GalCallaway

So many people told me get ready to be "beat up" when playing Pinehurst #2 but that was not my experience. Yes, it was a challenging course and if you're game is not in a good place I can see it "beat you up" but otherwise I was pleasantly surprised by the course.
First, a good caddie makes a big difference. If you go, ask for Chris - he was amazing, great at reading the greens. Also, if you are not a good sand player - get good (practice) -- because odds are you will be in sand at some point around a green. Now it helps to be in the fairway, but if you are in a waste area (and not up against love grass) then it's not that hard to advance the ball a good distance because the waste area is fairly hard sand.
From the forward tees, some of the distances are just plain hard to get to the green in regulation. The hardest was #17, Par 3, 167 yards (per the Caddie) from the forward tees. That's a driver for the average bogey female golfer.
The greens are fast but we experience much faster greens at #8 (which are newer). Again, with a good caddie giving you a read, it wasn't too bad. The bigger issue is the approach shot on to the green (it's hard to hold a green if you are using a wood or hybrid).
Hole 16 (Par 4/5) was the only hole with water but from the forward tees it's only 105 to carry. It's a par 5 hole for women at 416 yards.
My favorite thing about #2 was the walk...we were off at 8.10 am (2nd group) and it was the fastest round of our four rounds of golf that week (most were over 5 hours but #2 was 4 hours 20 mins and it would have been faster but they were sending off grounds on the 10th hole so it slowed us down on the back nine).
The walk is easy because most of it is flat (some hills as you reach greens). A much easier walk than #4 or #8 where most golfers seemed to take a cart.
So bottom line, I really loved #2 and all my worries about it beating me up were nothing. Yes, I had hard holes - Tip our caddie said the first six holes are the hardest. He was right - my back nine score was 7 strokes lower. :-)
The whole experience of walking the course, with a great friend, experienced caddie, and perfect weather made it a great bucket list course.

We played Pinehurst #2, #4 and #8. It is without saying that #2 is everyone's bucket list but from a playable (distances from tee to green) perspective #8 is the best of these three (playing the forward tees). It is 5,064 yards and the yards on the individual holes are fair so you do have a chance at pars and birdies (compared to the length of the holes on #2 and #4 where getting on in regulation is a challenge because of the yardages).
It is also a beautiful course! It is more interesting visually than #4 and has more traditional fairway bunkers and green side bunkers. On #4 and #2 there are waste areas on every single hole. On #8 only six holes (4,9,12,13,15, and 17) has waste areas; you are more likely to be in the pine trees if you miss left/right of fairways.
I wish we could do 1/2 stars because I would give it 4 1/5 right now - for two reasons (1) the greens are still exceedingly firm from the new turf (well, redo 18 months ago) and it makes it very hard to read the greens and they were way faster than #2 from a putting speed perspective; which was really surprising. (2) No GPS in carts. It's NOT a course you need a caddy but make sure to have a distance measuring device.
Bottom line, I want to play this course again when the greens have "matured" because it's should be a great scoring track.
Note: ignore the price I listed, we had a package so I don't know the individual price for each course but Golf Pass requires you put a price in the review.

Played Tobacco Road from the forward tees (Cultivator) and it is a very fair, fun challenge for ladies from these forward tees. You can definitely make pars if stay in the fairways. There are some big carries and blind shots but on hole 18 the Cultivator tees are past the huge (and intimidating waste area) so drive past the crap and the tees are on the left at the top of the hill.
Every hole is protected by sand so it will be something to accept on every approach shot. My big tip - if you don't feel you are good at target golf and tend to miss greens then make sure you have a good sand game.
Overall Tobacco Road is a stunning course visually. Yes lots of sand (my playing partners said it felt like you were "on the moon" in some places). However, it is clear where the golf architect wants you to play your ball. The landing areas on the fairways are generous (and even the guys playing the back tees said this about the course).
I loved this course and would play it again.

