GalCallaway

First, I struggled on the question "Would you recommend to friends" and decided "No" because most of my golf friends would not be happy with the course conditions. I wish GolfAdvisor had option for various types of players.

If you just want to have fun with a friend and don't care about a perfectly manicured course then Tara Green is for you. Or maybe you just want to practice your swing but don't care about less than great fairways or bumpy greens. Note: some of the greens were in great shape some were not.

The layout of the course is interesting with some doglegs and long holes that will challenge you but the course conditions take away from some of the fun. I get they probably want to keep the price down but with a bit more investment in the condition of the course, they might find more golfers playing their course.

For example, even if you hit a perfect straight long drive down the middle of the "fairway" on the longest hole (#7) you ball will not be in short grass. They really take the fun out of a great drive by having crappy grass in the landing area (this was the experience for me and the guy I played with that hit the ball a mile). In fact, it is puzzling (on some holes) they way they cut the grass but my guess is that they are working with what they have within their budget.

Overall, I would rather pay a few more bucks or look for deals on GolfNow for courses in the area with better course conditions

My friends and I were on vacation in Tennessee and were pleasantly surprised by this course.

The golf carts (often your first impression of a course) were really nice (appeared new with really comfortable seats). They also had water bottles and towels in the cart for each person.

There was no starter so the Pro Shop attendant told us to just go ahead and tee off. His only advice was stay out of the rough (that seems to be what every starter at a course tells you when you ask for advice but this time it was true because the rough was very thick).

The pace of play was good for most of the round (we really only had to wait on the 17th and 18th hole). My friend was annoyed that so many singles were playing (and being good golfers we always offered to let them play through which slowed our round a bit but we were still done in just over 4 hours). They really should have put singles together but my guess is that it was later in the afternoon and guys just showed up to play.

The course was in very good shape but that may be partly because they have a 90 degree rule (not just that day but we saw permanent signs stating 90 degree).

The real challenge of the course was the speed of the greens - really, really fast. It was hard to have your approach shot stay on the green which was surprising given how wet the fairways were from all the rain earlier in the week. So no roll in the fairways but the ball released too much on greens.

We played on a Monday afternoon so I can't speak for pace of play on the weekend but I would recommend this course based on the fun layout.

Overall the course was in good condition considering the rain early in the week but it was still very wet (especially on the back 9 and in fact they told us they would let us know at the turn if the back 9 was open). Of course, this information was not shared with us until we were on the first hole. Lucky for us, by the time we reached 10 the back was open. Also, it was cart path only which made a long course seem even longer.

Also, the course is very far from the main building with the pro shop so you can't walk the course. You need to drive across the road and up a long path to the first hole.

Most women will find River Winds very long. if you like a long course that is fairly open then this course may be for you. The 7th hole is 161 (Par 3) on the scorecard. My GPS watch gave me 150 yardage to the middle. That is still a wood for most women. There is really no need for any course to have a par three that requires a driver or wood for anyone.

I found it a bit boring and the only really fun and memorable hole was the 17th hole, Island Green. You play 17 from an elevated green down to the hole. The 17th is the photo on the main website for the course.

The staff is very friendly but when you ask for advice as a first time player, they just say "stay in the fairways." Now, that is good advice because the rough is very thick so it is penalizing. However, they could also tell first time players that a creek goes across holes 11 and 12 (and it is not obvious from the middle of the fairway). Also, on 14th hole there is a large waste/rough area that if you can't hit over it from 150 (layup) - it is nasty stuff.

They reason I bring up the lack of advice from the staff is that when I paid my green fee I did ask if they had a yardage book. They don't and they really should because there are no drawings on the scorecard. So if they don't want to create a yardage book, they should at least have images of the holes on the back of the scorecard (my experience is that most courses with a price point above $50, have images of the holes on their scorecards). And, it doesn't matter that they have images (on beautiful stone blocks) at the tees for men because as women we don't play from those tees.

The course is not near the clubhouse, so at the turn they only bathroom is a porta-potti. My friends said they felt that given the price ($64 for Monday morning play) they should have a nice half-way house with a bathroom given the course does not take you by the main club house/Proshop at the turn.

Pace of play was fair given the length of the course and cart path only but still 4 hours and 40 minutes on a Monday is slow. I think we would have finished a bit sooner but the four men in front of us where often searching for balls.

They do not have a restaurant at the course but you can drive down the street to the River Winds restaurant and get a meal. It's a large restaurant with outdoor seating, full bar area. It is right on the river so very nice views. The food was good. Make sure to give them your scorecard and you get 10% off the meal. This was not shared with us by the golf course staff until we asked where to get a meal.

