William7749051

Second time playing this course. Very nice layout and professional, friendly staff. You definitely feel like this place knows what they are doing when you arrive. Clubhouse and surrounding community seems to be improving with age. Starter ran a tight ship which I appreciated. Bar staff was quick and efficient. There was also a beverage cart which was convenient. Play was a little slow at times because there was a slow group a few groups ahead. The ranger did talk to that group to try to speed them up. Only other issues were that several of the greens had been patched in different areas and there were quite a few crews working on various course maintenance projects, but those issues didn't detract from the fun of the round. Plus Id rather see repairs being made than the course falling into disrepair. Overall a great experience and will stay in my rotation of Destin-area courses.

Arrived at the first tee and there were two or three groups waiting to tee off. First 3 holes were extremely slow. To be fair, it was probably the nicest day of the year and all the courses were slammed. The pace of play was fine after the first few holes.

Most of the tee boxes lacked decent signage, trashcans, and ball washers. Some had dangerous looking steps that were in need of repair. The fairways are in really rough condition. Basically they are a mix of closely mowed crabgrass and other weeds, and they are extremely patchy--there is a lot of barren earth on the fairways so we were rolling our balls (sometime several feet) to find a decent surface. I don't know if it is drought or disease, but the fairways desperately need attention. The sand-traps were like packed concrete. It appeared they hadn't been raked out in a long time. The greens are pretty good for a $25 course.

Honestly, I'm really confused where the money this Course generates goes, because it doesn't appear any has been put back into the course. I'm not trying to rag on them, but it's just strange. Here are my recommendations to the course based on the foregoing:

1. Spread your tee times out. Even if you have to increase your rates a little. People will pay a little more if it isn't a cattle call at the first tee.

2. Hire a full time or contract professional to take care of your fairways. They are in desperate need of TLC.

3. Invest in the details. Repair your steps to the tee boxes and the asphalt on the cart paths, purchase decent yardage markers, properly functioning ball washers, trashcans, etc. Rake out your bunkers in the morning before play begins, especially on the weekends. It doesn't have to be Augusta out there, but investing in the little things can really improve the golfer's experience. You can't control the layout, but you can control the details.

All that said, we had a good time but probably won't be back until they start pumping some money back into the course.

Chariot Run was awesome once again. Great layout, greens are true and fast, and rates are fair. This place is a hidden gem.