Back9Ben

Writing a review like this hurts. Having played Independence each of the past 3 years and falling in love with its blazing fast and silky smooth greens that the harsh winter destroyed, it pains me to see this premiere course diminished by sod. I understand the reality and challenges that faced this club months ago when the grass refused to grow back and I can’t fault their efforts to get the course playable again. But there’s no hiding the fact that their biggest asset is now their greatest liability.

Part of what made Independence’s greens so quick was how firm they were. You rarely could even see a ball mark on the greens because of the firmness and toughness of the putting surface. But now with every green sodded, you can feel the sponginess under your feet (however slight) that kills the speed. Additionally, the rows of sod mean a lot of seams and while most have no impact on your putted ball, a few of them do and that’s not what you expect from an $85 round.

If you can overlook the difference in the greens, however, you may find Independence to be an enjoyable place. The fairways and rough are generally in good shape, as are the bunkers. The club offers free range balls on a grass range and excellent practice facilities.

But with the previous greens being the real defence of the course, the lack of dynamic layout characteristics now with the slower greens means there’s not a bevy of value added to your relatively expensive round of golf. One exception to this is the golf carts which retain the most comfortable seats ever and now offer the new Shark Experience screens. I sampled some of the Slacker Radio music offerings and found it to be not only enjoyable but undistracting.

The value of getting to putt on pro-speed greens is lost with the old grass. What we are left with is a pretty average course with a lot of flash to compensate. Many if not most golfers will find it acceptable, but sadly I think your money is better spent elsewhere. I certainly hope that is not the case for long.

Kiskiack does a few things really well that make it worth a visit: A great staff, excellent facilities, a diverse and challenging layout, and conditions that are as good or better than the price you paid.

This was my second visit to this course and I witnessed some key improvements that make the place a must-play for those visiting Williamsburg. The staff was very friendly and accommodating, especially the starter who gave a full preview of what to expect. With a frightful weather forecast yet to arrive, the course wasn’t nearly as busy as it had been last year when I had last played here. The practice facilities are very good with separate putting and chipping greens and a decent range (it’s not free). The range was closed when I arrived but I had my work cut out getting used to putting and chipping on the bermuda grass.

The course itself has plenty of unique holes including the iconic long par-3 11th with a water carry that is as challenging as it is satisfying. There are several holes that reward shrewd strategy, my favorite being the par-5 18th with the option of carrying the water (210+ yards) to go for the green in two, or bailing out to the right fairway for a traditional three-shot routing. The John LaFoy design is a strength of this course. There’s a great mix of long, medium, and short holes and you’ll use every club.

The conditions of the course were good, not great but that mostly is the fault of the recent heavy and persistent rains, there’s only so much you can do to keep the course (and in particular, the bunkers) in pristine shape. I don’t fault the course much here and it was understandably cart-path-only the day I played. It slowed down play a bit but not excessively so. The greens, fairways, rough, and tees were all lush and smooth. As was the case on my first visit the fringe around the greens were a little spotty but an improvement nonetheless.

I paid $40 for my weekday morning round and that’s a pretty good value for a course that has a lot to offer and seems to have a good replay value. I’ll likely be back again before the year is up to give it another go and I recommend you play here next if you haven’t yet.

The Green course at Golden Horseshoe offers public golfers an exceptional experience for a fraction of the cost of its more well-known sister, the Gold. With the same outstanding staff, course conditions, and practice facilities, the Green is a great choice for those who put a premium on value, just don’t expect to be wowed by the course itself.

Golden Horseshoe carries a level of prestige probably higher than any public course in Virginia. With that prestige comes a world-class experience from the time you arrive until you drive away. The best thing about the Green course is you get the same experience as you do spending upwards of $100 more for the Gold. You enjoy the same friendly and professional staff, premiere facilities and practice areas, and course conditions that are the best in Williamsburg.

Despite the persistent wet weather, the cart-path-only conditions were far better than you’d find anywhere else. Groomed bunkers with no standing water was the most surprising thing I saw all day (and that includes the 12 feet of backspin my 80-yard wedge shot produced). Some of the fairways were a bit soupy but I never encountered a single mudball. The greens rolled very true and were plenty quick if understandably soft.

