lannertcito

A Hot Deal round for $29 on a Monday afternoon at Emerald Hills was worth it, even though there was no ranger to speed up the pace of play, no beverage cart service, and the bar was closed. And playing with a guy who was more interested in retrieving balls than hitting them was a drag.

Still, EH being EH, it was a pleasure playing this challenging layout that demands precision shot-making and skilled putting on greens that were quick, but reasonably fair. Alas, the course conditions did not measure up to the layout as the uneven fairways were shaggy in spots and bare in others, the tee boxes were chopped up, and the greens were pocked with brown patches. The bunkers were in good shape.

As our gasoline-powered golf cart wheezed its way back to the clubhouse, I was thinking it would have been helpful if the cart had a GPS. And with so many players on the course, the bar should have been open. As always, the course staff was cordial and competent.

Soggy playing conditions and worn, blazing fast greens that did not run true diminished an otherwise pleasant trek around the old landfill. Beverage cart service was excellent, as were pro shop staff and starter. Cart attendants less so. Basic snack bar closed shop way too early. A good deal for $30 or so.

As the city of Hollywood continues to withhold voter-approved funds to rejuvenate its oldest track, this nearly 100-year old Donald Ross course will continue to suffer from lack of sufficient maintenance. And on April 1, the extremely dry conditions added insult to neglect as there were few good fairway lies during our foursome's dusty, robustly-paced round. The greens were bumpy and often brown, the bunkers flanking either side of the greens were usually hard, and the tee boxes were ground up. To be fair, many heavily-played tracks in South Florida are struggling with similar conditions, and by April, many courses in the area are somewhat beaten up

As usual, the Ross design featured strategically-placed ponds and ditches, but the picturesque, Par-70 course overall, was not threatening. Higher handicappers may find it tough to score on the long-ish Par 3's and Par 4's., but short Par 5's are gettable. While the staff was predictably friendly and efficient, the beverage cart service was lacking, particularly on a quiet golf day. The cozy snack bar inside the module next to the pro shop served up the tastiest bar-b-que sandwich in Broward County. In spite of its lamentable shape, the venerable HB is stilll worth playing for under $20.

Dazzling course designs on Heron and Osprey tracks, which featured gently rolling hills and numerous water hazards, was offset by dreadfully slow pace of play, thanks to an assortment of Sunday afternoon players in dire need of range work. The fairways, bunkers and tees were in good shape on both courses, but the greens on Heron were slow, while the greens on Osprey looked as if they had recently undergone sand conditioning. There was no snack bar or beverage cart service. The staff and cart attendants were courteous, while the harried starter desperately tried to accommodate players who wanted to play as a duo or a trio on an afternoon that required foursomes only. Still, this better-than-average, county-owned track will be worth a second visit from Fort Lauderdale, this time on a weekday - and once a snack bar and beverage cart service is reinstated.

Wedged inside of a residential development, this poorly-conditioned, city-owned course is the lone executive track in southeast Palm Beach County and its geographic exclusivity is its only saving grace as elderly residents and visitors in the area have no other short course option. Our foursome was unlucky enough to be playing behind a passel of Sunday league players whose best golfing days were far behind them. But we made the best of a turtle-paced round that took us over a pedestrian layout that featured thin fairways, weed-pocked greens, several bodies of water and jagged tee boxes placed too closely to one another or to the greens. There was no beverage cart service, snack bar or clubhouse turn after nine holes. The course staff was friendly and proficient.

On Jan. 25 when a good friend and I played the Springs, the venerable track was in wretched shape from tee to green.

On Feb. 25, the longish, wide-open course was in a near pristine state, save a couple of greens and fairways that were still in good condition. On the flip side, there was unexpected gridlock on the last three holes, plus no beverage cart service. The $55 fee was not a bargain, but a good deal, nonetheless.

A quirky, often narrow, course shoehorned inside a retirement community, the water-laden Flamingo Lakes always plays tougher than it looks and my round was no exception. But for a $30 Hot Deal, it was worth a quick trek with three amiable Canadians around a solidly-conditioned track that, unfortunately. did not offer beverage cart service. Lone bone to pick was starter misidentifying my playing partners.

For the first time in several years, this challenging South Florida staple was in superb shape, except for the bumpy traps. As usual, the staff was cordial and proficient, especially Cindy the bartender and Trace the beverage cart attendant. Lone downsides were no GPS and sluggish pace of play, the latter of which was unsurprising on a sun-soaked Friday afternoon.

