markphelps

The group behind us hit into us 4 times, but it wasn’t their fault. This is a hilly course with narrow fairways and blind tee shots. The trees that line nearly every fairway MUST be thinned out. At the very least, the underbrush has to be cleared.

And please, clubhouse staff:I get that profit margins are thin, but if you want customers to have a good experience, there are things you can do that cost literally nothing.

1. Clean. The swinging lid on the trash can, right next to the condiments table, was coated in old ketchup and mustard. Just wipe it down.

2. Greet people as they come through the door. Wish them a good round and use their last name. “Have a great round, Mr. Phelps.”

3. Make sure there’s water in the towel water bucket. In fact, put a bucket at the carts, a bucket at #1, and a bucket at #10. It’s a small, thoughtful touch that shows you’ve care about the player’s experience.

4. Encourage players to care about the course. Replacing divots and repairing ball marks is basic etiquette. A comment at check-in costs nothing. A small investment in cart signs displaying golf etiquette would be helpful for newer players.

On the upside: new carts. Good job there!

Friendly staff. Decent pace. A few shots that require shaping, so that kept my interest. From the tips, the par 3s are no joke; bring a good long iron game with you.

This is a Zoysia grass course, so you won’t get much roll-out in the fairway, but better that than the rough. A ball in the rough on this course can literally disappear before your eyes.

On Sept. 9, 2021 the greens were in horrible shape. They put the “colon” in Colonial…they were crap. But on the upside, they have little shape to them; just pick a line and putt confidently.

(Note: in my book very few courses deserve 5 stars)

I gave up on Hilltop a couple of years ago. It was becoming a goat pasture. A beautiful goat pasture, mind you, but less and less playable. Former owners didn’t maintain the tee boxes...the greens were beaten to death and being taken over by brown patchy fungus...trash everywhere...no ranger...and worst of all they weren’t trimming the trees, which made play incredibly frustrating. You almost couldn’t see the course for all the tree branches overhanging the fairways. Nobody I know is good enough to thread the needle on every shot. And nobody wants to walk through litter ridden, overgrown wilderness to get from green to tee. Hilltop is such a beautiful piece of property! It really was a shame.

Yesterday’s experience was so much better! Tee boxes are being overhauled. Weird swampy patches are being replaced with playable ground. The greens are at winter shag length (as they’re supposed to be in winter) but are in great shape. Steve the ranger was terrific! Trash cans are being emptied on the regular. And TREES ARE BEING TRIMMED, DEAD WOOD HAULED OUT, AND OVERGROWN AREAS THINNED OUT! To me, that’s huge!

Play Hilltop! And when you do, help them out: pick up your trash, replace your divots (it takes 15 seconds), and repair your pitch marks on the greens (3 seconds). The new owners are investing in the place, trying to make it worth our time. With some cooperation and good golf etiquette from players, I can see Hilltop turning into a gem.

End of summer, and lots of courses are aerating their greens. Not here. At least not on the day I played. And those greens were in top shape. Ranger and starter are both very friendly and upbeat. Overall a very enjoyable course.

Pros:
Great layout.
Forces players to think their way around the course.
Most greens are in good shape.
Electric carts.
Fast pace of play.

Cons:
Fairways are patchy. (Has seen a lot of rain lately)
Tee boxes are in awful shape.
No signage. I got turned around 3 times because I had no idea where the next tee was.
No starter or ranger.

Overall, Inkster Valley is a challenging but fun course. Many holes are deceiving to the eye. To play well here, bring your long and straight driver game. This is especially true on #11, where the landing area for a 250 yard drive is maybe 15 yards wide. The greens run true, and do not break as much as they appear to break.

If I could have one change to the course, it would be signage. Directions to the next tee box or to the correct green could be stenciled on the cart paths. If I could have another change, it would be care -ANY care- for the tee boxes.

Bottom line: I’ll play here again. I had fun and enjoyed the challlenge.

Pros:
The course is pretty.
Course conditions are improving.
Greens are gettable and fun to putt.

Cons:
Trees are overgrown, narrowing fairways considerably.
Tee boxes are in rough shape; hard to find a level spot.
Starter was AWOL, and there was no ranger to move the pace along.