Rexus7

This was my first time playing Quail Brook as I had no idea the quality of the course. But a friend told me how much he enjoyed the course so I decided to give it a shot.

I'm glad I did. We walked the course and the layout is dynamic with enough uphill and downhill shots, dogleg shots, blind shots, etc to keep the entire round interesting. The tee boxes were in great shape and so were the greens. The green speeds were fair - not too fast but probably on the slower side given how nice the quality of the greens were. I expected a bit more speed.

But pace of play was great, which is rare for a muni. The course is laid out over 2-3 properties in a sense and if you walk, you'll get a nice workout.

Highly recommended.

I didn't interact with any staff except the starter so I gave 4 stars and didn't use any of the facilities so I can't provide any opinion. Don't hesitate. If you enjoy Neshanic Valley, you'll enjoy this course. Completely different vibe because this is more parkland, tree-lined but the quality is the same.

Very very poor quality course. A few things come to mind:

1) My cart’s brake worked to slow the vehicle down but the parking brake didn’t engage so we would take turns in the cart. Not a big deal overall but kinda annoying.

2) Fairways seem to be infected with something. There are dry spots as expected since it’s the summer time but there are dark brown mini patches all throughout the fairways. Even in the fairway, you may be sitting in a divot that’s caused by these brown patches.

3) Bunkers have sand that’s just hard packed. Play it like a chip shot is my advice. Horrible bunker conditions. That’s such an easy fix.

4) Overall, course is in bad shape. The only positive was the pace of play. We teed of very early and finished under 4 hours. I heard it’s a 5+ hour round if you’re there after 10am. Tee times are set only 8 minutes apart and with a bunch of weekend hackers who aren’t great, you will get backed up big time.

Poipu Bay is a former PGA course and you'll see it right when you step foot on the property. First with the signage but also with the high quality all around.

The pro shop is very nice and has tons of everything. I didn't rent clubs but I saw good quality rentals set up inside and outside. I bought a few ball markers for the memories.

The practice facility is not around the clubhouse and that's where Hole #1 starts. In fact, the first 3 holes are a bit far from the "main" part of the course. The practice facility is unbelievable with a great grass driving range with yardage markers and trees that are targets. The bunker area is massive with a chipping green. The putting green has a lot of slope and is quick, relatively similar to the course conditions.

Overall, the course layout is a lot of fun. Although Hole 1-3 is on one side of the property, it doesn't disappoint. The course has a lot of hills both (uphill and downhill). The fairways were not cut tight so I was a bit disappointed. For example, the first hole fairway seemed a bit too long for a fairway, almost like it was the first cut of the rough. You'll see some dry, yellow patches on occasion throughout the course but it doesn't affect much.

The back 9 is where this course shines! Although the course isn't crazy difficult, I found myself losing focus because of the stunning views. You're either next to the ocean or hitting toward the Kauai mountains in the background. Both are stunning.

The course is a lot of fun to play and the course is immaculately cared for making the steep price understandable. There's some wind and you'll have to be comfortable hitting into it at times.

The greens were speedy but not impossible. There are lots of undulation and spots you'll have to hit to stick it close depending on the pin location. But play to the middle of the green and you'll be fine.

The staff at the pro shop, at the practice facility, and the bag drop were amazing. Honestly, the best in Hawaii I've experienced so far and I've played in Maui too. I appreciated the service they provided and the positive attitude.

If we come back to Kauai, this will be my go-to.

Knob Hill is a great layout in my opinion. However, it’s not the best experience - let me explain.

There is no golf range for a semi-private course so there’s no where to warm up. There is a net by the practice green. The practice green speed is pretty close to the actual course greens. However there is a huge hill on one side of the practice green that you’ll never see on the course. Don’t get me wrong, the actual greens have a lot of movement in them in some areas. But not a 5 foot steep drop.

There is a big difference between the blue and white tees in terms of distance. Don’t be fooled by the sub-6000 yard white tees yardage. There’s water on many holes or blind tee shots. This is where the course shines! There is no hole that reminds you of any other hole.

So now the greens... the greens roll true and decent speed. It would be more fun if the greens were faster for this short of a course.

