- "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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- "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"
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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- "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"
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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- "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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- "Worth playing"
Tradition is in good shape. Greens were rolling good, above average speed and no issues. They are not quick, mind you. Fairways, tees and bunkers were all fine. Off of those and it's just okay, which is what Tradition is, in my opinion. It's a good course and worth playing when it is in good shape like it's in now. However, it will never be one of my favorites. You have almost no chance to find a ball that veers off course. So much thick brush and trees and little creeks on every hole. It's easy to lose balls if you are not keeping the ball near the fairway (can you tell I had a rough day off the tee?). So I wouldn't recommend this course for a beginner or high handicapper. Not because the course is that difficult - it's got several great scoring opportunities for better players - just because it isn't that fun to play when you are losing a ball and having no option to play another shot on so many holes. I'm sure if I played here more I would get used to it and know which holes to be conservative off the tee. Let's just say this course isn't very forgiving. And the $46 price for a weekday morning is no bargain. That said, the round played swiftly as far as pace and the experience itself was good. Tradition is using upside hole cups and they didn't affect play. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
$31 was after sharing a Buy one/Get one coupon. Not really a BOGO as you still have to pay a $20 cart fee, but still better than the current $42 rate. (Side note: Many courses have raised their prices, I think because they are setting 15 +/- minute tee time intervals instead of the usual 8 or so minutes. So the typical $25 round at the likes of Traditon, Emerald Lake, Divide, etc. are now almost twice that). Tradition is in fine shape. Fairways are filling in well and the greens, fairly recently aerated, are rolling true. The cups are turned upside down, so the ball doesn't fall below the lip and everyone gets their own cart (at no additional fee). Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Overall the course was in good shape. Wet in spots, but 90* rule was in place. Everyone took their own carts, and the range was shut down due to state/county mandate. Greens are in good shape- playing early helps as you avoid alot of spike marks later in the day. Bunkers are in decent shape, some wetter than others but still playable. Worth playing, but not the best in the area. Booked on Wednesday and still had most of the tee times open. Asked in the pro shop Saturday and they said any two some that books will likely not be paired with anyone- so that can limit some tee times. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
First time playing this course and overall I was impressed. Booked the tee time Thursday afternoon and got a 9am tee time on a day the weather was supposed to turn really nice, so I was slightly worried that this course wasn't going to be very good. I was wrong. Course was pretty green and in good shape. The bent grass greens are in good shape, but some idiot in a group in front of us was tearing them up with his/her spikes. Made it tough to put. Overall, worth the price. Good course and will play again soon. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
So since I use these review so much, I determined to start writing my own. Why I have the three worst scores in a row of all year as soon as I do is embarassing.
Tradition is in great shape. The greens are in excellent condition, a bit slower than they look but receptive a roll true. Some of the old Tradition broccoli is still in the fringe but it looks like they figured out how to hold it back. Fairways are all in great shape and most all tee boxes are as well with the exeption of #15 which has almost none for some reason.
Seems Pinnacle Properties is doing a pretty good job of turning around the likes of Birkdale, Skybrook, Tradition, etc. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
First time playing this course. Played with my wife and another couple we know. All of us loved the course and lay-out, fair but not to tough for us average golfers. We all thought the course was in great summer conditions. Greens a little slow , but that is expected. Fairways overall in great shape and rough not too long. We will be back soon. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Greens were just punched 10 days prior to our round and were mostly fine, just a little on the slow side still. No major issues and they will probably be in good shape with another week where they can cut 'em faster. Most of the tee boxes were spotty, but fairways and bunkers were in good shape. We played on the last day of the $25 aeration deal and it was a great value. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
