View of the 16th green at Waterlefe Golf & River Club
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Rating Index Rating
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4.5
2068 Reviews (2068)
5 Stars
1323
4 Stars
627
3 Stars
81
2 Stars
20
1 Stars
17
Conditions
4.4
Value
4.1
Layout
4.7
Friendliness
4.6
Pace
4.3
Amenities
3.8
92.3%
Recommend this course
1981 out of 2068 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.5
108 Reviews (108)
5 Stars
66
4 Stars
31
3 Stars
11
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.1
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.2
Amenities
3.5
StaffFriendliness
4.6
94.4%
Recommend this course
102 out of 108 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.5
122 Reviews (122)
5 Stars
76
4 Stars
33
3 Stars
13
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.1
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.3
Amenities
3.5
StaffFriendliness
4.6
93.4%
Recommend this course
114 out of 122 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6892 yards
Slope 146
Rating 73.9

Inspired by the backdrop of the Manatee River, Ted McAnlis has created the ultimate golf experience with the perfect combination of beauty and challenge. Waterlefe Golf & River Club is built along a particularly beautiful section of the Manatee River, complete with wide expanses of pristine marshes and pleasant coves. Don't be surprised if on the 15th tee you spot a family of manatees poking noses up for a breath of air. The golf course was designed with a great deal of time, effort and expense going toward protecting and resorting the natural environment that gives the course it unique character. The gently sloped greens with the newest Tifteagle Bermuda offer the ultimate in putting. From a lazy start on the par-5 first hole to the big finish on the 18th hole island green, golfers love Waterlefe Golf & River Club!

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Waterlefe Golf and River Club
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Course Details

Year Built 2000
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Ted McAnlis (2000)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes
GPS Yes
Pull-carts No

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker No
Caddies No
Golf School Academy Yes
Golf Simulator No
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area No
Putting Green Yes
Practice Hole No

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted Major credit cards are accepted.
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code Proper golf attire required

Food & Beverage

Bar, Grill, Beverage Carts

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Meeting Facilities, Banquet Facilities, Spa

Available Activities

Swimming, Billiards

Available Sports

Fitness, Tennis

Accolades

Reviews

4.5
2068 Reviews (2068)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 56
Brunch 17
19th Hole Specials 15
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 158
Forced Carries 105
Bunkers 93
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 126
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 113
Locals 48
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 105
Convenient to the City 51
In the 'Burbs 43

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Waterleaf

I was disappointed when we arrived to hear that all the greens had been burned out in advance of their course redesign/ construction . I did not realize this and I felt we didn’t get the optimum value for our green fees . I will say the course layout is great and I look forward to playing the course when it is back in good condition .

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 04/18/2023

Thank you for taking the time to review us, jwoodsy. Your feedback is valuable, and we look forward to delivering you excellent service again soon. Waterlefe Golf & River Club thanks you!

Played On
Reviews 12
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Extremely Challenging Layout

To be fair, the course was getting ready to close for 6 months to prepare for major renovations- including the greens and tee boxes. But regardless of that fact, the greens rolled true and fast ( though they were brown and completely dormant). The layout was very challenging from the blue/gold tee boxes and required some fairly precise golf shots. The slope rating is fully justified. I would recommend more playing tips on the gps to help navigate the course better. Front 9 played easier than the back although neither was easy. Staff was friendly and accommodating.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/29/2023

Thank you for taking the time to review us, Gary1263822. Your feedback is valuable, and we appreciate your business. Waterlefe Golf & River Club thanks you!

Played On
Reviews 2
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Hot weather
Used cart

Greens terrible

Greens being renovated and all grass was killed and left a bare brown greens..
Course was booked on Teeoff and there was no indication of any green renovations on booking page.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Burned out greens

I was unaware, and there was no clear warning on the website or on the course website that the course was closing in 2 weeks for 6 months to replace all the greens. Greens had been intentionally burned out for removal upon closing. Very disappointed this wasn't made clear when I booked

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Totally burnt out greens

Unknown to me when I booked this that the course is closing in 2 weeks for 6 months to replace all the greens. In prep for that they have burned out all the greens to make it easier to dig up I guess. This fact should have been clearly stated on the listing instead of a small “course caution” Button with explanation. Yes, maybe I should have called when I saw that but there was no other info whatsoever on the listing. Hour plus drive each way and $200+ for 2 green fees. Disappointing because I like the course

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Previously Played

Bad bad bad condition

I think this so rude that we pay full price snd the green are death…(sorry for my english) I stopped after 9 hole and stop at the pro shop to telle the director he should tell us before and he said that it is writen…. At Golf now it is not. I want them to pay me back please.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 13
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Greens

I think we should have been informed that the greens were dead and that the course was closing in a week for new greens . The course was in great shape except for the greens and they were very hard to putt totally burned out .

