- "Great course"
 First day of reopening at Revival after the greens replacement. Lots of other course work has taken place this summer as well. The greens are typical for new greens, still a little sandy and fairly firm. All 18 look to have taken the new grass well; I could find no issues with them. Elsewhere on the course, the tees and fairways were in the best shape I've ever seen at Revival. Bunkers were well manicured with PLENTY of sand in them. Lots of tree removal has also taken place: The right side of #2, between 12 and 13, between 14, 15, and 16, and to the right of 17 green/behind 8 green. The removal has opened up so much of the course. Hopefully it will help get air flow to the greens and other spots on the course that can get soggy and remain so over long stretches. Some downed trees from recent storms are also present, but not in areas of play. Read The Review
|
- "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
|
- "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
|
- "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
|
- "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
|
- "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
|
- "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
|
- "Great course"
 Played Stonebridge this morning before all the rain we're supposed to get this week. NOTE: They punched the front nine, so only the back nine is open and you are playing it twice. I imagine that they'll do the same to the back nine at some point in the next couple of weeks. The course was in great shape. Fairways have greened up nicely. Teeboxes were a little beat up in spots, but nothing terrible. Greens were in fantastic shape and rolled really, really well. I didn't hit into any bunkers, so I can't comment on those, other than to say they looked fine. Read The Review
|
- "Great course"
 Played Eagle Chase on Monday. They are implementing several SD measures: One person to a cart (optional). No one in the clubhouse unless to use restroom. No rakes, sandbottles, ballwashers, etc. The driving range is open.
The course itself is in decent shape. Teeboxes are mostly OK, with a few bare ones. Fairways have grass on them, but they are thin. Greens are in excellent shape. Bunkers are in good shape as well. The zoysia greens are extremely hard to read. A putt into the grain is like velcro, while a putt with the grain is very slick. They are doing some work on the path down to the 2nd green, so you actually cut across the white teebox on #2 and then use part of the path coming down from #4 tee. Everyone started on #10 the day we played; don't know if that's the case each day or not. Read The Review
|
- "Worth playing"
 Played Larkin today. They were observing some social distancing rules (max 5 people in the clubhouse at any one time, no pencils on the carts), but at the same time they still had bunker rakes out and divot bottles on the carts. Construction continues along 11, 12 and 15. It's a shame, as the 12-15 stretch down in the valley used to be a neat little secluded part of the course, but the houses are now encroaching on that. We were sent off the back as they were doing some maintenance on the front. They were topdressing the greens on the front, but the sand didn't affect the greens at all. Greens were in fairly good shape, not the best I've seen around this spring, but certainly acceptable. Fairways were in great shape, as were most teeboxes. A couple of boxes in shady areas were a little thin. The bunkers were probably the worst aspect of the course. The sand was hard packed in most of them. Pace of play was good; our twosome made it around in 3:10. Read The Review
|
- "Great course"
Warrior is greening up nicely. Teeboxes are OK. Some are better than others. Fairways are good. Greens and surrounds are phenomenal. The new greens are a little over two years old now, and seem to be better each time I play there. Bunkers have good sand in them and are maintained well. Carts have on-board GPS.
Course is allowing one person per cart now. All amenities are still open. Read The Review
|
- "Worth playing"
Just a quick note on Revival/Crescent: They are using temp greens on the front 9 for another week or two as they perform maintenance on greens. You can either play the temps on the front, or play the back 9 twice. Back nine greens are phenomenal. Rest of the course continues to get better and better each time I go as well. Read The Review
|
|
- "Worth playing"
 Played Birkdale this afternoon. Tees and fairways are in decent shape. Some bunkers are better than others. Greens are showing the stress of the summer heat. Lots of bare spots and bumps that throw your ball offline. Also not a lot of consistency in speed from green to green. The starter told me that the club will close this Fall to re-grass their greens with bermuda. Also, at some point in the future, they are going to build a hotel and shops on the land where the driving range currently sits. This project will also take out the 9th tee and fairway. That hole will be converted to a par 3. Read The Review
|
- "Worth playing"
 Played Sifford/Revolution in the heat this afternoon. Conditions were fairly good from tee to green. Tee boxes were a touch on the long side, but nothing too bad. Fairways had plenty of grass on them. Green surrounds were in excellent shape. The greens themselves were in great shape but were on the shaggy side. Bunkers were good. Pace of play was fine on a weekday afternoon. Read The Review
|
- "Below average"
Hadn't been to Birkdale in quite some time, and it will probably be a while before I go back. Course was not crowded at all on a nearly 80° day, which should've been the first clue. Had a coupon and it's a good thing, as the rack rate of $49 would have been way too much to pay for current conditions. Much of the grass was dormant, as to be expected, but the greens were in really rough shape. Bare patches and uneven patches abound. Low areas of the course are still really wet. Staff was great. Range was mats only. Range balls are a mix of old and new. Read The Review
|
- "Great course"
Just want to echo IAM4HERD's review. New greens are great. Fairways are phemomenal! The other new feature is the removal of trees on just about every hole, mostly around the greens. Makes the course much more playable for all ability levels. They have grown the rough up to help combat the tree removal, but you can play out of it. GPS was working on my cart today as well. Definitely back in my rotation. Read The Review
|
- "Great course"
 This was my first visit to Carolina Lakes, and I will most definitely be back. The cold Spring and resulting winter kill have affected just about every course in the Charlotte area this year, but Carolina Lakes was in phenomenal shape. Greens were excellent, as were the fairways. An occasional tee box had some thin spots, but those were few and far between. Each of the numerous bunkers on the course were well maintained and had plenty of soft white sand in them. Every sprinkler head had yardages on them and there were markers in the fairways and on cart paths. The cart paths are also well maintained.