Pinehurst #4 is a pretty course (The best section of the course -- Holes 13, 14, and 15 with the lake). So many folks seem to say it is their favorite but not for me. I like #8 and #2 way more than #4. Here is why I like #8 better than #4 -- the distance for some of the Par 4s on #4 are just too long from the forward tees (our caddie even said a few times there is no way you can get there in 2 - and I was hitting my drive straight and 180 yards which is decent - even a considered longer - for the average/bogey women golfer). Why I like #2 more than #4 - the distances are just as long on #2 but the difference is the sand in the waste areas. My golf partner and I agreed that the waste area sand at #4 was fluffy (similar to the green side bunkers) which made it much harder to advance the ball. On #2, the waste area sand is more hard pack and as long as your ball is not in a "love bush" you can easily advance your ball. #2 is also an easier walk than #4. I think in the heat most golfers would take a cart on #4. If I was going back to Pinehurst Golf Resort and had only 2 rounds to play, I'd pick #2 and #8 out of the three (#2, #4, #8). I can't compare to other courses.
It's not that I think you should not play #4 if you are playing multiple courses at the resort, I would say play it.

Overall: A very nice course so if you are in the Greenwood area it's worth playing Links at Stoney Point. It's a very pretty course with some holes with view of Lake Greenwood.
Course Condition: The course was in great shape (except for some of the bunkers but with all the rain recently it's understandable).
Course Challenge: Very Challenging for players that do not hit their ball a long way given some of the uphill elevations (for example, hole 17/Par 3 requires you to definitely club up) and some of the holes are very long. For example, the 10th hole from the forward tees is 452 yards (unless you are a long hitter you have no chance of getting on in regulation). The greens were very tricky - at least the day we played the pin locations were in locations with tons of break.
Amenities:
The carts were very nice, smooth running, Sand bottle for divots on each side of the cart.
Nice driving range, chipping area, and putting area.
Beverage cart out on the course (even if you didn't want a drink she asked if we needed ice since it way a hot day - very thoughtful).
Fast service for drink/food at the turn (everyone seemed to be ordering the bratwurst and said they were excellent).
Staff: All staff were very friendly and helpful!!

Saluda Valley Country Club is an unassuming course when you pull into the parking lot but don't let that fool you because it's a great course! The conditions were awesome (some of the best greens I've played all summer).
The course layout has a few doglegs and a few forced carries over water but nothing unreasonable. If anything I would say this course is flatter than many of the hilly courses you find in the Greenville area; so that makes it a course I would guess some golfers might like to walk. The greens are interesting with different undulations. One tip: on a lot of the greens it is good to keep the ball below the hole.
We played early morning Thursday so pace of play was great (I have no idea what it is like on weekends).
Also, great value and even better for seniors (age 55+) during the weekdays.
The staff was very welcoming. The only suggestion we gave them was to consider getting the Gold Tees rated for women. They only have the Red tees rated for women; which is probably fine for most women at 5053 but for women that can hit a long ball it would be nice to have the gold tees (at 5510 yards) rated.
They have a grill but we did not eat so I can't speak to the food at the course.
We will definitely play this course again.

I'm giving the course five stars because of the condition of the course. I have played a lot of courses in the Upstate (SC) and Boscobel is in the best shape I've seen all summer. The greens were in beautiful condition. Fairways were also great.
The course is fair but challenging. The greens were fast but when you get to putt on such nice greens you don't mind the speed with a true roll.
My tips:
(1) Many of the fairways roll right. So if you have a bit of a fade, aim a bit more left of center on your drives and 2nd shots on Par 5 holes.
(2) 10th hole green rolls severely back to front and right to left. It's a tricky green!
Staff was very friendly. I did not eat any food but at the turn in the pro shop they have a nice ice/water machine to refill your water bottle (very important in the crazy summer heat).