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 05/01/2023

Hello, Fran1512627. Thank you for visiting us at Waterlefe Golf & River Club. We appreciate your 4-star rating and review. We hope you join us for another round soon.

Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Best staff

Everyone super friendly, only negative was they are killing the greens to reseed them. Very fast to putt on them

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 05/01/2023

Hi, Steve4479992. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. Thank you for the 4 stars! We aim for a 5-star experience, so we always welcome feedback for improvement. Thank you for playing Waterlefe Golf & River Club.

Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/28/2023

Hi, Larryqew. We would love to hear more about your 4-star experience on our course. Please tell us what we can do to earn that last star, and thanks for golfing at Waterlefe Golf & River Club!

Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/22/2023

Hello, u790197224. Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. We see you rated the course 2-stars and are interested in learning what we can do to improve for your next visit.

We take customer feedback very seriously at our course. Please reach out to our team in the golf shop and tell us what's on your mind.

Default User Avatar
Anonymous
Played On
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Greens are horrible.

The greens are dead brown and extremely fast to the point it was almost unplayable. No warning about it before booking, not worth the money because of that. The rest of the course was nice however.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 3
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

The Greens

They are in the process of redoing their greens so they have killed the grass in prep for planting new grass. The existing grass is brown so the greens are rock hard and so fast it’s ridiculous if I had known I would not have booked a time. I love Waterlefe but not right now.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/22/2023

Thank you for reviewing the course. Let us first start by apologizing for the poor experience you had during your visit. The current condition is by no means the standard we strive to achieve and are working diligently to improve the course. Thank you for playing and we hope to see you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 15
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Waterlefe

GolfNow needs to alert its users when there is a change in course conditions. I would not have booked if I knew the greens were in the process of being replaced.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/20/2023

We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us, mbuggs. We are going to pass on your feedback to the team. Thanks for visiting Waterlefe Golf & River Club, and we hope to see you again in the future.

Played On
Reviews 23
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great Layout; conditions up and down

Greens were “browned out” but course layout was fun.. Nobody warned us about the greens when we booked it. Still a good time though.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/22/2023

Hello, u000004678856. Thank you for visiting us at Waterlefe Golf & River Club. We appreciate your 4-star rating and review. We hope you join us for another round soon.

Played On
Reviews 32
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/28/2023

u000007592157, thank you for the awesome rating! We hope to see you again at the course very soon for another great experience, and thanks for choosing Waterlefe Golf & River Club.

Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Used cart

Nice, but........

I was anxious to play this course but was disappointed to arrive and find the greens have been killed off as they transition to new grass. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see that anywhere on the course description. The rest of the course was very good.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 05/01/2023

Hi, u903254717. Thank you so much for your feedback. We are glad you had enjoyed your time at Waterlefe Golf & River Club, and pride ourselves on delivering the best experience possible.

We hope to see you again soon!

Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Nice design

The greens are being killed for redoing but because of that they were dry brittle and lightning fast. That information was not given until you paid to play. A reduced fee should have been granted.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/22/2023

Hi, u314161197605. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We understand your frustration with the construction projects underway. Please bear with us as we work diligently to make improvements. We hope you'll give us another try in the future.

Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Horrible greens

Greens were burned out….

Could not putt as it was like ice

If you leaned on your putter it would slip ourt from under you.

We were not advised of horrible putting conditions

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/22/2023

Hi, u314161464869. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We understand your frustration with the construction projects underway. Please bear with us as we work diligently to make improvements. We hope you'll give us another try in the future.

Played On
Reviews 31
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Outstanding Course

There’s nothing bad I can say about this course. The pace of play was excellent. It was in fine condition and the staff was very professional.
The course will challenge any level of golfer but is fair . I will definitely be back.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/20/2023

Thank you for taking the time to review us, Vfrec. Your feedback is valuable, and we look forward to delivering you excellent service again soon. Waterlefe Golf & River Club thanks you!

Played On
Reviews 11
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/28/2023

Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating! We're delighted you enjoyed your round. Please book another round with us soon, and thanks for choosing Waterlefe Golf & River Club!

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