The layout of the course is outstanding as well. The course is inside of the Sun City retirement community, and winds it way through it. There is a mix of short and long holes, straight holes and doglegs. You will hit clubs other than driver off of several tees and that helps to provide great variety to the course. The four par 3's all demand carries over water or natural areas. There is a good bit of elevation change, particularly on the back nine. Perhaps the signature hole is #9, a dogleg right par 4 that features 7 bunkers that the tee shot must be threaded through. This is not a course that you can walk, as there are a few lengthy rides between holes.
The fleet of carts is new and full of features, including the best GPS system I've ever seen in a cart. The GPS touch screen gives you a flyover of each hole, in addition to the distances to the front, back, and that day's hole location.
I did not go into the clubhouse, but those amenities seem top class as well. Staff was pleasant and helpful. Pace of play was great. Our twosome got around in less than 3.5 hours on the Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend.
As I mentioned above, Carolina Lakes is in about the best shape of any course in the Charlotte area currently. The conditions and layout make this one a must play for anyone. Read The Review
|
|
- "Great course"
 Played Emerald Lake on Friday. Weather was absolutely perfect. Course is in fairly good shape, other than the fact that it was really wet in spots, which was odd, as it hasn't rained much at all lately. Greens were the best I've seen them at Emerald Lake in quite sometime. The bermuda on the fairways and rough is still dormant, but should start greening up soon. They had some tees pushed up as they were letting some boxes recover. New clubhouse/grill is gorgeous. Pace of play was good. Our threesome got around in exactly 4 hours despite several foursomes directly in front of us. Read The Review
|
- "Great course"
 Wanted to post an update, particularly about Olde Sycamore's greens. They were in much better condition than the previous post. The cooler November weather seems to have served them well. Tees, fairways, rough, bunkers all in excellent shape. Read The Review
|
- "Worth playing"
Wanted to give an update on Crescent, as my review over 2 years ago was the most recent review. The club has new ownership and a new name in 2017. It is officially called The Revival At The Crescent. The new ownership has put a lot of resources into bringing the course back from the edge of death (see my previous review). I found all but one tee box in great shape. They were as lush as any I've seen this summer. The fairways as well, save the 6th, have finally recovered from the winter kill of '15. The weather has allowed the bermuda to thrive. The greens have never really been an issue at Crescent, other than the 3rd, and that is still the case. The greens were spongy underfoot and rolled pretty true. The club has done a lot of work on all green side bunkers. They have redone the drainage in the bunkers and added new sand to them. It appears as if they are letting several fairway bunkers that don't really come into play transition into grass bunkers. There are new carts with usb charging ports. Additionally, there were coolers of cold water at several spots around the course. Sprinklers had distances on them and their was new signage everywhere.
The club still has work to do. The front half of the 3rd green has been transitioned back into fairway, leaving a really small target. It sits so far back in a wooded area, that I don't see any way they can get air back there other than bringing in fans. The 5th tee, green and 6th fairway also need work. They sit down in a low area and don't much airflow. The club never had complete cart paths, and while it wasn't a problem 15 years ago, the lack of maintenance of the dirt cart paths over the years has made them almost impassible. The edges of bunkers need to be worked on as well. Areas of the course that aren't directly in the line of play, but could see an errant shot are the last piece of the course to come back.
All in all, the club has made great strides to make the course playable again. Continued efforts in that same vein will bring it close to the condition it was in during the mid-'00s. Read The Review
|
- "Great course"
Tega Cay is in phenomenal shape right now. Tees and fairways are beautiful. Bunkers are full of soft, white sand. Greens are lightning quick. This public course has very much of a private club feel. Not the longest course in the world; club selection off the tee is key. Lots of elevation change as well. Read The Review
|
- "Worth playing"
 Played the redesign for the first time yesterday. Huge improvement over the old layout. Conditions for the most part much better as well. There are still a few fairways that are thin, particularly the 2nd. Greens are still concrete hard. Well struck shots did not hold a green as they would bounce over the back. Greens are also lightning fast. Construction on the new clubhouse seems to be progressing nicely, and the range and practice areas are really nice. Read The Review
|
- "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
|
- "Worth playing"
From tee to green Olde Sycamore is in about as good a shape as any track in Charlotte. The greens, however, are suffering terribly. The bent grass just can't handle the heat we've had over the last month or so. They've sanded most of them, but with the abundance of ball marks and stressed out bent grass, they are in really poor shape.