The worst part of this course is the ridiculous amount of divots on the green. My playing partners and I would fix 3-5 divots each per hole. This is not an exaggeration either. There are unfixed divots everywhere. If you want to roll your putt true, you’ll have to fix some divots. It’s almost as if nobody is fixing divots despite the GPS thing in the cart reminds players to.

Overall, good track and worth playing if in the area. Not worth the price unless you’re playing later in the afternoon when it’s less expensive.

Hawk's Landing was a lot of fun while I stayed at the Orlando World Center for a conference. It was scorching hot and the course was quiet in the afternoon when I played.

The putting/chipping greens are resemble the speed on the course so it's worth stopping and practicing before going out to the first tee. The range was mats only so it was a bit of a bummer. Each cart has 2 small water bottles in ice in the cooler and 2 towels. The carts are equipped with GPS to the hole (not to the center of the green).

The front 9 plays easier than the back 9. The layout is a lot of fun and there's water on many of the holes. Play smart. The fairways are decent width but the water will force you to hit spots. The bunkers are placed in perfect spots so again be confident and hit your spots.

The fairways are bit dried out in some spots but in good condition. The greens are fast. Not lightning fast but quick. Some of the water hazards look gross and dried out.

The weather held up for most of the round as the forecast was for upper 50s and 60s with 40% chance of rain. Rain fell around the 13th hole til the end.

You'll pull up to the hotel and be sure to shop at the Pro Shop. It's well stocked. It's $6 for 45 balls on the range. You'll have to take a shuttle service to the range which is set toward the Pines course. Decent range, nothing spectacular, with just ok yellow range balls. I didn't get a chance to hit the chipping or putting greens.

The putting green by the Pro Shop is decent sized. Pretty similar to the greens on the course. The greens were in great shape on 4/22/19 after getting aerated in late March. You have to walk over the street to get the Bay Course.

Hole #2 is the gem on the course and is right on the bay overlooking the AC skyline. Awesome views!

Overall, the course was in great shape. I highly recommend playing it. The slope is 123 from the Blue tees but I think it plays way harder. There are a lot of blind tee shots. There are tough angles on most holes and as a first-time player, it was difficult to hit the fairway or catch the correct side of the fairway. The landing areas feel narrow except on the straightaway holes.

If you're caught in a deep fairway bunker, be smart. If you're caught in the greenside thick grass, be smart. But the greens are very pure, roll true, and are not super fast. They're not crazy undulated minus a few holes that are very difficult if you're on the wrong side of the green.

This is a challenging course - don't be fooled by the course rating/slope. Plays harder! Don't be fooled by the short yardage either. Plays longer too due to the winds.

If you're able to play this course, do yourself a favor and play it. I heard from a local we got paired with that the mosquitoes are pretty awful in the warm summer months. Good luck with that.

If you've played this course before, it's a decent layout with very friendly staff. Some of the holes are very close to each other so watch out for wayward drives from other holes.

We had a morning tee time as usual. We got stuck behind two groups unfortunately that were far too slow. It took us nearly 3 hours to finish 9 holes. We didn't see a ranger until the 8th hole but his interaction with the slow groups did not enforce faster play. It was truly a shame. We walked off after 15 holes.

Positive notes - the greens were in superb condition despite the rain recently. Very well kept. As a local public course though, there are a lot of divots that were not fixed on the greens. Also, their halfway house hot dogs were very good for four dollars.

Nicklaus-designed course.

It's on the south side of the Hotel Zone and quite isolated. So far removed from the main road in Cancun so it feels exclusive. The staff is amazing. Pro shop is overpriced and no souvenir items such as ball markers really. I was bummed there weren't more options. PSA - bring your own balls and lots of them. The balls they have in the pro shop are very expensive and not worth it.

Practice greens - there are two right next to the clubhouse. They have some serious contours and undulations which are true on the golf course as well. Spend at least 15 minutes getting used to speed. There was sand on the practice and actual greens. Not sure why but it was the ONE thing I would complain about.

Practice range - down the bridge toward Hole 1. Not the best scenery or perfectly mowed area. I played Puerto Cancun and they had an amazing practice range! So worth playing there too. The balls were run down but it does the trick.

