nicknacker

I really enjoy playing at Heritage Isle. However, the greens are really in rough shape. Fairways are okay, a bit thin but alright compared to the greens. Traps are in good shape.

I live close to Temple Terrace so it's convenient. However, I don't play here often because of what they charge and the condition of the course. As another reviewer mentioned, there is crab grass all over the fairways and the greens are just okay. For close to fifty bucks, I expect much more and usually get much more from other courses.

Over the past year, I've played at Red Tail 50+ times. One thing that you will see if you play here are golf cart attendants with the acronym FIT on their vests. If you don't know what FIT means, it stands for First Impression Team. It's a great concept but doesn't mean anything if employees don't buy into it which at least one here clearly doesn't.

I don't normally like to call people out but the golf cart attendant today was over the top rude and offensive (more than normal). The gentleman, thin, tall guy with a beard, is just flat out rude and reflects nothing about creating a good first impression. Aside from today, he has NEVER helped me load my bag or offered anything positive in any way. Instead, countless times, he acts like he is completely inconvenienced by me playing later in the day even though EVERY time I return the cart before the 8pm deadline. He makes it very clear that he wants to go home. I've even tried striking up conversation with him in an effort to break the "ice", but he doesn't respond other than muttering things under his breath as he drives off.

That all said, my experience with the other golf cart attendants has been great - the young man (Zach) is awesome. He has a very nice, positive attitude. The older gentleman that works there is also very good - he is actually the only one who comes out of the cart shed to load your golf bag and unload it after the round - no one else does that.

I will be contacting the general manager of the club tomorrow to hopefully resolve some of these ongoing personnel issues. If I need to go before the board to be heard, I'll do so. Reason being is that I really like Red Tail but refuse to spend hundreds of dollars at a place and be treated like this (especially like this evening). There just isn't any point. I will provide an update at a later time based on the outcome.

This was my second time playing this course. I will definitely start playing out here more often. It's not a very long course, but the tips give you nearly 6,500 yards which is about right for my 10 handicap game. The condition of the golf course is the best that I've experienced in the area (i.e. black bear, redtail, debary, timacuan, victoria hills, etc.). The greens are a bit slow but in very good shape. The fairways actually have full grass unlike so many courses around here which are often patchy and very thin. Some tee boxes need a bit of attention but most are in pretty good shape. The sand traps, which I experienced too often, are in really good shape as well. It's nice being able to play out of "true" sand rather than dirt/mud (hi again black bear).

The layout of the course is challenging at times but fair. There are a few holes I would play differently next time, now that I'm familiar with the course. For example, there are a couple holes that you have to play your drive right or you won't have an approach to the green. Fortunately for me, I was hitting my drive straight for the most part because it can get tight on some holes. I elected to use a 5-iron on a couple of the par 5's for my second shot just to make sure I kept it in the fairway.

The gentleman in the pro shop was very friendly, which was refreshing. For whatever reason, I have found a few courses around town that struggle in that department (hello black bear). It makes the experience so much more enjoyable. I will definitely be back!

I moved down from South Carolina a few months ago and have been looking to join a club down here. While Black Bear isn't an elite course to say the least, I've enjoyed playing here since I relocated, until this afternoon. I literally have the Black Bear membership papers on my kitchen table. After this afternoon, I want nothing to do with this club. What's unfortunate is that it just comes down to one or two people who obviously are not aligned with the business strategy of the course.

My tee time - in case anyone from Black Bear cares to know - was 2:48pm. I teed off about ten minutes later, 2:58pm. Fast forward to about 5:30pm... I got approached by a young guy and his friend about whether I was playing a second round. I told him that I skipped around a bit and am finishing my round now, and this was while on hole 12.

Two holes later, the young kid came back and told me (after only being the course for 2 1/2 hours) that I had to pay - and he had the credit card machine with him in his court - or leave. Even though I tried to explain, he said he just "worked there" and was taking instructions from the head golf person.

Very unfortunate. I have played at Black Bear on average, 2-3 times a week. Black Bear staff - you can verify this if you want. I've spent hundreds of dollars out there. I'm still shaking my head on that decision. I will NEVER play out there again. Good job Black Bear. You tempted the wrong bear.

I really like Timacuan. The course winds around a lot of water and is beautiful. The bar/lounge is great - it has a modern flair to it. Pro shop is good. Driving range, although never used it, looks quite nice. Golf carts are very good and come with GPS for those that don't use their own.

Now comes the part which brings this review to average. If it wasn't for the things described above, this would have been a 2 star rating. The greens are in bad shape. What really irked me yesterday is that they are lightening fast but the conditions of them are poor. Your ball hops along it's path. I had several puts yesterday putting over crab crass. I actually like fast greens when they are in good shape. These are not. They are bare, bumpy, and crab grass infested.

The fairways are not in any better condition. Many bald spots throughout the fairway and very thin. I had to hit several shots yesterday basically in the dirt - and that's when my ball was right in the middle of the fairway! I like to play my ball usually without touching it or giving it a better lie. However, yesterday was the first time in a long time where I felt okay picking my ball up when it was in the fairway to place it on a decent lie.

I still enjoyed my round but it was quite frustrating at times. My greens in regulation % was lower yesterday - not surprising due to the conditions of the fairways. Also, the tee boxes aren't any better. The disappointing thing is with the conditions as they are, I payed about $12 more than I do at RedTail, Black Bear, Victoria Hills, and others. There is absolutely no reason that Timacuan should be priced where it is. If the condition of the course was much better, then I can see it but not right now. It will be a while until I return. Just can't justify the expense.

