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Reviews
Hyde Park Golf Club
Played On 03/17/2019Much improved and perfect for walking
Walked the course during final round of TPC, in about 3 hours. The course conditions are good, with many improvements to maintain the bunkers and reduce excessive shading of greens and tee boxes,. The owner and staff are clearly taking pride in the course. The greens are slower but appropriate to the design - some of the greens are steeper than typical modern courses and would be frustrating if they were fast.
The course design is interesting and beautiful, especially the back 9. If I could change one thing, I would market it to golfers who like to walk, and allow walking anytime. Currently, walking is allowed after 2 or 3pm on weekends and anytime during the week. It was designed decades before golf carts, and the routing and rolling hills are perfect for walking. Jax Beach is basically the only other public club for many miles that is great for walking, and pace of play is good there. Allowing all day, weekend walking would provide a competitive niche that also happens to put less wear on the turf. Try charging the same price as carts during prime time or maybe 2-3 dollars less. Given the few public, weekend walking courses, you might even be able to charge a premium above the golf cart rate, especially with a decent rental push cart for people who haven’t done it before. Anyway, I’m looking forward to going back!
Bent Creek Golf Course
Played On 07/21/2018great greens
The course continues to be well-managed, with greens, fairways and most tee boxes in good shape. This is in spite of heavy rain the past few weeks. It is a pleasure to golf at Bent Creek. The range and practice areas are also in good shape, with two chipping areas. The staff are always friendly and professional.
There are a few areas of erosion due to cart damage but overall, the greenskeepers do a good job of trying to make the course a little bit better each month. For the price, this is an outstanding course. The membership options are also a very good value.
UNF Golf Complex at the Hayt Learning Center
Played On 07/20/2018Apathy
This is a review of the range. Unfortunately, apathy is setting in, after significant funds were spent to double the number of hitting bays and add a fancy mobile cover.
The basics need tending to - for starters, having predictable hours, and management (care). Intermittent electrical and drainage problems are causing it to be regularly closed or limited in operation. Litter is not regularly picked up. The putting green, practice bunker and chipping area are really rough. Areas of wetlands that are clearly in hitting range are not netted, I assume causing substantial losses of range balls. The range itself has become barren mud - drainage issues, a range picker cart/machine that is too rough on the ground, lack of turf management experience? I don't know, but so many other ranges have figured out how to grow grass on and pick balls from a range, even during our wet summers.
Range mats under the cover need to be hosed off every day if not multiple times a day. Get rid of the "mats only" signs everywhere -- for all intents and purposes, this is a mats only range that that is ok. Signs on the door saying "help wanted" and "mats only" would be right at home on the ClubProGuy's twitter feed.
Or, just close the whole thing so that the private sector will have enough of a market to open a different range in the southside of Jax that caters to golfers. There can be huge crowds at times, notwithstanding the limitations of the range. Look at what Seattle's public golf ranges are like - a thousand times better. Or look at how well Jacksonville's Bent Creek is managed on a limited budget, with a lighted, all-grass range.
Sorry for the negative review and I will certainly give a more positive one if things turn around. It is such a strategic location for a nighttime golf range and I think it will have strong support if maintained.
St. Johns Golf Club
Played On 12/07/2014fun course
I really enjoyed playing here. It is a relatively easy course, at least until the greens, which have a fair amount of undulation and tiering. The greens were in very good condition, and the fairways were in good condition especially considering that it is a reasonably priced course. Ideally there would have been a yardage book available, and I would come back more often if walking were allowed before 3pm, but it was fun regardless and I will return.