I played this course a few years ago and thought it was challenging (but not as hard as people told me) but that was from the Purple tees (ladies rating 66.7/127 and 4520 yards).
Today I played from the Red tees (ladies rating 70.9/130 and 5156 yards) and from the Red tees it is very challenging because of the par 4s (which play much longer; especially with the up hill fairways).
Tips for playing - keep the ball below the hole on the greens because the greens are fast!!
And I assume if you are playing with a member they will give you all the guidance on where to aim - some of the holes you really do need to know where to hit your drive to setup the approach shot.
Staff is great, practice areas are great basically everything you would expect from a private course.

Went on a vacation and this course was only 5 mins from where we were staying. The Senior rate was $32 for 9 holes (with cart). It had 27 holes and when we called to make a tee time the South course was closed so we were booked on the West course.

This review (as all my reviews) are from the forward tees.

First impressions - the website said it was a "resort" course so when we pulled into the parking lot we were a bit surprised because it did not have a "resort" vibe at all. It looked like your local older muni that you only play because it's inexpensive. Looking back at the history section of the website, it was built in 1964 and the buildings definitely have that 1970s look. But just because the buildings have an "old school" feel doesn't mean the course won't be excellent. Well, the course fit the buildings.

I will say the staff was great! All very friendly and helpful from the Proshop to the starter/ranger.

As my title states the course has good bones. It's pretty, the 9 holes we played on the WEST course had some variety, the greens had undulation (so depending on pin placement could be tricky). All good.

However, the conditions of the fairways were just awful, the bunkers were in terrible condition (lucky for me I did not end up in any) and really took away from the golf experience. Yes, NC and SC have had a lot of rain this spring but I've played a lot of courses which are in great condition (given the rain and we are coming out of winter).

So I can't really say the weather was the excuse for the conditions.

The fairways were in just very poor condition and seemed to have a lot of what looked like "crab grass" and dead spots? I'm not an agronomist so I'm not sure what was up with the fairways but it was not a pleasant experience.

I always feel a bit bad when I can't recommend a course but I have to be honest with my opinion. My gage for recommending a course is "would I play this course again" and I would NOT go out of my way to play Etowah.

I played the course during the week (on a Wednesday) so pace of play was great. I can't speak to pace on the weekend.

This review is from the forward tees but the course tips I give below will apply to anyone playing the course.

First, for this time of year (early spring) the course was in great condition (compared to other courses I played recently). The greens were fast and had nice grass. Only two greens had a few problem areas. I really like this course because although it is not long, the topography is really interesting and you need to think about landing areas, etc. which makes it fun.

I might have given it five stars expect for one very odd fact - they have GPS on the carts to track the cart (and it will stop the cart if you are in the wrong area on a hole so you have to reverse to start the cart again). That's fine but there is no warning (other courses I play with that feature will beep and warn you BEFORE you end up in the off limits area). I never played this course and my cart just suddenly stopped and it wasn't until I look at the GPS screen that I read a message to back up. Of course, I never looked at the GPS because it doesn't add value (wth no yardages provided). So, a beep warning would be a nice add to the functionality. But the real issue I have with their GPS - they do NOT offer yardages on the GPS (and they don't tell you this in the pro shop). I asked another golfer (thinking my GPS was broken) and he told me they don't have the GPS yardage because it is too expensive (they only have the GPS to track carts). I thought that was an odd explanation but the golfer is a "regular" so I figure he knows the scoop.

So, tip one bring a range finder, golf watch or some other device to get yardages.

Front nine tips: As I said the course topography is the defense of the course. For example, on hole two the fairway roles right to left (and there is a pond on the left). And Hole Seven the fairway also roles right to left so don't go left.

Back nine tips: Hole 11 has a creek in the middle of the fairway (200 yards from forward tees so not a big deal). On the other side of the creek the hole is cart path only.

Hole 13., Par 3 again don't be left.

