Lives
Madison, Wisconsin
Handicap
5-9
Age
45-54
Gender
Male
Skill
Advanced
Plays
Once a week

Review Statistics

Average Rating

3.7
3.7
Total 12 Reviews

Rating Breakdown

12 Reviews
5 Stars
2
4 Stars
5
3 Stars
4
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
0
Recommended Courses
9
Not Recommended Courses
3
Helpful Votes Count
1
Not Helpful Votes Count
1
First Review
08/01/2016
Last Review
09/19/2022

Reviews Map

Reviews

3.7
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First time playing this course
Recommended
Review has

Sage Run Golf Club

Played On 09/14/2022
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

NIce design, needs some work........

The good: Like the layout, challenging, don't mind the blind shots because after you play a few times, you'll know the lines. Uphill holes are interesting. If you hit the ball well, you'll be fine. Some tough par fours with a nice mix of short par fours. Greens are tough but fair. Rolled smooth, were fast, yet receptive.

The bad: Tee boxes are un level....all of them. We were not playing the back tees, but some of those boxes were leaning so severely downhill not sure how you'd tee off--even two club lengths back. Basically all day you had a ball above or below your feet off the tee boxes from every set of markers. To me, it doesn't seem like it would take that much to fix these.

Other commenters have commented about the rocks in the rough. Someone seems to respond rather sarcastically that rocks in the rough are normal and that somehow these rocks are way off the fairways/greens. In some cases maybe, but not in others. I drove the ball on a short par four, pin high, a foot behind a greenside bunker--about 15 feet from the pin. It was sparse grass and gravel. Tha'ts really not how a golf course should play. I'm not nicking up clubs playing from the rocks because I pulled a tee shot 15 feet left of the green. If they went 20 feet around and cleaned those up, I"d be ok with that. Its just really not acceptable.

Would I play again, sure. Like the design, holes are fair. But they need to level the tee boxes and clean up the rocks. I'd give it four and half stars if they did that. I see a lot of people playing this once and not coming back. That's too bad.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Brute at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa

Played On 09/17/2020
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Nice course.....not sure if I'd play again

Got a fairly decent deal thought Golf Now so thought I'd give this course a shot. Got there an hour early so I could warm up. As I'm 10 minutes into warming up with a few shots, the starter comes over to the range and is yelling my last name. He wants to know if I could start right now because--what sounds like a convoluted mess going on--'he's got singles and a two some and then this and that......' So then he says, 'how about in 10 minutes?". I said that was ok. So I continue. Then five minutes later he comes back and says--'no, wait, how about in 15 minutes?" Ok. I can do that. So then I hit a few more, go to the putting green and as I'm just about to hit my first practice putt, he comes back and asks if I can go now--again. Sure. He speeds away and comes back and say, 'no, go ahead and hit some putts--you can go in five minutes'. So I literally hit 5 putts and he comes back and says 'you need to go now--the twosome you're playing with has teed off and they're waiting for you.' OMG. By this time, my frame of mind is pretty much shot. Hit a horrible opening tee shot cuz I totally felt rushed. Just kinda ruined the whole experience.

Course was in good shape. Greens were fast and some of the pin placements were really borderline unfair, especially for high handicappers---who I was playing with. They really struggled putting on the greens. A few quirky holes. I'd say its a fair test of driving and iron play. Better keep your ball below the hole or you'll be in trouble. WAY too much sand in the bunkers. Like being on the beach somewhere. Other than the starting debacle, it was ok. I just kinda felt like I was being punished for showing up early. I mean, the reason I did that was to get a good warm up---not to go running to the first tee because of an apparent inability for others to show up on time and a starters inability to work through the issue. It was almost comical actually.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Brute at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa

Played On 09/17/2020
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
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Commented on 09/21/2020

Hello, we appreciate the review. You rated us 3-stars which means there is room to improve on your recent experience at Brute at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa. Let us know, in the comments, how and where you would like to see changes from the course. Thanks for the feedback!