I would say 75% of the greens are in decent shape. The other 25% had bumpy patches or were bare. Fairways were extremely bare, tee boxes were good for the most part. We booked a 1:20 tee time and didn't tee off until 1:40ish. The starter was pairing people together to create foursomes but it was a waste of time. There would be a one or two some mixed in. There was also no ranger to help speed up play. We had a group constantly hit into us when there was a four some in front of us. At one point a single (with his girl in the cart) drove in front of us while we were on the green. We then had to wait for him on the next 2 holes. They need someone out there to control the pace of play Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Course was in excellent condition. Only complaints would be about the greens on the first couple of holes. A couple of them had crab grass coming through that would interfere with putts. After about hole 4 the greens were in great shape. Course was very wet from the recent rain but was still playable. Very impressed with how far this course has come from a couple of years ago. I did have some complaints about the starter/ clubhouse. We teed off about 20 minutes late due to them being behind. There were multiple 4 somes in front of us but behind us there was 4 consecutive groups of 2 somes. They should have paired them up with each other so we didn't feel rushed, even if we let them play through they would have had no were to go. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Hadn't played in over a month, so I was not dissuaded from trying The Tradition even after having been warned that their greens were still in poor condition (seems they have not recovered from the summer heat and dry spell). But course management is up front about it, and are currently offering discounted rates to encourage play. Not all, but a good number, of the greens are affected, and they did present real problems for putting, especially for my playing partners who experienced obviously bumpy rolls and one, 45-degree angle carom. Players are invited to deal with the situation by limiting recorded putting strokes to a maximum of 2, re-positioning balls on the green when a significantly poor putting surface becomes an issue, or whatever accommodation you and your playing partners consider appropriate. The conditions did NOT spoil my outing. There was one, unusual hazard on the 17th - a coyote, that ambled off after we all had hit our tee shots, one of which carried right over the animal's head while it was stretched out in front of the fairway bunker. The only discouraging thing from my round was the fact that I did not achieve my goal of breaking 80 (didn't expect to after the layoff and the condition of the greens), but had insult added to injury when my 14-year old playing partner shot under par! Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
The greens are in distress (heat), but the pro shop was up front about it when I called for a tee time, and they discounted the green fees accordingly. I wish that I could say that the abundance of near misses and lip-out putts that I experienced were due to the conditions, but I'm not sure that is completely true. For the most part, balls rolled true even on the most affected greens. The fairways had been cut recently, and some of them had obviously clumps/collections of clippings. The worst part of the course was the rough wherein even the first cut was a little long and made finding the ball rather difficult (I played through a couple of foursomes who shared that same sentiment, and apologized for their resultant slower play). Unfortunately, I found a couple of bunkers in my round, but the clean, fluffy sand allowed me to look like a pro in getting the ball out (bunker conditions are one of my usual gripes, and in my opinion, The Tradition course is currently one of the better ones in this regard). All in all, the round was definitely a good deal/bargain for the reduced rate. Read The Review
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- "Average"
Played The Tradition for the first time in just under 2 years on Monday. I played in the late afternoon and the course was virtually empty. A few twosomes or singles here and there, but that was about it. The teeboxes were OK. Some were shaggier than others. Fairways were in great shape, as the bermuda has thrived in the hot weather this summer. The rough is thick and lush. A shot just a couple of yards off the fairway is in hack it out territory. The bent grass greens are starting to struggle. I'm puzzled at how a course that is basically cut out of trees only has fans on 1 hole. The greens still rolled fairly well, but the grass was beginning to die in several places on each hole. They were actually punching the 13th green as I was playing. Bunkers were hit or miss; some in better shape than others. What really struck me were some of the ancillary things; bunker rakes with missing handles and a good number of the pins were broken to the point where the flag itself had slid 1/4 of the way down from the top.
