2DudesTony

This is the 5th Mike Strantz designed course I've played and although nicely set into the hillsides, it is not the most scenic of his designs. It is, however, the most visually intimidating and demanding I've played. The majority of the tee shots are downhill to areas of varying degrees of exposure, meaning there are places you better not hit it and many you can't see. BUY THE YARDAGE BOOK, spend $5 in the pro shop and you'll probably save a sleeve of balls. If you have a rangefinder USE IT for every shot. The approach shots are often uphill, sometimes requiring two clubs more than "flat" yardage, often to oddly shaped and tiered greens. This isn't a hit it hard, find it and hit it again course and you'll have to properly plan to post a decent score based on your abilities. If you're really long with your irons feel free to go to the back tees, if not and you're a straight shooting 5-10 Hcp but short, play the whites and try to enjoy the round. Oh, do not attempt to play without others eyes watching your shots or you're guaranteed to lose several balls, seemingly hit in the center of the fairway. It happened to me on the par 5 16th & although my eyesight isn't what it once was, I know where the ball was flying, about where it landed and Lewis and Clark couldn't find it with the help of Sacagawea. : )

Every course has excuses why their conditions aren’t pristine & worthy of our $. Last summer/fall/winter was disastrous for many local courses but lack of proper minimum maintenance is inexcusable. Several teeing areas are barren, most greens are 10-25% Poa Annuna even though much has been eradicated. I like the layout with it’s elevation changes, varying lengths of par 3s & potentially reachable par 5s, the R 2 L & L 2 R doglegs & decent layup areas off the tees. The current staff is ambivalent & not the most friendly at the counter but the marshals are at least conversational. Even w the less than stellar conditions it’s OK to play & pay the Sr rate but you’ll have to Power thru the Poa.

Lay out was OK, no blind shots & everything is in front of you so no surprises. There are 150 yd stakes in the fws but found no distance markers on sprinkler heads so some guesswork. The greens had patchy poa annua but overall decent & few spots w no grass. Teeing areas were not poor but below avg Played as single, starting on back 9 & whizzed through the first 5 b4 slowing to near stop behind a 4some of elderly gents. Other groups ahead of them prevented playing thru so as a single I held no priority & they could’ve cared less. Course meanders thru residential area & fws tight in many places & run out sooner than looks. Shorter hitters should not play anything beyond whites, could be more enjoyable moving fwd n tee selections. The par 3s r longer than avg there, the 4s range from mid 300s to over 400 & for linger hitters (250+) there are opportunities to reach the 5s in 2. Greens smallish for “resort” style course & have some elevation changes & undulation so bring a good set of eyes to putt well!.

Posted on the site in BOLD letters for all to see was an indication the greens had recently been aerated and top dressed. I can't actually rate the greens due to the heavy application of sand but having played this strand of bermuda it would not have changed my score......I can't read them at all, so no birdies on my card. I played with a greatly reduced afternoon rate due to the condition so the value was extraordinary. The course begins with a par 4 slight dogleg to the R, fairway bunkering and at the green not severe but with undulation in the green. The course ends with a simple straight forward shortish par 5. In between you'll find the usual suspects - slightly curving fairways both R & L, reasonably measured par 3s and reachable in 2 par 5s for the longer hitters. This layout is a must play while at Saint Simons as it winds through residential real estate without making one feel confined and the holes in the marsh area are wonderfully framed and presented well for play and photos.

Range facilities are quite a way from the pro shop..... and the cost is exorbitant at $10 for a S/M bucket, topped off by having to use a credit/debit card because the cash wouldn't load. Conditions were great, fairways and greens nicely mown and the rough not too penal either. I believe the overall layout/design was good, not great as nothing stood out as exceptional or rememberable to me. For a resort style course the par 3s seemed a bit long, with #17 nearing 200 yds but the green size offset distance somewhat. I'd play again, I'd recommend others playing as well.
I'm not one who haggles over prices at resort venues normally so I'll leave the $100+ fee decision up to you as to whether or not it had "value for the money" during a weekday. The cart staff were nice welcoming gentlemen and I think I saw the beverage cart twice. The pro shop (2 guys) weren't going out of their way for anything and barely had an interest in the clientele, no engagement at all unless you talk to them first. A simple recommendation: ask if one has played there before and if not offer (for sale?) a routing book with yardages listed. There are some areas you should avoid that aren't very obvious first time around.

The greens were as advertised, some of if not the best in the area. The pace of play was fine, although it took some time to get started due to " a couple groups of slow players" (per the starter). Of course when you're group is not striping it down the middle of every fairway and, more often than not, looking for errant shots or 3 putting the pace slows a bit. Unlike many courses there are no vertical/upright yardage markers and the fairway plates aren't always near enough to estimate distances (from the rough). The front 9 is a classic old school design (Ross) with small greens that reward good shots and repel those that aren't. There are a couple winding fairways and enough trees to block access to the green when not on the proper side and some greens are tiered and others undulating, thereby increasing the difficulty. The second 9 is not as demanding of precision off the tee or on the greens but still offers plenty of opportunity for higher than normal scoring. I recommend the course for golfers of all abilities.

FIX YOUR BALL MARKS.
As a semi-private golf course set in a residential community one would think the membership, "professional" staff, etc. would stress to the members, guests and regular public players the importance of fixing ball marks on the greens. This used to be an excellent course which was maintained to have some of the best greeens in the Charlotte area, but not so anymore. I fixed 3-5 extra ball marks on almost every hole out of courtesy and concerns. Enough said?

