nepagolf

A group of friends and I took the awful drive to Easton yesterday to play Riverview Country Club, which is not the easiest place to find in the world. We were excited because were able to play after a Professionals tournament, but were quickly disappointed.

I heard good things about the course and I quickly realized that it is because there really isn't any rough on the golf course, which makes higher handicap players happy. However, I was very disappointed by the greens and bunkers. The greens were a mix of grasses which made them very bumpy. It was nearly impossible to roll the ball without it bumping all over. The biggest problem was by far the bunkers, as they were either loaded with rocks or filled with dirt like a baseball field. Either way they were not in great condition.

The staff was friendly although they did not go out of the way to help us when we came, but I understand that they had an outing during the morning. Overall, I would say this is a golf course that is not worth the price just for a nice view. There are a few other courses that are in better shape like Mahoning Valley, Blue Ridge Trail, and Bethlehem for a much better value.

I was able to play this course a few times a year when it was private as Blue Ridge Country Club and I enjoyed the course immensely. Last Saturday, with my usual foursome, I decided to give the public Blue Shamrock a try.

Let's just say that for $57 I was expecting a better product. Greens were bumpy, fairways burned out already in spots, and patchy rough around the greens leads to a troublesome round of golf. The layout itself is still very nice with doglegs and elevation changes, but the conditions are nowhere near worth $57. The bunkers were in decent shape at best, but at least they were able to hit out of.

The staff was fairly friendly and the bar is visually very nice, although the pricing was fairly insane. Food was very good and reasonably priced, however the drink prices were excessive. Let's put it this way when you have to pay $77 dollars for a round of golf and a six pack in Carbon County, you expect a lot better than you received.

I hope it turns around, because it was a great golf course a few years back when private, but it appears to be heading in the wrong direction fast. I would strongly recommend if you are going to Carbon County trying a course like Mahoning Valley or Valley Country Club in Hazleton which is more cost efficient for a better product, or head north to Wilkes Barre if you are from the Allentown area for a quick round of golf at a reasonable price.

I was able to get up to Lehighton to play Mahoning last week and what a great golf course even despite the front 9 greens being punched for aeration. The tees and fairways were in fantastic condition, while the back 9 greens (which were not punched) were immaculate. True rolling and fast, MVCC definitely featured the best greens of a public in NEPA in the last two years. The prices are a bargain compared to other courses with a worse product. Staff was very friendly and pace of play was right on 3 hrs and 45 minutes, which was fantastic.

My ONLY complaint was the fact that the restaurant was not open for lunch, where I was greeted somewhat rudely by a man in the restaurant telling me that it was closed and only open for dinner. As I searched for a menu I heard from a playing partner that it has NO true dinner menu despite having a great bar when open, which doesn't make alot of sense

Overall, this is one of the best, if not BEST public golf course I have played this year, and you NEED to play it if you have not. The only thing that hurts it is the fact that the restaurant does not appear open for lunch for guys like my group to settle up and have a few drinks.