It's a nice course but I would not play it again. One and done for me. I would recommend it to friends who like long links style courses, if they PLAY DURING THE WEEK and it is NOT cart path only.

I recently played 9-holes in November and the course was in excellent condition. I have also played two rounds of nine and two rounds of 18 in spring and the course was always in great condition.

Mink Meadows is a 9-hole course with two sets of tees (or alternate tees for a back nine that allows you to play a full 18-hole round). There are no water hazards at Mink Meadows and only one ocean view (but it is a beautiful view).

Don’t let the 9-hole setup and no water hazards on this course lull you into a state of ease. It is a challenging course! It can be very windy too! If you drive the ball straight you will have an advantage because the fairways are lined with trees or wispy grass. The bunkers are strategically place and make you think off the tee. The greens are particularly interesting and even a perfect shot will roll off the green if you don’t know the slope. Make sure to ask the Golf Pro for a few tips before you tee off. One tip – on the 9th/18th hole everything rolls right (towards the ocean even though you don’t see the ocean).

The first nine holes are perfect for anyone! Expert golfers will enjoy the challenging greens and beginner/intermediate golfers will NOT feel overwhelmed because it is a bit shorter than the back nine. And when you play the alternate tees on the back nine you really do feel like you are playing a different set of holes. It was really amazing to me how different the holes felt off the tees.

The atmosphere is another plus! It is relaxed and everyone I met was friendly and welcoming. There is a nice practice range at Mink Meadow but there is a distance limit (165 yards) so if you hit your driver a long way, you won’t be using a driver on the practice range.

The pro shop has a nice collection of clothing and snacks (for the turn) but there is not a fancy bar or restaurant. Mink Meadows does have a nice porch so you and your friends could buy a soda and a bag of chips in the pro shop and sit outside on the porch, rehash your round or watch the golfers on the 9th hole.

For some the fees may see high but it is a major vacation destination so compared to Farm Neck, the other semi-private course, Mink Meadows is a bit less expensive. In the winter it is $27 for 9-holes but in the summer the 9-hole rate is $70 for prime time hours.

We decided to take off work a bit early and play a new course by my friends office. We walked the course. Tee'd off at 3:30 and finished 18 holes in 2 hours and 25 minutes.

Pace of Play was great but then again it was Halloween so I am sure most folks were heading home to trick or treat with their kids.

We played from the back tees (Blue) total yards 3,294. There were 4 Par Fours and the rest Par threes. There was a nice variety to the holes (some easy, some challenging). A few of the par threes were 170/175 yards so that was a drive for us (and it was fun to drive a green).

There are holes that require you carry waste areas or bunkers so it was a nice test of accuracy. The greens were very slow but the day before it rained 2 or 3 inches so the fairways and greens were very soft. It was a bit wetter than I expected so I think the course doesn't drain as well as other courses I play.

I assume in the summer the greens will be faster (or true) if there is not a lot of rain.

I can't speak to how busy the course may be in the summer, but it was a great after work round on a beautiful fall day.

Although they have carts, I would recommend walking the course. It's not too hilly and even walking the cart path it was an easy walk.

The twilight rate for a none-resident, walking was $24 which I think is reasonable for 18-holes. Residents can buy a county card and then the rate is only $16 to walk 18-holes.

The course is beautiful and in great condition. The staff is very welcoming and helpful. The only slightly negative aspect was the driving range - no easy turnaround so every time someone had to leave for the first tee, they had to backup a small cart path (of course with the backup beeping alert from the cart annoying everyone warming up). Also, they did not have anyone attending the range and many of the "pyramids' of balls were empty.
The course itself is challenging but fun. The Par value for each hole was very fair for women (which is not always the case with courses). You do need to stay on the fairway because hitting into the fescue grass will most likely result in a lost ball. The greens were fast (which is the reputation of the course) but not "unfair" because the breaks were easy to read and the hole placements were in reasonable spots on the greens the day we played (hole location #1 for that day).
If you have a chance to play BallyOwen, go for it.

Wild Turkey is a beautiful course and it is right at the Crystal Springs resort if you decided to get a "Stay & Play" package. The resort is great so I do recommend staying at Crystal Springs.
The biggest issue with the Wild Turkey course is the speed of the greens, which are extremely fast and caused very good golfers in my group to three-putt more holes than they do normally. At a resort course you get all levels of golfers and fast greens are a pace of play nightmare.The greens were interesting enough without adding the degree of difficulty of super fast greens.
One thing women golfers will want to be aware of is that some holes are really too long for the par value. For example, Hole 5 is a 378 yard Par 4 (in comparison, BallyOwen, #1 course in NJ and part of the Crystal Springs family of courses) hole #10 is a 386 year Par 5 (so only 6 yards longer and a fair PAR value at 386, which is fair).
If you can only play one course in the Crystal Springs area, play BallyOwen.