Watch out for crocodiles and an indigenous animal called the coati. They kinda look like foxes. They steal your food and phones if you leave them in the carts. We were warned so we didn't have any issues or come into contact with any of them. We did see one walk by before we teed off on Hole 1 though. Other players have lost food to them.

Food and beverage - free with tee time. We saw the cart girl at least 5 times during our round. Not much food except some ham/cheese croissant, chips, peanuts, and drinks (mostly water, sodas, and beers), not sports drinks like Gatorade, etc. Wasn't an issue for us at all. We drank plenty of water and beers and ate some food. We kept the food in the cooler that's attached to the cart. Cart also has ball washer and club washer. No GPS on cart.

Front 9 - Relatively wide fairways but lots of carries and location of bunkers were in the right spots. So aim your tee shots properly. Nicklaus always seems to place the bunkers in the right landing areas - Riviera is no different. The greens are very contoured so it's difficult to 2-putt. But the speeds are consistent so it's not impossible. The sand on the green messed me up at times cuz it seemed like it slowed the putts down a bit. Our playing partners who played the prior day said they didn't have sand on it the previous day. I shot a great 39 on the front 9 (7 pars, mostly up and downs, bogey and a double). The Front 9 is beautiful with lots of water holes and just very scenic.

Back 9 - completely different feel from the front 9. Narrow fairways, bunkers in the right spots again, and if you miss any of your drives, just take a drop. Started off hot with 2 pars, but then nearly lost it! Any pulls or slices are lost balls. I reached the signature hole Par 5 Hole 13 (I think) and birdied that made me feel good. But every hole is challenging on the back 9. Don't get me wrong... it was a lot of fun! Just error on the side of finding your balls. There's not so much water here but creeks that cut the fairways. If you have a golf GPS app on your phone, take a look at the hole layout. You'll need to know your distances and carries.

Concerns - The bunkers were hard, packed down,. and very little sand for some reason. This is my biggest complaint actually. The course was in perfect condition but the bunkers were just mediocre and on some holes, just plain bad. For the price and quality of the course, I was disappointed. (Probably cuz it cost me a couple strokes)

Overall, this course is great and I think it's a must-play if you're in the Hotel Zone in Cancun. I booked using Golfnow using the Hot Deal so I didn't get free transportation. It was $20 each way, plus additional $5 for tip.

The lunch was in the clubhouse and there's no prices on the menu as it's provided with the round of golf. Like I said, incredibly rewarding and fun round. Jack Nicklaus created a beauty.

Horrible conditions! I drove by this course on our way to Puerto Cancun Golf, which is a few minutes drive further from the Hotel Zone. I will highly advise against going to this golf course. Even from the Kukulcan Blvd in a taxi, you can see that this course is in bad shape, bunkers are old, fairways are dried out, and the lay out is pretty basic.

There were no players on the course even though it takes up both sides of the main street in Cancun. If you're in Cancun's hotel zone, visit Riviera Cancun, Puerto Cancun, and Iberostar Cancun.

I came to Cancun with my own clubs on a 4 day vacation with my wife. I wanted to play early so I booked an early tee time with our hotel’s concierge. I should’ve used the Puerto Cancun transport option of $25 USD round trip. I ended up paying $35 on my own - don’t make the same mistake.

I arrived and paid at the clubhouse. Then went to the range to warm up with the 50 balls. The range is in great shape - flat lies, accurate yardage markers, and high quality layout.

I was about to practice my short game but the starter asked me if I wanted to play 15 min before my time as I’d be stuck behind a slower beginner 4-some. I agreed and teed off without taking a single practice putt. Don’t do this!

The greens are in perfect shape! Like pristine with very few divot marks. But you’ll need to practice the speed. They are not fast but not slow and rather large greens. I’m not used to this type of grass but they rolled true. The greens don’t break a ton so don’t over-read breaks on shorter putts. If I practiced beforehand, I might’ve learned this but I have no regrets about not having the chance. Finished the round in 2.5 hours.

Fairways are very wide (I hit from the blue tees) and the fairway bunkers are in the perfect places. Like the other posts say, it’s very easy to lose balls. If you miss left or right off the tee, you’re better off just taking a drop or playing your 3rd. No chance you’re going to find it. I brought extra balls just in case and ended up losing 3 balls overall.

