hour to get there and the return trip was and hour and one half. Can you say commitment?
When you get there you'll be rewarded. This is in the 'country' and that's part of the charm. Especially if you go during the week. I felt relaxed and not rushed. It was a slow Thursday, maybe because the weather forecast was not the best. It never did rain so I had no one in front or behind me so I played a very relaxed round in 4 hours.
I had a 110p tee time and I got there early and hit a small bucket for $6 bucks. They have a nice driving range and distance poles give you good aims and marks for your range finder. There is also a large practice putt area and a chipping area with a bunker.
The Clubhouse Pro and Instructor is a guy named Matt who is straight to the point and very knowledgable. I was concerned about the possibility of rain and he assured me there would be an option for a raincheck no matter how many holes I played.
The course is in really good condition for the most part. The Zoysia greens are large and roll very fast. There are a few holes where you simply can't see the flag or the green from the fairway.
The tee boxes are well marked and in great condition. There are some Par 3's that offer elevated greens and many of the Par 4's are accessible.
There are just a few little nits I have and I'm not going to make a big deal because overall this course is a great value for the money.
I'm not one of those golfers that can't hit off a fairway with no grass. There is grass but it's short.
The cart paths will be a challenge There are many stretches where there is no paved path, it's all gravel.
There were several holes where there was ground under repair close in around the greens.
I like the elevation changes. Its on a beautiful piece of land. There is a fair amount of water & on a couple of holes it will challenge your strategy for risk/reward. There are a few fairway bunkers but they are not in play for the most part. Same for the green side bunkers. In fact it looks like they have removed some of them and allowed grass to grow in.
This is definitely not a course you want to walk. In many cases there is quite a distance from the green to the next tee and there is a lot of up and down hills.
There is a small club house & they do have some food and hot dogs. They
have several well stocked coolers with a mix of beer's and sodas.
They offer a Veteran discount so I got in 18 holes for just $35.00, just a great value. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
I would highly recommend making and advance tee time or using their on-line website.
They are understaffed and will you will be lucky if anyone picks up the phone at 7am or thereabouts when they clubhouse opens.
I had an 8:16a tee time on 5/5/22 - Cinco De Mayo.
I got paired with Hunter & Eva a couple who started playing during COVID.
They had played the course several times before so they had good local knowledge. There are some blind shots off the tee.
The Senior tee's give you no real advantage on some holes and on others significant advantage.
They have a driving range but it's obvious they don't rotate the teeing area to keep the grass fresh. A small bucket is $6 bucks. There is a fair sized practice putting area.
There were bare spots in the fairway. The tee boxes were all in good shape and marked well. The greens were rolling a bit slow and for the most part were in good condition with just a few with bare spots. The fairways are very open on most holes. There are fairway bunkers on nearly every hole and green side bunkers scattered throughout. If you go out of bounds you will be penalized severely because of heavy overgrowth and steep drop offs.
I liked the front 9 much better. There is a fair amount of water and on 2 holes you hit over water on Par 3's which is fun.
The clubhouse is busy and there was only one guy there when I played. He was working the register, answering the phones and serving food.
They do have a porta-pots on each side. They have a nice covered picnic area with lots of tables if you decide to host a tournament.
My biggest problem with this course was hole #9 (Editor's note: this is actually hole #18).
The fairway close to the green is adjacent to the driving range. You will see dozens of balls in the fairway on the right side. If you land your drive over on that side 'good luck'. Stay on the left side of the fairway or use something other than a white ball. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
I had a 757am tee time on Mon 5/2/22. It rained the night before which was great because we've not had rain in several weeks.
I made my tee time the evening before with Roy who is the grounds superintendent. When I arrived he brought my cart around.
Greg runs the Pro Shop and checked me in. He said they were having a Tournament for fallen 9/11 NYPD Firefighter, Steven Coakley so they had only let 2 other twosomes on before me and the guy they paired me with named Alex.
Fortunately he had played there before and was able to give me some guidance on several holes. There are some blind shots and severe dog legs.
You do travel across neighborhood roads and houses line the fairways but don't come into play unless you misshit your ball.
Over all I really liked the course for it's wide-open fairways and the layout.
There are several severe dog legs on the front and maybe two on the back. There is one hole on the front where the green is shared by two different holes one going and one returning.
The best features are the accessible Par 3's. On the front you have 131 yards and 88 yards and on the back 86 and 86. There are prominent signs marking each hole and provide the yardage from all 5 tee locations.
There is a fair amount of water from small ponds. On several holes you must negotiate a creek that seems to criss cross many holes on the front & back.
They use a lot of bunkers, mostly fairway bunkers and when there are green side bunkers they aren't going to threaten too much.
The greens and tee boxes are in excellent condition. The Senior tee's provide significant advantage on all except a couple of holes. The greens are large for the most part and not a lot of undulation. Today they were rolling true and all seemed to be in excellent condition.
We were able to complete 18 holes in about 4.25 hours which includes a food stop & bio break at the turn. There was no one in front or back of us so we had a great pace of play throughout the 18 holes.
They have a very large driving range and credit card operated ball dispenser.
They have a good sized practice putting area by the driving range and a separate chipping area. The carts was clean and in great condition.
When you check-in they tell you to note the bathroom door codes on the receipt, There is one on each side at 5 & 13.
The parking lot is very large and they have cart attendants to help with your bag and give you the layout of the course. I had a turkey and swiss at the turn which I thought was pricey at $9 bucks. They serve hot dogs but they were not cooked or heated. The sandwich was just so so and they serve it in an open basket with chips. It would have been nice if it had been wrapped since most people are going to be eating in the cart as they continue play.
I highly recommend this course for it's overall quality and value. A senior rate at $40 bucks Monday to Thursday is very reasonable for a course of this caliber. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Very solid experience at Rocky River. Bermuda is still waking up in the fairways, so they played hard and fast, but I played the ball down and had good lies all day. Aprons are well tended. Tee boxes are somewhat beat up, which is why the course gets a score of 8 instead of 9 or 10. Bunkers were raked and in good condition. Greens were exceptional -- really smooth, beautiful, consistent surfaces -- among the very best greens in the area, including those at high-end private clubs. Pace of play was excellent -- 4 hours on a Sunday morning. Driving range was closed due to race activities. Read The Review
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- "Average"
I tend to rotate my golf on 5 to 8 area courses. Have played here around 3 times per month for the past 10 months. There has been a lot of labor put into the course in recent months and years.. and last late summer the fairways were pretty good. The layout of the course is different for sure with several strange holes. Having played here quite a bit this spring the #1 issue with the course is wear & tear. Never played any course in my 55 yrs that is less monitored! Folks park within 3 yards of numerous greens and park on many tee boxes! The place has less cart control than any course I have ever played! Due to this the ground is compacted and any grass in these areas is struggling! The bent grass greens are pretty good.. but many are very slick. Approach shots that land softly on the greens can end-up 10 yrs off the greens due to the above mentioned issues! The course has lots of potential, if only it had more & thicker grass! Read The Review
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- "Great course"
One of the better public courses I've played recently. Greens were slick and rolled true. A few of the tee boxes were somewhat beat up given all the play (tee sheet always fills up!), but that's easy to forgive. The value you get for the green fees is still one of the best in the CLT area for public courses IMO. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
Not worth the ~50min drive if you live in Charlotte. While I thought the layout of the course was interesting, the overall conditions weren't great. Beat up tee boxes, some patch rough and fairways, etc. The par 3 8th hole is currently using a temp green cut into an adjacent hill. They recently punched and sanded their greens fwiw. Likely won't be going back anytime soon. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
This was my first time going back to Olde Sycamore in few years. A few greens are still recovering from being punched a month or so ago, but overall they rolled fine, just a little on the slow side. Might be better to go out in another week or two. While I enjoy the layout of the course, I always tend to get hung up on price. IMO they tend to be on the pricier side for green fees in CLT and I don't think overall course conditions warrant the price tag. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Sifford has gotten more crowded and I think that has put more stress on course conditions. I've seen the course in better shape. Greens quick but bumpy. The Bermuda here seems to be more fickle because of those bumps. Just not as smooth as some of the other nice Bermuda greens in the area. For some reason, a few of the back tee boxes were closed, which made the course play unusually short. In particular, this was the case on holes 2 and 6. There were areas under repair but I didn't notice any major changes since my last round here. They've almost finished the repair of the bridge between #1 and #9.
One other thing I didn't care for was how closely mown the "rough" was around the greens. With many of the greens crowned or elevated, approaches and chips that either didn't quite make the putting surface or ran through would not stop rolling until they settled well off the green and down the hills. I noticed this especially on #4 where I was chipping from the right side and my ball rolled through the green down the left side and across the cart path. And then similarly on #8 where my playing partner was pitching from below the left side of the green and his ball hit the green but rolled off the front, missing the bunker and rolling all the way down the hill and across the cart path! It's kinda weird to me how the conditions and vibe here at Sifford can feel beginner/amateur/easy, yet shots around the greens can play so difficult, requiring the precise accuracy and touch of a pro.
I like Sifford and it's generally priced for what you get, but conditions are just okay right now. Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
Go play Rock Barn. You won't regret it. It's a good 50-minute drive up Hwy 16 from Charlotte (you'll pass Verdict Ridge on your way), but you will be well rewarded for making the trip. The club feels like a resort with 36 holes (the Jones course is private, however), a spa, tennis courts, pool, and a couple of restaurants onsite. Range balls are included in your fee – which, at $65 for a weekend round, is still a great value compared to the $75+ rates at a few courses in Charlotte. The club features the largest practice putting green I've ever seen. So if you need to practice those 100-foot putts, Rock Barn will be your jam.
The Jackson Course is the public track but it is kept in great condition. The Bentgrass greens were in great shape and rolled quick and true. A few of the greens can be really tough due to the slopes – during our round, the pins on 11, 13 and 18 were treacherous. The course plays short, giving you many chances to hit less than driver off the tee. Risk-reward choices abound, but none more tricky than the par 5 10th hole – where even the layup makes you consider how much of the water-guarded dogleg to bite off.
The par 6th hole is one of the signature holes with a long downhill carry over water. During our round, it played as nearly a 190-yard shot with a stiff wind in our face. Bogey won this hole in our group.
I love playing here when I get a chance to make the drive. As the days get longer, it'd be a good one to pair with Verdict Ridge or River Oaks for a 36-hole marathon. I highly recommend the hot dog at the Fresh Chef cafe in the clubhouse at the turn and the chicken quesadillas afterward.
Last thing – see my note in the Forum about aeration dates. Rock Barn will aerate the Jackson course on April 11th. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Still one of my faves. The layout, the scenery and the greens will keep this in my Top 10. In the meantime, they have made some improvements and have some in progress that will make it even better. They are halfway through a bunker renovation with the front 9 completed and the back 9 nearly done. For now, several holes on the back have bunkers marked as Ground Under Repair until they are able to fill them in with sand – this made for a hilarious shot by one of my playing partners where he tried to chip over the left greenside bunker on 13, duffed it, bounced off the concrete bunker bottom and onto the green :-D. The bunkers that are done are niiice. Full, fluffy white sand has replaced the old, washed out red dirt bunkers. This will be an excellent upgrade.
They've also reshaped and enlarged a few of them. Case in point, the aforementioned left greenside bunker on the driveable par 4 13th now extends across the front of the green. This will block a ball from rolling up onto the green, but it will also save balls from taking the left to right slope and rolling into the water. So I'd call it a good change.
