DenisDotson

Chester is hidden in the woods amongst a group of factories, but it was actually a pretty fun little layout. That is, if you exclude the loud freight train horns.

It’s an older classic design that’s easily walkable without a ton of real estate between holes. There are a bunch of doglegs in both directions, which force golfers to create shots, but not much in terms of elevation changes. There is, however, a good amount of water, mostly guarding the greens.

The course was very playable and fairly easy, but the greens were undulating, tricky, and actually pretty small. Definitely recommend that golfers take the time and try to hit shots below the hole as much as possible.

Still, for being a rural course, it’s an easy drive from Charlotte and Columbia, and I would return for another round in the summer. I wouldn’t expect pristine conditions, but for a good price, it’s worth a play.

OVERALL: 6.4/10

River Bend is a treat about 45 minutes west of Charlotte. The course is really well laid-out with a front nine winding through a neighborhood and a more compact back nine. Holes are pretty wide-open off the tee but there are plenty of water hazards to watch out for and tricky undulating greens. Really enjoy playing this course since it's pretty fair for golfers of all skill levels.

While the clubhouse and practice facilities aren't much to write about, the staff is always friendly and accommodated our twosome on a busy day with plenty of foursomes. Will definitely be back to play here, hopefully in the summer when conditions are greener and drier.

OVERALL: 7.3/10

I really enjoy coming to Forest Oaks; it's a great design and hosted the PGA Tour for thirty years, so it's cool to play where the pros have played. Holes are well-designed and pretty open off the tee, but with well-defended and undulating greens and elevation changes. The course also has great amenities with a grass range and a nice short game area near the first tee.

However, the condition of the course did not live up to expectations. Fairways were long and burned out in some spots, and the greens were incredibly slow. The pro shop staff mentioned that the greens were aerated about a month prior to the round, but they were still incredibly long and bumpy. It was very difficult to putt today, and I hope the greens staff takes better care of the greens in the future.

But I still recommend Forest Oaks; it's a formerly private club that has great deals for the public. For instance, we played an afternoon round on a Wednesday and had lunch for $42 per person. You can't beat a deal like that, especially if the course was in better shape. I hope we just caught the greens on a bad day.

OVERALL: 7.1/10

I like Olde Sycamore: it's a course with some unique quirks and tricky green complexes that make it a good test of golf. But unfortunately the greens have taken a beating towards the end of the summer season and were in very poor shape today. Putts were very bumpy with lots of ball and spike marks that made putting very difficult today. There were also several greens with some burned-out spots that didn't help any.

The good news is that the rest of the course was in pretty good shape. But I really think the greens staff needs to address the issue on the greens before they get completely burned out. May be a while before I play here again.

OVERALL: 6.1/10

Our day at The Road was unfortunately very wet with passing showers and a couple brief downpours. But despite subpar weather conditions, it was a great day of golf at one of North Carolina's most unique courses.

From the valleys off the first tee to the completely blind 18th tee shot, The Road is truly a quirky and unique design, with no two holes the same. There are myriad waste bunkers surrounding each hole, but the fairways are quite generous. Conditions were great, even with all the rain the course received; the greens rolled great all day and drained well. However, some waste bunkers showed signs of erosion, likely as the result of all the rain.

It's a great test of golf and shot making, with lots of sharp doglegs, blind approaches, and elevation changes. The greens are also very undulating. It's not overly long (only 6,500 from the tips), but still a great test of your game.

My only gripe is the price: we paid $130 for a Saturday afternoon round with a cart and range balls, but I can't help think that's a bit steep. No doubt there's some Pinehurst inflation present, but I think this is more of a $100 course than a $130 course.

Nevertheless, The Road remains one of my favorite courses and I'll definitely be back for another fun round.

OVERALL: 8.6/10.

