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- "Bad, stay away"
As I understand they are closing down the course at the end of this season, there is still is no excuse. After reading comments that the course has significant construction throughout, I followed up by calling into the club house to hear first hand. The staff did not fully describe how bad the construction actually is. There is some type of pipeline being run through the entire course almost toughing every other hole. This mud path is 20ft across and extremely affects holes 1,10,11,12,18 to the point of being un-playable. Needless to say I will not be back, and I would think the course would deeply discount their prices due how bad these conditions are. I use to really enjoy this course, it sucks they are closing. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
I'm giving it 3 stars because the greens are in excellent shape. They are digging sewer lines in through much of the course, so several holes are affected. There are ditches and netting/tarps across # 1 Fairway, #10 end of fairway, beginning of 12th hole (tee boxes are pushed up); 17 in front of the pond and 18 is now a par 3. Some of the bunkers had hard clay/dirt in them instead of fluffy sand. Luckily it was only $25 to play on a Sunday. Any more than that it would not be a very good value. Staff is always friendly, however the dress code is severely relaxed. Jeans, t-shirts and even a flannel shirt was spotted. Read The Review
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- "Average"
Larkhaven did not overseed this year and the fairways are dried grass and thin. Bunkers in need of sand. Greens are good and fast, but you can't hold a shot. A friend had a 12ft downhill putt, missed and had 60 feet coming back. When it greens up it will be much better with some bunker work. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
My first time back at the Lark since they put in the new(ish) greens. This is such a quirky course. The most unique starting hole in all of Charlotte - I hit 8 iron, 9 iron on the short, uphill par 4. The greens can be maddening now for two reasons - they don't hold approach shots at all and they are silly fast. I saw 3 putts from within 15 feet go right off the green. Bounces everywhere are random and often penalizing - fairway, rough, green, everywhere. Tee boxes were not in great shape either. And the course was packed and play was slow. So overall, I'm not a huge fan of this course. For a short notice round on a Saturday morning though, the $34 price was a good value. Read The Review
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- "Average"
I haven’t played this course in almost 3 years, but decided to give it a try in spite of the somewhat less than stellar review posted by GinMillDJ on July 31. Unfortunately, the course condition hasn’t changed since his review. Tee boxes were ragged and sparse, and the fairways were so-so (and noticeably narrow). Most of the bunkers were damp and firm, and almost all of them had weeds in the lips (and even a few had weeds growing in the near-center area). The greens are in good shape, but VERY fast and DO NOT hold approach shots at all. This presented a real problem for all in my group – it was impossible to hit a normal approach shot with any hope of the ball staying on the green, and we all started to try to land the ball just short of the green such that it could softly/slowly roll to the hole. The latter strategy was unsuccessful, and most attempts landed short and stayed short of the green! I also agree that the price ($25 Senior rate) was very reasonable, and helped to assuage some of the irritation about the greens. Bottom line opinion: there are worse courses in the Charlotte area, and there are many that are better, right now. If you want good opportunities for scoring go elsewhere, but if you enjoy a reasonably pleasant outing on a warm summer day for less than $30, try Larkhaven. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
The only redeeming feature was the greens and the price. Greens were spectacular. Staff is always friendly as well. Fairways were really chewed up, and there were significant bare patches of dirt and weeds. Tee boxes were in horrendous shape, especially 9. That's a shame because 9 is such a pretty hole. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
First time at Larkhaven. LOVE the miniverde greens. Great roll and ball marks don't damage them much at all. Tee boxes were good, rough and fairways were dry in some spots due to the heat but the course was in overall good condition. Only issues with the course is the layout itself. Blue tees were nearly unfair on holes 11 and 12 with the angles they provided to hit the shot. 18 is a cool finishing hole, but I could do without 1, little gimmicky for my liking. They overseed in the winter so I'll definitely be back in November-March. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Larkhaven is in great shape. Fairways and tee boxes really good. New greens can be very fast downhill, but roll really well. The problem was that pin placements were impossible, leading to a couple of 4 putts. If you missed the hole you went 15-20 ft. past with no hope of stopping it. This happened to me and on the way back I left my putt about 6 inches short and it rolled back to my feet. It was described as "gooney golf" by a player in our group. Otherwise a great place to play on one of my favorites. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