The course is beautiful. The layout of the course was not difficult but with the wind gusting, it made the round very challenging. So it is good to have a "go to shot" with a low trajectory. There is water on the course but it is really only in play if you hit a very wayward shot (or are playing from the back tees that require you to carry water). If you play the forward tees you do not have to worry about forced carries.

The staff was very nice and helpful. The starter gave us tips when he greeted us and asked how we were doing when we made the turn. The on-course "amenities" were excellent (bathrooms at good locations) water at every hole.

I would play this course again.

When we were planning our golf trip to Ocean City, this was the most expensive course on the list but it was worth it!

The course is beautiful and provides a nice balance of holes "in the woods" and "on the ocean" with great views. It is not a hard course but I believe it would play differently every day based on the weather.

We did not have great weather (e.g., it was cloudy, a bit windy, the air was heavy and sprinkles off and on) but that did not dampen the fun.

The only down side was pace of play. Or more specifically, a foursome in front of us with no clue on golf etiquette and there was never a ranger on course to speak to about the guys in front of us.

I walked off the course thinking if I come back to Ocean City, I would play this course again.

Bottom line first, even if the course was in pristine condition, I would only recommend it for players that like extreme changes in a course (e.g., hilly fairways with uneven lies and elevated greens). I would not recommend it for high handicap golfers. The sever rough and number of elevated tees makes it extremely long for most players.
I was looking forward to an afternoon out of the office to play a challenging fun course. The experience at Galloping Hills was very disappointing. And my golf partners (great golfers, handicaps of 7.1 and 6.6) said to me after the round "I will never play this course again."
The course itself is beautiful with rolling hills and should have been challenging but fun. The "fun" was ruined by the following:
(1) Pace of Play - it took 5 hours and 15 minutes to play on a Tuesday afternoon. I have not had a round that long on any weekend all summer. I think a major issue with the pace was the rough. Every group I saw on the holes around me were looking for balls in the rough. A ball rolls two inches into the rough and you can't see it. At one point (four golfers, two from my group and two from the adjacent fairway were looking for balls in an one small area between the two fairways. The rough was also thick and grabbed your club. This is not good for pace of play at a public course.
(2) Poor Course Conditions:
(a) The tees and greens - I saw the reviews about how much nicer the course was since the renovation. Well, the day we played the course condition was awful. The greens had lots of bumps, long gashes like someone had cut into the green and brown (burnt out) areas; as well as, donuts around the holes too. The tee boxes were not much better. For example, the tee on 18 (White and Gold forward tees) had no grass.
(b) The fairways on the front nine were aerated. And we were not told about the aeration in advance.
(3) Sprinkler System Timing: We kept having to wait or time our hits because the sprinkler system kept going on (at least 6 holes we had to deal with sprinklers) and not to mention the soaked turf and wet balls. Why would a course water at 1 p.m. when the course is full of golfers.
On the bright side, the staff was pleasant and the restaurant (bar and grill) excellent.

The spring and summer of 2016 I played this course four times. The course condition was excellent every time we played. It is equal to the premier Somerset county course, Neshanic (in terms of the beauty and challenge of the course).

The down side for women, are the forced carries and one hole in particular the tee box is not in the right place because no average woman golfer can hit the drive far enough to get the second shot over the hazard so you are forced to layup on the third shot making a par very difficult.

There is no real "grill" to enjoy the 19th hole. However, for outings the do have a test for an after golf party.

I participated in a golf competition at Wintonbury Hills. I played a practice round (on a Friday) and a competitive round (on a Saturday).

Bottom line first - I really liked the course layout and the condition of the course was excellent. Unless you have a terrible hook or slice you will not have trouble off the tee. The fairways are a challenge because you don't have many even lies (e.g., ball below your feet, ball above your feet). The real challenge is on the greens. The speed was what I expected but there are plenty of interesting breaks (with two tier greens, or bumps and swales protecting the greens).

They do have a few environmentally protected areas but again, you will only notice them if you have a bad slice or hook. One other thing, you need to hit a lot of shots aiming left off the tee because many fairways roll left to right.

Warm up/Practice Facilities - the only real down side is that the driving range is down the road and you must take your car. So you buy a token in the Pro Shop and drive to the range and then drive back to the course. At the course, behind the Pro Shop is a very nice practice putting green. You are allowed to chip on the green and they even have a few bunkers on the side of the practice green.