I had pretty high expectations for Tot Hill and unfortunately the course disappointed. Conditions were pretty rough, with several patchy fairways, a general lack of mowing, and bumpy greens with ball and spike marks and small spots of crabgrass. The course is uniquely full of rocky walls and elevation changes, but you absolutely need course knowledge to succeed. There were also several demanding pin placements that made the round especially difficult. The clubhouse and amenities are just average at best, and while the value is decent from a pricing standpoint, Tot Hill's not a course I'd rush back to play.

OVERALL: 5.7/10

Springfield's course isn't anything special but it's good in many ways. Lots of variation in each hole with elevation changes and doglegs both ways. Greens are very undulating and well-protected by bunkers. It's a little dry right now given the heat and lack of rain, and the greens were punched a few weeks ago, but they're recovering nicely. Good grass range and putting green, and friendly and helpful staff. Definitely worth a trip from Charlotte; it's an easy drive.

OVERALL: 7.4/10

Portmarnock was my first proper links course experience and it did not disappoint. Although a private club, there are tee times available for visitors. The staff was friendly and easy to communicate with, especially since we rented clubs and trolleys. The course itself is a challenging layout with several blind tee shots, but was fair. Greens were tricky and undulating, and the course was well-bunkered. Given Portmarnock's reputation as an Irish Open and Amateur host course, I was slightly disappointed by the conditions, as fairways seemed somewhat spotty and greens a bit off. But the course was still very enjoyable and easy to get to from Dublin. I'd definitely play here again on another trip to Ireland.

OVERALL: 8.8/10

ACCC is a great treat for an avid golfer, filled with history and great skyline views. Pretty cool to walk through the clubhouse and locker room and see names like Al Capone, Willie Mays, and of course, Arnold Palmer gracing the walls and lockers. Great restaurant/bar for a meal as well. The course itself is a classic layout with tricky undulating greens mixed with a dose of British links golf along the marsh. It’s brutally tough when the winds kick up off the ocean, but the course is designed to welcome a ground game approaching the greens. It’s probably not worth the $125+ they charge, though. But it’s one of the best public courses on the Jersey Shore, and I’d definitely play here again!

Overall: 8.4/10

Verdict Ridge gets high praise on this website, and for good reason. It's clearly one of the best public courses in the Charlotte area and worth the drive from the city. The staff is friendly and accommodating to guests, the practice facilities are nice, and it's an insanely good twilight rate at just $39. But without local course knowledge, golfers can struggle very easily. Sage advice from the head professional when I checked in: play for the high point of the hills. Most holes have some sort of crossing hills that feed balls to one side of the hole. Sometimes you have to deliberately aim for the rough just to catch the hill into the fairway. And the greens are very slick; try to stay below the hole as much as possible. But I'll definitely be back to Verdict Ridge; it's well worth the challenge!

OVERALL: 8.2/10

A tale of two nines: pretty wide open with elevation changes on the front nine with much tighter wooded holes on the back nine. Five par fives and par threes make the course interesting and different than many others. Conditions were okay given the abundant rainfall recently, but the greens rolled very true. I just don't think it's worth $56 for a morning tee time; maybe $40-$45 would be more reasonable. Was also disappointed to see a lack of food/beverage options in the clubhouse at the turn (the restaurant was closed with no beverage cart service). But I would come back to play here if I was vacationing in the Lake Lure area again.

OVERALL: 6.7/10

Nothing too special at Broadmoor; this course is the definition of basic parkland golf. Decent amount of water to contend with. Conditions were okay, though the bunkers need a lot of work. The grass driving range and practice putting greens are nice, but the clubhouse was very average. It’s pretty much the textbook definition of a public golf course, but at $34 on a Friday afternoon, it served its purpose.

OVERALL: 5.8/10

River Bend is a long drive from Charlotte, but worth it for a change of pace. The layout is fun with lots of doglegs, elevation changes, and well-placed water hazards. It’s a neighborhood course, but doesn’t feel too narrow. May be best to avoid after it rains though, it rained on this day and there were puddles and lakes EVERYWHERE, even on the greens. On a normal day, though, the greens would be fantastic! Not much in the way of amenities, though the staff was very friendly.

