Kptomich

Tamarack has a lot going for it.

The staff is welcoming and friendly, both in the pro shop and restaurant.

The greens are in great shape. Consistent speeds and rolling well.

The tees were in good shape and the fairways were running firm and fast.

The layout is good. Challenging with many changes of directions and water hazards in play.

Again, a lot of good.

Unfortunately, that positive is met by a significant drawback - the condition of the bunkers. They are in dreadful shape. The liner, which is typically beneath the sand, can be seen on many of the traps. Most have been ground down to either a thin layer of sand or dirt from which golfers are asked to play. My friend and I actually debated taking relief from the sand, if we hit into them. Conditions were just that bad. Some of the bunkers, and a few of the tees, have been allowed to grow out, which would be fine if they had been filled with dirt and grass seed. Unfortunately, it looks like they’ve just been let go. Several were just overtaken by weeds. The reason all this is troubling is that there are a lot of sand traps at Tamarack and the conditions used to be much better.

Again, there’s a lot of positive at Tamarack. Just be warned that until an investment is made in renovating the bunkers, there will be a trade off in the sand.

Cherokee Run is worth the drive from Atlanta.

The course offers a diverse mix of holes requiring bombs with wide open fairways and those which necessitate pinpoint precision. I enjoyed the variety and was thankful for the advice sheet which the course handed out before I teed off. Definitely ask for their guidance and be sure to follow their tips, particularly on the greens which were extremely penal if you were above the hole.

All of the staff members were extremely welcoming and friendly. They even let my girlfriend play with only a handful of her clubs, rather than requiring an entire set. Given we’d traveled all the way from Chicago, I appreciated their Southern Hospitality in letting us travel with just one bag of clubs.

My lone recommendation would be to deploy a ranger to improve pace of play. On the day we visited, our front 9 was extremely slow due to a few troublesome groups. Thankfully they stopped after 9. As a result, our experience on the back 9 improved tremendously.

Would certainly return the next time I’m in Atlanta.

Had not played the new Preserve at Oak Meadows since its massive re-design a few years ago. The layout is fabulous. Several of the old holes from Oak Meadow have been refashioned and blend in perfectly with the new upgrades to the Preserve. The course used to get hammered during storms, making it unplayable and carts out of the question. Different story after the redesign. We played the afternoon after a storm. While the course was definitely wet, it was still in great condition with the tees, greens and most of the fairways offering ideal playing conditions. The staff in the Pro Shop and Grill were extremely friendly and welcoming and dedicated to ensuring I have an ideal experience. In fact, I forgot to bring a towel to wash-off my clubs and the starter tracked one down for me to borrow during my round. That's 5-star customer service. I'll definitely return and would recommend any serious golfer seek out this refurbished gem in the Chicago suburbs.

A tale of two nines defines Eagle Hills. The front nine weaves through a housing complex. You're literally playing a 25-50 yards from the backyard of beautiful homes. The holes offer wide fairways with trouble often times on each side and challenging greens. Same for the back nine except after the 11th hole you're in the Nebraska Plains. Sure there is a haunted house, kiddie farm OB on 14. But otherwise, the views are gorgeous and you'll need to be much more accurate to successfully score. Eagle Hills back 9 is among the most scene in the entire state. Play it, if you have the chance.

This was my 1st time playing Tara Hills. I played the Friday after Thanksgiving so conditions will definitely be different in Spring or Summer. My nephew and I had a blast playing downwind - driving a few greens on their par 4s, thanks to the breeze, firm and fast conditions. Holes into the wind were extremely challenging as they required 2-3 additional clubs. It isn't a long course. Many of the par 4 lefts us with 9-irons to wedges. But there's plenty of elevation changes making it a very fun course where, in places, accuracy is a must. The staff was extremely welcoming and even discounted my rate when my 2nd player turned out to be a junior golfer. I'll be back the next time I'm in Nebraska.

Naperbrook is a fine course with plenty of length, elevation change and tee options. There's a nice mix of long holes that will challenge even the best player and short holes that still require precision and good strategy off the tee. The greens were some of the best I played all year. Played from the tips and the course was all I wanted and more while allowing me to use every club in the bag. Staff is friendly and welcoming. Would recommend to any golfer.

My Grandpa played this course during weekly games with his friends many years ago. I play there annually as a "tip of the cap" to Grandpa. This time, I found the course to be in great condition being its Spring in Chicago. Greens were in superb shape--possibly the best I've seen. Fresh Meadows isn't the prettiest of courses. But I enjoy the reachable par 5s combined with challenging par 3s and with the location close to the City, the rates cannot be beat.

Really enjoy Fox Bend. Got a good deal. But showed and saw on the Pro Shop door that the greens had been aerated earlier that week. The fella I was paired with described them as "shaggier than my dog." Found them to be very slow and inconsistent from green to green. While I get some of this was just part of the aeration process, I couldn't understand why they hadn't been cut seemingly all week. Was more disappointed in GolfNow.com for not alerting me to this course condition prior to my round or my purchase. Inquired in the pro shop as to why that information wasn't posted on the website--as I know that's been done in the part--and while the Pro Shop attendant admitted to aerating 3-4 weeks earlier than usual he didn't take any accountability. He said I should either log my complaint with GolfNow.com or call the pro-shop in advance to check course conditions. Wondered: "Isn't that what GolfNow.com is trying to prevent?" Food service wasn't very good either. The usual food stop was closed and the bartenders in the bar weren't very friendly or helpful. In fact, the guy I played with was charged for 6-beers after only ordering 3 due to a computer glitch. It's a good course. But I was left with a really poor experience.

This was my 1st time at Inwood. The value ($46 for 18-holes plus a cart) was pretty solid. The staff said it was an $8 off the non-resident rate. Some of the holes are pretty tight so beware of golfers spraying their shots into your hole/fairway. Greens were in great shape. Pace of play wasn't great but adequate to be done in 4.5 hours. Pro shop and bar staff were very nice. Will definitely return.

Played Carriage Greens recently and was pleasantly surprised to find the course in wonderful shape. In years past, the greens were overgrown and show. After this winter, I expected the worst and I could not have been more wrong. Each green was in fantastic shape, mowed, manicured, rolling fast and true. The fairways and rough rebounded from the winter because not once did I find a spot that would've been deemed ground under repair. Everytime I missed the fairway, I still had a decent lie and oppoortunity to find the green. We purchased our round through a Hot Deal on GolfNow.com and were able to play 18-holes with a cart for a fantastic rate. We also grabbed a turkey sandwich at the half way house at the turn. It was huge; both in size and taste. The staff were very pleasant in the pro shop and at the 1/2 way house. Even though our group was exceedingly slow (we were paired up with two guys who just took up the game) the rangers didn't bother or haunt us once--and they would've been well within their rights asking us to pick it. Overall, we had a great day and I look forward to returning to Carriage Greens again soon