The staff was friendly. I didn't use the range or putting green. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Always enjoy Tradition, especially when I drive it straight. Course is in very good shape.The greens were firm and had good speed. Bunkers well maintained, fairways and tees green and lush and the staff friendly and accomadating. It was a good day, I'll be back. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Great course, nice layout and back to being in good condition. Greens are in really good shape like all the other trail courses. Bunkers and fairways are being worked on which is a good sign. It should be in really good shape this fall if they keep up the good work. Looks like the management is working on the tee boxes the least on all the courses. This course was no exception and the tee boxes needed some work done. Good deal if you have the Queen City Passport. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Last played here in early May, fairways & tees much improved. Had a chance to speak with the superintendent briefly on the 7th tee and was informed that they had recently resoded 7 tees. Winter kill areas in fairways were heeling as well. The greens were as good as you can get and the bunkers were raked and edged. Second time playing Tradition in over 2 years sense the new management took over, I like what I saw. Definitely be back. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Played Tradition with some old friends on Saturday morning. We had two groups and played best ball in our groups. So I'll couch this review with the caveat that I probably did not get to sample conditions outside of the tees, fairways and greens. It seems like many of the reviews I've read on the site recently have remarked that tee boxes are torn up. I can't remember the last review or even the last round I've played where the tee boxes were any better than average with many in bad shape. Why is it so difficult to maintain grass tee boxes? The ones at Tradition were hit and miss but the majority were spotty, making it difficult to find a good tee spot. The fairways were the big problem, though. Many of them, I'd say more than half, were 50% dead grass -- like the course had "lost" them. So the lies were bare, like hitting off of dirt in many cases. It struck me as very odd. Weather has been pretty favorable recently, but it doesn't look like the fairways are coming back anytime soon. The greens, in contrast, were quite good. I didn't notice any significant issues and my team was able to make putts on just about every green (we birdied 14 of 18 holes!). Putts rolled true with good speed. Overall, I had a good time. The beverage cart made the rounds several times during our play. The pro shop, snack bar and rangers were all nice and helpful. I also like the layout here. The strange poor condition of the fairways and tees just puzzled me. Last comment -- I bought the Queen City Pass for $50 since the first round was free -- this was actually $5 cheaper than paying the $55 fee for a Saturday morning round! You get $10 rack rate and other discounts. So it's a good deal for the former Carolina Trail courses. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Finally played here after 1.5 years and I'm amazed how much a new ownership changes a course. The last time I came here, I decided never to play a Trail course again. I really like what the new management is doing with the trail courses. Tee boxes, fairways and greens are in excellent shape. Some greens needed help and lots of fresh sod around the fairways. There was a downpour the morning before we played so the bunkers were soaked with standing water in many of them. All in all, great improvements around the course and I will definitely recommend playing here. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Based on the reviews I've seen of this and other former CT courses, I decided to give The Tradition a shot after not playing here for close to 10 years. I teed off just after noon on Thursday. There couldn't have been more than 10 cars in the parking lot. There was a twosome immediately in front of me on the front, but after passing them at the turn, I didn't see anyone else on the back. The course was in fairly good condition. Fairways had plenty of grass on them, and rough was thick in spots. The greens were in great shape for the most part. I saw a small bare patch here and there on a couple of greens, but they rolled pretty well for me. They do suffer the public golf scourge of people not fixing ball marks. Bunkers were well taken care of and had ample sand in them. Didn't hit range balls, but it looked as if they had fairly new range balls. I'll definitely come back to The Tradition, and if the new management company is making the same progress at the other former CT courses, I'll check those out, too. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Havent been here in about 2 years because of how bad it was before. Hole 7 had a rough spot on the green but the pin made sure it wasn't in play. Honestly this is in great shape. The only reason i said Good instead of Perfect is because of lazy golfers that don't fix their ball marks. Tee boxes were great, fairways perfect and greens in excellent condition. Greens rolled true and were soft. Bunkers were also great but a couple I noticed had some wall damage, or they were collapsed. Other then that they were raked and playable. Would recommend this course again! Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
First time back since Carolina Trail exited. I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised by the course conditions. Tee boxes were good, fairways were ok, the greens were surprisingly good considering they are 1. bent grass in the middle of summer and 2.Tradition is a muni. They do have some other type of grass on them in some spots, so they can be a bit 2-paced, but they are mostly consistent, and roll well enough overall. No ranger out but we moved along at a good pace. The only disappointment was that there was no beer cart in sight, and it was a scorching summer afternoon with no threat of rain. So they definitely cost themselves some money there. But I recommend supporting this course again as I have always enjoyed the layout (hang on for your life for the first 4 holes...then it gets much easier after that). A good value at $40 or less Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
I agree with 4amigos review for the same day of play with respect to conditions. I found the greens to be bumpy and pock-marked but, in all honesty, don't believe that affected scoring as putts seemed to roll true. The greatest challenge, as other's have noted (and as an employee in the pro shop opined, "The course is very tight".) is to hit it straight. That was my, personal, problem - hit 10 of 14 fairways, but hit too many erratic shots after leaving the tee. Hopefully, with the first day of Spring now gone by, course conditions will improve. I'm willing to give it another shot. The Yardage Guide is a good value ($1.86), but is not all that necessary for this relatively straightforward course. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
Bunkers were in good shape and the fairways were acceptable for winter. The greens were almost unplayable. Lots of damage,extensive bare spot. Putt bounced and wobbled on almost every green. They have not aerated or sanded which would have been an improvement over the existing conditions.