Washington County Golf Course

Played On 08/14/2020
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Course is in good shape, but expect to wait on holes

Have played here several times. Course has a great practice facility and three hole 'warm up' area. Staff are friendly and helpful.
Course is well maintained and a challenge. Have to play here several times to learn the lines off the tees but its a great mix of holes and some nice elevation changes.
However, every time I play here--which has always been during the week-- the following WILL happen: The starters seem to send smaller groups--like two somes off--even some singles at times. And this is during pre-covid 19 times. So many of these players--I'm assuming are locals and residents of Washington county as they get discounts, are shall I say, more seasoned and seem to be allowed to be given certain favors (like playing in a two some, or sometimes a 5 or 6 group. Regardless of the grouping---THEY WILL NEVER, EVER--UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES---LET YOU PLAY THROUGH. It happens everytime I go. One time, our group of 4 was behind a group of 5---two of which were walking and our group were riding. We waited on every tee starting staring at hole number two. There were at least three open holes in front of them the entire round. But then, 'the incident' happened--which is what my group now refers to it as. We were playing a par 5. The slow group of 5 more senior folks were on the green. One in our group was at a yardage to possibly put his 2nd shot near the green--however no way was he going to get there. He flushed his shot and the ball rolled about 10-15 yards short of the green. The entire group in front of us was on the putting surface when this happened. They finished up putting and we played the rest of the hole. When we went to go the next tee box--a par three--the group was just finishing up their tee shots and two 'ladies' started screaming and yelling at our group for hitting into them and not being patient at all regarding pace of play. We had asked earlier at one hole if we could play through and they told us--'you're not going anywhere anyway'---with open holes in front of them. We tried to explain regarding the shot they claimed going into them and that it came no where close to anyone of them-- but to no avail. They were having none of it and said we hit into them and that was that. They just don't let you play through if you're faster---its like you're almost offending them if you even ask (which I did on the last occasion) only to be told the standard--'you're not going anywhere'. I'd rate this course a 5 star if that weren't the case, but this happens everytime I play. If they grouped people together, I think it would help--plus having a marshal who kept people moving would help as well, as long as they, ya know, actually did that. Other than that, its a great course. Just be prepared to wait as you play.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
3.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Walked

Nice amenities....but overrated course.

Big Pete Dye fan. Have played his courses all over the country. Ocean Course was on the bucket list. I'm from snow country so this was my first round of the year, so shooting a score wasn't really on the agenda. But just wanted to see how hard and scenic this place was.......
The clubhouse and staff are outstanding. Venue is incredible. Amenities in clubhouse were top notch. I had been on Kiawah Island all week and saw the other courses and they looked to be in wonderful condition (this was later confirmed by my playing partners). Weather was great, light winds. Met my playing partners----seem like nice people. Should be a fantastic, memorable experience on the course.
Meet my caddie, knock the rust off the Mizuno's and off we go to take the 5 minute ride to the first tee. Step onto the first tee and......
The course is sorta brownish? Hmmmmmm......
Tee it up, hit one down the middle and have 105 in. Wedge comes up short but hey, its early and nerves. Hit a little spinning chip to 2 feet. Kick in par. I'll take that on one of the countries toughest golf courses........
Continued to play golf holes, hoping for the course conditions to improve (they didn't), and waiting for the 'wow' factor to hit me. It just never did. To me this is not even close to Pete Dye's best work, nor is it that difficult. I hit 10 of 14 fairways (two I missed by a couple yards and two I pull hooked and chalked that up to the first round of the year yips). The wind, which the caddie said was a 'normal' day, was two clubs. Greens rolled well and were fast. Maximum break I had on a putt all day was a foot and a half. Most were two balls outside. This is tough course?????? Sure, if the wind blows 30 mph. Go play your muni in a 30 mph wind and tell me its a cakewalk. Any course is tough.

