Back9Ben

Much like its sister course Mammoth Dunes, Sand Valley offers a unique golfing experience that rises to a near-spiritual level. The ambiance of the scenery and the contours of the course elicit an emotion I've rarely encountered anywhere else. To walk this course is like a 4-hour glimpse of heaven.

Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are the perfect architects for this plot of land. The design fits so seamlessly with the terrain you'd swear it was already here when they built the resort.

Sand Valley is also the perfect compliment to Mammoth Dunes. Its features are more subtle and conservative but perhaps even more beautiful and pristine. The variety of holes and shots to play will entertain you from now through eternity. You could probably play the whole course with just a single club from your bag 14 different times and have fun each time in different ways.

The conditions are immaculate, every aspect of the course is in perfect shape and looks and plays wonderfully. That does come at a cost: at $225, there are few who would call this place a "great value" but it certainly earns its premium price tag. But perhaps playing it in the off-season would be worth the chuck of change saved.

The resort is great as well, with friendly, professional staff and great food.

Make the trek to Sand Valley, spend 4 hours walking the course then spend another 4 hours walking Mammoth Dunes and soak it all in. It will be the highlight of your year, I guarantee it.

NOTE: This course *IS* open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays to resort guests only.

It was hard to keep my expectations of this course in check when I had heard so much about it over the years but the greens fees and remote location kept me away.

I had previously played the nearby Old Course last year and enjoyed the history behind the course and it's old-school design (before there were bulldozers and excavators). The Cascades has a similar look and feel though a bit fewer elevation changes. The design is simple, minimalist, with smooth contours and soft edges. There are a few blind shots throughout but nothing unfair or frustrating. Several holes are quite pretty as well, the backdrop of the Blue Ridge mountains certainly doesn't hurt!

The conditions overall were very good though not as good as you might expect given the relatively high price of the greens fees. The last few greens showed noticeable damage from disease that made them a bit bumpy but far from unplayable. The rest of the course was in much better shape though a bit soggy from all the recent rain. No water in the bunkers though, just some soft spots in the low lying areas of the fairways.

The staff here is very friendly and they do offer caddies, a nice touch. I saw a ranger on the course a couple times and pace of play was not an issue. My twosome finished in under 4 hours despite a mostly full tee sheet.

There is no driving range on site (there is one just down the road) and the restaurant and other amenities were closed do to COVID,

This is a solid mountain-style course and the scenery is very picturesque but I'm not sure I'd spend the $120 on another round here. Opinions vary on these classic designs, I guess I'm more of a contemporary fan. For those with a more old-school palate, they will find a lot to love here.

There

I'll be honest, when I heard that they had redesigned this course without including my two favorite holes from before AND raised the greens fees over $100... I came in to this round not really wanting to like it. I mean, for up to $140, how good can it be?

Well, the answer is REALLY good. I was blown away by how different the course looks from before. To go from a design suited for a small city resort to one that could host top-level tournaments, the transformation is significant. The fairways are wider, the contrast of the light green zoysia fairways and the dark green bent grass rough makes the whole course "pop" and the golden fescue just adds an extra layer to the visuals.

In terms of the layout itself, I'm still bummed about the removal of the short par-3 12th with its island green and the downhill par-3 4th with is fun green complex. There's also a couple new holes I'm not a huge fan of but overall the design is fantastic. It's a perfect blend of challenging and fun and the conditions match the design with lush grass everywhere and smooth bunkers.

I found the staff to be very friendly here, especially the starter. There was no pace-of-play issues though the course was pretty wet from the night before so it was cart-path only. My 3-some still finished in about 4 hours.

As for the cost, well, I never thought I'd say this but it's actually a pretty good value. With conditions that now rival nearby Spring Creek and a walking rate of $75 on a Friday morning (on a course much easier to walk now than Spring Creek), I'd say this is the better value. Once they host a major tournament here, they could probably charge $150+ and it still be reasonable.

So despite all my negativity going into my round, I left really impressed with the new Birdwood. I highly recommend you give it a try to decide for yourself.

I don't know why it took me two and a half years after moving to the Richmond area to finally make it out to Brickshire but after finally playing a round there this week I fully regret not doing it sooner.

The course is a great, fun design with plenty of variety of holes. I definitely recommend playing up a tee than what the overall yardage indicates as the blue tees played more like 6600 than the posted 6390, especially on the par-3s.

The course conditions were great considering the hot and dry summer we've had. Greens were just about perfect and I found nothing to complain about from tees to the fairways, rough, and sand.