Tee boxes did not have much grass either. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
Tee boxes pretty bad, greens in terrible shape. Had a lot of dead spots, and as others have commented, the players themselves are to blame. I repaired at least 5 ball marks on every green. The greens were really soft because they'd been watered. My score was high because I played from the tips on the front side for fun and shot 59. Sand traps looked good, but when you got in them, there was just a thin layer of sand, so it was like hitting from a bare lie. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
Overall I give it a C grade. Greens had issues with sand and marks. Not many true rolls at all. Tee boxes were below average also. I have never been a huge fan of this course but I tried it again. I would have never played it if I didn't buy the Carolina Trail special early in the year. Pace of play was 5 hours. LONG, long round. If you have other options, take them first. My next reive will either be Verdict Ridge or Warrior. Keep you all posted Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Went out early Sunday morning and the pace of play was great. The greens were ok - I imagine they will be getting better as the weather cools off - a lot of unfixed ballmarks though. The biggest complaint that I have is that there is no indication of pin placement. The greens are deep and many are elevated so you can't tell where the in is. Normally it does not hurt me much but it can mean a 2 or even 3 club difference. Also, the tee boxes could of used a pass with the mower - very fluffy. The rest of the conditions were typical for Carolina Trail courses. Check out the algae growth on the lake in front of the club house - it is impressive. You may be able to walk on it. Read The Review
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- "Below average"
I guess this is average for Trail courses, which means pretty bad by usual standards. My playing partner commented that the greens were easily the worst we have played on this year - pocked marked with ball marks, bumpy, poa anna, bare spots. Fairways were fine, rough high but fair, teeboxes hard but OK. Pretty unlikely I'm going to play anymore Trail courses after I finish Birkdale and Skybrook on my $129 card Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
First time playing this course and I wasn't disappointed. Course seemed to be in good shape for this time of the year. Tee Boxes and greens were in excellent shape. Fairways are basically dormant for this time of the year, which makes finding the ball a bit difficult. Roughs chewed up a few of our balls today. Only gripe about the course were the bunkers. Atleast 5-7 of the bunkers had stagnant water. Very few bunker had real sand. Also, did not appreciate the 5 hr pace. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
Played this course today and once again got chased off by weather. However, we made it to the 16th hole today so it wasn't that bad. The fairways are pretty chewed up in spots, but it is a public course and it gets its share of traffic. No issues there. The greens are indeed a bit beat up as the previous reviewer stated, but its not all that bad. I managed to 2 putt most of them from various distances. I might care more if I were a better golfer, but I'm not there yet.
My main issue arose when we were leaving due to the storm. They shouldn't be letting people go out when a heavy storm with severe lightning has been sighted near by within a mile or so. Where I come from some places would send rangers out to round people up. Sure, golf at your own risk, but you can't be letting people start off or play through the back nine just because they want to tough it out. Administratively that is just irresponsible. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
First time I have played here and I really enjoyed it. Tee box and fairways were in good condition. The greens are soft, fast and a little beat up but they are better then a lot of the courses on the Carolina Trail. Keep the ball in the fairway and you will have a good day. Mounds on the edge of the fairways will shoot any missed tee shots into the rough or woods and they are gone because both are thick.
Only complaint is the pace of play. We had to wait on every tee and approach shot because the course was backed up. Longest round I have ever played and started at 1pm.
They also have a good chicken salad sandwich and some "talent" on the beverage cart. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
It has been a few years since I have played the Tradition because I never felt it was well conditioned. Well, while conditions were not perfect they were better than some other courses I have played recently. The tees and fairways were in good shape. The greens were ok - definitely chewed up due to the soft conditions. They rolled pretty quick and very bouncy. (I guess this is the time of year to search out mini-verde greens.) The traps were a mess possibly because of overnight rain - but I doubt it. Pace of play was slow partly because of cart path only. Overall, pleasantly surprised - probably because I had low expectations. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
I'm not a huge fan of the layout of this course, but everything was pretty good. The greens and rough were looking good. A couple spots in the fairway needed some attention.
I think this is a solid course, but it's not very hard and is basically a bunch of holes that are straight. Read The Review
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