The entire course is surrounded by new construction as it’s in a up and coming section of Cancun seemingly for people with more money. The sounds of construction didn’t bother me at all but was kind of helpful for aiming off the tee.

Watch out for the crocodile filled ponds on the course. I saw one hanging out on the 12th hole. Don’t take risks on the par 5s - not worth the risk. You’ll have to carry water or waste areas. Take your chances on the par 4s.

Overall, I loved this course (5 stars). Very high quality staff and practice range. Course was in great shape. Hole 13 is a long par 3 with wind into your face as you approach the water. Hole 14 is amazing along the water and possibly a drivable green for longer hitters. I was just short of the green with a good drive.

If you are new, then I’d recommend buying the yardage book for $100 pesos. I didn’t and lost balls not knowing where the blind shots would land.

If you’re staying in the Hotel Zone, definitely worth playing... I’ll be back again. (the taxi drove buy PokTaPak and it looked old and run down if you’re comparing)

Mercer Oaks East is becoming a favorite track of mine compared to the West these days. It's winter golf so it's difficult to comment on its conditions, but for a cold, long winter, I have zero complaints.

The day was sunny in mid-30s at tee off and wind was close to 10mph, which isn't a horrible day at all for winter. The course plays easier when the fescue is dead and it's very difficult to lose balls on this course, which is why I enjoy it in the fall/winter time.

The tee boxes have thawed a bit so it was able to take tees - a month ago, it was impossible to stick a tee into the ground. The greens were relatively receptive and didn't ricochet off as if hitting the cart path, which it did in January.

Personally, I thought the greens acted very true and at times a bit slower than you'd think for a frozen green. You had to hit the ball a little bit harder to the hole or it would veer off slightly if not hit hard enough due to the way the grass was bent (probably due to spike marks).

All in all, the course was fair, not too wet for mid-March, and a lot of the goose leftovers were cleaned up or broken down. I'm really looking forward to playing this course within the next couple weeks and playing into the wind and downwind. You get the wind all over the course, which makes it a ton of fun.

I'm from the north and enjoy playing golf in the winter here in the Atlanta area when I visit my in-laws. I was very much looking forward to playing Bear's Best ATL having never played here before.

First, let me note the great people on staff. Checking in was a breeze and the young man at the register was very pleasant. The starter/cart guy was also a very nice gentleman while we chatted before we hit the practice range. Overall, the golf round was off to a great start with these 2 individuals.

Practice range: You can see the range through the window in the pro shop. It's even better in person and very very wide. There are several tiers of grass with 2 large practice greens to the left and right of the clubhouse. There are numerous target greens with flags. The only caveat might be all flags play downhill. This is very helpful as the course is very much a hilly course as is most ATL area golf courses.

Course Conditions: Wet morning in late December weather. We teed off with some rain/drizzle but the course played moist but not muddy. The fairways were kept green (or painted not sure) and the greens too. There were some moist areas of the fairways but not wet. The greens were playing quick and true. I believe only 1 hole out of 18 had leaves that I had to move.

Course Layout: What can I say except you should definitely play here! I shot an 83 which shocked me since I couldn't hit a putt to save par for my life. Like I mentioned earlier, many of the holes play downhill but not all. They built the course using different courses from the U.S. And at least 1 from Scotland. Make sure you get the yardages right. There some flags placed in the lower areas of greens where a missed shot will cause you to leave it short and lose it in a hazard. There were numerous greens where you had to carry a hazard putting pressure on your iron game. Challenging but not impossible, and more importantly, not tricked out. You can see how each hole fits the layout and the houses surrounding the golf course are stunning.

There were 1 "island" green par 3s. Not entirely island per se, but felt like it as there was a lot of water in front. I believe it was Hole 6 and Hole 11, which were just stunning and unnerving. Don't miss short on either and go left for your miss. Par is great on both.