The greens were great. Haven't played here in 5 years because the greens were always horrible. Now that being said it's too bad the rest of the course is just average or maybe they are getting ready to overseed. Tee boxes were barren. #9 gold was a beach. The rest patchy at best. Fairways were very thin and lots of weeds except for a few holes but it would have been nice to hit from some grass. That's why I tried to play from the rough. Bunkers were soft. $26 was a great deal but I think the rest of east charlotte showed up. Must have been a full tee sheet on a wed and it played like it. 4 hours for a twosome is too long. Waited on every shot. It may be another year or 2 before I go back and play, in the afternoon. Always hated the first hole with it next to the clubhouse and the loud social hour that commences behind you while you tee off. Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
The new Mini Verde Greens were Great!!! We were very surprised at how well the approach shots were holding and lack of grain. They were not to hard or firm at all and rolled great. Also they are not grainy like many of the other courses with Mini Verde Greens in Charlotte. I am one of those who always said "If Larkhaven only had good greens" too, so I am very happy. They rolled excellent, nothing bumping off line at all and very consistent speed. The rest of the course is in good shape as well and they will overseed the fairways and Tee boxes this winter. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Larkhaven is open again. I remember years back saying, "If only they had good greens"....well, they do now! They have replaced them with the new mini-verde, and they are GREAT!!!!
If you haven't played it since they reopened, go do it, you won't be disappointed. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
New greens roll well, Not too fast or slow. The pins were in some tough spots today, you could roll way past if you were just a little too hard. I only left one ball mark though, so they are hard. I didn't hold the ball as I usually do. Fairways thin in spots, as usual. Traps looked good, but I never hit out of one. Had fun and enjoyed Larkhaven as usual. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Course is usually a perfect with 5 stars. It was a little beat up but with the amount of play this course gets it's not surprising. They are closing to re do the greens after business on June 8. Current greens were not as good as they usually are but that is understanable. Still a great course and very friendly staff. Looking forward to see what the course is like after being closed to put in new greens, the time off should let the course grow in very nice. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
I hope it takes the four stars that I rated it. The course was amazing. I take away a star because it wasn't perfect, but it was awful close. The course is unique, no two holes are alike. It makes you think from start to finish and rewards smart, accurate play. It's a beautiful course. I wish the greens were a little faster (I three-putted for bogey four times on the front nine) but I understand they are upgrading those later this summer. I'm from the coast of NC and really enjoyed the intelligent use of the terrain and the challenge it provided. I hope to be back before the greens are upgraded just so I can have so much fun again. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
While the course is not very difficult it is a great course to play. Fairways were almost perfect, green and very well kept. The greens were great but had minor issues. It looked like the pin placements could have been changed to avoid little spots. All greens were in good shape and very green, couple had burns on the fringe. Tee boxes were in great shape and had plenty of grass, not spotty at all. Course is trying to grow in rough and it is finally coming in but it is still mainly weeds. Great course to play and very good conditions!! Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Played Larkhaven today. It had rained a bunch about 1 and 1/2 hours before our tee time and we had to do cart path only, but the good news was we only did it for nine holes. Fairways and greens are excellent. Pace of play was OK, but there was a 5-some in front of us. They slowed us up some. Pace maybe was closer to 5 hours because we started earlier than our tee time. I would highly recommend this course in it's current shape. Played with my son and he was astounded by how good it was. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
As others have noted, the greens and fairways were great, but the pace of play not so great. The 4-1/2 hours seemed much longer. The course was crowded what with this being a truly great, Spring day, and that contributed to the slowdown (However, it extended to the pro shop activities as well, and it took 4 phone calls over the space of an hour to get anyone, or anything, to answer the phone). A yardage book was a good deal at $2, but playing with experienced, long-time patrons obviated the need for one. A good, and fair, course that rewards good shots and does not unnecessarily penalize for not so good shots. I will definitely play it again. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
