bigalittlea

Lets be fair, a lot of the fixes this place needs will never happen unless someone buys it or wins the lottery.

The bad:
- All the bunkers need to be completely re-done, they don't drain, don't have a base and don't really have sand
- Need some serious tree trimming, as many are overhanging fairways. They're trying at least
- Rough is a variety of grasses, weed and sand, partially due to too many trees (grass can't grow).
- Minor annoyance but par 4's are basically all the same/similar length. Is what it is

The good:
- Fun 70's esque "hard" country club layout. Great bunkering though you can't really hit out of them without a beater wedge
- Variable length par 3's; you'll hit a different club into each.
- They're putting all of what money they have into greens and tees. Tees were in decent shape, greens were recently aerated and watered while I was there
- Great price on weekdays, $32 to walk
- Super nice guys in the pro shop

Have a soft spot for this place; they're definitely trying hard, but can only do so much. Worth a visit in off peak and you can always get a tee time (thus money issues) but temper expectations.

Decent, tight layout that makes good use of the land available. Yes, there are five ponds but there's not a billion forced carries so those who struggle with water shouldn't have tooooo many issues.

Greens rolled true, but felt a little firm with spongy top which makes me think it's due for an aeration.

That said, the layout is TOO tight with many trees coming into the line of play in a way that they shouldn't be. Playing from the back tees, there were multiple occasions you had to change the ballflight because a limb was over the teebox, over the fairway or both. A few hung out to block out fairway bunkers which sort of defeats the purpose of said bunker. Rough was very sparse in some places, probably because theres no light and/or air there. Trim some of the limbs to keep the layout tight but open the course to a bit more strategy.

Also... I have no idea why there's a fireplace in the edge of the woods. If you want it to be a feature, have it be a feature. But wouldn't recommend having it just.... there.

Bar/grill is nice and staff was solid. Appreciate that they allow walking, though was way too hot the day I was there. practice facilities are solid. Has potential to be the upper end of good (and is probably 3.5 stars as is) but a little trim would go a long way both in terms of playability and turf health.

As others have said, next to no sand in the bunkers.. They need to be completely rebuilt, or abandoned and turned into grass bunkers. Greens are fast and roll true, but badly need aerating. Tees are spotty at best. Cool course but hire a new greenskeeper stat.

Good old Fazio (supposedly?) design. It feels like a country club from the early 60's because, well, it's a country club from the early 60's. Decent mix of holes (some short some long) with good variety in shape. Greensites are neat, well protected and a good variety. Fairways are soggy in some spots and really dry in others, but perfectly playable and decent relative to the average peer course.

Cons: It's both overgrown and over-trimmed - trees are crowding in from off the field of play and taking out half of the fairway (and greens), meaning you have to take some pretty wild lines and/or hit stuff really low to touch the entire golf course. As a result, fairways are dying out on the sides and greens are prone to fungus because they're just not getting enough air. But, it's also been Jaworski'd (where he mows ANY trouble areas/fescue down to nothing) making some holes play way, way too easy. 7th + 8th hole literally have no trouble anywhere, think there used to be a big patch of fescue between them which is now just boring empty rough. Makes play faster, makes golf a little worse. The routing is weird (why does the 2nd hole head directly back to the clubhouse) - suspect it was shifted around at some point. They also make you drive carts in the rough instead of fairways which is... odd. Matted the rough down so lies were either easy, or buried.

Personally think it's overpriced by a little, but not a ton. Worth a play if you're around.

I used to play at wedg a lot. Like, once a week a lot. It was always an interesting 50's layout that was rough around the edges. It's still an interesting 50's layout, but at this point I'm not sure if they even have any groundscrew or groundskeeping budget. Every bunker was simply dirt and rocks - so shallow you'd bottom out on the base and could see drainage pipes. Fairways were more clover than fairway. Looks like the green on number 3 is a few good rainstorms away from falling into the pond. Geese have eaten every sembalnce of grass around that hole as well, contributing to erosion.. Played after a rainy week, but somehow the fairways were harder than the parking lot. Back 9 greens in the woods (10-11, 17-18 are dying, probably bc they're in the woods (no fans, no light. trim!!). Don't get me started on the GPS on the carts - no idea why they ring a doorbell every 2 seconds.

Pros: Greens, while firmer than an underripe avocado, are in okay shape and still decently puttable. Fringe is non-existent though and good luck chipping. Tees were decent, and the pro shop guy is/was super friendly.

We got a hot deal for $40 and I'm satisfied with that price, but anything near their "normal" rates is robbery. Too bad - if someone put some effort in this could be a very decent place to spend a day.

Caveat that the greens were still in okay shape (outside of some dead spots) and tees were okay. Besides that, woof. No sand left in any bunkers + rocks in all of them - you can see the drainage pipes. Weeds and clover galore make for a nice meadow and bad golf course. No fringe to speak of and everything was hard as a rock.

Okay for twilight rates but full price is a rip off. Either put some money into it or let it go. Too bad as it's a decent layout.

there's potential with the land and layout to make this something great. it has no prayer of ever happening, so I'll review it as is with a few comments about quirks. props to the ownership group as they're clearly trying to bring conditions back, but still...