Ocean views???? Ok, the back nine, but the front nine was very ho hum. Sorry, I've seen more scenic. Bunkers were hard pan or "a little firm" as my caddie put it. I was is two that were unraked and getting out wasn't a problem but you had to catch in perfectly to keep from blading in over the green. Most high handicappers will struggle with that shot big time.
I'm sorry, but it just didn't do it for me. I think the people who are members there like to believe their course is the most scenic and most difficult course and that's how its portrayed, but IMHO, its not.
Save your money (a lot of money) and play somewhere else. The members will appreciate that and so will your wallet.
Caddie was fine, did a great job. Ever notice most of the scenic pictures of the course are overhead views? There's a reason.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Broadlands Golf Club

Played On 07/09/2017
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Nice course, good value, poor pace of play

I've played here many times. Very decent golf course, fun layout and conditions are pretty good. And for $25, a real value. But their pace of play is consistently poor, especially on weekends. I think I found out why.

I booked the round as single. I arrived about 50 minutes before my tee time. As I was checking in, I asked the guy inside--who seems to always be grumpy--if there was a possibility that I could start early. "Absolutely not" I was told. I replied, "booked solid, huh?" He said they were.
Didn't feel like hitting balls so I went to work on the short game. The putting green is within sight of the first tee. They have a starter. But I certainly didn't see people lined up waiting to tee off----like usual. So after about 10 of not seeing anyone tee off, or even look like anyone was ready to go, I went and asked the starter if I could go. Same answer. No way. So I went back to putting. Watched a two some tee off and leave. Then I watched another two some tee off and leave. Another two some pulled up to the tee. So I went over to the starter and asked about why all these two somes were teeing off while at the very least, I could have joined one of them? He sort of seemed kind of puzzled but then said, "Ok, you can join that two some." So I went up and introduced myself, but they seemed like they wanted to play alone. So I asked them if they'd rather play by themselves and they said they would prefer to do that. So I said, "do you mind if I tee off, catch the two some in front and play with them?" They said no problem. So I tee off, pop one down the middle and off I go. I'm on the first green, and here comes the marshal. "Please sir, we don't like singles out here playing because people start complaining about pace of play." I informed them they have a pace of play problem because they let two somes tee off when they should be paired up as a group of four. And that they could have paired me up with another two some instead of having this cluster on the first tee. The starter---a good starter--- could easily do this and make this much better. Other than pace of play, I give the course above average marks.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Poor
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Washington County Golf Course

Played On 07/05/2017
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Excellent course, great conditions, awful pace of play

Played here a few times. Fairways are probably some of the best I've ever played. Greens very nice and in great shape. Very challenging layout---need to know the angles and nuances of the fairways to play well here.

Biggest problem---especially on this day--was pace of play. We booked the round as a two some. Got there and they told us we were being paired with another two some. So after a warm up on the range, we go the first tee about 15 minutes prior to our scheduled time.
No starter so its sort of "everyone just figure this out" kind of thing. We watched a two some tee off and take off. Then another two some teed off--same thing. Then a singe tees off and he takes off. Then another two some tees off---one of which who was walking. Then it was our turn. After watching this all happen, we said to each other, "this is going to be a problem."
And sure enough.......it was. We constantly waited and and watched as two somes and a single just completely bogged down the pace of play. Well....lets talk to the marshal. Except there wasn't one. Never saw one all day.
On the 13th hole, we were coming off the green and met the two some in front of us, who accused us of hitting into them. We tried to explain that didn't think we did and we apologized, but we asked them why they didn't pair up with the single that was in front of them to try to move things along. It was just a mess out there. They needed a starter and a marshal. Would have been a much more enjoyable experience. It never fun arguing with other players on the golf course, and this could have been avoided had there been more organization at the first tee, ie, a starter.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging

Fire Ridge Golf Club

Played On 07/04/2017
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Nice course....but needs TLC.

