The Nightmare

My hopes weren't too high for a November round here, but I was pleasantly surprised. The conditions were pretty firm and fast for this late in the season and they did a great job clearing leaves. The course itself has a pretty nice flow to it. There's a good variety of scoreable holes and holes you need to buckle down for. The pace was a little iffy, but not horrible for a busy November day. I'm not in the area often, but I think I'd play here any time I was.

The staff is amazing when it comes to information and pace of play. Their pros really know what they are doing and have helped me and some friends really improve even though we are just some casual golfers. They have a great system and the course is absolutely stunning.

First, the pace of play for this course that is printed on the scorecard is 2 hours and 15 minutes for 9 holes.

Our group of 6 had two tee times, and were configured with a foursome that teed off at 9am sharp, and a twosome right behind. There were no groups visible on the first hole at 9am. We were on a weekend getaway, and playing partners best ball with three groups of two, rotating partners every 9.

Through the front nine, our foursome group was approached by rangers a couple of times, with complaints about our pace of play, and snapping at us to get a move on.

Our twosome (the trailing group) arrived at the clubhouse after 9 holes at 11:10 AM, a few minutes ahead of the requested pace.

We arrived to meet the leading group and found that there was another cart waiting for us, with the demand from course staff that we reconfigure into two groups of 3, and reports that the foursome was approached by the ranger and told to hurry at the turn.

One of the golfers in our twosome went into the clubhouse to use the restroom and was at the grill ordering a quick hot dog (to go) and was approached by a ranger at the snack bar, and told that we needed to hurry up and tee off (the group behind us not yet even putting on 9).

We moved to the 10th tee and moved a bag to the newly required 4th golf cart, and were about to tee off at 11:20, when a ranger pulled up in his cart, walked onto the tee box and nastily snapped at our first group again, to move faster.

This was the straw that caused us to lose all patience with the staff. When we protested that we were well within the requested pace and that we were tired of being harassed, the ranger left and sped off to the clubhouse. As 'leader' of our group, I went back to the clubhouse and discussed the harassment and our pace with the gentleman in the clubhouse. The tee time was discussed vs the clock on the wall, and i was told that they were just trying to keep things moving and we were indeed not being rushed.

Through the back 9 we were not approached by anyone, and with everyone in a foul mood and not enjoying the remainder of our round, we finished up at about 1pm. Four hours on a course with a published 4.5 hour pace.

One of our group went into the clubhouse to again discuss the unpleasantness of the rangers with the gentleman at the counter, and was told that the course manager and the ranger that met us on the tenth tee had both offered their apologies, and that we could golf another nine or help ourselves to a tee shirt from the pro shop.

Not being interested in golfing anymore at this course, nor advertising the course via a free shirt, we packed up and left.

The course itself was beautiful, but he staff at this course flat out ruined our day and ended our weekend getaway on a sour note. I absolutely will not be back to this course. The very worst experience I have ever had with staff at a golf course, or nearly anywhere.

The Nightmare is a beautiful course that plays pretty fast. I don't recommend playing here in a group over 2 as the Rangers are pushy and unprofessional. The score card states 9 holes should be played in 2 hours and 15 minutes. The Rangers will be badgering you if you take 2 hours and will be telling you to speed up. I played at the Dream the day before and the Rangers were pleasant and gave pointers for the hole.

Was rudely rushed by rangers with no need, Treated like we were Hooligans that had never played the game, Badgered on the course , Pin flag laying on the green, All most toke our clubs and walked after 9 out of 18 holes. No one in our group of 6 have ever been treated this way on a course before. The course was in great shape but the management/club house/rangers Killed half of day 2 of a 2 day four hour drive guys weekend golf trip. (the cart boy, one starter and concession stand were nice). I could go on and on but I can't stand writing reviews, when i already paid to have them wast a chunk of my day/trip. Though I do feel the need to keep others from having the same experience. They tried justifying it by claiming that a ranger and the owner apologized which never happen, nor would it have justified!!! We won't put our selfs in this spot at this course again. Would recommend giving your green fees to a facility that treats you with respect and allows you to enjoy the game and the course!!

The course is great, typically it's firm and running fast. The amenities are poor the service is terrible, they treat you like you should be praising them for letting you on the property. A TON of better and more affordable options in the area. Avoid the Dream and WBCC as they are owned by the same people.

My game was off, mechanical issue; couldn't get off the tee which was problematic. Greens are bigger than some countries! Fun layout, looking forward to coming back next year.