They've laid new sod around some of the greens and new bunkers as well. They have also dug up the pond to the right of the par 3 6th hole to put in better drainage I'm guessing. This won't change the hole but might improve the aesthetics when they are done.
The Zoysia greens have matured now and they are able to keep them smooth and fast. Downhill putts – and you will have many on these greens – can be scary fast. They are in great shape.
Eagle Chase used to be this hidden gem out in the Union County pastures, but with its beauty and excellent greens, word has gotten out. The course is more crowded now and the rates are going up (now $60 for a prime weekend tee time). Still, it is worth the drive and the money! Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 My first time out at Deer Brook and I loved the layout. It's scenic, with several elevated spots where you can see several holes at once (I love courses like that, a la Eagle Chase). It's challenging with elevation changes, fast, tiered greens, and water in play on 3 of the last 5 holes. For my round, the greens were in good shape and rolling great. It was crazy windy (30-40mph gusts at times) so that made the course play harder – though it allowed me to nearly drive the first green with the wind at my back. The aesthetics take a minor hit with lots of holes framed by power lines but at least they don't buzz like the ones at Birkdale. Otherwise, I loved the layout. It felt very wide open and straightforward with only a few exceptions where the landing areas were narrow and bordered by OB or hazards. The par 3's are all tricky with most requiring a long carry. The closing 2 holes offer great risk-reward with the short par 5 17th requiring a 2nd or 3rd shot to carry a large pond and the long par 4 18th requiring a similar carry over water for your approach. Even though I suffered from some difficult putts due to the slopes, I enjoyed the challenging greens and I am sure they are even tougher when the green speeds are ratcheted up. Speaking of the greens, Deer Brook is one of the last public courses in the area with Bentgrass greens. So if you prefer them over Bermuda, Deer Brook is a great course for you. I had lunch and drinks at Mulligan's on the covered patio watching March Madness before my round. It's a great spot with a wide variety of menu items. Overall, I had a great first visit and will be back a few times a year now that I know what I'm missing. Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
 Still the best public access course around Charlotte. This is a semi-private course with private club conditions and amenities. Greens are in fabulous shape. The fairways and rough are dormant, of course, but will be ready for Spring. They are using tee mates for the par 3's during the winter months, but the turf mats are top quality, even allowing you to put a tee in them. So they actually play as good or better than the natural teeing ground right now. The work done on the bunkers last year has paid off. The sand is fluffy and consistent and does not get washed out during big rains.
They have also made improvements (or have them in progress) to several holes with marshes and penalty areas like hole #7 – where they are clearing the wooded part on the low right side and will fill in with dirt to guarantee good lies for balls that roll down the fairway slope into the rough. On other holes, they've significantly cut back the brush in the marshy hazards – on #15 you could even walk in there and search for your ball – and that has made a few shots less intimidating (e.g. the par 3 11th as well).
The course's affordable memberships have been popular over the past year or two. Saturday and Sunday tee times are reserved for member play only (since last Nov) and Fridays may soon be as well. The course is definitely worth taking off early to play during the week. So get out there when you can. You won't be disappointed. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Skybrook is one of my favorite layouts in the area and I've played it a ton over the years. The improvements to the whole experience with the clubhouse upgrades in particular as well as the Bermuda greens make it worth the higher price of golf in Charlotte nowadays. On this day, we were cart path only and the fairways were indeed still a bit muddy. The walking to and from the cart made for a longer round but we were still able to finish before sunset after teeing off at 1:30. The greens were all in good shape, not super fast but a good true roll helping my group to hole some decent length putts. I still struggle with the 3rd hole and the 10th hole due to the trouble on both sides of the tee shot. The closing stretch 15-18 is one of my favorites in all of Charlotte public golf. Once Spring hits and the dormant fairways and rough come back to life, Skybrook is set for a great season. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Rocky River was in great shape. The Bermuda greens were in near-perfect shape. Not crazy slick but quick and true. The grass is all still dormant for another couple of months, but plays well. We were cart-path only on a couple of holes (the golf cart GPS notifies you and restricts the cart) but 90 degrees on most after some rains the day before. So not too bad. They have cleared brush and trees on several holes. For example, on the par 4 7th hole, my approach landed short just in front of the green, which is normally an unplayable hazard. That has been cleared now and I was able to play from it. The layout here is still unique to Charlotte and fun to play. That giant American flag at the speedway is visible in the background of the closing holes and is a cool feature. Rocky River will remain in the Top 5 when my updated list comes out next month! This round I even got to meet Floyd Gragg, the namesake of that giant boulder in the middle of the 3rd fairway. He was ranger'ing the day we played and so I chatted with him and posted a photo (check my Instagram). Great guy and big name in Charlotte golf history. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 I thought I would provide an update for Lincoln Country Club (LCC). The original nine, now the back nine, was opened in 1946, and the cart paths were cement and mostly away from tree roots. The front nine was opened in about 1993 with asphalt paths close to tree roots in many areas. The cart paths have needed work, and I'm happy to say that the front nine has completely new asphalt, and a few areas on the back nine have new asphalt as well. This makes for a much more enjoyable experience even for me being mainly a walker.
The course is in good shape, with the Diamond Zoysia greens being full. The greens are dormant now and dyed for the winter months. I prefer the increased speed of the greens when they are dormant.
There is a housing project between holes 1 and 2 that is slowly being completed. This has been a less than attractive area of the course and completion will be welcomed. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Played TTCC for the first time in a while this week. Course was in great shape with only isolated issues here or there. New ownership in 2021, and it shows. Carts are new, range balls are new TP5 Pix. Their green redo from a couple of years ago has really paid off. Greens were in great shape, and quick! Tees, fairways, and bunkers were all similarly well conditioned. They are building a housing development between the 11th and 14th holes, so the back nine isn't as isolated as it once was. Work is also progressing on the widening of 73 from Albemarle out to Lake Tillery, which will make the drive easier. Read The Review
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- "Average"
Played here several times this fall. Pretty nice course with good points & some bad. The Bent grass greens were great especially since bent grass has become harder to find in recent years.. thus making River Oaks even more special. As for the course layout… ‘interesting’ might be the word to describe this place. The holes really don’t have a constant flow or feel given some are tree lined and attractive yet most of the back 9 has no such feel. Didn’t particularly care for holes 8, 9, 15, 16, 17, & 18. One thing I noticed each visit is that nobody seems to rake the sand traps and numerous golfer drive right up to the edge of the greens. The clubhouse is basic no frills however it’s elevated back deck offers a great view of the course. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
The new bigger greens are taking nicely. They roll true and with the reduced tree coverage around the greens and fairway, the course is in great shape.
I’ve played 3 of the tee boxes and love the different course from each distance. Pace of play has been solid. 4 hour, even a sub 4 hour round!
Really looking forward to how this course plays in the spring. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Played here often on 2021. Interesting layout for sure, as it been altered numerous times since first opened. Many of these alterations have ruined the flow of the course. After plating the first 7 holes you’ll think you have found a gem of a course as they are attractive and normal… after that the layout and visuals go downhill fast. Hole #9 has been converted from the original par 3 to a strange par 4. In recent years the new owner has removed thousands of trees (on the holes without houses) and this makes the visuals drastically different than on the holes where he could not. Holes 15 thru 18 now all sorta run together in the low valley near the creek (that floods every couple years). This part of the course in no way resembles the balance of the course. I would have loved to seen the place back when it had the tree lined fairways.
As for conditions… nice bent grass greens that are very slow in the summer and like kitchen floor fast in the winter. Fairway grass has really improved this year and now is about as good as you’ll find in the area.
The practice area is also sorta strange as the Range Tee is highly elevated vs the landing areas. No way to judge your distance. Practice green is nice however cramped so no areas to practice chipping. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 First time here in about a year and was not disappointed. Course was in great shape and the greens were the fastest , smoothest I've putted on this year. I really love the layout and it's definitely in my top ten Charlotte area courses. My only complaint, yes it's pace of play, was that we saw no one in front of us on the the first 9 and then had to wait for two foursomes on every hole on the back. A little under 2 hrs on the front and a little over 2 1/2 hours on the back and my threesome walked. Not sure if the pro shop sent these groups off on the back ahead of us or what. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
This course was in the best shape I have ever seen it.The fairways were lush,the tee boxes good,and the greens the best of any I've played this year.This last point was the news.Tillery has always seemed to have issues with their greens,even after replacing them within the last two years.The greens today were perfect and cut very fast.Also in the past carts weren't allowed in the parking lot ,but today they were actually delivered to the lots for you.
I know they had a consultant working with them for a while and the results were really good.One of them I believe was Jeff Austin,the former GM at the private Irish Creek Club in Kannapolis. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
This use to be a nice course several years ago, however now it pretty worn from the excessive amount of play in the past 2 years. Good luck even getting on the course since membership totals here have ex’s,oded in the past 24 months. It so busy now they are in the process of going Private in early 2020. No non-members now on the weekend as of October.
The course is defiantly different than most with al sorts of side hill fairways, and un level greens. For the conditions is way over-priced vs all other area course outside Charlotte. Greens in the summer are so quick they are borderline unplayable by summers end. They did spend several hundred thousand $ last winter redoing (and removing numerous) the sand traps. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Deer Brook is a very nice, great value. Worth the drive from Fort Mill. I belong to a club and course, my home course is penalizing if you get crooked. I played White Tees which is about 6400-6500 yards. On almost every hole, you can be a little crooked and still have reasonable play to green. Other than 18, even longer par 4's did not seem to play long. Greens were bit slow but in excellent shape. Nice fairways. Would definitely play at Deer Brook again. I played front with another guy then back by myself. Was easily on pace for round under 3 hours until I ran into slow threesome on 15 :-) Read The Review
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- "Average"
 Meh. A crowded Sunday morning as expected. Not a real welcoming vibe with what I assume is a more "regular" crowd. Decent driving range and putting green. Course was shaggy in many areas with greens being the exception and in good shape. Overall, an ok course, but many better tracks in the area. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
I normally love this course and have only positive things to say. I played here 3 days in a row (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) of this weekend and feel their rates were a bit steep for what you got.