First time playing Fireridge. Very interesting layout. Tough greens that you need to hit certain sections to give yourself a chance. Fair off the tee, pretty much everything right in front of you. Course conditions were average. Bunkers as other reviewer's have mentioned, need some work. Lots of rocks that could be removed fairly easily with some work. It's clear they don't drain properly as their was standing water in many of them. And I think because they don't drain properly, they harden after they eventually do dry, making it seem like there isn't sand in them. I believe the sand is there, its just been compacted so much from lack of drainage.

A few of the greens were a little spotty, but nothing outrageous.

I liked the layout and variation of holes. I wouldn't feel good about paying $70 to play this course. I paid $35 on a Golf Now deal and felt that was fair. It seems like this place is at a crossroads----either lower your green fees to reflect course conditions, or invest in the conditions so it's more like a $70 course.

I would play again for same deal, unless I knew conditions were better.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Response from on 07/12/2017:
Hi, James. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. Thank you for the 4-stars! We are going to escalate your comments about the course conditions to the team in charge to make changes before your next round. We always appreciate the feedback. Thank you for playing Fire Ridge Golf Club.

The BOG

Played On 10/15/2016
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Average weather
Used cart

Great Course---Great Staff

Played here for the first time. A few blind shots which will be much easier next time. A few forced carries so higher handicappers will struggle. Staff was excellent--friendly, helpful--couldn't have been better.
Greens were super fast and hard to read----local knowledge will help. Course was in very good condition, however, there were a few bunkers that I noticed had some huge stones in them. A few looked like they had just replaced the sand in them so they were soft. Other than that, it was fine. Definitely would play there again for a hot deal or in the $50.00 range. Very neat layout, lots of rolling hills.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging

Glen Erin Golf Club

Played On 09/05/2016
3.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Used to be better

Played here over 15 times. Hadn't played here in two years. Not sure what course the previous reviewers were playing but this course has really gone downhill. The conditions were not good. Fairways were burnt out in many places. Rough was really long all over. Tee boxes are beat up and unlevel. Greenskeeper either doesn't have much of a budget or they stink.

Busy day and pace of play was slow but ok. However on numerous occasions I saw guys driving way up near the greens where they shouldn't be and in one instance, literally on the fringe. Marshal just drives up and we think " oh boy, these guys are gonna hear about it". Nope. Just pretended he didn't see it because there's no way he couldn't have. Marshals need to do more than just drive around, waving at people so they can get either free or discounted golf.

Paid $30 on golf now hot deal. Felt ripped because of course conditions--even at that low of price.

Range balls WAY overpriced. $8.00 for 50 crappie pinnacles? C'mon......

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Big Fish Golf Club

Played On 08/07/2016
2.0
First Time Playing

Great layout---horrific condition

Love Pete Dye layouts and this is a very fair and playable golf course for everyone.
The greens were in ok condition but hard as a rock. Fixed no ball marks after hitting14/18 greens because you don't make ball marks here---the greens were that hard!!
The fairways and tee boxes were awful--especially on the back nine. In some cases I'd say 90% of the fairway was bare/burnt out. I was saddened because I was really looking forward to playing here.
I asked an employee after the round about the course conditions and they told me that the irrigation system has been broken for the past couple of years so they only water the greens. They said they get comments from people about it all the time because of it. They went on to say the front nine was in better shape because they did recently fix the irrigation on the front nine because a golf magazine was coming out to take pictures.
I'm really hoping they can pull this together because the layout is great. However the conditions were probably some of the worst I've seen. Sad. Very sad.
C'mon Big Fish........lets get together!!!

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair

Hawks Landing Golf Club

Played On 07/31/2016
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great course for Hot deal

Played here many times. Great golf course. Nice layout and challenge. Course typically in great shape. Greens usually roll very well, however on this day---a Sunday---they were slow and bumpy. Not sure why but still give it a great rating. Very playable--all right in front of you.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
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