- overall, it's fine! decent enough conditions, fun enough for every skill level, nice enough people. i enjoy going there despite it's quirks.
- greens have shrunk dramatically over the years as maintenance wanes. i'm sure the greens used to be interesting, but in their current state they're all small mostly flat circles
- a few bunkers have clearly been abandoned (16 and 18 are most noticable) but doesn't detract too much.
- the course is wooded and goes through developments, but never feels claustrophobic.
- would be much healthier turf if they thinned the trees and cleared the underbrush to get some air flowing. i think they're trying, but needs more work. the turf now is okay, but some of the tees are very very dead
- two sets of back to back par 5's is insane. old scorecard had 6 as a long par 4, which should be brought back. do the same with 12 and make it a par 70
- why in gods name is there a SHARP dogleg right, where if you go through the the fairway you immediately kill someone on the range. the only option to avoid it is to hit directly over the clubhouse.
- the closing 5 holes (14-18) are great fun to play and show potential. fond of 4-5 as well.

overall enjoyable, worth a short drve but not a long one.

Enjoyable! Course is undulating and a little tight, with some forced carries and great variety in the length/shape of the holes. Back 9 is far more interesting than the front, though they almost always send you off 10. That's the only reason I knock it down a star - much better setup course-wise going the normal routing, but also get why they do it.

Greens were true, bunkers great. We played during a steady drizzle and with the exception of a few greens, the course drains extremely well. True beginners won't have fun here due to carries and bunkering, but anyone <20 handicap will enjoy themselves.

I don't trek down here nearly as much as I should - fun little track!

i wanted to come here as i appreciate quirky old courses, especially those that are somewhat untouched. this was untouched alright...

yes, you read that right, six hours. i've heard rumors of such a thing, and experienced myself once before on the 4th of july. but a random saturday 6 hour round? didn't even think it existed. we waited until the group ahead of us got on the 1st green before teeing off. somehow still managed to wait after our tee shots, and every hole from there had four groups on it. i laid down to take a nap on a green at one point because it was more comfy than my mattress. we'll get to that later.

the layout was quirky and interesting, and did have a few nifty holes from the golden era 17 was a great hole and a great green complex, 16 a cool par 3. 7 was another great green, though the inexplicably filled in the bunker while keeping the plant that lived in there. there's a fair bit of target golf, forced layups due to creeks you shouldn't carry etc.

...but there were also a few holes that made zero sense, and the back tees were unplayable. i don't mean condition wise, i meanyou literally were hitting into a field of ivy. 9 is a double dogleg 600 yard par 5 (from the back, though again you can't hit from there bc forestry) on an otherwise short course. 4 is a par four that requires a 250 yard tee ball (no more, no less) followed by a 50 yard shot dead right. there were par 3's where you had to keep the ball under 40 feet because you were in the canopy of a pretty decent rainforest. and the greens, quite literally, were an inch long and spongy. comfy to walk on, not comfy to putt on. 15 is a driveable par 3 (driveable for everyone, a 265 yard par 3) that aims directly over the open air garage where the groundskeepers park their honda's. seems uh.... ill advised?

there's literally zero bunkers aside from 17. i see where bunkers used to be, and they look like they'd be fun! but alas, that's a bit too much to ask. the course had a good deal of flooding recently so the fairways were pretty rough, though i won't hold that against them bc rain happens. cart sounded like an annoyed screech owl, and we had to pull the choke every time to get it to start. course would be a nice walk, especially with the spongy fairways and green.

my advice? either try or give up. this place has okay bones, but needs new.... everything. would've asked for my money back or a rain check, but that'd mean i'd have to go back.

Look, this course wasn't without its design flaws at the outset. A lot of tees and greens were doomed due to airflow (or lack thereof), and there were a lot of low areas with nowhere for water to go.

....but good lord I don't think anyone even works here anymore. They've given up. The bunkers don't have sand in them anymore and are mostly grown in with weeds, as the beautiful faces Hanse designed have crumbled with time. There are countless water hazards that are...uh, new? Many of the great design features (the redan 8th, the blind cape 4th, the 9th tee boxes) have been abandoned.

Holes have been in the same place for weeks, and are a solid half inch more narrow than normal. The rough is likely cut weekly at absolute most. The greens are dead and spongey. The coup de grace is the "signature" 13th - the tree the logo is based on cracked and looks like it's on its way out.

I'd come back just for the bones (they're still there, I promise) but there's no meat left on them. Hope someone buys this place and tries to bring it to what it was supposed to be, otherwise they should just let it go.

Really goofy routing (starts with a drivable par 4) and missing some classic hazards. Greens are microscopic against the hills, but perfect speed for their difficulty.

Front gets boring, back doesn't. Short hitters will be happy here.

They're putting a ton of work into maintaining and updating this classic. Findlay was kinda all over the place as an architect but this is his best work. Keep working on the bunkers and treelines and fix the fungus on the teens and it'll the world class.

Would frustrate golfers who struggle to elevate the ball but everyone else should go.

You'll come for the moat hole but will remember everything else. Not saying the moat under delivers but more that the rest of the place over delivers. Front has a ton of elevation changes and small greens, back is more punitive. Great place.

Very well designed, challenging but fair. Playing from the tips had a few looooong holes (480 into the wind to close out the round was a little mean). Longer holes are less punishing and give you a little bail out.

Overall a nice, challenging and fair course. Don't know that I'd call it "fun" or wildly unique, but worth a shot. Wouldn't pay $80 again, maybe $60 or so is a "fair value," but not disappointed