I enjoyed this course very much and I hope to be back playing it. I played from the blue tees which is the middle. It has a slope of 137-ish. If you hit fairways, you will have a shot at par. Memory of the day - hole 17 - I missed my drive to the right and had a blind shot to the green. I could've played conservatively back into the fairway but my GPS app told me it was only 125 yards to the middle of the green. I haven't played here before and the only way I could do this was hit a punch shot 5-iron along the cart path between two pines. Eh, why not? Hit a low 5-iron solidly and by the time I got toward the green, it was on the front section of the green, about 50 feet from a back flag. Lag putted and somehow it dropped for birdie impressing my father-in-law and out of town relative! 38 on the back 9!

I visit ATL at least once a year to see the in-laws and I make sure to bring my clubs since it's usually a good opportunity to play with my father-in-law. I booked a twosome for the day after Christmas - temperature in the mid-30's around 9AM but rose to mid-40s by the time the round was over.

Course layout: Started on the 10th hole (all winter golf starts here at this course) with a dogleg par 5. Let me say this... this course is narrow and this course is very hilly. And I loved playing it. There are generous landing zones for drives so it's not an unfair course by any means. But if you can hit the fairways with your drive, you'll have a mid-iron on most par 4s but most likely an uphill or downhill approach shot. I love these types of courses personally. It was my first time playing here and I was given a course yardage book, which was good to read on a few holes. The entire course had plenty of elevation changes and I believe every par 3 had a big downhill tee shot. I made par on all of par 3s except for #17, which I leaked to the right off the green and made a poor chip.

Course condition for late December: 4.5/5. I didn't expect much since I'm coming from the Northeast U.S. However, the fairways were decent (obviously very little rough at this time of year). The best part of this course was the greens. Very quick and in great condition. If you hit the right shot, you can get the ball to stop without rolling through the green. If you hit any chips poorly, they will run out, but with the right spin, it'll check. I struggled with my chips around the green at times, which cost me a few putts.j

Staff/Clubhouse: Top notch. The gentleman at the pro shop was super kind and kept us informed about the 20 minute frost delay. The men's locker room was spotless but did smell like pipe smoke. I like the smell but I would imagine that not everyone does. It's a semi-private club so who am I to say anything negative though.

Overall experience: 4.75/5 - pace of play was excellent, only 2 groups ahead of us and no one immediately after us. I played slowly just to give the twosome ahead of us time not to feel rushed and I never felt out of sync.

I have been wanting to play HVGC for awhile now since it became a semi-private course. The average rating on Golf Advisor had me concerned.

Course layout - par 72 and we played from the tips around 6600 yards. Every hole had its own uniqueness. I found the layout to be very fun to play. Lots of elevation changes, both uphill and downhill shots. Hole 4 Par 5 had both downhill tee shot and uphill approach shot. Several doglegs as well.

Condition of course - probably a 4 out of 5. They were watering the course during our round and we had to wait several times for the sprinklers to shut off. Strange since it was primetime Friday. Some holes were perfect. Most of the greens were in great shape. But Hole 10 had a random dead/dry spot in the middle of the green. Some areas were spotty around the course. Some tee boxes were in bad shape.

Staff - no complaints. We waited 10 minutes to be checked in at the proshop since nobody was present.

Halfway House - located by the 1 and 10 holes. Nice location and stocked with food/drinks.

Driving Range - located randomly by Hole 17/18. A good few min ride from the 1st tee box. But, grass range was in great shape. Great experience before the round!

Overall - I had a very good time playing here. The club was not too busy so we had plenty of time and never felt rushed. We played as a twosome and finished within 3 hours 4 minutes.

I looked forward to Knob Hill as it is a semi-private club. I expected the course conditions to be spot on but also a higher level of golf etiquette. First, the course is a par 70 and is a fun round of golf. The layout is unique and a different type of experience than the local munis in the Princeton area, which I live around.

I wanted to like my experience a lot... but the pace of play was horrible. People simply are not playing ready golf and are taking too long between shots and on the green. The worse part was that there weren't many rangers at all around to monitor pace of play. The last 2 reviews also spoke of the very slow pace of play. I wanted to give it a shot and now regretted it. I probably will not come back for awhile. Especially with the long summer days/nights, most people who come out will be hackers.