Several greens have massive dead areas (bentgrass died). I was also a bit miffed by being charged a $25 rider fee when my girlfriend came out with me on Sunday (Though they gave me a cart to myself on Monday as a single with no fee). For a course I probably play 40 times a year, this rubs me a bit. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
I LOVE this golf course! For the price you will not find much better conditions elsewhere. Fairways are nice and full, rough is certainly healthy, greens look great (hardly any blemishes aside from some bare spots on the outer edge of the green which rarely affect you.) The layout is hands down my favorite in the area! So many scoring opportunities with the par 5's! In my opinion you will not find a better maintained, more enjoyable round of golf anywhere else in this area at that price. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Back at Emerald Lake for the first time since Memorial Day weekend. The greens are starting to get their late summer softness, which leads to many, many ballmarks and sometimes bumpy putts. So they are not as good as they were in early summer. However, I'd say they are in much better shape for this time of year than in years' past. The speed was decent but not fast at all. The tees and fairways were fine, no issues to note. The disappointing aspect of the course conditions right now are the bunkers. Several -- especially the ones on the par 5 5th hole -- were overgrown with grass and weeds. I was shocked. My playing partner lost a ball in a fairway bunker on that hole due to the overgrowth. Just a severe lack of attention and care to a basic aspect of course maintenance. There were a few more bunkers on other holes with grass (e.g. par 3 16th greenside bunker) and some that just had not been raked or maintained. Given the price ($72) and the condition of the rest of the course, I don't understand why these bunkers were neglected. I did see the GM and the superintendent riding around the course but did not get a chance to ask them about the bunkers. While Emerald Lake has made great strides from previous seasons with their Bent grass greens and course improvements, I was disappointed with this round. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 First time playing the course. From what I understand they just completely replaced the greens and did some major landscaping (removing trees primarily). I would have never guessed this past Sunday was the first weekend since they re-opened because the greens look amazing! A little grainy and slow, but roll true and no bald spots / crab grass. Fairways looked great, rough is super thick lol, tee boxes were good for the most part but some could use a trim. The layout is tight, but manageable for your average golfer, be prepared to put the driver away more than once. Read The Review
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- "Average"
Played early morning,3rd group out.The fairways were in good shape for the most part,some of the tees (played senior) were a little beat up.The greens however were pretty bad.They were reseeded about 1-1 1/2 years ago and were pretty good until a couple months ago.There are some that appear to be dying with bad areas everywhere.They resodded #5 par 3 last month and the new green looks to be dying.The greens that are good have numerous pitch marks that were unrepaired. The traps are usually raked well , and the layout is good ,but the green issues have me playing elsewhere for a time.There are other Salisbury courses that are better now. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
First time playing here in about a year and again I was not disappointed. Fairways, tee boxes and greens were in great shape. I think the greens are still bent grass and they were kind of soft so had to repair a lot of ball marks. They rolled pretty smooth but were definitely slower than Waterford, the course I play weekly. Staff was friendly as always and they had a ranger out keeping an eye on the pace of play. Definitely a top ten course in the area. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Finally got to play here! Pricey but overall worth the expense. Tees were really beat up. Fairways in spectacular shape. Played the ball down. Greens were moderately fast, especially down grain. The actual cups were horrible! Everyone of them had severe burnt out edges at least on one side. This in itself made me wish I had not been charged such a high green fee. I would guess that cups had not been moved in at least a few days or who ever was cutting cups just didn’t do their job. Anyway, the management should have known about the cup situation and reacted. The practice area was fabulous. Plenty of grass and top notch balls. The routing of the course is the strangest I’ve seen in all my years of golfing. I did not ever feel any continuity. Due in large part to the lengthy criss cross travels between holes. Although course directions were adequate it still didn’t provide that feeling of a course theme. No doubt about it, there were 18 really good holes of golf. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
So just let me preface this review real quick…Emerald Lake has unfortunately been one of my least favorite places to play through the years. From layout to conditions it’s sucked for many, many years. But I got invited to play there last week, so I went.
I knew something was up immediately when I saw the maintenance crew topdressing tees. And then when I got to the course I knew things had completely changed out there. Their bent grass greens are 2 feet faster and have much better coverage than Pine Island’s private CC greens. Sure…the first bounce is nonexistent but their green’s speed is much faster than you’d expect from any place in the summer with bent grass greens. Just fix a couple ball marks and any putt is makeable out there.
The fairways were flawless. I still can’t believe I’m saying this about EL. Playing it down…I didn’t have the first bad lie. Even the holes that notoriously flood were completely dry and in the same shape as the rest of the course. And the fact that they’re topdressing tees let’s me know somebody gives a hoot out there.
Couldn’t have been more surprised by Emerald Lake. Definitely worth playing if you’ve written this course off in the past!!! Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Better than good, but not perfect. Fairways are like carpet. It's just a real pretty course from the tee box. Greens were recently aerated but roll true and are not slow and not overly fast. Another week and they should be perfect. Traps had sand but many look liked they just suffered from a pretty bad storm. Rakes were out, but looks like not many are using them. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Considering the greens are brand new you really can not beat the quality of this course for the price! Course has serious potential. I love the layout. The front 9 is fairly straight forward, what you see is what you get. The back 9, however, is a different animal entirely! Course management is a must on the back 9! Overall it is a great value at $37. Staff has really worked hard to bring this course back from the dead. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
One of my favorite courses and it did not disappoint. Tee boxes, fairways, bunkers and greens were all in great shape. I believe the greens are still bent grass and rolled smooth but were a little slower compared to other courses I've played recently. Can't wait to play here again. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Saw they re-seeded the fairways and greens so I figured I'd give it a shot. Still your typical run of the mill municipal course. Very serviceable. Greens were extremely slow, but I'm assuming that's because they haven't rolled them at all since they re-seeded. Hopefully they pick up speed as they grow in. Other than that, course was in really good shape. Had a foursome with a younger kid in front of us, but still kept pace. Wouldn't mind going here again to get some work in. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
This course is perfect now. The fairways are really lush, you don't have to move your ball at all to find grass. The greens are great, they roll super and the players are fixing the ball marks really well. I only found about 10 to fix on all 18 greens. They greens were super receptive to good shots. The ball stopped or backed up. I loved it. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Great shape. Fairways, greens and tee boxes are darn near perfect, although the greens are a bit slower than they look. Bent Grass so they may be not pushing them as we head into the hottest part of the year. Noticed the same thing at Glen Oaks last week. They've taken out hundreds of trees, really opening things up. There are still thin and bare areas due to this, but not where it counts. $33 and paid a $17 cart fee for a second round...36 holes in 4.5 hours. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Played here for the first time 6/19/2021. We drove an hour and half (90 miles) to play there. We had a 9:20 tee time. Course was everything we were told it would be. Course was in great condition, great greens. Lots of elevation change through out the course, $53 for Saturday morning tee time was great for being near the Charlotte area. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Mooresville is in great shape right now as many local courses are hitting their prime conditions. And that goes for everything, tees, fairways, greens, bunkers. There were only a few sporadic issues with some bare, washed out areas around some of the greens (#11, #15, #18) - I suggest playing them as GUR. The greens were typical TifEagle Bermuda – fast downhill and slow, breaking more uphill. They gave me fits as I had at least 5 lipouts in 18 holes. The grain grabs the ball as your putts slow down and they break away from the hole. So not my favorite Bermuda greens, but your mileage may vary. The only other thing of note is the clearing / construction work being done around holes 6 and 8. Not sure what is being built there but it will certainly change the aesthetics of those holes 6-8. Right now it's just mounds of orange dirt. For me, the front 9 plays easier than the back, though overall this can be a tough track. The closing 3 hole stretch of 16 (short par 4 but a difficult tee shot), 17 (long par 4 with OB on both sides and a large sloped green) and 18 (long narrow par 5 guarded by OB left, hazard right and fairway bunkers in the layup zone) is one of the more difficult in town. For the money and the amenities (incl. a nice practice area and large clubhouse/restaurant), Mooresville is still one of the nicer places to play around Charlotte. Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
2nd time playing at Fort Mill, and it is slowly creeping up my rankings. Tee to green, the course was in great shape, and the greens were in mint condition and rolling true. The layout is nothing extravagant, but very enjoyable with a good variety of different holes. I enjoy the old school feel of the Donald Ross designed front 9, with a couple of tricky elevated greens that test your short game. The back 9 presents a nice change of scenery, with the picturesque, downhill par-5 16th being the highlight for me. It is on the more expensive side for Charlotte, which has kept me away in the past, but I think I will be more likely to pay up to play here or look for weekday/twilight deals going forward. Read The Review
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- "Average"
I've played at Red Bridge three times. I enjoy the layout - it's a nice mix of target golf and some holes where you can really rip it. It's out in the middle of nowhere, but the staff is friendly and it's very reasonably priced. Fairways and rough were in fine condition. The tee boxes were a little shaky. The greens on the other hand had some serious problems. I've never seen them like that. There was very little grass. Mostly sand and incredibly bumpy. They must be having some issues. Still think it's a fun course and worth going out there if you haven't played it. Might wait a couple months. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Played a GolfWeek Amateur Tour event at Lancaster this weekend, which is about the only time I make it down to play this course. That's a shame, too, because I really like this classic Donald Ross track (it's over 85 years old!). The Bermuda grass greens are typically in great shape and they are vintage Donald Ross. Very challenging. Right now, a few of the greens have some issues around the edges and collars, with bare spots that have been filled in with sand to repair them. On a few holes, these spots came into play requiring relief (holes #2 and #7) for chip shots just off the putting surface. Tees, fairways and bunkers were good. This course can be sneaky tough. The first few holes run adjacent and give you tons of room off the tee, but the uphill approaches on #1 and #3 can be difficult to judge to large sloped greens. The par 5's are all reachable in two but they defend par well with hazards (#2), O.B. (#5), blind, uphill second shots (#14) or trees guarding the dogleg (#16). Ponds make the par 4 6th and par 3 7th holes challenging as well. And #17 continues to give me fits. This downhill dogleg left par 4 requires a layup tee shot (unless you are comfortable hitting a long, accurate draw off the tee) and then a long downhill approach shot to a green guarded by bunkers and a rocky ditch. Overall, I really like the layout and the conditions, along with the price. I just wish it was closer! Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Skybrook is in great shape. Bermuda is still waking up in fairways and rough but looks like it will pop out full soon. Greens were very nice, as always - smooth, full, consistent. Course is very well maintained. Post-round lunch at the clubhouse restaurant was great. More people out, but pace of play was fine. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
 First time playing here in several years. The greens were good, still some signs of recent aeration, but putted pretty smooth. Tee boxes, bunkers and fairways were in good shape. I love the layout of this course, it was one of, if not my favorite Charlotte area course until it fell on hard times. Hope the bent grass greens can hold up to summer weather here in the Carolinas. Not sure why they didn't go to Bermuda greens like everyone else seems to be. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Beginning with the shop staff, Kate and Bob, they were outstanding. The course was in really good shape. Fairways had a good stand of grass and it was almost perfect for playing the ball down. The bunkers all had good sand amounts. Rakes were plentiful. The greens were smooth and moderately quick. It looks to me that they could be really quick. Pace of play was consistent. Saw the ranger three times. Overall I would say that playing here was most enjoyable and worth the drive. Read The Review