They are also building a new tee box for the par 3 4th hole that brings the pond more into play. Read The Review
|
- "Worth playing"
Played Emerald Lake in the late afternoon Saturday before the storms rolled in. There is a lot of construction/prep work being done for the new clubhouse. The course was quite busy for a Saturday late afternoon.Course was firm and fast before the rain. The course is in decent shape. Some parts of the fairways have significant bare spots, while others are perfect. The same applies to the greens. Some are in great shape, while others need work. Bunkers also varied from having barely any sand to being full of sand. I hope funds aren't being diverted from course maintenance to go towards the new clubhouse. Read The Review
|
- "Great course"
First really hot day of golf this year for me. The golf course at Tillery Tradition was in great shape for the most part. The fairways had a decent amount of grass on them, and the greens were rolling well. They were syringing the greens throughout the afternoon as temps approached the high 90's. The 16th green was the only one that I saw with any kind of issues; it had a few bare spots in front. Teeboxes on some holes needed to be mowed a little lower, but I think they are taking precaution with those for the rest of the summer. The rough is starting to thicken up nicely, to the point where finding a stray tee shot is difficult. The course was busier than I expected with the heat, but I was still able to get around in a little over 3.5 hours. The layout is great with doglegs, elevation changes, long and short holes. Read The Review
|
- "Below average"
Wish I could dispute what others have written about Crescent recently, but I can't. I guess the first clue was pulling into the parking lot on a Sunday morning and seeing only a half dozen cars. Conditions from tee to green were quite frankly shocking. Tees, fairways, and rough with little or no grass on them. What grass was on them was random and unkempt. There was a notice posted in the pro shop from the Carolinas Section about how the late cold winter weather had severely retarded the growth of bermuda grass, and I'm sure that has something to do with it, but every other course in the area looks a lot better than Crescent. There were large areas of fairway grass in non-playable areas where the turf had been harvested and moved elsewhere. Where I don't know, because it certainly wasn't on the course. Some bunkers had sand, others were just dirt. Most had rocks and none of them had been maintained on a Sunday morning. The one part of the course that was above average were the greens. They were in great shape. Plenty of grass on them and not many ball marks (probably due to the lack of play). The one exception is the 3rd green. They've lost the front 1/3 of the green. They need to clear out a lot of trees or get some fans back there if they want any chance of bringing that green back. Read The Review
|
- "Average"
 As with most other former CT courses, I've avoided playing Highland Creek for quite some time. Recent reviews have talked about how the course is coming back, so I decided I'd give it a try for the $29 twilight rate online. You can tell that the new management is working on improving the course, but it will take some time. Most of the fairways and greens are very, very thin. The fairways were all running very fast, as I got good roll on every tee shot. The only exception was #2 fairway, which may be the lowest point on the course. The greens need more uniform grass growth on them. The slopes on HC greens are too severe for as bumpy as they are currently. You can't get a putt started online and have it hold because of the thinness of the grass. Some teeboxes have had extensive work done to them, while others need more attention. I think the course is going to need another full growing season to get to where it needs to be. They also need to repair/replace steps/walkways to some of the tees and greens. All of the bunkers did have nice, white sand in them. Highland Creek is definitely a work in progress and should improve as the year goes on. Read The Review
|
- "Great course"
Based on recent reviews of Eagle Chase, I decided to play here for the first time in about 10 years. The course was in great shape. I was surprised at how dry it was after the all-day rain on Saturday. Tees, fairways, and greens were all lush, and bunkers were well maintained. Pace of play was a little slow. I played with a member who said that folks usually get around quicker than the pace on Sunday. I will definitely go back. Read The Review
|
- "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
|
|
- "Great course"
 Rocky River was in great shape. Fairways were the best I've seen there in quite sometime. Greens also were very good, even the reworked 16th. The greens were being syringed at various intervals during my round. Bunkers were the only real disappointing part of the course. Many looked as if they hadn't been touched in a few days. Pace was great as there weren't many groups out on this hot day. Played thru a foursome on 6, and then again on 11. Read The Review
|
- "Worth playing"
 Red Bridge was in good shape on Sunday. I saw only a few small bare spots on some of the more exposed greens, but for the most part, the greens rolled very true. Teeboxes and fairways were in good shape. Played as a twosome at 7:15am. Played through a foursome on the 3rd hole, and didn't catch another group until 18. Read The Review
|
- "Great course"
Played Stonebridge for the first time on 5/15. WOW! The course was in fantastic shape, despite it being wet. The greens were by far the best I've seen in quite some time in the Charlotte area. Putts rolled true and stayed online, and this was after play all day on Saturday. The rest of the course was in really fine shape as well. I can't wait to get back to play again. Read The Review
|