I don't know if members of the club experience the same level of slow play. I doubt it. But as a public player, I would highly recommend that you do not play here until this is rectified. As a FYI - I played this course to see if it would be worth joining as a member. Sadly it is not.

I have moved to the central NJ/Mercer County area last year and have played this course a few times already in 2017. I play often in Atlanta when visiting the in-laws and wherever I can play.

First, the course is fun to play. The holes are all different from the White tees (71/131) around 6100 yards. Most tee shots are straight with several dog legs and blind landing areas. The only thing I wish the course had were more hills. Mercer Oaks East has a bit more undulations on the fairways. For reference, I shot high-80s the first couple times, then shot 76 the last time around.

The wind was rough the last few times I played this course and each time it was blowing from different directions. For example, Hole 6 is a straight par 4. First time I played it, I hit a solid drive down the middle to the 150 yard marker. Second time into the wind, 170 yards away. Third time, 125 left.

The back 9 looks and feels different from the front 9 so it's appealing from a variety standpoint. Given it's been the winter and now early April, there were no ball washers or trash cans anywhere by the tee boxes. No marshals to be found.

Two complaints - My first complaint is the pace of play. There are a lot of hackers out there. Personally, I think they should play more of Princeton Country Club to get better but these hackers are teeing off from the Blues on West. Slows the round down. But who am I to complain? Everyone's gotta start somewhere.

Second complaint - a lot of goose dung. Like everywhere. They've done a better job of cleaning it up but it's a bit distracting if you're walking. See photos for examples of it.

Oh and the sand is not in good shape yet. I hope they improve this with the winter weather loosening up. Overall, I give the rating 3.75 stars, not full 4 stars yet. I hope the quality improves with the weather.

I played Mercer Oaks East just once before in the summer of 2016. Best score of my life with a 77. I returned on President's Day to join a random 4-some.

Winter golf is always a bit tricky as you don't know for sure what the weather will turn out to be. It was windy (up to 15-20 mph) and a bit chilly in the morning but by the end of the round it was around mid 60s.

The course is decent shape and the greens were in great shape for the winter months. They utilized a 2-pin system where each group moves the flag from one end of a green to another. For this reason, the greens remain in decent shape but trying to figure out distances using the red/white/blue flags was difficult.

They cut down all the fescue prior to the winter season so you won't lose any balls if you mishit. That helped given the high winds.

The biggest disappointment was the amount of goose excrement all over the course. I understand that it's the winter and only open a month at a time, but it was everywhere and even had some smeared on the greens.

Overall, a decent round and took just over 4.5 hours to complete. Not a fast round but not the worst. At one point, there were 3 groups on Hole 11 even though a ranger was driving around in a cart. They should have someone who actually notices the hold up and ask players to move on quicker.

I'm looking forward to playing West this season.

This course had so much potential but never realized it. Yes, I realize it is mid-February 2017 and it's been slightly wet these days. But like the previous review said, this course was in miserable condition.

The course looks great as the front 9 is placed alongside the lake, hence the name of the course. The back 9 is a few minute cart drive away and set in between the front 9 of the Stone course (the other 18-hole course at Stone Mountain). I've added a few photos from the round.

My issues with the course is based on the conditions of the tee boxes, greens, and pace of play.

First, there was not a single tee box that felt stable with different patches everywhere.

Worse though, was the conditions of the greens. Starting with Hole 1 and throughout the other 17 holes, there is patches of grass that will not allow your putt to roll straight or pure. It is very bumpy and not possible to trust your line. Even simple 3-foot tap ins can roll off line due to random pieces of grass protruding from the ground.

Even worse than the quality of the greens is the pace of play. We had a 1:30PM tee time and when we rolled up to the first tee, the 1:10PM threesome was teeing off at 1:25PM. We had to wait for the 1:20PM twosome to tee off and eventually we teed off at 1:50PM. There was no starter and because it's a water carry hole on the opening drive, it took the golfers 2 balls to get over. Mind you, they were playing from the Blue tees even though they should not have.

Hole 1 was not the only issue though. We waited at each hole for a minimum of 10 minutes before being able to tee off. In fact, the pace of play was so slow that I called the pro shop while waiting on the 6th hole to ask them to send a ranger or somebody to help the groups keep pace. They said they'll help but I never saw anyone show up to do anything about it.