Depending on your abilities (on a given day) & proper choice of tees, the course layout is challenging and at the same time fair if one hits their targets and doesn't go for the BOMB drive. Draws and fades are required unless one is a straight ball hitter & most of us aren't ocnsistent enough to pull off the shots we "see". So, many of the fairways are wide enough but none are parallel to each other. Elevation changes abound as do the twists and turns of fairways. The greens are undulating in most cases and only severe in a few. The conditions overall - barely above average, maybe good at times, but not excellent, particularly the less than average conditions of the greens. The bunkers are inconsistent in the amount of sand in the ones I entered. A couple were nearing hard pan like (15 greenside right comes to mind). I'd still recommend OSGP as it still compares favorably to most other courses in the immediate area.

BEWARE, like all courses w Bermuda rough, you must play from the fairways to have any chance of posting a good score. Most of the hole designs are straight forward, few blind shots off tees. There are some forced carries designed to test your abilities & ego, so play from the tees that best suit your abilities. The fairways were plenty wide enough to work the ball into. The greens were still recovering from aeration (probably late June?) but were fine surfaced, just difficult to read. Teeing areas were not cut low enough, my primary gripe. The practice facility was more than good & the bag of balls was over the top. Play from the proper tees, play from the fairways & you will enjoy the course. Otherwise, you’ll have a tough time making any pars or even bogies. I’d have no reservation recommending the course to anyone up to an 18 Hcp. Staff was busy w a group lesson, starter &/or ranger nearly invisible & beverage cart showed up at regular intervals. I heard the reason for virtually no play was there were other courses nearby w great conditions. For the $60 I paid via Golf Now I couldn’t have been more pleased.

Course in fine condition, weather superb. Appx 1230 tee time, started 15 late. Marshall scolded our group for being off the 90* rule, deserved it. However, the 4some in front of us had 2 - maybe 3 open holes in front of them on back 9 - walking in woods talking on cell phone, just no concept of common courtesy or letting group play through - no marshal in sight when needed one. Finished in RECORD TIME of nearly 5.5 hours. SLOW PLAY KILLS the game. They were totally unaware and could care less, even waiting around 18th green yacking while we hit approach shots and putted out. Etiquette is a learned trait - but some pointers from the pro staff would help.

The overall course conditions were acceptable for early April, especially since the greens had recently been aerated, top dressed but not rolled and not cut very low. Greens were slow, there was much more standing water elsewhere on the course than I'd expect due to lack of much rain.
Routed fairly well, not very difficult (except for the 20 mph winds!) - you pretty much see what's in front of you - few surprises. I'd play it again and enjoy it at any set of tees.

I almost started play as a single but a part-time employee decided to play 9 before work. Pace was quick until we caught a foursome, but I played through after 9. The course was OK for this time of year but there were many areas in the fairways and teeing areas that really need work. Conditions were very windy but the tree lined fairways aided in keeping the ball in play. I like the layout, staff was fine but the course needed some marshalling. A foursome wouldn't offer a twosome to play through for 4-5 holes.

Unless you are a very short hitter or really need a boost to your ego, do not play from the White Tees. Even from the Blue Tees it is a short track. Nothing extraordinarily poor nor good about this course. Bunkers were short on sand and packed, probably due to recent rain. The greens were in good shape but ran slow. The $49 rate I got was still way too much for a course so far from civilization. The pro was engaging & pleasant and if I ever return it would only be because of his demeanor, certainly not the course.

Front 9 - plenty of elevation changes, blind shots, local knowledge required, some undulation on greens but not overly severe
Back 9 - what you see is what your get
Overall moderately challenging for better than avg. golfer, maybe difficult for higher HC golfers
Maintained well, greens still in top dressed state but look & putt true. Flag placements did not match as shown on card, Would be nice to have green configurations and dimensions on card. Course does not require long tee shots to score, like most - fairways and greens is all you need to score well.

There are many blind tee shots on the course, starting with the very first hole & ending on the last. Without local knowledge or a GPS it is not the most friendly course to play on a first visit - I had neither option and the card provided no assistance. However, the design is enjoyable and requires one to move the ball in both directions to score and there are several elevation changes. The greens are ample in size and even though had been recently aerated (& not mentioned in the offer on GN) they were running true. The course doesn't appear to get as much play as it could/should, given the condition. The staff was cordial, competent and the superintendent and his staff appear to know what they are doing. I'd recommend this as a course to play if you're anywhere within an hour travel time as there are several other courses within an hour that are equally well maintained and offer similar savings.

Due to the weather and time of year starting was late but moved along nicely, almost like having your own private course at times. I like the design because to score on this course you need to be able to work it both ways off the tee to get at the pins and the greens ran true. There is a good mix of short to long 4 par holes and elevation changes. However, the $46 green fee seemed a little high for January - really need to lower that to attract more non-member play.

The layout of the course has no parallel fairways but what is there is ample for all levels of players. The greens are undulating and require precise ball placement to have a reasonable attempt for an under par score. The condition of the course for this time of year was excellent and the greens are unlike any I've played anywhere locally. The course requires the ability to work the ball both directions if you are attempting to get close to the hole and the pin placements could be very difficult based on slope and undulation. This was my first and won't be my last visit to Red Bridge. The two staff members present were pleasant to deal with and I had read reviews of others which indicated otherwise. Kudos to the management for having nice young personnel employed as they reresent the future of golf course management in a good way. TVL