ryan4915

Belterra has an excellent layout. Most fairways are wide. But there is a lot of deep grass if you miss badly. Fairways were near perfect. The greens had lots of interesting contours. Green speed was a little slower than I expected, but very good considering the amount of break. The cost was $120, so more expensive than a normal round. The staff was outstanding. The cart helpers were fantastic - even gave us a cold towel at the end of a hot round.

I played Baytowne on 3/6/2023 and 3/8/2023. The layout is nice with a good variety of holes. As the Bermuda grass is not growing yet, there are some fairways that are pretty bare. But the biggest problem with all of the Sandestin courses is the speed of the greens. They are some of the slowest greens I have ever played. They will mess up your putting for other courses! If you don’t care about that, then it’s a good course to play.

I played Regatta Bay on 2/27/2023. With tax, it cost right at $100. That’s pretty normal for this area. The facility is very nice, especially the club house and practice area. This is off-season, but the fairways and greens were not great. Lots of bare spots. I expect that when the Bermuda grass gets growing it will be better. The back nine is especially tough for a mid to high handicapper with multiple forced Carrie’s and lots of water. I would definitely recommend for better players.

We played the Legends course on a hot day in June. Fortunately, the course had plenty of drinking water available. The layout is very good, with some straightforward holes and some with hazards coming into play. Our biggest complaint was the greens. They are Bermuda with a lot of exposed sand - causing graininess and bumpiness. But the course layout makes up for the greens. And the experience of playing on a USMC base was fantastic. Two fighter jets flew right over us on the fourth green - an awesome sight to see. The gentleman in the pro shop was extremely nice and very informative. It's worth the drive to play there.

Greencrest may be one of the most underrated courses in the Cincinnati area. The course has some easy holes but also some challenging holes. Overall it is in very good condition. The greens are relatively slow, but are consistent. The fairways are in terrific shape for this time of year. I understand that the course stays open year round - so if you catch a nice day try to sneak in a bonus round!

Shaker Run is a solid golf course. Fun to play. A couple of very memorable holes like the last hole on both Valley View and Woodlands. All four par threes are challenging. The greens and fairways are in great shape. The 19th hole is lacking and the staff was below average.

Glenview has a great course layout - especially the West/South combination. The greens have just been aerated and top dressed which is to be expected at times. The cart paths need a lot of repair and the bunkers need care. But overall it is a great course to play.

The day we played was cart path only, which makes you climb a lot of hills. Most of the tee boxes were in terrible shape. A couple of greens had disease, but overall were in good shape. There are some really fun holes. #13 is gorgeous. But #16 is just a goofy hole with a steep downhill blind second shot.
Overall it was well worth the "hot deal" price.

We played the Flamingo course. The staff was fantastic - very welcoming. The pace of play was great. Groups are spread out at least 10 minutes apart. The course provides a very good challenge with several approach shots over water. My biggest challenge was the positioning of fairway bunkers in the landing are of drives. You need to be accurate off the tee or have a good fairway bunker game! We paid $139 for a 12:30 tee time which was more than I normally like to pay, but this course was worth it.

I have played Green Crest many times and it is getting better with age. The expanded ponds have added challenge to holes 6 and 8. Many of the greens are small and challenge your accuracy. The green speed is relatively slow, but they are pretty consistent. There are a few very challenging holes - especially #3, 4, and11. I think this course is underrated and is a great value.

Weatherwax is the best public course in the Middletown area and is well worth the trip if you do not live nearby. The course is in very good shape and the layout is outstanding. One word of caution: the greens were very hard which added to the challenge. All four of the 9 hole sides are enjoyable with tees for any skill level.

Potters is a public course, so there are not any special amenities. The front nine is a standard par 36. The back nine is very short with six par 4's and three par 3's. The par 4's are easy, but the par 3's are challenging. The greens are very small and can be very fast in the summer. It is a great course to walk and the play time should be 4 hours or less.