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- "Average"
Fairways were Ok, I again had a lot of tight lies, but Ok. The greens were horrible. Something has happened to them. It was like putting over a jigsaw puzzle the way the ball hopped and bounced. A lot of them were half dead ?? Oh well, on to another course next week. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
We had a 12:00pm tee time for Sunday afternoon, got there early and the starter kindly let us go off 30 minutes before our tee time. It was a sunny but windy day on the course. Greens were in good condition for this time of year. I don't think they have punched yet so if you are planning to play there i would call ahead to see if they have or are going to punch them soon. Fairways were in decent shape, some starting to green up and just need those warmer 70 degree temps at night before they really take off. Bunkers were hit or miss. Some tees still thin and they will come back once growing season starts. The course was busy but pace of play was right on time being a Sunday afternoon. Definitely worth playing and a friendly staff as well. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Back at Monroe where the greens are still just about perfect. They are quick and tricky, but not crazy fast as I've seen 'em before here. They are the best part of the course. The rest of the conditions were not that impressive for April. Fairways were just okay, fairly thin. Rough was erratic -- in some places it was bare and thin, in others it was overgrown with weeds. The lies around the greens, sometimes just 5 or 10 yards off, were sometimes not good. For the price and with near perfect greens, Monroe is always worth playing. I'm wondering how it will fare this year, with PGA Master Pro Nick Jacobi having left for Stonebridge. I'm sure I'll be back this summer. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Greens were slow compared to what they usually are, but they are letting them grow in I believe. Was not able to play #5, due to bunker repair. Still many holes have bunkers under water and maintenance doesn't seem to be touching them until they re-do them, but the ones that are complete, look great. Aerated fairways. Still waiting for some >70 deg weather at night along with the rest of courses in the area to green everything up. Not bad for this time of year Read The Review
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- "Great course"
This course is a bit of a hike from Charlotte, but definitely worth the trip a couple of times every year. Fun mix of challenging and scoreable holes. Jackson Course was wet from all of the rain earlier this week, and it showed in the fairways and tee boxes in spots. The greens were in solid shape and rolled true. $55 on a Saturday morning is about as good as it gets in the area. $25 replay rate makes for an affordable 36 hole day as well. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
The major problem with this course previously was the poor conditions of the cart paths in some areas, with tree roots having raised the asphalt. I am glad to see that this has been addressed. The bad areas of cart paths have been removed and replaced by smooth packed gravel/dirt. The course is great, with Diamond Zoysia greens and no bad spots. The greens are a good challenge, with most putts having some break. The holes are unique, making the layout enjoyable to play. I saw one guy with a walking cart, but this would be a difficult course to walk due to elevation changes. The clubhouse is basic with no frills. I highly recommend this course. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
This was another GolfWeek Am Tour tourney round - so the pace was typically slower than normal. Carts were 90 degrees (yay) except for a few holes. Greens were in great shape, fairly quick and true, no issues. Bunkers are full of fluffy sand. The starter actually warned us to watch for balls landing in the bunkers because they were known to bury and disappear. We didn't have any problems, but the fluffy sand is definitely a change from other courses that have more hardpan or dirt than sand. Tees and fairways were thin and not great, but playable. Definitely still in winter shape. With the greens good, though, the conditions were fine and a little better than most. This is still one of my favorite layouts for scoring. The front nine begins and ends with two short par 4s and the par 5 17th can play shorter than the par 4 15th. The par 3's are difficult, however, especially #16 which can play over 200 yards to a perched green with a steep fall off left and bunker short. I didn't have a great day but I enjoyed the challenge and will be back again this season. Reminder: this is a great choice for a 36 hole day because you can hop over to the nearby Donald Ross track, Lancaster Golf Club, for a second 18 holes. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Played Saturday 3/6/2021, we had a 10:12 AM tee time. First time here and drove down from Hickory to play this track. The course was still really wet in most places on front 9, pace of play was not the best, parking lot was packed when we finally finished at almost 3 PM. Greens are decent, but I have played on faster mini-verde greens and these were not that quick. If you've never played it is worth playing but that is the last time we pay $55.00 to play this course in those conditions. Better options at that price point elsewhere. I know $55 on a Saturday morning is cheap for Charlotte golf, just couldn't believe it was still so wet on most of the holes on the front 9 with 5 days of no rain prior. All the staff we encountered was really nice and helpful. They have a great grill for breakfast/lunch sandwiches before or at the turn. May try again in the summer. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
This course is unique to me in that it charges a premium rate, but delivers sub par conditions consistently. Most tee boxes were soaking wet, which is understandable, but the tees were located in the wettest spot. Not even an attempt to get them at drier spots. The greens are a shame, as they let the poa overtake them last year and they are incredibly bumpy on over half of them. you can strike it beautifully, but not make man birdies because you can not trust a line. Fairways were wet, but decent. Bunkers were all wet, but not standing water which is nice with the amount of rain we have had. Overall, its a decent course if you live in the area and can get a good deal on golf now, but otherwise, I would stick to Eagle Chase or something else in the area. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Based on other recent reviews, I'd say Carolina Lakes is in good shape, given the extremely wet weather of the past 2 months. Greens were in good shape, rolling quick and true with a few exceptions. On some greens that had a few bumpy spots, the pins were placed far enough away that I didn't experience or witness any bad rolls. The tees and fairways were not as good, with some poa annua affecting several holes. I was playing in a tournament (which explains the 5+ hour round) and we were playing lift-clean-place. So those poa annua spots didn't affect play. Bunkers (and there are a million on this course) were in good shape, with no standing water. The layout here is a still a favorite of mine, with tons of risk/reward holes and large, sloped greens that test your approach shot accuracy and your putting. This course will be in my annual Top 10 list once again. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Extremely wet course (obviously). If its rained in the past 3-4 days at all, think twice about this course because its going to be cart path only and incredibly soggy. That being said, the course itself was in good shape. I like Tradition because you know what you are going to get. An average/above average public course with decent greens and some wear/tear in other spots, but playable nonetheless. If it dries out some, this place will be fun this summer. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
 Due to the amount of rain lately, the course could best be described as soggy. First hole was extremely wet to the point of being almost unplayable. Greens were browned out and had not been dyed. Tee boxes were mostly sand with sparce grass. Course played longer than distances on the score card due to the wet conditions. I'll try it again when we have a week of dry weather. Read The Review
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- "Bad, stay away"
Stay away from this course until they get their stuff together. Greens were borderline unplayable, if they had grass. Sunset Hills has better greens. The course was soaked. Tee boxes were awful- most had no grass and were soaked. To charge $55 for a round on these conditions is laughable. Just don’t play here right now. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Greens were fa-a-a-st! When I play during the warmer months, the greens are usually lush and play like thick carpet. At this time of year, they are dormant and slick. Downhill putts were treacherous! The course has dried out so no issues in the fairways or bunkers. $40 for a holiday Monday was a great deal. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Nice course. Greens were in excellent shape, rolled fast and true. I like all of the elevation changes. Course was a bit wet but not unexpected and not a negative. Pace of play was good. If you don't mind all of elevation changes, would be relatively easy course to walk. I really like the layout. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
Normally I love Carolina Lakes but yesterday left a bad taste in my mouth.
Course was water logged and fairways were littered with massive divots. Tee boxes were inconsistent. Some were green and long, some brown and muddy. Greens were just ok.
No starter out there and range was closed.
But they still charged full price even through the condition of the course was pretty terrible.
What ever happened to Winter rates to reflect the conditions. Not great value at all. I recommend staying away until spring unless you want to drop $70 to play in below average conditions Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Carolina Lakes is one of if not my favorite public course in the Charlotte area. I find it to be a very visually appealing course, and I usually play pretty well here. Practice area is average and the people in the clubhouse aren't particularly friendly, but it doesn't bother me. As other reviews have mentioned, lots of bunkers (every single hole), but particularly on #1, 2, 9, and 11 where some might consider them excessive. All four par 3's have water in play, but none are overly long. Fairways are wide and fair, but if you miss them you're going to be in the woods more often than not. Houses come into play on a few holes, but aren't a big issue. Six other holes also have water, ranging from small creeks across the fairways to lakes along the majority of the hole (par 5 #6th). Rough is not particularly penal in my opinion, usually cut fairly low. Definitely lots of fun risk/reward holes where you can go for birdies or lay up and play for par. Greens vary widely in size and slope. A number of the large ones have two or even three tiers that can be quite difficult. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
First time playing here since August 2019 and the course did not disappoint. Greens were perfect, smooth and fast. Fairways were dormant but in good/great shape. First time in forever I didn't land in a bunker but they looked to be in great shape. I really love this course just wished it was closer , it was almost and hour drive from Ft Mill. My only issue today was no one except for me and my neighbor wore masks in the pro shop. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
One of Charlotte's hidden gems. For $45 on the weekend you will be hard pressed to find a better course for the price. It is in my top 5 public courses to play. Only downside is the drive. One hour from Charlotte. Maybe more depending on where you live.
Driving range: Average
Chipping area: Sloping/great condition.
Putting green: Right next to tee #1. Big enough.
Course: You will use every club in your bag. Elevations, doglegs, good mix of big fairways and narrow as well. Tree lined and very beautiful. This course never disappoints. Depending on where pins are located, this course can present many challenges on the greens. Bring your A game putting.
Clubhouse: Very friendly staff. Good size dining area and has a wrap-around balcony that overlooks the 18th green for a 19th hole beverage and entertainment.
Highly recommend. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Played here Saturday in a 2 man scramble event and the course was in very good shape. Greens were smooth and fast , fairways were plush, tee boxes and bunkers in good shape. The weather was perfect and I really like this layout just wish I had played better, oh well. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Another course I used to play but haven't in over 10 years. I really like the layout , the driving range and the practice area. The staff was very friendly. The fairways were in good shape , the greens were fast but had quite a few ball marks and the bunkers were still dealing with the after effects of hurricane Eta 8 days later. Some were still muddy while others were badly eroded. Will like to see this course with the new greens next year but will hate the idea of losing the driving range and turning #9 into a par 3. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Only played here once before the renovations and that was 15+ years ago. The course is in fantastic shape with incredibly fast and smooth greens. I love the layout , the front a little more than the back. The pace of play was ~4 hrs and never had to wait. My only issue was when I called to book last week I mentioned that their website said cart path only during "winter months". I asked when that would be and they replied in a couple of weeks. It was cart path only yesterday. Don't think we had any rain since last Wednesday and if I had known that I would have brought my push cart and walked. Again great layout and conditions, friendly staff , I will be back but I will call ahead to check on cart path only restrictions. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Nice course, like the greens. But pace of play was initially abysmal. I think it was more group(s) we were stuck behind. Group of 3 in front to over 40 mins to get to third tee, just pick up! Then they let us play through and played next 2 holes at fast pace to only run into next group who was equally slow. So, to play front 9 took us 3 hours. Fortunately, we passed that group on 9/10 and finished back in 90 mins. That pace of play ruins the experience.