Don't let the policy of not driving in the rough turn you off from this course, it is very easy to ride in and out of the fairway (and ride down the fairway). The carts do slow and increase in speed automatically (e.g., when in the parking lot the carts go slow or going down a steep hill on the cart path) so just go with flow.

Pace of Play is great on the front nine but slows on the back nine. We still finished in 4 and 1/2 hours but any time you wait it feels slow. In my opinion the pace issue on the back is for two reasons (1) the back nine is a bit tougher and (2) I saw them putting groups off on the 10th tee when we were teeing off the 1st tee.

Staff and facilities: The staff was friendly and the starter did a great job providing instructions and giving tips. If you like yardage books, they do offer them for sale. The grill is nice and the food was decent. As with most Pro Shops not a lot of variety for women golfers.

Overall, I really enjoyed both days that I played this course.

It's a nice course and we will play again. The front nine for women is very fair but the back nine is a bit long, with par 4s at 357 (#14), 352 (#15) and a par 3 at 162 heavily protected by bunkers in the front. Also, a lot of the drives are up hill so that adds to the length of many holes. So a high handicap player may struggle but it's a nice challenge for better golfers.

At arrival, the staff was not very helpful for first timers, no mention that you must pay for a ticket to get balls at the range, no mention any playing information - the day we played it was 90 degree ride for the day. I will give them the benefit of the doubt because they had an outing and were very busy setting them up. The pro shop is very male-centric so even with a 15% off sale for shoe, nothing good for women.

The driving range was disappointing. the mats were old and had no options for tees if you wanted to hit driver. Most people just took their changes and stepped forward to the grass to tee up a driver. The practice area did have a bunker and given all the bunkers on the course, I recommend you warm up your sand wedge.

The bar/grill was nice, the service was great and the food good.

This is a great course if you want to just have fun and not face a lot of challenging holes. The course if fairly flat so it is a nice walk (even for 18 holes). The fairways are wide so if you tend to "spray" you drives, you won't loose too many balls. Basically there is not a lot of trouble.
There are a few holes that are more interesting (challenging) for the better golfer. The most notable is 17, which requires a carry over a pond for your second shot. This is the one hole that can back up because many golfers layup before hitting a third shot over the pond.
The staff is friendly and the price is fair if you have a county card (which gives you a discount) but I am not sure if it is the best value if you are paying out of county rates.
Like a lot of the somerset country courses there is no pub/grill at the turn and no drink cart on the course, so bring water and snacks. You can buy water and chips from a vending machine.
If you want more of a challenge, another country course is Quail Brook. It is just a few miles away from Spooky Brook. You could play both courses and decide which one you like better. My favorite is Quail Brook (but the back nine is hilly so you might want to ride; unless you normally walk when you play).
I play all the county courses and Spooky Brook is the best course to walk (especially in the heat of summer) but for those that like to ride, they do have golf carts.

This was my first time at Mansion Ridge. It is a beautiful looking course with "country club" amenities in the clubhouse (e.g., nice locker room and grill room). However, the "driving range" is irons only so that was disappointing.

At the time of this write-up the course was in perfect condition. Fairways were like carpeting so you could putt off the green on many holes. You will want to take a golf cart because there is quite a bit of distance between holes.

Playing this course for the first time was challenging because you could not always see the approach shot (to know if there was trouble ahead). So if you won't impact pace of play, drive your cart up to see what is ahead.

Most holes were fair but the 9th hole is the #1 handicap hole for good reason, their are two carries to navigate (a bit unfair for those that don't have long drives). Also, the 10th forward tee is poorly located because the creek is 150 yards which is the avg for most female golfers. And the carry on the 15th hole may also require those with less distance off the tee to have an extra stroke because you may need to layup on your second shot to get close to the "junk" to have a 100 yard shot over to the other side, Other than 9, 10 and 15 the rest of the holes were fair from the forward tees.

The halfway house on the 11th hole is very nice and the the bar/grill in the club house was very nice and the food was great.

I would play this course again now that I know the strategy to play.

I used to play Millwood frequently but then I moved to a different state. I was back in Mass. this past weekend, I played Millwood with my friends and remembered how much I like this 14-hole course.
It is not hard but has interesting holes which are fun for all levels of golf. For example, on the 4th hole there is a big tree right in the center of the fairway so you have to decide if you are going to go left of right of it. Left is the safe bet. Also, Millwood is a great walking course with just a few uphill walks.
One of my favorite holes is one that I don't always play well. It is the 12th hole -- it is just a nice challenge because (from the Forward Tees) you can't see the green which is tucked behind a willow tree on the right. But with the perfect drive to the left of the fairway, you can reach the green in two.
The course has a 19th hole but I have not had any food at the course so I can't rate it. The staff is always friendly and so are the local golfers that play the course.