I really enjoy playing DeBary. It's not the greatest course in terms of condition, but I've enjoyed the easy-going atmosphere and the greens are in good shape - they're fast!

The problem that is emerging (and I spoke with another person this evening who complained about a similar thing) is this young kid who is very cocky and arrogant. The other night I went to play and he told me that I didn't pay. When I told him that I paid the GolfNow fees but the pro shot office door was shut, he told me to give him 20 bucks if I wanted to play. I refused so I went inside and spoke with the General Manager. He was very good; he listened and seemed to understand.

Tonight though, the same kind of stuff happened with the kid. I don't play golf to have drama, just the exact opposite. I like DeBary, but the Golf Cart kid is ruining it for me. There is always Victoria Hills (quite nice), Timacuan, Red Tail, Black Bear, and many others. Too bad, just when I was about to join the course.

I play here probably 10-12 times a month. I was just about to join. Instead, a kid attending the the golf carts gets rude. I guess because I didn't turn the cart in until about 750pm (even though there is no time that the course requires). He muttered something under his breath. This is the second time this kid has presented issues like this. I've spoken with a couple members and they have basically told me that they just deal with him. That's too bad. I guess I need to find another course.

I've heard good things about Redtail. Now I know why. Yes, it's a bit of a drive but was well worth it. The fairways and greens were in very good condition. I was able to play solo and get the round completed in 2 1/2 hours which was great. The only negative was the lack of directions, at times, to the next tee box. Tip: to get to hole 10 from the 9th green, go right instead of straight like what I did. It literally took me five minutes to find it. There are other holes like that as well. I ran into another group that went online to find the tee boxes. If you read other reviews, this is a problem that many have written about. This would be an easy fix for Redtail; not sure why they haven't done anything about it. That all said, this was minor in comparison to everything else. Fun course!

To pay 25 bucks at 3:00 p.m. for 18 holes to only find out when arriving that the greens were just punched was very irritating. I quit after 9 holes as putting was ridiculous. Golfnow should allow members to get their money back. However, worse than that was that I took a half day off from work for that. This place, along with no pro shop, seems to be going down hill. Very disappointed.

I enjoyed Black Bear. It's a bit of a hike to get to, but every once in a while, a fun course to play. Fairways are pretty good. Greens are better than they look. They have good speed to them and are in good shape. There are dark splotches on the greens, but it appears to be just the color of the grass in places. The club has a very cool outdoor bar/food area for those wanting to enjoy a cold beverage after 18. They even have a 19th hole that can be used to break ties after a long 18. Very cool idea.

Two negatives... yesterday was slow (back nine was jammed). I wasn't too surprised though being 3pm on a Sunday afternoon. The other thing is hole 18. Strange layout in my opinion. This could be a very nice finishing par 5 if they pushed the tee box back. As it is now, it plays strange. Suggestion if you've never played it before - make sure you DON'T lay up. Always go for the green in two, even if you can't make it. Reason being is that if you lay up, then you still have somewhat of a challenge hitting to the green over the water lying two. If you go for the green instead (and happen to land in the water), the drop is on the other side of the water, where you would be lying 3 which a chance to get it up and down for a bogey. This is a hole that longer hitters probably don't have much concern about but those who don't hit the ball a mile, can run into trouble.

Based on the reviews, I decided to give Deltona a try. Upon arriving, the cashier person (older woman) was not very welcoming. Not a big deal but I found her to be a bit rude. The course was ok at best. The homes surrounding the course are pretty bad (think concrete above ground pools, cars parking in the yard, etc. Just not a good look to the course. One of the par 3's is just silly, 220 or so from the 2nd tees. Condition of the greens were decent. Overall, I was quite disappointed in the course and will definitely not be back.

I enjoy playing at DeBary. It's a little out of the way, but good course. Not much water but the course is surrounded by a neighborhood so out of bounds can come into play if you slice much, which I did today unfortunately. Greens were in good shape; fairways pretty good. Overall, the condition of the course was pretty good, particularly for what it costs to play there.

I played yesterday for the first time and enjoyed myself. Since playing solo, being able to play fast without getting jammed behind a bunch of foursomes is very important. The conditions though are average. Greens are okay, but definitely could use some work on several of them. Traps are hit or miss. Some are okay others are pretty compacted, almost like hitting off loose dirt.

There are certainly better courses out there, but for what I'm looking for, I'll be back...

+Fast play (at least it was yesterday around 2pm on a hot summer day)
+Good value at $36 for a round of 18 with cart

Shot an 87 yesterday at a pace of 2 hrs 15 min, so I was happy!

I enjoy playing at Golden Hills. It's not a great course, but fun to play while not breaking the bank. The greens are in pretty good shape, slower than my home course (CCL) which is good! I'm an average golfer so some of the holes can challenge me because there isn't much room for error. For example, #12 has beat me up before due to my occasional hook that I hit. The good news is that as long as you don't get into trouble, the course isn't very long. Furthermore, many of the holes are inviting as there aren't a lot of traps making approach shots difficult like my home course. Overall, I like Golden Hills because the course is in pretty good shape, staff is pleasant, it's often wide open to play, and doesn't cost a lot. I look forward to playing again!