Hole 14 is the most beautiful hole on the course with a lake on the left side. It is really fun, a bit tricky but probably more intimidating from the tee than it really plays (unless your normal miss is left). There is a huge hill on the right side (where the cart path goes and the hole is cart path only). The fairway is left of the cart path (well below the cart path) and the fairway roles left. So, aim at right side of the hill. At the landing point in the fairway (for most tee shots) there are stairs from the cart path down to the fairway. Now, if you are accurate with your driver (and like a risk/reward shot), you can hit right over the trees on right side of cart path and there is a small flat landing up top. From there, it's a downhill shot to green (aim right because green roles left) and you can't go long because the lake is all around the green. Of course, the safe bet is the fairway.

The rest of the holes coming in (15, 16,17, 18) you really do not want to miss right, you can find your ball (unless you really slice it) but right is not good (and most fairways will run left to right on these holes.)

So, if you like hilly, interesting courses then definitely play Greer Golf.

This review is from the Forward Tees (Red) with course rating/slope of 70.0/117 (yardage 5230).

This is a private club and I was playing in a ladies 4-ball tournament. So if you get invited to play, I would definitely accept the invitation.

When you first drive up the club house is unassuming but it is very nice with a nice ladies locker room. They have a driving range (across the street) a practice area for chipping and bunker shots and practice green.

The course is very pretty. It is tree lined with many elevation changes. The challenges are: (1) Many of the holes are dog legs (so if you don't know the course you can't always tell where to aim). (2) Long par three holes. For example, Hole 16 is 163 yards from the red tees. From the tips (on the card the black tees) it is 194. (3) The greens were very fast.

It's unusual in that the first hole to start your round (#1) is a Par 3. Again long at 143 yards from the red tees (and 199 from the tips).

This review is from the Forward Tees (Red) with course rating/slope of 66.9/117.

The course was in excellent condition. It is tree lined on many holes so if you slice or hook your ball be ready to get yourself out of trouble. But if you stay down the fairway the real challenge is keeping your approach shots on the green. I was in a golf outing and every felt the greens were "way too fast, boarding on unfair" because it was really had to get the balls to hold the greens (even when you hit a beautiful shot). You really need to be able to hit a high soft shot to hold the greens.

There is not too much water on the course. The main water "challenge" is on the 15th hole (you must carry the pond - no bail out area). Note: you can see the pond on 15 from the 13th hole. The water on the 13th hole is not an issue from the forward tees (it is a 50 yard carry) but it might be more of a challenge from the tips. There is water behind the 10th hole but it really is not in play.

This course is in Oconee country and I think would be a great course to play if you are a local but it is over an hour drive from Greenville and in my opinion not worth the drive. If you are going to drive over an hour from Greenville to that area you should play The Walker Course at Clemson. A higher price point but worth the trip.

Again, if you are in the area, give Oconee a try.

This review is from the forward tees.
One of the ladies I played with is a member and she said it plays long and her statement was true. I found I did club up on a number of holes; which might be due to the fact many of the greens are very big and the day we played there were many back pins.
The front nine is fairly straightforward off the tee with many holes - you get what you see. On the back nine there are more holes (#14,15, 17) with water (forced carries). They are not particularly hard but you need to get the correct distance. For example on 15, the fairway runs downhill closer to the water so take that into consideration.
The greens are tricky because they are big and so you really need to know where the pin is located. I noted a lot of the greens ran back to front.
I enjoyed the course and liked the fact that the front and back gave you a variety of holes.
Other notes:
Staff was very friendly
Nice driving range and putting green available to warmup
The cafe is nice and there is also a nice deck to sit outside.

The Links at Stoney Point is about an hour drive from Greenville but it is worth the drive for a fun day of golf.
This review is from the forward tees (Red/4950 yards). Also it was August in SC and a very hot and humid day. So my first recommendation is to play when it is cooler (I think fall would be a beautiful time of year to play this course).
The reason I gave the course condition 3 stars is because the greens had been aerated so they were slow and bumpy.
Overall the yardage on each hole seemed very fair for golfers playing the forward tees but for shorter hitters there are a few really long holes. Hole 10 (452 yards/Par 5) is a beast if you don't hit it a decent drive because it is also uphill for the first section of the dogleg.There are a few other holes that play longer than the stated yardage because they are also uphill. Of course, if you play golf in SC you are use to the elevation changes and clubbing up or down depending on the situation.
One of the prettiest holes is 13 (with the lake on the right). Although 13 is a par 3, it is short but the day we played was tricky because the pin was tucked on the right side.
They have a nice snack bar at the halfway point and a nice restaurant (bar & grill in club house); and the staff is great (both in the pro shop and bar&grill).
I definitely recommend playing The Links at Stoney Point.