The staff was friendly and we finished in just over 4 hours. My playing partner and I were thankful for the water coolers that were provided as the weather got hot quickly during our round.

This course is also an excellent value with plenty of tee times for under $50 during the week.

I definitely won't be passing up this course again and look forward to my next round here!

Heritage Oaks provides an interesting, walkable, scorable design at a great price with a friendly staff and great conditions. So basically, all you could ask from a municipal golf course.

With the summer heat and dry conditions, the course is currently playing firmer and faster than I've ever seen (in season). The slight browning out in some spots may not look the most appealing but it takes away nothing from the playability and in fact enhances it, giving you Bryson-like drives on some of the holes and challenging greens.

The variety of holes here always makes for a thorough round of golf, using all the clubs in your bag and skills on your person.

It's always a pleasure to play here and I can't wait to come back again!

The Club at Viniterra consistently provides a great golfing experience for golfers of all skill levels at a price that is tough to beat.

I've played here many times and each time I come back I'm reminded why I enjoy playing here. The Rees Jones design catches your eye as well while your brain works hard to figure out how best to play each shot. With beautiful bunkering and some unique angles, the course offers a real challenge that's rewarding to complete.

Despite the recent hot and dry weather, the course is in great shape and plays very fairly.

Mornings and late afternoons can be quite busy and a little slow here but right now in the midday heat you can pretty much have the course to yourself as my group did. The added serenity from the holes being secluded from each other only adds to the experience.

I look forward to coming back and playing here again soon, the course and the deals on GolfNow are too tempting not to!

I recently decided to take advantage of the long summer days and see if I could squeeze in 72 holes of golf into the same day. I chose Blue Ridge Shadows because I had successfully completed this challenge years before when they offered an all-day rate (though it doesn't appear to be available anymore, I was offered the same rate by the manager).

This is a great course to play multiple times as the layout offers an exciting variety that will challenge you in different ways and on several holes provide different options for you to attack the hole.

The design of the course is even more thoughtful and dynamic than I remembered with a wide variety of shapes and angles and the final stretch of a shortish par-5 and two short par-4s give you plenty of opportunities to finish your round on a high note, provided you don't get too greedy. The approach on 18 can be especially treacherous despite having a mere 50-70 yard pitch over the creek.

The sheer amount of elevation changes throughout the course can be daunting, another reason to play here more than once. From the uphill approaches on #2, #7, and #10 to the downhill approaches on #1, #3, and #13, this course really challenging your math skills and distance control.

The greens aren't a pushover either with some subtle breaks here and there. No complaints about putting on them though as they are rolling fast and true.

The rest of the course nearly matches the greens for conditions as heavy use is the only detractor from otherwise pristine maintenance. A few of the bunkers needed a bit of work but the vast majority of them were just about perfect.

The staff is fantastic as well and I can't thank Bryan and his crew enough for setting me up for a delightful day. My back may still be sore 3 days removed but the welcoming environment from everyone at the course--from TJ the maintenance handyman all the way up to David the superintendent--made for an experience I'll never forget.

The course continues to monitor the appropriate level of COVID restrictions. The pool noodles were out of the cups (though I still left the flagsticks alone) but still no on-course water coolers or rakes.

The other golfers I met throughout the day all said the same thing: this is a great, fun course that's a real challenge and an even better value. I couldn't agree more and Blue Ridge Shadows now ranks in the top 25 of all the courses I've played.

Rock Harbor continues to offer a unique and wildly fun layout at a fantastic value. The sheer variety of holes will keep you entertained for hours and hours.

Because I live 3 hours away I try to plan to play all 36 holes here whenever I come up. If you plan it right (walk the first 18 then ride the second as a replay) you can get both courses in for under $60 during the week, an unbeatable value.

The courses were in the best shape I've ever seen. Fairways are still a little shaggy/long for my taste but the trade-off is that they are nice and lush despite being exposed to the sun all day as there are few holes with substantial tree cover. The greens were rolling at a medium speed and nice and smooth too.

COVID restrictions have been relaxed a bit with much needed water coolers on the course and no noodles in the cups (I still left the flagsticks alone). the staff I encountered was very friendly and the food was pretty good too.

Rock Harbor remains one of the best courses that few people have even heard of never mind played. Maybe some day I'll move back up this way so I can play it more, that would be a real treat!

This was my first time playing this course though it's the 5th Mike Strantz designed course I've played and wow what a design it is! Two holes on the front nine have back tee boxes that are completely 90 degrees from the others (one of them on the par-4 5th was abandoned years ago) that make the hole play COMPLETELY differently and really blew my mind.

