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Augustine Golf Club
Played On 06/19/2023Slow day hitting balls off dirt
My buddy and I played yesterday. We tee'd off at 8:03 or thereabouts. We finished about 4:45 later. Horrendous. And, I have not hit so many shots off dirt in a long, long time. The course looks like it hasn't been watered in months. That said, the greens were so slow I thought they were made of green Velcro. The course is. challenging but the layout is good. The food at the turn was good. I have seen. I have seen the course in excellent shape and poor shape. It leans toward poor now. At $65 a head, they can afford water.
Ford's Colony Country Club - Blackheath Course
Played On 06/27/2020Disappointing Day
I will start by saying that the Blue Heron course was in outstanding condition and looked fantastic, as evidenced by the attached photo of hole #17. Unfortunately, that is where my positivity will end.
Things started badly when I checked in. The Director of Golf Operations (DGO) met me at the counter. I explained that I had reserved my time through GolfNow but was staying at the resort. The DGO proceeded to tell me that I made a mistake and was stuck with the Higher GolfNow rate ($80) than the much lower rate I could have gotten as a guest. THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED HERE OR ANYWHERE ELSE THAT I RECALL. Just yesterday, at Royal New Kent, I ended up paying $15 less than the GolfNow rate. I will deem that horrible customer service and unforgivable.
The starter was nice and got us off on time at 7:40 am. But, the course immediately backed up. Pace was slow from the get go. When my playing partner called the clubhouse, and presumably talked to the DGO, he was told the marshals do not start until 9:00 am. Seriously? We never saw one until close to 10:00, when were on the #8 tee box after 2 hours and 15 mins. That is horrific pace that early in the day. As the round progressed, pace did not improve. I deem the marshal, while friendly, ineffective.
The “cart girl” did not arrive on the scene until we were on the back 9. She was also friendly, but the delay was not good.
The round ended up taking 4 hours and 45 mins, and, again, we went off at 7:40 am. If the lead groups cannot do better than that, they should not be the lead groups.
In the end, I remain a fan of the Ford’s Colony Resort, to include the golf courses, but this was a disappointing day. Staff friendliness would have been better than 3 if not for the 0 I assigned to the DGO.
Clustered Spires Golf Course
Played On 05/05/2018Great Time
My buddy and I played with another twosome on Saturday. We played in under four hours. The course was in fantastic condition save #16 and #17 which are altered due to a water line construction project. The rough was thick and hideous. Do not get in it! The course is really fun, with some really good holes. All the par 5s are good. #9 is a great hole. We really like Clustered Spires.
Links at Challedon
Played On 03/18/2018Challedon has come a long way!
My buddy and I played Challedon yesterday for the first time in a year or so. A previous experience was forgettable. But, this time, I could not give the club more praise. It looked fantastic driving through the neighborhood and did not disappoint up close. While the grass was generally dormant, the conditions were as good as I have seen in the area lately. The course layout is always great, but coupled with the current conditions and upgrades to the clubhouse and practice area, Challedon is now a hidden gem. It will be in the rotation for 2018! Nice work!
Links at Challedon
Played On 07/13/2014Waste of a Day
I want to start by noting that I am not a person to complain for no reason. But, having played Challedon more than a few times (just not recently), and being some what prepared for what might await me, I must report that what I experienced was worse than I imagined.
I will start by saying that the course layout itself is excellent. It could be a great course. Unfortunately, it is adversely impacted by two undeniable factors: (1) it has the worst greens of any course of any quality that I have ever seen in mid-summer. Period. (2) Course management simply accepts that 5+ hour rounds of golf are acceptable and to be expected. This is ridiculous.
The attached picture tells the tale on the greens. Some of the greens were actually worse, owing to some local delinquent driving an ATV on about six of the greens. That person should be tracked down, arrested, and prosecuted. But, that is not the reason the greens look diseased and are bumpy and slow.
As bad as the greens are, the acceptance of hideously slow play is worse. My partner and I got through the first two holes in good time, but we started to hit traffic on #3. By the time we got to the #4 tee box, we were the FIFTH group either on the short par 4 green, fairway, or tee box or waiting to be on the tee. YES, FIFTH. Are you kidding me? The root of the problem was an "unofficial group event" consisting of 8 groups playing at glacial pace.
I want to point out that Rob the Starter and Rachel the Food and Beverage Manager were both super. In fact, Rachel arranged for us to receive vouchers to come back and play. However, it is going to take awhile for me to summon the courage to take on Challedon again.
It is a mystery to me why a course with that kind of layout built within a community of mammoth homes cannot generate enough revenue to have acceptable conditions. But, I am thinking it is the attitude of the golf management, including one diminutive fellow who got a little yappy with my partner over our views on pace of play.
In a word...horrific. Absolutely horrific.