Also, 90 degree rule --- the cart paths are back breakers :-)
But, it is not at all close to me and I like Edgewater, Springfield much better. Read The Review
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- "Average"
My neighbor and I were the first to tee off at 7:40 and were finished by 11 so pace of play was not an issue as it was in my last two reviews. This was one of the first courses I played when I first moved here 25 years ago and it was our home course when we played in the Charlotte Golf League in 2000? I love the layout , the links style front and the parkland style back are so different. My only complaint was the condition of the greens. They were being mowed ahead of us and were still incredibly slow and many had bare spots, #13 and 15 were in the worst shape. I thought I had read on this website that this course was going to be shut down to be re-routed to make maintenance easier. Not sure if this is still going to happen but I hope they go with new greens too, Bermuda instead of Bent . Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
So this is like cheating because I'm partial to Waterford as this is my practice course and I walk it a lot, but as some one who has played this course over the years and seen it evolved, it's definitely one of my favorites. There has been a lot of $$$ invested in Waterford, especially over the past two years and it is in pristine condition (not that it wasn't before). Unfortunately they do not allow walking on the weekends anymore but it's a great layout with beautiful views on some holes of the Catawba river (hole # 2, par 5). Like I said I'm partial to this course as I know where to hit the ball to stay out of trouble but the course is always challenging! If you are in the Rock Hill area (right over the border) give this course a go you will not be disappointed. By the way the staff are aces in my book and Ty the GM is the man!!!! Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Edgewater is one of my favorite course and again I really enjoyed it today. I wasn't aware that they had just aerated the greens 12 days ago and they were still very soft and not very smooth, had to repair alot of ball marks. My neighbor and I teed off at 10:30 we another twosome, great guys, and played the front 9 in ~ 2 hrs. They had only signed up for 9 so we played the back as a twosome and that 9 took 2 hrs and 40 minutes. We had a lot of holes with one group on the green, one in the fairway and two groups on the tee. We never saw the ranger on the back 9. The weather was beautiful so I really shouldn't complain. Again one of my favorite courses , cant wait for the greens to heal. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
 Hate to hear this course is going away, despite not being my favorite however it's right around the corner from home and does offer a lot of challenging holes. I play this course a handful of times a year (usually for tournaments, really good venue for tournaments!). Had a really fun time with my group and the course was in excellent shape, greens a tad slow which is unusually for the Ballantyne Resort Course. The rough was extremely challenging which means if you don't hit the fairway you will pay, not a bad thing just makes the challenge more fun or for some golfers, tougher. Pin placements for a Thursday were interesting, literally some holes had pin placement 5 feet from the edge of the green which made for an interesting day. All in all a great course and it will be missed, hopefully I'll grab another round or two in before they shut down. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
I cannot remember the last time I played Rocky River(15 years?) but it was always a must play course. The course was in great shape in spite of all the rain we had last weekend and it was cart path only. My neighbor and I were paired with a regular golfer at Rocky River and he gave us good advice the whole round , a great guy. I love the layout , I hit the boulder on #3 !, and the views of the surrounding holes and terrain from the tee boxes were awesome. Again why hadn't I played here in that many years?! My only complaint was the pace of play. We teed off a little early to get ahead of a large group of very young golfers and we were playing at a < 4 hour pace until #9 when we caught up with a twosome that were walking. From that point forward it was at least a 5 minute wait on every tee box. We saw the ranger quite a few time and on the back 9 he commented on the slow pace but based on our 12 noon tee time he stated that we were still going to finish within their recommended time frame. We finished at 4:15 so 4 1/2 hours to play. It's definitely walkable so I'll will be back with my push cart. Again a great layout in great shape. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Introduced a good friend of mine from SC to Verdict Ridge on Tuesday. The course ate him up, despite all my advice (ha). Conditions were good despite the heavy rains over the weekend. It was cart path only but we didn't really encounter any trouble with casual water or muddy lies. Bunkers were okay as the sand had dried out. Tees, fairways and greens are all very lush. The greens were in great shape and rolled quick but not lightning or unfair. It was a beautiful day to play and the trees around the course are changing colors. So the course looks spectacular right now. Check out my Instagram (@charlottegolfer) for pics and vids from my round. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
This course is on everyones tops list and is considered one of the top places to play in the Charlotte Metro area.
I've heard so much about it over the years and my Son plays here regularly and says it's his favorite.
Today, me, Ben, Jason B & James D played 18 holes on a Tuesday early afternoon. After two days of rain on Sat & Sun from Hurricane Delta it was still quite wet in areas which affected your fairway shots and pace of play since it was cart path only. It took us about 4 1/2 hours to play 18.
This is a resort style course and is upscale though still public. The property has been sold to a developer and eventually it will be gone.
The ProShop is attached to the hotel so they don't allow you to take the gas carts into the parking lot. You drop your bag, then park and go downstairs to the ProShop to check in. They have a starter so you'll need your receipt. At the ProShop they assign you a cart and give you a card which you hang on your cart with your Tee Time. Everyone I came in contact with was nice and professional.
Once you leave the ProShop you follow the cart path to the practice area where they have a driving range as well as a chipping and putting area.
There is a large open air pavilion which has a full bar and food as well as bathrooms.
From here you check in with the Starter who will direct you to the 1st Tee and get you off on time. There is a huge clock next to the first tee in sight of the practice area so everyone can keep up with the time with a quick glance.
The course is very nice, it's fairly wide open with the usual out of bound areas but for the most part the fairways are wide. There are 5 Par 3's.
Thats right FIVE par 3's. Two on the front and three on the back.
There are four Tee's and most play from the Whites and the Seniors play the Green tees.
All the Par 3's are fun and accessible. My favorite hole is #18 which offers an elevated tee with a clear view of the green sitting right in front of the hotel. There are green side bunkers on the right alongside water & water fountain and the distance from the White tee's is 350 yards. Jason & Ben both hit beautiful drives and Jason barely edging Ben out with about a 340 yard drive.
It's interesting that the 9th hole doesn't bring you back to the club house. There is another small bar/restaurant at the turn where you can get a beverage some food and take a bio break,
I really like this course overall and the way it plays. The water is not going to create a lot of problems and the bunkers are designed to compliment the course and not make it too risky. The tees boxes are well maintained, the fairways are great and the greens are well kept and roll true. Not too many un-repaired ball marks as on so many courses.
The downside of being in such a developed area is you have Interstate 485 right on you so you hear the traffic on the back 9 with the sirens and horns. There is also a lot of construction going on all around the course so don't be surprised to hear a saw start up as you get set for your putt.
As in most things you get what you pay for. This course is a little pricer than most. I got on with the GolfNow app for $58 bucks.
I would recommend this course no matter your skill level. Especially if you have out of town quests in to entertain or just want to enjoy a day outside with friends and family with easy access to cold beverages and food. Read The Review
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- "Average"
Wow, this is such a long course, just a shade over 7,000 yards from the white tees!
Really surprised at the length of this course since this is in a Del Web 55+ community. They do have green tees which are closer but almost near the red ladies tees.
I played on a Monday and it had rained on Sat & Sun so the course was still a bit soggy. Because of this I almost had the course to myself. There were just a few other golfers who started on the front and they started me on the back so I have no one in front or behind me.
Overall the course is in great condition, the fairways, greens and tee boxes are in good shape. It seems there are always those few who refuse to repair their divot marks on the greens. It's such a shame since it ruins the putt line of all who follow.
It was cart path only because of the rain and it's such a long course so it made my round almost a 4 1/2 hour extravaganza.
The staff is great, the gas carts run well and are in great shape. They let you take the carts into the parking lot to get your clubs.
They have several bathrooms scattered throughout the course.
It winds through the large neighborhood and would be extremely difficult to walk.
It's scenically beautiful and I saw several deer, rabbits, red tail hawks and squirrels as I motored along the cart path.
There are a few holes that are severe doglegs which create a blind shot.
There is some water and quite a few fairway bunkers and green side bunkers. There is a lot of elevation change so you get some great vistas but the challenge that goes with it. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
This is one time of my favorites. Anytime I can give my driver a break I'm in heaven!!!! This course was in excellent condition and the greens were lightning fast! Well maintained and manicured. Don't be fooled this course will sneak up on you, especially the "back 9" but overall it's a great course and I look forward to my next round there. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
I was feeling a little intimidated about playing this course after reading a lot of reviews on various web sites. Especially about the amount of water
and the severe doglegs.
I found none of that to be true. I guess it's all relative right? Water does come into play on #8 which is a 115 yard par 3 over water. The balance of the water they refer to are either ponds that run alongside the fairway or creeks you may encounter that cross the fairway.
Overall this is a very nice course and plays very well. The Fairways and Greens are in great shape for the most part. On hole #16 there is a strip of new sod that runs all the way across the green.
For the most par the tee boxes were all green and in good shape. There were a few that were bare with little grass.
It's very scenic and quiet, lots of wildlife and the fairways are wide open with strategic bunkers on most holes.
It was 10/8/20 and the high was 85 but it was sunny and a nice breeze and just a perfect day for golf in the Carolinas!
They have 2 driving ranges and a practice putting green.
The Staff was very friendly and helpful.
It was $35 bucks to ride 18 for the Senior rate which is a great value for a course of this caliber.
The carts are electric and all in good repair. They won't let you take the cart into the parking lot so it's best to drop your bag and then park.
I would recommend this course. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
I've been reading some good reviews about the upgrades to this course, including the addition of the Diamond Zoysia greens so it's been on my list of courses to play.
Today it got checked off. I had a 12n Tuesday tee time and the weather was perfect for golf. When I got there at 11am to hit some balls off the driving range, I learned it was closed for some repairs. The Pro Shop guy said I could go ahead and start if I was ready so I did.
This course plays very well. The fairways are in great shape and the course is wide open for the most part. There are some narrow fairways but maybe just a couple. There are just a few holes that leave you with a blind shot on the doglegs.
I've never played on Diamond Zoysia so I wasn't sure what to expect.
Just about a month in to the install and they still have a ways to go.
It's almost like playing on green and silver sand with a little grass thrown in. It was very difficult to get a read on your putts.
I especially liked the Par 3's on both sides, very accessible and set up nicely.
I especially liked #18 which they consider their 'signature' hole. Which is 524 yards from the White tees. You have to go over a little creek to a landing area and then over a little pond to the green. It's visually appealing and wide open with all the water.
There were several tee boxes that were in pool repair and in some cases just no grass at all, just bare dirt. That was disappointing to see.
They get $32 riding for a Sr during the week which isn't bad.
Their carts are gas and they keep them all clean and are following COVID guidelines. All the Staff I came in contact with were friendly and professional. Shout out to Gary who gave me some guidelines on some of the holes.
I would highly recommend this course. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
The last time I played this course was 22 years ago in a Father & Son Tournament.
It's changed quite a lot since then and fortunately for the better.
The greens, tee boxes and fairways are all in great condition.
I got paired up with Bob & Haydon who had played before so I got some good guidance on the blind shots.
Overall this is an exceptional Municipal Golf Course that has easy access off I-77. Ona sunny October Friday, we were able to go 9 holes in right at 2 hours. Just a perfect day for golf.
I especially like hole #8 which is a dog leg right that plays about 300 yards. I was able to get on in two and had an eagle putt.
The fairways are open and there is very little water and most holes are straight forward with just a couple of holes that are blind shots.
I will definitely be playing this course again, at $23 bucks riding @ Sr rate, it's hard to beat.
The carts are in fair shape and I understand the clubhouse was been newly rebuilt. There is nice driving range, practice putt area and chipping area as well.
This is the home of the First Tee in the Charlotte area. Read The Review
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- "Average"
I played this course on a Monday in September, it was sunny and about 70 degrees but a very strong & gusty wind, maybe 20 to 25 mph.
I had never played this course before so that certainly impacted conditions of play and my experience overall.
I would say, the front nine on this course is much better than the back nine. The back has many holes with blind shots, extreme dog legs, many berms with rolling hills and fairway and green side bunkers that are not easily visible and can make it difficult playing the first time.
In general the course is OK. The tee boxes and fairways are good.
There are some narrow fairways on many holes where you are heavily penalized and risk going into the high rough on fairway lined creeks.
The greens were mixed, OK on some holes but on most of them pock marked with un-repaired ball marks.
The pace of play was good on a Monday afternoon, I was playing solo and had a twosome in front of me and a solo in back of me. I was able to play 18 holes in about 3 hours.
The toughest hole is the Par 5, 18th that plays 460 yards but you have water at about the 150 yard mark which is a challenge.
The Staff is nice, the gas carts were clean and in good order. Visually, it's nice with ponds, creeks and branches running throughout. The cart paths wind through the housing area, I crossed under 3 tunnels where the road goes over. When you come off the 17th green and drive the cart path you come to a large lake and the road forks. There is no sign.
There was a nice man walking his dog and he said "the 18th tee is that way'. Otherwise I would have had no idea I needed to go left.