There are several holes where the two back tee boxes are tucked into the trees and have you hitting out over a forced carry onto the fairway which is one of my very favorite course design features. Lots of blind tee shots all over the course but none that trick you into hitting into trouble and that's the key. I do recommend using an app on your phone that has an overhead view of each hole as that will help you with exactly where to aim but even without one you won't get frustrated if you just hit it straight over the hill. The sheer amount of elevation changes on the course are impressive and formidable. There are lots of elevated fairways and downhill approaches to greens so choose your clubs carefully.

Conditions are still lagging and I'm probably being a bit harsher on this than other reviewers but for $63 and a long layoff before reopening I was expecting better. Many of the greens (especially on the front nine) still need to grow in more, you can tell the root system is still very shallow and makes for firm but slow and inconsistent greens. Other greens are much better and roll faster and smoother. Bunkers are in good-to-very good shape and most of the fairways are fully grown in but there are plenty of bare spots in the rough that look a bit unsightly.

Last issue on conditions is in regards to the aforementioned tucked away tee boxes. The trees really have overgrown and are not only cutting into the your view as you tee off but make the tee box grass very hard to grow in so much shade. Some tree removal on a few holes would go a long way to improving the overall experience off the tee on those holes.

I pretty much had the course to myself in the middle of a weekday with good weather so if you don't mind the sub-optimal conditions, you'll definitely enjoy not having to worry about pace of play here for a while.

I will definitely come back later in the year to play here again. A discounted rate or improved conditions will make it worth it to me because the layout is so unique.

I participated in a 54-hole Solstice event and it was just a blast! Great job by all the staff to pull off such a unique experience for the 50+ players involved.

Course was in great shape as always (greens were a little slower than usual but that made for faster pace of play) and after experiencing this Mike Strantz masterpiece for the 7th, 8th, and 9th time, it continues to be my all-time favorite course.

The intimidation factor is a little overblown, Tobacco Road is more fun than it is hard and worth every penny. Definitely go play it this year if you can!

I love playing here, mostly because the Bermuda greens often are rolling at 11 or higher. Not sure if it was because of the recent rains or the heat but they were noticeably slower when I played this time and not nearly as smooth because of it.

Still the course is in great shape and it drains well so the fact it had rained that morning, it was cart path only but not many soggy spots.

Pace of play was better because of the threatening forecast so my twosome played in about 3:30. Staff was very friendly and they've implemented a new check-in shack right at the curb go facilitate with COVID restrictions.

I got a Hot Deal off GolfNow so it was worth it but I'll wait till the greens get fast to come back and play.

The parking lot was jammed packed when my group arrived for our afternoon tee time. The pro shop shack was at max capacity and the attendant seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the traffic. With the cart girl the only other employee I saw all day, they could probably use an extra hand to help keep things going.

The course conditions were pretty good, nothing glaring or extraordinary and the same could be said of the design and layout of the course which works well enough to entertain the casual golfer.

Surprisingly good practice facilities here, perhaps the best feature. And it's a decent value at just $33 on a Sunday, no wonder it was so busy!

Some people try to sneak in an "emergency 9" after work. I decided to stretch that to 18 holes on this day, finishing in just under 2 hours (with a cart, obviously).

The course is in the best shape I've seen it in a while and you can see the improvements around some of the greens that they continue to make.

Pace of play obviously wasn't an issue and never really is here despite how busy they are. Props to the staff for keeping things running smoothly!

I've always loved played here and normally it's in great shape and a good value. The 27-hole course is divided into three courses, and they all play very differently. But the conditions are not consistent and that's an issue for the price being charged.

Tuckahoe 9 is in great shape, with freshly cut zoysia grass fairways and rough and well-kept bunkers. But the same can't be said about the Shamokin 9 with its Bermuda grass and weed-infested bunkers. It's a little embarrassing for a course charging over $60 for a round, you would expect better conditions on that nine, even with the restrictions from this crazy year. The lack of maintenance extended to the practice areas as well and it's not a great look for a course that normally has some of the best conditions around.

Subpar conditions aside, the rest of the round went well once be passed the 4-some in front of us that was on pace for a 5.5 hour round (they were nice about it). The mountain setting makes up for a lot and the staff is pretty friendly.

The restaurant was still closed for COVID so I can't offer an opinion on the food here. Come for the views and elevated tees, but maybe don't pay the full rack rate until conditions improve a bit.