OVERALL: 7.3/10

Westport always has great deals to play here; on a spring Saturday afternoon, it was just $29; can't beat that! It's still early in the season, so the fairways and rough were still growing in, but the greens were in very good shape for this time of year. Not a huge fan of the layout because there are several holes with water hazards in the middle of fairways that cause the golfer to lay up off the tee with a mid to long iron. There's also no driving range, but there is a putting and chipping green to warm up with. The clubhouse is also little more than a small pro shop and a snack bar. But for public golf, it's not too bad.

OVERALL: 5.7/10

Let me start off by saying the staff were friendly, the driving range and putting green were fine, the new clubhouse is nice, and the 18th hole finishing up next to the bay is gorgeous. But I simply do not like this course layout. It forces you to be extremely accurate off the tee and conditions in the rough and around the greens are very challenging, especially with the lack of sand in the bunkers. Tee boxes were also warped on most holes, making it difficult if not impossible to find a flat lie. Additionally, there are numerous instances where you're forced to lay up prior to water hazards in the middle of par 4's, which is a frustrating way to play golf when you can't hit driver or even a fairway wood. And to boot, the ninth hole doesn't return to the clubhouse and there's no place for a snack or drink at the turn. And the new grill was closed on a Saturday afternoon, so we couldn't get a bite to eat after the round either. Really?? I just don't like the course design and won't be coming back anytime soon.

OVERALL: 4.7/10

Above-average layout with plenty of unique holes but challenging greens and lots of downhill lies approaching elevated greens that make approaches very difficult, especially from distance. The greens were also very tough with tons of undulation that made some holes unnecessarily hard. Nice clubhouse, good routing on both nines back to the clubhouse to end. Pretty nice clubhouse, range, and putting green.

OVERALL: 6.5/10

Emerald Lake has a mix of good and bad parts. Certain holes (mostly on the back nine) are creative with doglegs and water, but some holes are unnecessarily narrow near the greens that make approaches difficult. The remaining ten or so holes are pretty forgettable. Conditions on this day were incredibly wet and soggy, though that may not just be the course's fault. At just $25 for an afternoon weekend, the price is about right, but the off-course conditions left something to be desired. The grass range and putting green worked fine, but no short game area, a poor clubhouse with limited character, and perhaps the worst carts I've ever seen. It's public golf: some good things and some bad. Don't think I'll rush back anytime soon.

OVERALL: 5.7/10

Rocky River is an interesting layout, with the front nine more of an open links-style course and the back nine more tucked in the woods. Most holes were well designed with plenty of challenges. Pretty neat playing in the backdrop of the Dragway and Speedway as well. On this day, conditions were soaking wet as it has rained several days prior, and it was cart path only which slowed play, but we still finished in 4:30. I also read it can get pricey in the summer (over $60). And the amenities leave something to be desired (older clubhouse, no chipping area, irons-only range). It's a fun course, though, and definitely worth a play as it's on the nicer side of public courses in the area.

OVERALL: 7.2/10

Great place to play if you're looking for a fun, budget friendly round. Not the best designed course (why in the world are there three holes with lakes in the middle of the fairway???) The greens recovered nicely from a rough winter, and the temporary greens are all gone. No driving range or designated chipping area, and just a basic clubhouse. Great bargain though, at just $25 during the week.

OVERALL: 6.0/10

The course markets itself as the premier public course in Connecticut and one of the best in the country, and I just don't buy it. The greens were fine, but the rest of the course was in average condition at best. While the layout around the lake on the front nine was very nice, I was disappointed overall, especially given its hefty $60 price tag in the shoulder season ($80 normally). The lack of a driving range also hurt. Wasn't necessarily a bad course, but it just wasn't up to the standard it claims to hold.

OVERALL: 6.2/10