I played this course in 2020 and since it has been two years decided to do an updated review. They have a new restaurant and club house since my last visit.

If you like to warm up they have a driving range and putting green. When you exit the back of the pro shot and get your cart, you head left and up the hill - the range is behind two buildings.

One note on carts: They are nice carts with GPS but you can't take your carts to your car. Also on some holes the carts will "lock" if you are in an area you shouldn't be but we found on holes 16,17, and 18 by the tees we had issues because the GPS would lock our carts even though we were on the cart path. To unlock the cart, you have to backup until it unlocks.

It is a beautiful mountain course which creates the first challenge - lot of blind shots with all the hills. And you really need to think about where to land your shots (even on your drives).

The second challenge are the greens, many of them are like domes (think Pete Dye) where if you don't get on the green your ball will roll away from the green. On most holes being short of the green (below the hole) is the safe play. You do not want to go long on most holes. We were clubbing down on many holes because the greens didn't hold at all - they were like glass.

The course was in fair condition but my playing partners complained (and I agree) about the greens. As I noted above they were like glass because they didn't have a lot of grass. So with tricky hole locations and lots of break it was very frustrating. Hopefully, the grass will grow in over the next month to have true roll.

Definitely hit the 19th hole and eat at the restaurant "Core 450". They serve drinks all day but after 2:30 they are getting ready for dinner service but if you ask nicely you can get some food. Everyone loved the chicken wings and Brussels sprouts. They have a nice patio to watch golfers finishing on 18.

Overall it is a very nice mountain course. I think it would be pretty difficult for new golfers but for any golfer that has been playing for a few years, go for it.

The good things about the Wild Dunes Harbor Course
1: Staff is very welcoming and helpful.
2. Pretty course with beautiful views on most holes on the march/water.
3. Target Course with small greens which makes it interesting.
4. The drink cart came by a number of times; which is good because you never come back to the club house. Once you go out to the Marsh, you're not near anything (including bathrooms so stop at the one available before you hit the back part of the course).
5. The views are beautiful. Did I say that before (LOL).
The less than positive side.
1. Price (or more specifically value) - as a resort course priced at over $100 the golfers in my group expected a much higher-end experience. For example,
(a) The golf carts are old and do not have any GPS which is pretty much a standard in most courses we play (that cost $30 for 18 )in SC.
(b) With no GPS we purchased a yardage book. A good yardage book will describe the hole and where to hit it and other tips. Don't bother paying for the book unless you want to see an image of the hole.
(c) It was a nice course but not really outstanding for the price. The starter said the fairways were narrow but we felt they were very open. Perhaps if you have a bad slice or hook, you'd feel the fairways were tight. The greens are very small on many holes. I liked the challenge but my playing partners just found it very odd.
Also if you are wondering....
(d) No nine hole playing options
(e) No Senior rates

I enjoyed the course on a beautiful day, it was windy but not too windy and I think if it's really blowing hard, the course would be much more difficult.

If you are vacationing on the Isle of Palms - the Wild Dunes are really the only courses available to play (unless you want to drive a half hour away) so you are at the mercy of the golf course for pricing but if you really want to play and don't mind spending over $100 - go for it.

I don't think I will go out of my way to play this course again but as I said above, if you are there want want to play golf, go for it.

This review is from the forward tees (4940 yards) but my tip applies to all - I have never played a course with so many uphill holes and if you are not a long hitter, consider moving up a set of tees.

