SapientCritic

First and foremost, this was a 9-mile extreme hiking trail, that included golf. For older folks considering this track, I don't recommend it. I read a lot of reviews and watched many videos to prepare myself for Black. I'm 57 years old and in good shape. It was a struggle to finish my 5-hour round, simply because I was physically beat. The July heat, combined with the extreme peaks and valleys on the course challenged me more than the golf. I played with a 43 year-old guy with his 16 year-old son. Dad quit after 5 holes, (we flagged down a ranger to cart him back to the clubhouse), and it was me and the kid the rest of the way. I was having a ball, until maybe 13 or 14 when the fatigue set it and my golf game unraveled. From 14 on, I just wanted it to end. I had the thought of a marathoner gutting out the last couple miles of the race and kept that mantra in my head for the last few holes.

The golf course is amazing. I had planned to hire a caddie but none were available. If you've never played the course, I suspect a caddie would increase your joy and your success. Plenty of blind shots and position decisions have to be made. (And raking the 15 different bunkers I was in added to the task). It's an enormous property with 78 bunkers, many of them cavernous. Local knowledge would benefit any golfer. On a couple of occasions we didn't know where the next tee was. (Note, the many tees are far away from the previous green) It's old-school. There is no container with sand to fill your divot. Replace your divots. But each hole as we walked on the tee box was stupendous. The layout, scenery and elevation changes make it a treat to play.
I just wish I had a caddie.

Unfortunately they lost the greens here. Maybe fungus? Nobody explained it to me and nobody apologized. It's that bad. It's bad enough that the ordinary overpriced fees at OC are inexcusable. It's bad enough that I'm not playing here again until it's resolved. Any other golf course would simply reduce the pricing. OC puts itself out there as elite. It's a Nicklaus Signature course. I get that. Maybe their contract with Nicklaus Design requires them to keep the fees elevated. Lots of possibilities but its all hush hush. Anyone with business chops would understand this glaring problem and respond to it accordingly. It's that bad. It's bad enough that their website should disclose how horrifying these greens are. At least 4 of them are unplayable. Not one single green is in average shape. Recall the worst greens you've ever played on and these are worse. What a waste of an otherwise superior golf course.

Clever layout and very unique for a municipal golf course. The greens are difficult, (therefore the slow play). Bill Watts design - he designed about a half dozen courses in the late 60's early 70's. He had a flair and imagination in his construction this shows at Davie. Tons of surprises, (I wouldn't wager with a local). But enjoyable and well worth the value.

The problems:
This track could use some loving touches throughout, but I doubt they have a large budget. Most notably, the practice green by the clubhouse, (mobile home), is basically like a tee or fairway, and not representative of the actual greens. They could fix this without much effort.

The upside:
The nature here is outstanding. Lizards of all colors running around everywhere. Bird species I"ve never seen before hanging out by the tees or trees. Giant frogs!? It was special to enjoy the nature whilst playing our round.

Spring Run is our go-to local track during the off-season. Private club, but they make the PGA Pass folks feel welcome. Good practice facility with free range balls. The golf course is outstanding. You won't find anything in Bonita Springs/Estero at this price with the same quality.

There are 2 courses at ChampionsGate. The National and the International. They are very different courses. I was hoping Golf Advisor would provide the ability to review them separately - but there is no such option.

Anyway, both courses are great with the International being more challenging. If it's your first time, you should consider moving up a tee or playing with someone with local knowledge. Hazards and hidden trouble are creeping all over the place (particularly on the International). Courses were in top shape and the greens rolling fast for January.

It's not cheap by any means but there are third-party sites to secure less expensive tee times if you do some research.

This golf course gets my full respect for catering to seniors and making an effort to speed up play. They have a blue stake near the greens that seniors can drive their cart right up to. It reduces the walking distance and speeds up play.

Unlike most courses in this area, there are only a few water hazards. This also makes for a speedier round and all around more playable.

I enjoyed the layout. The greens were in great shape, and the staff was very nice.