Played The Nightmare for the first time today after driving by it on the freeway for years. One of the most aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable courses I've ever played. The staff couldn't have been more friendly and the course was immaculate. All courses should be designed like this course. Generous fairways and not the least bit tricked up. The greens were a touch tricky, but with such hilly terrain, that's usually the case. Was so impressed by the design, that I Googled who the course architect was, and was shocked to find out that the family/owners designed the course. Even though I live 90 miles away, will be playing here a few times a year in the future.

This course, along with its sister course The Dream, are always our favorite to play. The fairways, greens, and sand traps are always in immaculate shape. We are always able to play in under 4 hrs due to the spread out tee times. The staff is very courteous and even provide a cooler with ice on the cart for your beverages. These courses are the model all other courses should emulate.
Senior rate of $55 is higher than most but the course is worth it especially since you can bring your own beverages.

Beautiful course, quiet, carved out of woods. great Michigan golf
Large Greens, fast, in great condition. Generous fairways
Was in great condition, despite a drenching rain all morning, weather cleared just in time for us to tee off.
Staff was helpful
When booking, they reminded us to bring our own beverages, they would provide the ice.
Pace of play was great-
Keep your Rangers out there!
Will be back yearly for our summer golf trip. A great stop on our first day on our way further north.

The Nightmare fit me and my son to a tee. The very scenic, hilly course was beautifully maintained. We both like long par 5's and big firm and fast greens with lots of bunkers but generous fairways. Its all about the golf here and the staff was very friendly and welcoming...a great time ,thank you "Nightmare"!

I usually play The Nightmare once or twice a year and it is always awesome. I highly recommend playing here if you get a chance.

Layout: The layout is fantastic. Every hole is a good hole and no two holes are alike. There are some huge elevation changes, great green complexes, and overall picturesque holes. It is simply one of the better layouts around.

Greens: The greens are always in great shape. They are typically firm and fast, but not unfair in any way. With the weather being mostly cold so far, the greens aren't totally grown in yet, but I would expect that to change soon. They still rolled great today, they were just very quick.

Other: Range balls are always provided. The course allows you to bring your own beer and will provide a cooler and ice. The price is always reasonable, even at peak times, and the beer policy makes it an even better deal. No great clubhouse or anything, just a great golf course.

If you're trying to decide between the Nightmare and the Dream, I'd go with the Nightmare. Best option is to play both because they are both great, but if you only have time for one, go with the Nightmare!

We play Nightmare about once per year and enjoy it every time. The course has a fantastic layout and is consistently in good shape. Since they don’t have a liquor license, they allow you to bring your own beer which saves some money.

Course Layout: The course has a great layout from start to finish. It provides variety and challenge without being punishing. The fairways are wide and provide room off the tee, but poor shots are penalized by large bunkers or trees.

Conditioning: The tee boxes and fairways were both in great shape. The greens were just OK. They rolled fine and the speed was good, but there were some greens with small dead and bumpy spots. Overall, the greens were very playable, they just weren’t in as great of shape as they typically are.

Overall: If you’re in the area, definitely play the Nightmare. It is a great course with picturesque holes, good conditioning, and an appropriate challenge.

This course is fantastic both for an experienced golfer and beginner alike. The course has great elevation changes, with greens that roll very true. Great variety of holes, with water and sand on many of them. We played on a Sunday morning and pace was great, we were able to finish in under 4 hours. Anyone headed towards West Branch should stop in for a round.

The first thing you witness driving into the resort is a fairly intimidating sign denoting that you have arrived at "The Nightmare," golf course. The Nightmare ends there; however, as the course is very fair and beautifully tucked away so you are seemingly all alone on the course.

The practice facility was top notch to get loose before the round. The layout and course conditions were very good when we played (considering they had a lot of rain the week prior).

We were a group of 20 and they had no problem accommodating us for our Head-to Head lag of our Benzdorka tournament. There is some trouble off the tees, but if you can keep it in the fairway you have a good shot at posting a score.

Of note is that the course is BYOB, so make sure you are fully stocked on the goods before rolling in.

Must play Dream and nightmare. Play same day or back to back days to get a deal. Non peak hrs you can get a stellar rate for how nice they are

Beautiful course but i brought 9 other guys spent 1000$ between us and the rangers were rude and harassed us the entire round...we had a handicap golfer with us and 2 unexperienced golfers and offered to let others play through which they declined and told us our pace was fine...get some more polite staff...it was a bit rediculous and although i loved the course the treatment from staff makes me never want to return nor will i reccomend the course to anybody....just because the course is nice doesnt give them the right to be down right rude and harassing...

Awesome views and enjoyable play! Lots of sand on the back 9 which my ball found on every hole!! Thanks!!! Enjoyed!!

Contrary to the name, not really a nightmare at all. Great value for the money. Allows you to make a mistake and not pay for it dearly.