Independence Golf Club - Championship

To bad too many trees are coming down. Course is in great shape from tee box to greens. Fastest greens I’ve played on so be prepared. Real nice clubhouse and practice facility.

Course was great, as usual. I stupidly left my clubs on the cart when I returned it and only figured this out when I got home. I called the pro shop and Dale brought my clubs inside and waited 30 minutes (after the shop closed) for me to drive back and retrieve them. Great customer service, thanks Dale.

I wrote about my disappointment in the conditions of Independence when it re-opened back in August. My criticism focused mainly on the revamped greens and how much slower and softer they were compared to previous years.

I’m happy to report that the greens have matured since and have firmed up nicely, producing blazing fast putting speeds like I was used to here before.

The rest of the course has also improved and nearly fully recovered from last year’s harsh winter. Despite a ton of rain, the maintenance crew here has kept up with the bunkers and the fairways, rough, and tee boxes are all lush. It was cart-path only when I played, though only a few holes were wet enough to warrant it.

All else remains unchanged, though I was a little disappointed that the GPS/Shark Experience screens weren’t running the day I played. That would have been especially helpful given the cart-path only rules.

I still think this course is a bit overpriced for what you get but it’s worth playing a couple times a year just for those PGA Tour-fast greens!

Writing a review like this hurts. Having played Independence each of the past 3 years and falling in love with its blazing fast and silky smooth greens that the harsh winter destroyed, it pains me to see this premiere course diminished by sod. I understand the reality and challenges that faced this club months ago when the grass refused to grow back and I can’t fault their efforts to get the course playable again. But there’s no hiding the fact that their biggest asset is now their greatest liability.

Part of what made Independence’s greens so quick was how firm they were. You rarely could even see a ball mark on the greens because of the firmness and toughness of the putting surface. But now with every green sodded, you can feel the sponginess under your feet (however slight) that kills the speed. Additionally, the rows of sod mean a lot of seams and while most have no impact on your putted ball, a few of them do and that’s not what you expect from an $85 round.

If you can overlook the difference in the greens, however, you may find Independence to be an enjoyable place. The fairways and rough are generally in good shape, as are the bunkers. The club offers free range balls on a grass range and excellent practice facilities.

But with the previous greens being the real defence of the course, the lack of dynamic layout characteristics now with the slower greens means there’s not a bevy of value added to your relatively expensive round of golf. One exception to this is the golf carts which retain the most comfortable seats ever and now offer the new Shark Experience screens. I sampled some of the Slacker Radio music offerings and found it to be not only enjoyable but undistracting.

The value of getting to putt on pro-speed greens is lost with the old grass. What we are left with is a pretty average course with a lot of flash to compensate. Many if not most golfers will find it acceptable, but sadly I think your money is better spent elsewhere. I certainly hope that is not the case for long.

I’ve played on many courses which host PGA events, but none of them have better greens than this course. So smooth. So quick. So true. I admit it made it hard on my sand game when I’d drop the ball next to the hole and have it spin off the green, but I’ll take my lumps for the quality moss.

Really nice course to play. The starter was friendly and gave great advice about the course. The Bermuda rough is a challenge and takes a lot of getting used to. The greens were in very good shape and were fairly quick. The course had received rain overnight and was cart paths only, but that didn't detract from the course or the pace of play. A few of the fairways were a bit wet, but in general it was not too bad. Love the course and will play it any time I'm in the area.

Greens are fast. Really fast. Did I say fast? Conditions are great for the time of the year - Bermuda fairways and greens. Looks great - they paint the dormant fairways green. They have a great bar/restaurant and clubhouse is very nice. Practice facility is the best around. The only thing about Independence is the price. $85 for 18 riding. It's worth it to play if it's in your budget. It's also very walkable if you like to walk. There is also a par 3 course which I have not played but I have heard great things about it. Go play this course.

Great layout. Best greens in the area. Extremely fast but true. Food is great staff is friendly and attentive. Greens fee is slightly steep but well worth it. A must play if you’re in the area.

Son and I played there on a long weekend trip about 6 hours from home. Played with two great members from Independence GC. Was greeted by great staff and starter. Length is great for the appropriate tees you should play. Fairways were in excellent shape. But star of this course is the greens. 10.5 on stimp. Undulating greens that made some putts very interesting and fun at the same time. Very smooth. No ball marks on greens since they were fairly firm. If you hit a solid shot, you would make a small one. Very playable layout that was not overly hard. Fairways wide and bunkers were very playable. Played in 4 hours, which is great. $85.00 is just a little too much to pay for Independence GC. In my opinion should be around $50.00, but would play here again if in the area. Now for the bad news. Restaurant was not kind to us since it took over 30 minutes to get any food ordered. Was not the waitress fault, but she went to kitchen 2 times to advise them we were driving a long way home and were very hungry. Paid for drinks, left tip for server and left. By the way the food coming out of the kitchen looked very good! Hopefully we will be back soon. Give the pilot(front desk) and air traffic controller(starter) a raise!! They were fantastic!!

Played this course for the first time with my son (college golfer). Course was in excellent condition... greens rolled true... fairways immaculate... bunkers well maintained. Even in windy conditions, this was a great venue and I would play here again... and again. Practice facilities were excellent. This rivals many private courses we have played... can't wait to come back.

From bag drop to finish, i was extremely happy. Tee boxes, fairways, sand traps, greens were perfect. Staff was great, range was nice and the two putting green were exceptional. Five star and highly recommend.

Best public course I have ever played!! Great staff, course and pace of play. Best greens you will find anywhere.

Our threesome went off early morning. No problem getting around the course in under 4 hours. It was great fun and the course is in great condition. Some of the best greens I have played on. Can't wait to do it again.

Considering weather and time of year, course conditions incredible. Played number courses recently and all soggy . Yes , spots of water , but overall tee to green very good. Greens great shape and fairways for the most part dry. Had plenty of roll on the fairways and good grass. Very playable course and the rest of facilities very good. Practice facilities very good and never have an issue here with pace. The quality of the staff and clientele make this a truly good golf experience. It's only con is cost. Play a number of courses in area for a lot less. Tavern 19 is a very nice stop after for beer or a great meal. Wife and I will come for dinner even on days not playing. Great layout, very playable and fun. Expensive , but when we play we make sure we have time to enjoy before during and drinks and meal after.