For the time of year and icy conditions the day before, this course was in great shape. The rough was dormant and a little soggy but you aren't supposed to be there in the first place but still playable from there. The fairways and greens were all green and very well kept. I was very impressed with this course for the price that they charged Read The Review
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- "Below average"
Thought I would take a chance on Larkhaven since a recent review was kind. Bad choice. I was not impressed. There are some good holes here from a challenge and risk/reward perspective but the course conditions give you all sorts of bad lies, bad bounces and difficult putts. So you might shoot 80 and you might shoot 95, depending on your luck. The first hole is the quirkiest one in all of Charlotte -- you can either try your shot at driving the green (it's about 250) or you can hit wedge-wedge. As for conditions, most of the tee boxes were terrible. Fairways were fifty-fifty at best, some okay, some no different from the rough. I do like the bunkers -- nice fluffy sand. Most of the greens were fine -- though the speed is tough to get used to (super slow on anything uphill and average speed downhill). Some had several bare spots. In particular, I was most disappointed with #9. It's supposed to be this picturesque downhill, over water, long par 3, but the tee had no grass at all, just bare dirt. And the green was one of those with bare spots. There are so many quirky holes here -- like #4 with a severely sloped fairway and a perched green. Overall, I was not impressed and won't be back anytime soon. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Wow, night and freaking day. Last year I played this course this course mid summer and said to my friend that I probably wouldn't be back here. This was my first time playing this year and I am glad I picked Larkhaven. The fairways and greens were in amazing shape. I was completely shocked how great the conditions were. It rained, so the greens were slow. I decided to play this course again on Sunday. I felt like they cut the greens and they were ten times faster. The only problem was that on Sunday there were so many people that it took us near 5 hrs to finish. I think I will keep coming back here until the conditions turn to crap. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Played Larkhaven yesterday. This is the best public golf course in Charlotte right now. The rye grass is just as lush and green as can be. The course is always busy for that reason. Got an 11:16 tee time on a Tuesday and was lucky to get that. Happen to be golfing with a guy who was a member at a private club and he said most of that course’s member were golfing at Larkhaven for the time being. The tee boxes show some wear (obviously) the fairways are great and the greens are slow (because it got a full head of nice green grass) but not bad slow. Larkhaven doesn’t have a problem with you driving carts on the fairway but have lots of signs posted about not driving in the ruff. (Uh ok). Any way we played a round in 4 hours, we figured that is faster than you can get on a weekend there, because all of the bad golfers are out on weekends. My dad said it was like golfing in a picture, which I agree, after golfing on dormant golf courses all winter, it was fantastic. Too bad when the weather heats up real good all that rye grass is going to burn up, Larkhaven will probably go back to its normal self. (which I always felt was not as good as most other public golf courses) For now, Good Job Larkhaven!! Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
This winter Larkhaven has by far the best fairways, and some of the best greens. While most fairways are now brown and thin, theirs are somehow very green and lush. On a beautiful day with a morning frost delay and good rates, it was understandably crowded and backed up, our 12:58 group didn't tee off till 1:30 and we were on the 17th when it got too dark to see (turns out I play better when I can't see!).
Great variety of holes on the layout. My only complaint is that overscheduling seems to be chronic - I hadn't played there for several years because of that.
B-Man's Golf, IMO, is the best local guide to Charlotte golf, and I have enjoyed your reviews for several years, so thank you! Time to give back, so I finally registered and this is my first review. Read The Review
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- "Never going back"
I have wondered about "the Lark" for a while and finally played it. Goat track. For $43 you can play about a 5 courses around town that are better. Tee boxes were terrible. Fairways were mediocre. Greens on the front were terrible, only decent on the back. Traps mediocre. Glad I have seen it, and will not go back. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
The greens are struggling. However I did see 8-10 guys working all over the course. They said the greens are coming around and should be back to normal in the next couple of weeks.
The back 9 had nicer greens than the front by far.