The spacious East Course of long-maligned Orangebrook was in surprisingly decent condition, save a few tee boxes, a couple of sand-sogged greens and rock-hard bunkers. Though conditions have been dry of late, the usually thinnish fairways were in good shape. Unhappily, the starter mistakenly sent me out as a solo player on a busy, and gorgeous, Friday afternoon. But after hopscotching the front nine, I found a pleasant threesome on the back nine to finish the round at a robust pace. There was no beverage cart service, nor GPS. Staffers at the snack bar , pro shop and cart attendants were friendly and efficient. A Hot Deal definitely worth the price.

A Hot Deal in January at a busy Miami-Dade course usually means there is a catch, and in this case, it was greens that undergone recent topdressing with sand. Most greens sported grainy patches, while tee boxes and fairways were fairly chewed up. Still the paltry number of players on the course made for a pleasantly rapid round. Bunkers were firm. No cart service and no GPS, but pro shop staff was friendly and competent. Snack bar provided efficient beverage service, as well.

The course should play better as the weather warms up....

As the city of Hollywood withholds millions for improvements to this nearly 100-year old track, the course management trudges along, doing its best to maintain a historic Donald Ross layout whose greens are shag-carpet slow and whose poorly-draining fairways were unplayable on several holes. No matter. For 20 beans apiece, my buddy and I worked on our games as we scampered through a rain-threatened, thoroughly enjoyable round in just two hours and 30 minutes. A delicious, bar-b-que pork sandwich in the cozy snack trailer with a knockout bartender capped off an entertaining visit to Hollywood Beach, home of South Florida's friendliest staff.

Given the CV-19 hysteria and attendant limitations to playing golf in Broward County, my round at Davie, nonetheless, was a pleasant odyssey that was greatly enhanced by the foursome in front of us giving way to our threesome at the turn. Thanks to the six-week lockdown, the fairways and greens were in fine condition, the bunkers less so. As usual, the staff was friendly and the beverage cart service was splendid on a 90 degree day. Thumbs down to the starter for confused placement of players.

Challenging Par 70 is tight, water-laden, and in fine fettle. Curvy and wavy greens demand precision putts. Pace of play was a bit sluggish, before grinding to a halt on No. 13. - a bad omen for upcoming winter traffic. Carts had GPS, but there was no cart attendant to distribute adult beverages. Staff was friendly, beers were cheap, and the $15 Hot Deal was hot, indeed....

One of the oldest municipal courses in South Florida, the Springs is deceptively tough, with long Par 3's and 4's and elevated, thumb print greens. Alas, the spongy, uber-slow greens offset an otherwise solidly-conditioned track. The pace of play was generally brisk, though the two out-of-towners and I were in no rush on such a gorgeous day. Unhappily, there was no cart service, no GPS and no one to wash clubs. Staff in pro shop and restaurant were friendly. A good treat for under $25.

Sluggishly-paced round on a bucket list course was highlighted by stellar service from the pro shop staff, starter, cart attendant and beverage cart server. Ditto for staff for course snack bar, which offered tasty bar fare. The course? Well....from the blue tees, The Champ is not particularly stimulating visually nor it is especially tough, save No. 16 - the middle hole of the renowned Bear Trap - and No. 18. Back nine is more stout than front due to water hazards and placement of bunkers, several of which were concrete hard. The fairways and greens were brownish in spots with greens running a bit slow. Worth at least one trip around this very popular course, but not a second trek, unless the price is right.

One of the toughest tracks in South Florida was in splendid shape for our pleasant Memorial Day round, Our foursome traversed the snug, water-laden course in less than four hours, even as we battled the tricky pin placements on the undulating, quick greens. Straight shooters will tear up this Par-70 track, but for the rest of us, this winding, peculiar course wedged through an assortment of residential developments, will provide a stout test. Big plus is each cart has a GPS, which is rare for a public course in this area. Alas, there was no beverage cart. Staff is always friendly. Weekday Hot Deals can be had for under $20 this time of the year.

On another glorious South Florida morning, my buddy and I blitzed through 18 pleasant holes on this grand, 94 year-old track whose speedy fairways, tidy tee boxes and mildly fluffy bunkers were in good, but not spectacular, shape. The rough was gnarly in spots, providing a stout test for iron play. While the recently-aerated greens were gorgeously full and usually rolled true, they remained very slow for this course. A few more weeks of humid, and perhaps, wet weather and MS should be in overall solid shape. There was no adult beverage cart service on the course and no GPS. Amiable pro shop staffer and starter were efficient. There was no one to cleans our clubs after the round. Priceworthy for $25 or less....