It's a decent value overall I would say. I got the GolfNow discount at $38 bucks.
It's about 45 minutes from my house in Fort Mill, SC so it wasn't really an exceptional enough experience to make me feel as though I would want to play it again as there are too many better choices that are much closer to where I live. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Got my first chance to play the new Diamond Zoysia greens at The Divide, the closest course to my house and one I've been waiting for its return to glory. This is a good start. The new greens are soft and they can't cut em really yet. So they were expectedly slow, but fairly smooth on the roll. It was difficult to get the putts to the hole no matter how much you tell yourself to hit em hard. It will likely be a few more weeks before they are able to keep them lower and faster, but I can certainly see the potential. And they beat the heck out of late summer bent grass you are seeing at Olde Sycamore and Carolina Lakes right now, to name a couple. The rest of the course was in really good shape, as you would expect for a month of no play. The tees and fairways are about as good as they get here. The bunker work over the past week was well done. So they were all very playable. Several greens have very wet, muddy entrances or surrounds -- so you will get no run up and likely some plugged lies. This affects play on #3, #4, #12 and #16 in particular. Speaking of #16, this is one of my least favorite golf holes in all of Charlotte and unfortunately today the Blue tees were all the way back and set on the left side of the tee box. That gives left-to-right drivers like me no chance on this hole. I had a +7 round going until a triple on this hole derailed me. I did nearly ace #17 though for a bounce back birdie. All in all it was a good round and the course is very playable now. By next month, I am sure the greens will be very good. And then this course should make its way back on my playlist. A couple of other notes - the practice green is not open yet -- they are giving it a few more days to grow in. Also the rate for a weekday afternoon is a bit pricey ($44) for now. Once the greens have grown in to the point they can cut em fast, then I'd say fair price. And lastly... there are still no Gold tees?!? I've mentioned this several times and haven't gotten an answer yet. This meant that the Blue tees I normally play were sometimes back on the Gold tee box (today this happened on #1, #3, #9, #12, #14, and #16). The course is already fairly long from the Blues and this made it play over 6600 yards. I'll try to find out what the deal is on tee boxes. If you play The Divide over the next month, please post a review so I can keep track of its progress. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
I have been reading for about 2 weeks about how good of a condition this course is in so today, I had to find out for myself.
A 1230p tee time on a Tuesday with a clear blue sky and about 75 degrees, it was just perfect.
The course is playing incredibly! The tee boxes, the fairways and the greens are all in excellent condition.
I really like this course and the way it plays, you know when a course suits your eye and this is it fo me. There are some acute doglegs that challenge you to place your tee shot just so. Many holes will challenge you to place your second shot just so to approach the green.
I think my favorite holes are all the Par 3's. All with elevated greens, green side bunkers and visually beautiful.
The Staff here is fantastic! Dan the starter is a great guy who knows the course well and is willing to give you the local knowledge.
There is a driving range, practice putt and chipping area as well.
The carts are all clean and in good repair.
All in all just a fantastic experience for a public course which I would highly recommend. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
A beautiful Friday in Carolina today and all golfers should be out playing.
I got a GolfNow discount of $58 bucks & got paired up with Nick & Mason from Indian Trail for a 12noon tee time.
I've played this course three times in the last 2 years & today it played the best of all.
The Greens are in fantastic condition, rolling true, well manicured and just pristine.
The Tee boxes and Fairways all in excellent condition.
This course plays beautifully. The Fairways are open, there is some water but not a lot. There are several holes with green side bunkers but not intrusive to the greens.
Just a great all around experience today and I highly recommend this course, especially if you can get a GolfNow discount. Read The Review
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- "Average"
Arnie would probably not be real happy with the condition of his course today.
I was able to snag a $35 deal with the GolfNow app and got on for a 130p tee time. I got paired with a guy named Clint who had just retired and moved from California to Denver NC.
He had played before & we're about the same age so it worked out good. He was able to offer some guidance on how the course plays.
I'm sure when this course was first built in 1997 it was considered a premiere course. Not so much today as the years have not been kind.
The tee boxes are good, the fairways are good but the greens were in very poor condition. There were bare spots, un-repaired divots and ragged patches. The front nine was much worse than the back.
I really didn't care for the layout and design of this course. Way too many green side bunkers and the green design and pin placement made it very difficult at times.
The are observing COVID guidelines. The Staff was nice, the Starter was great, the check-in was smooth and easy and the facilities seemed OK. There is a driving range and a small practice putting green area. The carts were clean and in good condition.
On one of the holes on the front nine, balls that are hit from the driving range and are off-line come into the fairway which is very frustrating.
I doubt I play this course again. I was disappointed since I had heard so many great things about the course when it first opened. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
I've been taking lessons from Brent who is the Pro here. This course was designed by Hale Irwin and was recently purchased by David Tepper, owner of the Carolina Panthers.
Today, I was able to use my GolfNow discount app for a $35 afternoon tee time. It was so smooth and easy, I just gave my name and the tee time and he confirmed the time and that it was pre-paid.
The course is better than average. The fairways are in excellent condition as are most of the greens. There were several tee boxes that were a little ragged.
I really like the way the course played. The fairways are wide open and there is very little water that comes into play.
There is a driving range on-site as well as a putting area. A little interesting that there are no holes on the practice putting surface, they use markers with weighted bottoms that you can move around on the putting surface.
The carts were clean and worked well and there is plenty of parking.
It will be interesting to see what Mr Tepper does if anything to change or update this course. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Nice leisurely afternoon round at Skybrook with my Dad. We were paired with two other singles for a 3:18 tee time and finished in the dusk. Greens were fantastic. Super slick and smooth. They have really grown in after a year so they can cut em low and fast. Coupled with the slopes and the size of the greens, they make this course much more difficult than it used to be. Now one of the toughest public course tracks in Charlotte, in my opinion. Rough was not bad, very playable, in stark contrast to my round at Ballantyne (see my review from last week). Like most courses, the lack of bunker rakes and all the stormy rains have left the sand traps in rough shape - I nearly got swallowed up by the quicksand bunker on #2. With lift, smooth and place rules, though, you can usually find a playable spot. The staff here is great and take feedback to heart. This course should be in your regular rotation. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Made the 90-minute drive down to Edgewater and since a lot of people weren't there, got my round done in 3:10, never ran into anyone in front of us and was never pushed from behind. I was a refreshing from 5-hour rounds recently.
As for the course it self, I'm old-school in that the best courses are ones where you can a) walk and b) the next tee is near the green of the hold just completed. I knew going in that wasn't the case here since it is 7.2 miles to get around and very hilly, but it's still a great course.
The tees (I played the gold tees - 6571 yards) and the fairways were in great shape. You really have to control your ball off the tee and keep it in play, which I did OK at even though my ball-striking was a bit off.
The bent grass greens were definitely stressed out from the heat, with the ones with the fans in poorer condition with patchy grass, ball marks and some kind of plant I couldn't identify on those. Fortunately, they didn't seem to be in my line at any time so I was lucky there. The greens that were more in the open were in much better shape, but all of them rolled well. Also, the black flags on some of the holes were almost impossible to see against the backdrop of trees, I could see the yellow flagstick easier.
The other point of contention was difficulty in getting yardages. There are 150 and 100 stakes in the fairways, but knowing how far it was to the corner of doglegs or how far it was to lay up to on par-5's was total guesswork. Also, not knowing how deep a green is made for a little more guessing as well. And it wasn't always easy to find a sprinkler head (they are marked) in some places.
Still, it was a very enjoyable round at a great pace for a good price on a challenging course. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Got in 15 holes before dusk at Ballantyne resort. The course is in good shape overall, but not pristine. Fairways have lots of divots - and they have not put sand bottles back in the carts. The bunkers are hit or miss - with no rakes and players lifting and placing, they seem kinda neglected as far as daily maintenance. And, wow, the rough. The bermuda rough is so thick that my group nearly lost balls just off the fairway on about 6 holes. If you don't see exactly where your ball entered the rough, good luck. I found one ball literally by stepping on it. For a public course, the rough is ridiculously thick and penalizing -- and maddening. Searching for balls just off the fairway is extremely frustrating and slows play tremendously. The greens were typically slick. Combined with the slopes on most greens, the speed really increases the difficulty of the course. Adding to that, the greens did not putt very smoothly today. Overall, my opinion on the conditions for this being a resort course was very mixed. Due to COVID policies, their hole cups are still upside down (causing some good putts to bounce out and you have to decide to count it) and there are no attendants to bring your bag up or down the stairs. Yet, they are still charging their normal resort course rates. I keep hearing different predictions on when the course will close for the re-development. So I guess I will still play it while I can. Just hope to have more of a "resort" experience for my next round. Read The Review
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- "Average"
Avoid for now. Took 45 minutes to get a cart (Tee time was 136, we teed off around 2:15) I know COVID factors in, but no other course seems to have this problem.
Greens are in pretty bad shape. #2 might be lost for the year. Other ones were fair at best.
Better value out there. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
 1st time playing, there’s some wild holes, blind shots, huge elevation changes, and some punishing misses. Greens were quick and rolled true. Fairways were very hairy everywhere and wet in spots. Apparently they got 16 inches of rain last week so that’s probably why they haven’t been able to cut the fairways but it was the equivalent of the second cut anywhere else. A second look is probably needed to give a fair final verdict. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Warrior is in fantastic shape. The greens especially were pretty much perfect, rolling fast and true. Tees, fairways and rough were in good shape. A few bunkers had some water but with lift, smooth and place rules for bunkers, it's not really a problem. We got off early (8:16) and had an easy round, pace wise. The course has several picturesque holes (check my @charlottegolfer Instagram for the photos) with Lake Wright bordering the 9th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th. Still not a fan of the 7th hole -- I say this every time... the turf mat tee box is difficult to get a tee in the ground on but I was able to do it this time and hit a decent 3 wood off the tee. That still left me a long approach though! Tough hole. 16 is my second least favorite hole because it requires such a long carry off the tee for a par 3 (~175yd from the Blue tees to carry the lake and front bunker). The 17th is a fun par 5 that you can reach in 2 with a good tee shot and the guts to challenge the lake along the right side. I like this course and now it's in as good a shape as I've seen it. It came in at #10 on my list of best public courses in Charlotte and likely deserves to be a few spots higher. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
My first visit. Beautiful course on a spectacular, scenic property. Tee boxes and fairways were in outstanding condition. Bermuda rough was thick and tough. Greens had a few stressed areas but putted smoothly and consistently - problems more cosmetic than substantive. Played Gold markers, and it was tough - 140+ slope with multiple 400+ yard par 4s and 200+ yard par 3s. But it looked too short from the Blue (regular) tees, with a couple holes even requiring lay-up. Big gap of 500+ yards between the markers, so probably will set-up better for me with a hybrid approach next time. Great value. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Bring your A Game! Tega Cay is in phenomenal shape. Tees and fairways are perfect. The greens are spectacular; the best I've ever seen them. They are smooth and fast. Fastest I've played anywhere around Charlotte this year. They have also pinched the fairways in even more than usual on an already tight driving course. The rough is thick but playable. They had gotten a decent amount of rain a couple of nights ago, so it was cart path only, and some of the bunkers hadn't been repaired after the rain, but the sand was still in excellent condition. Pace of play was good on a weekday afternoon, and the staff and service were good as always. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Sifford is in spectacular shape. Greens were rolling well, faster than I am used to here. They've really got them where they want them, in terms of maintenance and conditioning. The rest of the course was very lush. The course gets all levels of play -- so it can be slow when it's packed, as it was today. You'll need to be patient on those days. Just played one loop of the 9 holes and had to skip #9 due to an appointment. I used to play here every week during the summer in a work league, but that was postponed due to COVID-19. So I took the chance to get out while I was uptown today. Just a reminder, this course has an excellent practice facility too. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Monroe Country Club is in very good shape. This was my second time playing and I was not disappointed. The greens had some patches of weeds on them, but they must constantly roll them out as it did not impact putts whatsoever. They were quick and held approach shots nicely. Tee boxes and fairways were in great shape. The rough has not been mowed recently and was very punishing. The only downside of Monroe is that the driving range is a solid 5-7 minute cart ride from the pro shop- plan accordingly for your tee time. Overall, a great round and a very fun course to play. My round ended with a 110 wedge in for eagle! Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
Much like my review earlier this year, the conditions at Rocky River were pretty much perfect. The Bermuda grass greens are nearly flawless, rolling quick and true with no issues anywhere. Tees, fairways and rough (which is penalizing thick stuff) were all in good shape. The bunkers are fine if you play them as lift, smooth and place. The holes still have the foam inserts which don't affect the ball going in the cup. On this hot summer afternoon, they had a ranger making the rounds with free ice cold water bottles. I saw him at least 3 times on each side. He was Johnny-on-the-spot with the water! The carts have GPS and the pin positions were dialed in accurate -- something not all GPS systems do well. Only change since March I noticed is that they've removed the wooden stairs beside the 18th green and sodded with grass. You can't even tell the stairs ever existed and this is a good change. The stairs were not necessary and even though they weren't really in play, it's good to have a nice big bailout spot now that's all grass. Rocky River has had a great year as far as conditions go and it is now a top 5 course here in the Charlotte area. Go play it! Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Typical conditions- fairways good, tee boxes decent, bunkers hard and wet and greens are chewed up and slower. I don’t understand why people don’t pick up their feet on bent grass greens. Also, tons of unfixed ball marks on these soft bent greens. They could really benefit from following the Divide and switching over.
