sfrockow

I grew-up near this course and have played it countless times over the last 35 years. This was our first round their since June, 2013.

Greens in good shape. Fairways were not watered; rock hard. Rough was long with clumps of cut grass in places. It's been very rainy. So, will give them some slack there.

However, several areas around the course have grown wild and were full of thistle and other nasty weeds. Rough was full of clover. Larger dead branches and several huge felled trees in the wooded areas. Obvious that maintenance and watering has been intentionally reduced.

I like this course. It's fun and challenging when taken care of. But, right now it's a 5/10, at best, for condition. 2 years-ago it was consistently an 8.

Garland Resort's Swampfire Course was challenging and a joy to play for me, but also provided a reasonable test from the red tees for my wife; who carries a 30 Index. She was able to navigate the course without frustration, at least.

There's water in play on 15 holes and almost every fairway is cut tight to the woods. But, there's usually a bailout side and there are very few bunkers. Precise tee shots are required to score and the rough, while penal, is not ridiculous.

Greens Stimpped about 11-12, were tough to hold hitting from rough and undulated within reason. Again, a bailout is available on all of them if you're in position on the fairway. Par 3's were all fun shots, no crazy elevation changes, but some. Doglegs on the 4's & 5's were evenly spread right & left. So, working the ball both directions will help lower scores.

Very picturesque, holes wind through swamps, hence the name, and few, if any, holes can be seen from another. The perception was we had the course to ourselves and we finished our round in 3 hrs 25 min; typical for us.

Bring your bug spray; it's the north woods. But, worth playing, IMO.

This is a rural course with a decent layout and some challenging holes.

The course plays 6778 from the black tees and about 6200 from the next closer set. The tee boxes are well maintained and elevated. The fairways were watered, soft and weed-free. Some are narrow and require precise shots, there are medium to large pines in play on most of them and many have water in play via several ponds and two creeks. Two of the par 5's have OB close on the left side and the par 5, 15th, is a 90 degree dogleg left that requires a 215-235 tee-shot to clear the woods and stay out of the water; which runs along the right side of the fairway and turns with it. The green complex, which is reachable in two, runs 90 degrees to the fairway. It undulates, has woods directly behind and a pond in front; this is a great hole and it is smart to lay-up. There are slight elevation changes throughout the course and the greens, mostly bunkered, were hard and fast the day we played. It was very difficult to hold them with a short iron. The rough is thick, especially around the greens, and the pines are mostly trimmed up above ground level if you need to punch-out.

The only downsides to this course are the close proximity of some holes and the amount of play by inexperienced golfers. On occasion, the group on the adjoining hole may be hitting from your fairway and the pace of play can be painful if you're behind a group of high-handicappers. But, don't let this dissuade you. Most everyone who plays there is polite, in my experience, the country setting is quiet and this is a fun course.

The staff is nice, the carts are new and there are some challenges. I highly recommend it if you haven't played there.

The course has holes ranging in difficulty from easy (90-yd Par 3) to extremely tough. The fairways were watered, narrow and soft; most are tree-lined and bunkered and several have water in play. There are multiple blind shots and the rough was thick and lush in most areas. The greens were fast, maybe 10-11, all are bunkered and several are small with steep slopes.

The pin positions on a few holes were questionable when we played, i.e. U.S. Open pin locations; if you were above the hole and missed the put or had to chip, it was off the green or you had a 15-footer coming back.

The course is very picturesque; situated in rolling hills with ponds, creeks and woods throughout. I used a driver on 3 holes. The course requires accurate tee-shots and local knowledge to score. But, I would recommend playing it. If you have the right attitude, it can be a lot of fun and challenge your skills.

Stone Ridge is a links course, it's well bunkered, has thick, lush rough, hard fast greens and is very well maintained.

The course has open and tree-lined fairways and several holes where water comes into play. The wind often swirls and gusts due to the course's location. It is a very challenging course. Number 1 is a difficult starting hole, so be ready to execute out of the gate. The signature hole, no. 18, plays right to left with a pond, 4 feet from the fairway, running along it's entire length and past the green. It's a risk/reward tee-shot and is a blast to play.

The course gets a lot of play and it's in a college town. So, there is a larger proportion of young players than is typical for a course of this difficulty. As such, pace of play can suffer at times. My wife and I typically play an easy course in 3 hr 15 min. Saturday night, at the turn, we found ourselves behind a group of young men drinking beer and playing terribly. The pace was horrible and the course was backing up behind us - not fun. They let us play through at 15, but the damage was done and we finished in the dark. To be fair, this is the exception, in my experience, with this course.

This course was very challenging the day we played and a little beat up from an outing and weather. Excessive rain the last few weeks made for tall & thick rough and the fairways were slow. But, in general, this is a great course. It has many challenging holes. Several require shots along or over water and the terrain is hilly. It is generally well maintained and the fairways and greens are watered; which typically run about a 10 on speed and many are undulating.

The pro shop staff can be surely, at times. However, this day the women in the lounge taking the fees was extremely friendly. We were last in and started on two (our decision) due the scramble groups on 1 running late. This would have drawn the ire of the pro shop guy for sure. But, she was very accommodating and had no problem with us finishing on 1 at dark.

If you haven't played it, you should.

Although only 6500 yards from the back tees, this is a nice little course. It is maintained well, the fairways are watered & weed free and the greens are hard, fast and some have coniderable slope, but they are fair. There are numerous bunkers, all with white, soft sand. The course is a little comgested; some tee boxes are only steps away from the previous hole's green. The front nine is a more picturesque than the back and has mre trees. There are some distractions; boats on the nearby ponds and Auglaoze River. However, they are not terribly disturbing.

It's definately worth playing if you've never been there.

The North (Blue) course is the most difficult at the complex but is not overly challenging for a 18 handicapper playing from the back tees (6500 yds). However, there are some challenging holes; most notably, No. 4, 479 yd, Par 5, uphill draw off the tee, double dog-leg to a small, significantly sloped green; No. 8, 400 yd, Par 4, requires a cut tee-shot to a narrow fairway, OB left, with an 80 ft tree overhanging the right side of the fairway at the landing zone; No. 10, 199 yd, Par 3, plays through a tree-lined fairway and requires a slight draw to hit the green; No. 16, 538 yd, Par 5, severe dog-leg right, OB right off the tee with a 240 yd carry over a creek, a layup requires three great shots, the 2nd blind, to the green. The rough and fiarways are weedy, but mown and the fairways are not regularily watered. The greens are slow, but in good shape and well maintained.

For the price, it's a great deal and you will need play golf to score. Although high-handicappers mostly play the course, for the most part, the fairways are spreadout and except for a few holes, you won't hear "fore!" very often.