One thing I really didn't understand is about the pin placements. IF you have a green that is 50/50 good/bad, why would you put the pin where the green is bare/sandy/junk when the back of the green is perfectly fine? This happened on almost every hole we played. I would use the good part of the green so people have a good putt instead of making people putt through the Plinko Board. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
Layout is great, Course is awful! The fairways and tee boxes were average but the greens were absolutely awful. They looked patchy and were not green at all. You could see the ground and dirt underneath them. On some greens there were plugs from punching them on or next to the green but on some there were not so I could never figure out if the greens had just been punched or were just ridiculously awful! They didn't look punched so I honestly don't know which it is. The clubhouse mentioned they were working on two of the greens so we couldn't even play one of the holes. They need to be working on more than just two of the greens! All in all, it was a fun day but a poorly conditioned golf course. It is the oldest in Charlotte and unfortunately it shows. I must say that the staff was extremely friendly though and the rangers did a great job moving people along. We never saw the group in front or behind us after the third hole. Last thing, their golf carts are gas and are extremely slow. For some reason they are extremely strict about driving in the rough and when and where you are allowed to enter and exit the fairway. A little annoying but not a big deal. In conclusion, if course was in as good of conditions as Springfield, I would be a regular golfer there; however, it is nowhere close so I will continue paying $25 for junior rate at Springfield until another course proves to me it is worthwhile me playing there consistently. Read The Review
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- "Average"
Tee boxes, Fairways and rough are in great shape...greens not so much. They are slow, bumpy and have barren patches all over them. I really enjoy the layout of this course, and if there greens were in better shape, I would play here every week. also, pace of play was SLOW. I played as a twosome, and it took us 5 hours to play. Waited for every shot. Went into the proshop at the turn to make the problem know, and was told that we were playing behind the owner. We passed him on the 14th hole(skipped the hole) and never saw another group in front of us. Unfortunately, it was a log jam behind us... Read The Review
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- "Great course"
I liked this place, but it is somewhat out of the way for me. The price makes it worth the drive. I'm playing there tomorrow and am somewhat nervous after reading the reviews about the greens. In the past 3-4 years of playing here, I thought the greens were crap. After playing there last month, I was very impressed with the improvement. I'm hoping tomorrow that they haven't lost them. Their fairways remind me of a lower tier course. It's just like hitting off a well mowed lawn. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
This course is truly a hidden gem. Fairways, greens, and tee boxes are in excellent shape....some of the best in the Charlotte area right now. The second cut and green fringe areas are very well maintained....again excellent. This is an older course, so you may get the occassional dirt patch in the rough but this is a very minor issue. Also, to me it's nice to play a course without houses stacked up side by side, as you will not find a single house on this course. Overall, a great layout with reachable par 5's and a beautiful finishing 18th....a very nice view from the clubhouse! Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Greens, fairways, and tee boxes in good shape, few if any problems. The rest looks like my backyard. For 28 bucks, you get a little more than what you pay for, but I like the old school feel to this place.
A few too many blind doglegs for my liking on the front 9, but on the back you can air it out nicely and see where you are going. Had an issue on 12 where the tee box is set left and requires you to play a draw to avoid trees that stick out. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
One of the few Charlotte courses that is still in good shape and not taken a hard beating from the heat. Greens were in good shape and well maintained, however they were hard and it was tough to keep the ball on the green on approach shots. Fairways look to have some wear from heat and play. Two of the holes were shortened. Hole 9 which is beautiful Par 3 over the pond was converted to a 90 yd chip shot. Could not drive on most fairways and some roughs, had to walk. Is-spite of having marshals driving around it still took us 5 hours to get through the round. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Played just the back 9, but it was enough to tell me the course is in good shape. The greens especially were consistent and good, with no bare spots like I've seen here sometimes. They rolled true. The only issue is that the greens here are generally slower than other area courses. I also still have trouble with the pin locations because the flag colors are all the same and there is no hole location info on the scorecard. Still, this is a nice value for the area. It was $14 for 9 holes walking this morning and $23 to ride 18 before 9am. That's a deal. Read The Review
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