We did play on a cold and windy day, and some holes were a bit wet (from rain earlier in the week). But still both my partner (a male) and I had to club up on many holes. On some holes club up 1 club for the elevation change and 1 club for the wind in our face.

The #1 handicap hole is rated correctly - it is very long and extremely uphill. From the forward tees it is 435 yards (which is long anyway) then add the elevation and if you are a women that hits her drive at 150 or less, you probably won't have a chance to par this hole.

I always look at the par 3 holes to decide if I will play the forward tees or one back. The front nine par threes are very long on this course (Hole 4 is 154 yards, and Hole 8 is 153 yards). The back nine - Hole 15 is the only "normal" par 3 at 109 yards and no elevation change. Hole 17 is 110 on the card but again all uphill.

The greens are in great shape - interesting breaks and roll at a decent speed (fast but not crazy fast).

You will end your day on 18, driving you ball over the pond and then you have an uphill approach shot.

I gave a 2-star rating on pace of play because the front nine we moved along well but on the back we waited on every hole. It appeared the group in front of us were fine but the group in front of them were really struggling (because the group in front of us were waiting on every hole and at one point, you could see the holes ahead and they were empty).

The Carts are older (no GPS). Also be careful where you decide to drive the cart. For example, on hole 2, if you miss left, don't take the cart up that hill. My partner tried it and I thought he was (1) going to turn over or (2) burn out the engine on the cart. I did not go up in the cart with him. LOL

The staff was friendly, I did not eat in the grill but there seemed to be a lot of guys eating so I assume the food is good.

They have a driving range (sign said "irons only"), a short game area, and a putting green up by the first tee. So if you like to warmup, you have options.

Overall, I enjoyed this course and will go back again. I really want to see how it plays with out the wind, wet and cold conditions.

Played on a Saturday that was a bit cold and windy which added to the challenge of the course. Lots of elevation changes and most of the greens are elevated (after all, it is a mountain course). Given all the rain lately it was in good shape.

From the forward tees, which is 4620, many of the holes are longer than the stated yardage because of the uphill approach shots and the wind is often in you face but that is what makes it challenging.

It is a beautiful course and I would recommend it. The weekend price of $52 is very reasonable and if you are a senior (60+) and can play during the week, the rate is only $36 w/cart. I assume they also have some GolfNow Hot Deals that would make it a steel.

The staff was very friendly and the food we had was good.

During a recent bucket list trip to play Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, we wanted to play a few other local courses. The caddie at Spyglass recommended Carmel Valley Ranch. It’s located in a gated golf community and is a beautiful and challenging course.

We played from the Lavender tees (5230 yards) to challenge ourselves but the forward tees are 4433 and would be challenging and fun too!

Lots of elevated tees and you quickly realized you need to play the slope on many holes. We played with a local who gave us tips on many holes.

The carts have gps, they give you towels and water in the cart. Nice driving range (balls provided) and a nice practice green.

Definitely go on GolfNow for a deal, otherwise it is expensive but w/the golf now deal we got it was a super value!

We were on vacation and played this course because of a recommendation from locals we played golf with at Pacific Grove.

It’s a nice municipal course but not a good value at over $100 (Green fee $80, cart $20, and tax) on a Saturday.

The greens were in good shape but there were a lot of bare spots in others areas from tee to green. The pace of play was ok for a weekend but as you’d expect a bit slow.

The staff was friendly and when I asked for tips they gave us a yardage book and said (1) on front nine, all the trouble is in the right side and (2) on the back nine all the trouble is in the left. This is a good tip because it’s correct! There are some interesting holes, doglegs, blind shots of the tees and tricky slopes based on the position of the flag.
We couldn’t warmup because the two-tier driving range was full will a lot of locals (in jeans and tee shirts just practicing).
Can’t rate the grill because it closes at 3 pm so not open when we finished at 4 pm.

If you’re in the area I’d recommend you play during the week. It’s. not a course I will put on my list to play again when I’m back in the area.