It took us nearly 2 hours and 30 minutes to finish 7 holes!! It would have been better if the slower groups just let us play through - they didn't. So we drove through the 3 groups in front of us after Hole 7 and restarted on Hole 11. It took us an hour and 45 minutes to finish the back 9.

Clearly the pro shop didn't care about pace of play as there was no one trying to keep things going. What a shame as the course layout is very nice although the drive between hole 9 and 10 is very long.

One last note - Hole 13 Par 3. There are patches of sand everywhere on the green! Good luck trying to get the pace right on any putt given the chunky grass patches but to have lines of sand (not from the bunkers) makes it impossible to enjoy.

For the money you pay for this course and the $15 parking fee to enter Stone Mountain ($40 for annual), I'd drive 10-20 minutes more to play at better courses anywhere else with similar challenging layouts. Save your money and especially time!

TPC Harding Park was a very enjoyable round! I showed up to San Francisco without thinking I'd play any golf. I didn't have golf shoes or my clubs but after 5 days straight of rain and a perfect sunny day, I decided last minute to see if I could play.

I showed up after booking a great deal on Golfnow.com for a 11:30AM tee time after 5 days of rain. The course was definitely wet but the sun was out. I wore non-golf Nike running shoes and rented Titleist clubs from the pro shop for $50 flat, which included 2 sleeves of Velocity Titleist balls and a bag of tees (check their website for club rental options). I chose S-flex for the rentals. No mixing and matching. (I usually use Reg in my irons and Stiff in my woods.)

Some of the previous reviews said the staff was unpleasant. I had the opposite feeling. They were very accommodating and were patient when I wanted to feel out the different iron sets. The range was down as storms ripped a hole in the net. Off to the first tee.

Started out on Hole #10 first, which is the more scenic 9-holes. Starter was great and allowed me to join a group 20 minutes earlier. The course set up is awesome btw. The trees shape the holes beautifully. It's very close to some active streets but once you swing by Lake Merced on your left, the course is gorgeous. Across the Lake is Olympia, a private club.

The course played wet and I lost a ball which should have just missed the fairway as they were plugging. Not bad though, but very wet in some areas (like I said... 5 days of rain). Greens were slow. Seems to be a common thread among other reviews as well. Slow but runs true, I would say.

There's a police gun range very close by. You do hear gun shots echo throughout the course but it's not off putting at all. Some reviews have said it bothered them. It did not affect my game at all. Pace of play was solid - finished in just over 4 hours.

Hole #18 is the signature hole and it is a lot of fun. I hit a perfect tee ball onto the leftside of the fairway with a 5-iron into the wind which I needed to draw. Barely got it onto the green and left me a 60-footer for birdie. 3-putted for bogey, but hey, I got there in 2 into the wind! Beautiful hole.

I'm not sure if it's worth $200 to play without a better deal. I played from the white tees and it was not that difficult of a course. I have a 8 handicap. But the holes were good looking and I had fun with my 3 playing partners. They rode carts for a cart-path only rule, which is in effect 100% of the time, not just rainy days. I walked as I wanted to experience the course since it will host the 2020 PGA Championship. This course is not that demanding so we'll see how they change it up for the PGA to make it harder.

I played this course on a very windy day, which made the day very difficult. We played from the Blue tees which is only about 5800 yards. But don't let the length fool you.

The fairways are tight and hilly. This course slopes up or down on basically each hole with many blind shots.

For example, hole 1 is all dowhill. Hole 2 is blind uphill dogleg left. Hole 4 blind tee shot downhill. Hole 5 dogleg left. You get the gist. Do not be fooled by the course yardage.

The windy conditions made the back 9 very tough as the fairways felt even more narrow. Some of the greens could have been cleared of the leaves and debris but nothing the course staff could have done. Green conditions were decent for the winter time.

Overall, we had a lot of fun here and always do. I'm from NJ and only come down here a few times a year to visit the in-laws but always make it a point to come back to this course. Good rates online too.

The staff aren't too friendly, restaurant/bar is a bit run down, and men's room is old. But I don't come here to lounge around. Golf is good.