mwaschka

My experience at this course with rock-hard tee boxes and fairways as well as aeration going on and what seems to be full time cart path only, will cause me to not play this course again. EVERY shot required LONG walks to and from the cart. The paths to/from holes overlap with carts crossing each other on many occasions. Aside from the fact that it is cart path only, oddly enough, on a Saturday afternoon, there were no hot dogs - or any other food save for chips and crackers - available for purchase at the turn. This is a Saturday afternoon and no food. I understand if I'm playing twilight, but this is mid-afternoon Saturday and their reason is they shut down to get ready for fine-dining at night. That is no excuse for not having a grill or at least a hot dog roller going. This is a golf course folks!

The people here are very nice and the clubhouse is lovely. There are even a few holes that were nice and were fun, but bring your A-gam because by and large this is a tight golf course with narrow fairways. Overall though, until the course is found to be in much better condition, even at the low prices this course is being made available for, it would be best to avoid it. There are lots of good options available in the DFW area - even if you have to pay a little more or play afternoon golf. It really would be worth it to do so.

Champions Circle is a very nice course and can be challenging and also enjoyable all in the same round. It allows you to have an off-day and still have chances to play well. A few holes will gobble up your ball if you mis-hit but it isn't the end of the world. I've always enjoyed it. The bunkers however leave much to be desired and if they don't have water in them they are hard pan sand. As a general consideration with any group in which I've played we agree that we will take a free drop outside the bunker without penalty because quite frankly the purity of the game is worth less than causing damage to a golf club. The bunkers at Champions need attention and complete renovation. Aside from that it is a fun place to play. I really enjoy #18, which is a very birdieable hole and have even putted for eagle on more than one occasion. It leaves you with a good feeling at the end of the round, enticing you to come back for more... and I will! After the round, skip the golf clubhouse bar and take the two minute walk over to the hotel's bar for food and drinks. There is a much better selection over there and the atmosphere is better too.
Champions is a fun course and I've always enjoyed myself there.

Peninsula State Park Golf Course (also known as “Peninsula” or “The Park”) is my favorite golf course. My family owns a home in Door County but I don’t live there but always look forward to playing here! It offers a beautifully green course with a number of very unique holes that played once allow the golfer to devise a good strategy for play. There are also a number of stunning views overlooking Green Bay and the Door Peninsula.

The course is very well maintained and the folks that work there are quite helpful. I generally play early morning golf in the summer which will leave time for lunch around 11:30 or so at the club house if you feel like staying. The hamburgers there are great!
The course is older… circa 1921… but don’t let the age fool you. It is modern and fun in every sense of the word. There are a number of unique holes such as the Par 3 #8 which calls for nothing more than a sand or lob wedge from the highly elevated tee box onto a large green. Hitting your ball across the driveway behind the green results in a penalty as it is the out of bounds location – the ranger if present will remind you of that… he did to me! The approach to the #15 green gives a beautiful view of the water while looking across the par 3 #17 hole… aptly named, “A Beastly Beauty.” #15 is a hard dogleg left when you clear the bottom of the hill at the dogleg, you ring a bell to let the people behind you know it is clear to play. The par 3#17 is a highly elevated green which is a 174 yard shot down to a sloped green which itself is elevated, but not to the extent that the tee box is. It’s a fun hole to play… but an uphill put is preferable to a downhill putt here.

There are many other courses in Door County but Peninsula is the most fun and beautiful course on the peninsula for my money. If you play it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in any way.