Pace would have been even better if the four some in front of us actually let us play through as a two some before we skipped a hole to get in front of them. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Course is still hanging in there amidst the hot summer days, though the greens, with dozens of unrepaired marks on every green, are teetering on the edge. They rolled with good speed (and faster than I thought) but were a little bumpy, making shorter, normally makeable putts (10-15 feet) a bit of a crap shoot. It's likely than by month's end, they will not be fun to putt on. So get out and play em now. The rest of the course was in fine shape, no issues anywhere that I noticed. Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
Second Time playing Lancaster Golf Club and i was even more impressed. The greens are perfect, fast and smooth. Tee boxes are well kept and few divots. Fairways are in great shape, even considering the course got a few inches of rain the days before we played. The course was packed on a Saturday, as to be expected, but the round was enjoyable and staff was great! Will definitely return. Carts are nice and new as well, which is a nice sight to see for a course at this price point. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
First time out to River Oaks in several years. Course was in fantastic shape. Probably in the top four or five places I've played so far this year as far as conditions go. Tees, fairways, and greens all were great. Bermuda rough was thick in some places, yet more playable in others. Maybe my only knock on the course was the inconsistency of sand in the bunkers. Some had soft, white sand, while others had harder brown sand. The elevation changes and doglegs require accuracy and correct decision making off the tee. Greens are large and receptive, but you have to put your ball in the proper section if you want a chance to score. Fringes and run up areas are mowed tight and require precise chips and pitches. Pace of play was good; there were only a few groups on the course early on a Wednesday morning. Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
Eagle Chase almost never disappoints. Greens were in fabulous shape, rolling well. Tees/fairways all good. A few bunkers had standing water, but with lift/clean/place were not a problem. $39 for a Sunday 12:50 tee time was a deal (compare to $59 at Birkdale on Saturday). The ranger was on the course and checked in with us a few times, letting us know a slow group in front of us was "on the clock". He swung by on the back 9 and in the parking lot (!?) to make sure we had a good round. Maybe he liked us? LOL. All in all, just a great track at a great price with great service. I'll give my usual caveat advice to avoid the cart paths. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Greens were slow and tons of ball marks, but that is sort of expected this time of year with bentgrass. Several bunkers were washed out due to rain, and they look in need of major work.
I love this course, but just felt a little steep for what you got. It will be back on my favorites come fall. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Birkdale is in very good shape. Greens are doing just fine in the summer heat and rolled with good speed. Lots of ball marks to fix, but most were fresh and not causing permanent pock marks. Tees and fairways were all good. About the only issue I had was with some of the rough just off the fairway and nowhere near out of play. To the right of #8 fairway really penalized me with tall grass and weeds when I was maybe 5 feet off the fairway for my 3rd shot into the par 5. Right of #9 fairway gets you into a net or an area of rough loaded with driving range balls. This hole will likely be altered next year when they take out the driving range to develop that land. Overall, this course is worth playing right now - which is great news for a course I've been down on in recent years due to poor maintenance. $59 after 1:00 on a weekend is a bit pricey compared to other courses in similar or better shape, but not far off market price these days. Arnie's Tavern is open and they have tables outside overlooking the 18th green -- which is a great spot to relax before or after your round. Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
This was my first time out at Eagle Chase, and I was very impressed. Course lived up to the reviews I have read and was in fantastic shape. Greens rolled smooth and true, and I loved the layout that almost gives you a mountain course feel. Stretch of holes 11-13 on the back nine was the highlight of the course for me. A bit of a drive to get out there, but I will surely be back for a value you can't beat in the Charlotte area. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Played this in a scramble tournament so not a regulation round. The Bentgrass greens are still doing okay. Just a crap ton of unfixed ballmarks on every hole. The greens are very soft and average speed. The downhillers will roll out a bit but you'll need to take a good whack at the uphill ones. Conditions around the rest of the course were fine, though many bunkers have not been touched by the maintenance crew. This seems to be a trend around some of the courses here lately. Without the rakes, courses should be giving the bunkers some love every day. All in all, this course is in about the best shape it's been in the past few years, but it still ranks in the lower half of my Charlotte rankings due to the conditions / $$$ value combo. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
First time playing this course. For some reason the gold tees were not out, so I played 1 set forward which made it somewhat short for me. This helped the scoring, but made it a little mundane off the tee. Overall I like the layout. Greens were a hair fuzzy but rolled good. For bent grass, they are in great shape this tile of year. The course played wet, but not cart path only. I’ll be back- it was a great time and friendly staff. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
They punched about two weeks ago (Monday following the 4th of July) and greens have recovered nicely so far. They had top dressing, and holes were still affecting putts but not as bad as I would have imagined. They held the club Member-Member there this weekend, so they have the course in pristine conditions. the only issue I have run across is the bunkers still arent draining great, and several were closer to hardpan than they were to sand. That is going to be in the next phase of renovations going on at this place (including the range and working to get some better short game practice area). Overall, worth it if you can get a tee time. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
My first ever visit to Lancaster Golf Club and it gets a perfect conditions rating. Everything was immaculate, tee to green. Extremely well maintained. I've noticed many many local courses that don't care well for their tee boxes. So when I play one like Lancaster that takes extra care to keep their tee boxes lush like carpet, I notice. The Bermuda greens were rolling quick and true. I only noticed one hole with any kind of issue and that was the green apron on #9 that had some bare dirt spots. That was about it that I can remember. This is an old school course, especially the front nine designed by Donald Ross in 1935. Wide open, with the challenge mostly in the elevation changes tee to green and then the tiered and sloped slick greens. The turn to the Russell Breeden designed back 9 is very different - tree lined and doglegged, but with some of the same elevation changes tee to green. One thing that was true throughout, for the holes with a pin cut in the back or front, they were 5-10 feet off the edges, making for some tricky approaches. Definitely consider pin location before choosing your club. A few of the fun holes include an island green par 3 (#7, roughly an 8 iron) and the dogleg right par 4 9th hole protected by a pond. You do need some course knowledge for a few of the tee shots -- especially the dogleg left par 4 17th where it's easy to drive through the fairway into the woods. Overall, if you are chipping/putting well on the slick, undulating Bermuda greens, it's not a difficult track and you can score well. This course is very reasonably priced and the pro shop guy was very friendly and helpful. I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit (and I'll be back again Saturday for a GolfWeek tourney) and can highly recommend this course, despite the long haul from my neck of the woods (~45 min). Read The Review
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- "Great course"
My second round here (ever) was a fun one and I'll be back. Quick note: they are aerating the greens next Monday (7/20). Today the course was in good shape. Greens were not fast but rolled fairly well and my group was able to make some putts when they counted. Tee boxes were a bit hairy but better to have too much grass than none like some other courses. Fairways and bunkers were good, no issues. This is a cool course. The biggest challenge are the blind tee shots where you're not sure how far you can hit it on certain lines, which wreaked havoc on some of the long drives in our group from the Blue tees. Outside of that there are only a few dangerous holes and really they present risks and rewards. So it's your choice to take on a tough pin or that long carry to reach a par 5 (such as #18) in two shots. One observation is that the turf near and on the greens is very hard. We got lots of hard, high bounces on approach shots, saved at times by the slower greens. I think once you get to know this course it's not a difficult track. Very reasonably priced too. I'll be back in the Fall for another go at it. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Mooresville is in superb condition. Tee boxes are some of the best in the area. Fairways were play-the-ball-down condition with excellent lies all day. Greens were firm but receptive and rolled very smoothly with very consistent speed all day. The Bermuda is thriving in the summer heat, and the turf is full, with the rough cut at about a half-stroke penalty height. Fun course. Front and back are very different. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Back at Emerald Lake to use up a raincheck before it expired (and managed to dodge the storms so I didn't get another one). Got what I expected. The bent grass greens are getting close to the edge with unfixed ball marks and bare dirt spots where old locations used to be. You've probably got another couple of weeks before the greens will be in trouble. Today they rolled well as long as you fixed any marks on your line. The rest of the course was in fine shape, no issues. Very pricey, as I've reported for years. Got there as a walkup about 2:40 and the rate was going to be $64. The pro shop suggested I go out at 3:10 when the rate would drop to $45 - so I appreciated that. Still, $45 after 3 on a Friday afternoon for Emerald Lake is... not a deal. I kinda had to use the raincheck or lose it, so... One other note, they have paved the parking lot where the old clubhouse used to be to the right of #18. So that's a different visual now, not to mention dangerous O.B.(better have insurance ;-). Other than that, Emerald Lake is still a fun track to play and I have so much history here that I'll be back when the time and price are right. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Overall, not much has changed on this course throughout the year. Greens are still in good shape, but were a little on the slower side. Not sure if water had anything to do with that, but they just seemed like they hadn't been cut that day. Fairways were in decent shape, and no huge issues on any other area of the course. Its a good "middle tier" course in the area and if you can get off of the tee box and keep it in play, you can score well.