I played the Bay course yesterday with a 1 p.m. tee time. Incredible views of the Pacific all over the property. The layout and and design of this track was beyond my expectation. I was paired with a guy from Pleasanton, CA, (Zach), and we had a ball. Challenging but fair and we were treated to a peach of a day with little wind and a lot of sunshine. Good pace of play and friendly staff. Hole #5 is obviously a stunner with the tee shot over the ocean. But #16 was my favorite hole, with a river splitting the middle of the fairway leaving a golfer's choice to place the drive left or right. The only down side to the Bay course is the range, which limits your practice shots to 175 yards or less. We were told to not hit the driver at the range. But the overall experience was top-notch.

Coyote Moon was a pleasure. I came in solo about a week before season closing. They had me playing with a fun couple from SF, and all of us thoroughly enjoyed our round. The course is cut out of the rough terrain and sweeping panorama of the Sierra Nevada crest in Truckee. So many different looks and angles make the course a delight as you discover each new hole. It is pretty tight in some areas and you will likely experience some tactical shots from the pines with wayward shots. Relatively difficult greens await you on every approach and you really have to manage your putting to avoid 3-jacks. It's a phenomenal deal in the fall, but I would pay top price to play here in the peak season.

If you happen to be staying at the JW Marriott in Beunaventura, Panama, this is a MUST play. If you stay at the resort, it's a $135 weekend rate, $70 for weekday. If you are not staying at the resort, I believe the green fee is $300. The best thing about this course, (both times I played), is the fast play. Virtually nobody plays golf here. And it's an amazing Jack Nicklaus design with 4 tees for variable skill-levels. It's like golf heaven. EVERYTHING is in perfect shape. While you play you will see dozens of greenskeepers, gardeners, workers, etc., maintaining the course. The fairways are pristine. The bunkers are filled with fluffy white sand and fully raked. There is no disease or defects on the greens. The only small issue is the greens are a bit slow. This is because (due to the harsh climate) they use the Platinum Paspalum grass. It's a bit tougher than you may be used to and caused the greens to be just a tad slow. But that was a small price to pay for the immaculate condition of this golf course. If you happen to be in Panama City, it's worth the 2 hour drive to play this track. Trust me.

Played about 15 holes of twilight golf here with my wife and a friend. The fairways and tees are like greens at your local muni course. The rough even looks beautiful, and everything is green (in Palm Springs?!). I didn't have a bad lie all day. This South course is not super challenging, but it would still be enjoyable for low handicappers. This is because it is absolutely beautiful with the palm trees, lush greenery and mountain views. The greens are medium speed, but again, in excellent shape. We played Shadow Ridge 2 days later, and for the condition and pricing, I'll take Indian Canyons all day. Fun experience.

I played this course with my wife on December 31. My rating is 3 1/2 star. This is the second time I played here and again it was very slow. The course layout, condition, and challenge is top notch. It plays long and there are several tight fairways and risk/reward options throughout the golf course. The course winds through the vineyards and multiple elevation changes, which makes it pleasing to the eye and keeps you on your toes. There are unique birds on the grounds and some environmentally protected ares. Most of the greens are undulating and tricky to read. In my opinion, the difficulty of the course is one reason it plays so slow. A couple rangers would be useful to speed up play. You can usually "hire" a couple of retirees who will marshall the course in exchange for some free golf. We finished our round after 13 holes because there were usually 2 groups on every tee we arrived at. It's a shame. This could be a gem of a golf course, particularly with the Golfnow pricing. I'll avoid this course in the future.

I have played this course multiple times, it is the best course for value anywhere close to Napa in my opinion. There are great rates during the week and through Golfnow.com. The staff is always friendly and the course is always in good shape. They are currently aerifying the tees, but it wasn't an issue. The course offers multiple looks, angles and elevation changes that make it both challenging and beautiful. The island green is a photo op every time I play. There are couple blind tee shots which I am not a fan of, but overall, EV is very playable, challenging and just plain fun. The added bonus of course is that you play amongst a see of grape vines during the entire round!

I love this course (Smith). But the experience was ruined by the slow play. There are zero rangers on the course and the staff seemingly doesn't care about you once you tee off. Of course, I expected slower play during Labor Day weekend. However we were headed for a 6 hour round (and darkness) when we finally walked off the course after skipping around to find open holes and playing a makeshift 15 hole course playing multiple holes of over and over again.

I suggest you play any of the other fine golf courses in Gaylord during peak golfing dates.