I decided to take a cart because the starting hole was a long walk up a hill and I wasn't sure if the rest of the course was as hilly. The front nine is hilly and there are some long walks between holes. I played with some friends that walked and they said the front was tough but the back nine (red) was an easy walk.

The course is fun and plays fair. My playing partners have handicaps of 8 and 12 and they enjoyed the course as much as I did. I did not feel there was any real "trouble" on the course. There are a few more carries on the back nine (red) but fair for female golfers.

The staff was very friendly and there was a nice ladies locker room (which surprised me for a country course). It also had an outdoor "tiki" bar which gave the place a nice atmosphere.

The pace of play could have been better, there was a man in the group in front of us holding up the play because on every hole he lost his ball and took too much time looking for it. The ranger came by 3 times during the round and never addressed the issue, which was disappointing because there was no group ahead of the group slowing up play. The round was 4 hours and 40 minutes. My playing partners figured we would have finished a half-hour earlier if not for the slow "ball searcher" in the group ahead.

Bottom line, I will definitely go back and play again. Hopefully, no slow ball searching players will be in the group ahead of me.

The course is very pretty in the fall with the many trees lining the fairways but also makes it more challenging to find balls hiding under leaves. So, I would suggest playing before the leaves fall. The course was not crowded (maybe because it was fall so we played 18 holes in 3 hours and 40 minutes - great pace of play). I hit the ball straight so I enjoyed the course but if you have a slice or hook, you won't like the tree lined fairways.

The course has a number of holes with blind shots to the greens but that made it more interesting. For the men playing from the back tee on the 2nd hole, there is a lookout platform (next to the tee box) so your partner can watch where your ball lands. For the second shot, from the fairway, there is a " sliver star" nailed on a tree (behind the green) so you can aim at it for your shot onto the middle of the green.

The negative for the course is the yardage on the Par 3s from the forward tees. Hole 4 is 152 yards and hole 6 is 170 yards; which means most women must use a driver - that is poor course design for forward tees on par 3s. Also, the 17th hole approach shot to the green is over water, which means you have to layup if you are not long off the tee; so it plays like a par 5 for women (not a par 4).

The course does not take you back to the club house at the turn so make sure to take water and snacks. There is a vending machine by the 10th hole.

Overall it is a nice course and has a classic New England feel. For me, the course had a mix of easy holes and challenging holes which is why I rate it somewhat challenging. I like some challenge so I like this course.

New Jersey National is a private course but I had the pleasure of playing the course on a beautiful fall day. The leaves were turning and the course was in great shape. Normally as a higher handicap female player I tend to play the forward tees but the gold tees gave a total yardage of 5227 so that was reasonable (and close to the other courses I normally play). The forward tees (red) were 4814 which seemed a big short.

Playing from the gold tees on the front 9 was very fair and fun to play. The back 9 was extremely challenging and playing from the gold tees was not a lot of fun. The issue, the carry off the tee on a few holes was just too far for the average women's drive and the rough was thick (which you would end up in if you could not make the fairway). Even my playing partner, who as a female drives the ball far, had a hard time. At the end of the round we mentioned to the bag attendant that we played great until the back 9 and he confirmed the back nine is "extremely challenging."

So if you get invited to play the course, I would definitely accept the invitation. If you are not long off the tee, play it forward (even the guys we played with had a hard time with some of the carries on the back nine).

The staff was very nice. The only issue I had was that after cleaning our clubs they forgot to put the cover back on my putter. I did not notice until three days later; but lucky for me the cover was still at the bag drop-off when I went back to ask about it.

The pub/restaurant is public so if you can't play golf, drop by and eat at The Red Oak Grill -- you will enjoy the food.

First, I was really lucky because the day I played the Ocean Course there was NO wind and we finished the round in just under four hours (we were a twosome).
That being said, it is challenging and I am sure with the wind even more so but the forward tees are very "female" friendly. There were only a few holes that had a carry that was a bit long. And the 16th Par 5 was 447 yards and even our caddy said it was more like a "par six" for women.
The only annoying thing were the "love bugs" they would swarm you on the tee. They do not bite but they are very distracting. And, I am told they are only around for 3 or 4 days. Maybe they were around because their was not wind.
This is a beautiful course and a bucket list for any avid golfer.
After your round, enjoy the "crispy shrimp" at the Ryder Cup Grill and sit outside if the "love bugs" are not in play.