The afternoon walking rate is the same as the afternoon riding rate, which blows my mind. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Second time playing this course and I like it more and more every time. In my opinion the course offers a great balance of scoring holes with challenging holes. The greens and the fairways are in excellent condition. Pace of play was good, there were groups in front of us but overall we didn't have to wait and pace of play was right on average. Everyone has always been great, pro shop, snack bar, etc. Only issue is since I live on west side of Charlotte it's a 50 minute drive. If it was closer I would play here twice a week! Read The Review
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- "Great course"
My first time playing all 18 holes here and only my second visit. Man have I been missing out! Just a fantastic layout, front and back, with unique challenges and many memorable holes. This course fits the "Wow" factor of my Top 10 rankings very well and that's why it earned an Honorable Mention in my Charlotte Agenda Top 10. If I had played all 18 before I wrote it, River Oaks would likely be in the Top 10. It's a haul for me (1 hour plus from southeast Charlotte) or I'd play this course every week. And I need to, to get used to some of the more difficult holes. The front nine has 4 really tough ones -- the par 4 3rd hole and the par 4 8th hole require two of the most accurate tee shots you'll face on any course. You can sometimes get a break on #8 if the tee is down on the bottom, making the hole 10x easier as an iron/wedge par 4, but oh man, if the tee is on top! You are barely able to see the narrow fairway, protected on 3 sides by hazards with the view blocked by a steep hill on the left. The closing par 4 on the front 9 is a blind, layup tee shot with an approach to an elevated green perched in front of the clubhouse. The back 9 doesn't let up either, with a back and forth mix of risk/reward and birdie/bogey opportunities throughout. The closing par 5 is the best example -- you can play for birdie/eagle with an aggressive tee shot that better be in the fairway to try for the creek-protected green. Or you can play it as a 3-shotter but that again requires 3 accurate shots with hazards and bunkers challenging each shot. It really is an exhilarating course that you will score better on the more you play it. Conditions were very good - the greens rolled true and quick with no issues at all. The tees and fairways were lush. There are a few areas on the course you want to avoid -- especially the right side of the par 5 #2 hole, which is all dirt and dead trees and not cleared out yet. There is also quite a bit of thick high grass bordering the fairways on some of the back nine holes where errant shots go to die. I did not use the practice facilities but I did notice they have a uniquely elevated driving range. The clubhouse and restaurant are top notch and when the COVID restrictions ease, it's a great spot for your 19th hole gatherings as it overlooks the 9th and 18th greens. And check out their rates -- this course is value-priced with a 5 star layout and great conditions. I can't wait to get back and try this one again! Read The Review
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- "Great course"
I have not played this course in forever, back when there wasn't a clubhouse and they had a trailer. And the green on #1 was on the other side of the pond behind the present location of the green. It may have even been last century. I hadn't gone back because it wasn't in the best shape then but reading some reviews on here recently made me try again. And I'm glad I did.
The course was in excellent shape, and it is much more open than I remember it. Lots of trees have been removed which I'm sure has helped improve the condition. This is still a course where you must position yourself well and was just as hilly as I remember. If you can't control your ball well, you will lose a bunch of balls even with all of the tree removal.
But the tees, greens and fairways were in fantastic shape, except for the common area between 15 and 16 as all of the rain this winter and spring may have contributed to it.
The only drawback was pace of play (nearly 5:10) on a very hot day. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
First time out to Chuckie T. in about 4 years, and I wasn't disappointed. It was my first time playing their new greens and they were in phenomenal shape. Most of the rest of the course was similarly good. The back nine was nearly perfect as far as conditions go. The front 9 was very good, just not quite as nice as the back nine. Not a complaint, but just an observation. The greens rolled true and there weren't many ball marks to be found. Fairways were good with only isolated issues. Tee boxes were lush. Bunkers had a good amount of sand in them. The wide fairways and lack of rough make this a great course for all skill levels. Fairway bunkers are shallow and allow ease of escape. Greenside bunkers are much more challenging, as is the rough surrounding the greens. Pace of play was OK. Our twosome motored around the back nine (went off 10 first), but caught up to groups on #3 and it was hit and wait from that point forward. Cart fleet is showing its age, but are decent enough. Practice areas were well maintained. Staff was friendly and courteous. Course is taking COVID precautions seriously and encourages online payment and check-in. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Fort Mill is in very good condition. Fairways are lush. Rough has a few wear spots that generally do not impact play. Greens are almost fully healed from aeration and rolled good all day, with very consistent speed. Very classic layout, and one of my favorite summer courses for years. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
This is always one of my favorite courses, great layout with a good variety of holes. Tees, fairways and the one bunker I was in were all in very good shape, but the big surprise to me was the greens. Not that they weren't good, but it seems a lot of the people who play there must all have back problems. The greens had tons of unfixed ball marks, especially on the front portions of the greens. Had a few putts that bounced off the marks, and that is not the fault of the superintendent let me make that clear. Putts that did not hit any marks rolled very smoothly, I just had a little difficulty reading them but that's just me. Again, always an enjoyable round there. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Tee to green in excellent shape. An number of holes have hard-pan dirt off the fairways and some first cut, but this has pretty much always been the case. Greens had been aerated fairly recently but were rolling well and in another week should be darn near perfect. Great layout and not an easy one by any means. Donald Ross designed front nine and George Cobb designed back nine, 'nuf said. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
This course just never lives up to the price or hype. Greens were soaking wet, soft and slow. Pace was bad even though it was the suggested pace of play. Staff was pissy all day. Just an overrated course in general. Play it if you like, avoid if not. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Tega Cay is in great shape. Tee boxes, fairway, rough, and sand all very well maintained and conditioned. Greens rolled great, with consistent speed all day. Superb pace of play, as well, on a Saturday mid-morning. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Apparently I am just following around the B-Man. And I tend to agree with him. If you enjoy the layout of the Divide, now is the time to get out there. The course is pretty decent for the price.
Greens are running a little slow for my tastes, but putts roll on line. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
One of the best values in the area, especially if you live in south Charlotte. The greens were aerated around 10 days ago but are already at 95% and were rolling fine. Staff is friendly as always, and we got around in around 4:45 hours, but the course was packed (not a single space in parking lot) and really the flow was fine so it didn't feel like 5 hours (no long waiting).
My ONLY complaint and I am probably nit-picking here. This course has a TON of bunkers, which I don't mind. But they keep the fairway bunkers fluffy and thick just like a green-side bunker, versus the traditional firmer sand of most courses. Makes it pretty difficult to hit a fairway bunker shot effectively (if you hit down, ball goes nowhere). This easily cost me several strokes and was annoying. Add this up with no rakes and you drew some pretty crap breaks. Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
Staff & Pace of play was very good despite the course being packed. Outstanding greens rolled very quick and true, fairways freshly mowed, rough wasn't too long yet. Its a great Dan Maples design with multi-tiered greens and country club like course conditions. First time I have player in several years and will be back very soon! One of the finest public tracks in #CLTGolf Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
My annual round at The Divide to see how things look. My take: much better than it's been. In fact, if you like this course (I'm kinda ehh about it), now's the time to play it. This is the best shape it's been in for years and the summer heat has only just started. So the greens should be decent for another month or so. The course was green and lush (look for the pics on my Instagram) with only a few issues of note. The greens had no issues. There weren't even any ball marks to complain about. The greens are soft and a few were slower than others but mostly they were just fine. The fairways and rough weren't cut to my liking, a little furry creating some poor lies. A few greens had some muddy unplayable spots just off the collar. This course will always have trouble with some of the shadier spots. Hard to keep those greens and surrounds in good shape (#3, #4, #16 in particular). The other thing I noticed is that they've done away with the Gold tees (back set). The tees themselves are mostly intact except for a few that were not kept up, but no sign of the Gold tee markers on any hole. That makes this course not really one for long hitters. You already can't hit driver on many holes from the Blue tees. Also this is not a course for beginners or hackers. Lots of trouble off the tee with O.B. as the course winds through a neighborhood and then woods, shrubs and little creeks. You will lose many golf balls if you are wild off the tee or misjudge distance to trouble. So I'm not really a fan of this course. I wish I was as it is 5 minutes away. The price was decent ($33 for a weekday twilight) but on a regular basis I'd hit Charlotte National, Stonebridge, Monroe or Red Bridge instead of The Divide. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Last week was Charlie Sifford's birthday (June 2) and it reminded me I hadn't been out here to the course named in his honor in quite some time. Fun to be back. Sifford is a cool little par 35, 9 hole track that also hosts the First Tee of Charlotte -- there was a clinic going on as we teed off. The course is not long at all -- though the par 4 opening hole can almost reach 400 yards from the back tee. The rest of the holes give you options to cut corners -- especially #5 and #8, which are drivable for players who can hit high fades over trees. The two par 3's are not easy either -- #3 has a bunker protecting the right half of the putting surface and #7 is a long downhill shot to a large two tiered green. The closing par 5 requires a carry over a ditch for your tee shot then a careful uphill approach that can't miss left or right. It's an inexpensive, quick 9 hole trip. The course was in lush shape tee to green. The greens were not fast at all but rolled true. So get the speed down and it was fine. I'll be back for another 9 holes again soon. Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
Skybrook is BACK! This course is in perfect condition. The new greens look great (Little fast/tough to figure out as first, evidenced by my +7 start on first 5 holes with several 3-putts) but once you get them figured out they roll smooth and true. Just cut everything in half and hit less club in.
There is a reason it's virtually impossible to find a weekend tee-time here without booking well in advance. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Finally got out to play Warrior this past weekend. First impression was awesome- loved the drive in through the country, and the course seemed pretty open. Driving range was decent, but the grass was pretty inconsistent (I wish people understood how divot patterns on driving ranges work, and why they are good for the turf). Practice green was pretty true to the course, which was slow and really, really grainy. 4 foot putts would slide 8-12 inches on some holes. The rest of the course was good- I liked the layout alot (except for number 7 and the grass tees), and thought it was a really fun round.
I dont know if I will make it back anytime soon, however. The first 18 we played (10:40 tee time and teed off after 11) took nearly 4.5 hours compared to just over 3 hours for the second 18. No ranger on the course, no starter on the first tee and no cart girls. On the 16th hole, there were 4 groups waiting on the tee box while one was on the green finishing out. FOUR GROUPS! Its just wild to see it get so backed up and no attempt to fix it. Stinks, because its a fun course otherwise. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
I get it is a muni. But for $10-20 more for a round I'll play elsewhere. Greens were shaggy/slow, layout is goofy. No transition areas.
Bunkers were surprisingly decent. A few cool holes. I'd love to see Charlotte have a great muni like Torrey or Coronado or Bethpage. But none of them are close to being repeat rounds for me. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Mooresville comes in at #4 on my recently published Top 10 list for Charlotte and this round validated that ranking. The layout is fun and challenging. The greens are tough but fair and the price is right. Just a well maintained course and great bang for the buck. Today, conditions were very good. Tees and fairways are lush and full with very few issues due to the rain. The greens were not as fast as I've seen them here but they were rolling true. It was still cart path only today but I heard that should change tomorrow. The path restriction meant we couldn't use the GPS on the carts today but it's a nice feature when you can drive to your ball. It's two to a cart now and there were sand bottles on the carts. So some of the restrictions are easing up. This course has a nice practice area for your warm-up. I really like the front nine. It's easily walkable and has two reachable par 5's. The back nine is a little trickier and has three of each par 3, par 4 and par 5s, which is unique for Charlotte. The only issues today were some ground under repair on #1 where the rains have washed out some areas that just have sand right now and also around the green on #11. Those issues were isolated but I found both areas with my approaches and had to take relief. This is a great course and if you have never played it, take a trip up 77 and check it out. Read The Review
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