What still makes playing the much more expensive Gold course an option is the rather mundane layout of the Green course. Yes, it’s a Rees Jones course and there certainly is care and craft put into the design but there also a level of repetitiveness that goes along with it. By the fifth hole you find yourself saying “Ok, I get it, it’s going to be pretty wide off the tee with mounds on one or both sides to kick my wayward tee shot towards the fairway, got it!” Of course, the benefits the “stadium-style” mounding offers is also its undoing. If your shot doesn’t kick back onto the fairway you’re often left with an awkward lie, and awkward stance, or both and the rough is pretty thick. And while the greens are decently quick, there’s very little tiering or undulation in them, making them seem a bit boring to me (but still a challenge to read properly).

The other aspect of the layout that caught me off guard were the tees/course ratings. I typically play from the second-to-farthest tees which almost always puts me on a tee with a course rating between 70 and 72. Those tees here (blue) had a rating of 73 despite measuring only 6700 yards. So I played up (white) with a course rating of 70.8 but with it playing just 6200 yards I found myself hitting a lot of wedges on second shots. One caveat to this: Even with good tee shots, I had no chance to make the green in two on any of the par-5s.

I am a value golfer at heart, so the $39 I paid for a weekday afternoon tee time at a course as prestigious as this is not something I consider lightly. It is an outstanding value for the conditions and experience alone. But premiere courses like GH are also about the course itself and I couldn’t help but find the Green lacking in that department. If you are on a budget, you won’t be displeased playing here at all. But I do think if I were to come back, it would be with a bit more cash to play the Gold. Only then will the Green’s value truly be know.

Mill Quarter offers an inviting and relaxed setting for the casual golfer to enjoy at a price that won’t anger the wife.

The biggest takeaway for me on the course in both conditions and layout is the soft, slow, receptive greens. While you really have to put some force behind even medium-length putts, the flipside is that approach shots that land on the green tend to stay on the green, even if you come in low.

Conditions were a bit wet when I played but even still, the bentgrass greens are very soft (divot tool a must). The greens (and the rest of the course) are generally in very good condition with only a couple areas needing repair. My only real complaint on the conditions is the amount of wear the greens show but it’s far from unacceptable.

The layout here has a bit of a split personality that starts you off with some pretty narrow fairways and challenging tee shots. But that gives way to several holes in a row that are wide open. I found the course to play easier than the slope indicated (though I was having an unusually good round) and the design seems to be simple enough not to be intimidating yet complex enough to give each hole its own character.

The staff here is pretty friendly and the starter/marshal was diligent in his duties. The lack of a beverage cart early on a rainy morning didn't offend me.

I paid about $40 for walking 18 on a weekend morning which is about right for this course. I’ll be back again when it’s not as wet and when there isn’t a big tournament taking up half the course.

You will find slightly better conditions at Laurel Hills, you will find slightly better service at Westfields, and you may find a slightly better value at Stonewall. But Raspberry Falls remains my favorite Northern Virginia public course because it does so many things so well.

The biggest asset of this course over others is layout. Gary Player clearly knows how to design a great one. Every hole has its own character and strategy. From the towering tees on the downhill par-4 3rd to the rising, links-style design of the uphill par-5 10th and one of the best finishing holes in Virginia, you will enjoy the challenge this course brings.

Thankfully, the conditions match the layout here as well/ Having played 18 holes prior at another $50+ course earlier the same day, it was easy to see that Raspberry Falls know how to take care of a golf course’s conditions. From tee-to-green, everything was as good as can reasonably be expected with full, lush, freshly-cut grass, groomed bunkers and greens with just the right amount of pace. In all the times I’ve played here, regardless of wet or dry weather patterns, the course has maintained consistently above-average conditions.

My one complaint for my visit is despite an hot afternoon tee time, there was no beverage cart to be seen. You do get your clubs cleaned while you’re putting out on the 18th which is nice but I would have traded that service for a beverage cart in a heartbeat. There are several water points on the course, so you won’t get too thirsty if water is your thing.

It’s worth mentioning the practice facilities here are second-to-none and they come with the relatively hefty greens fee. I wasn’t thrilled about paying nearly $60 for a weekday twilight rate but in the end, the experience is worth the price of admission. And the 4.5+ hours it takes to play.

I used to live in Northern Virginia and had played this course several times and had fond memories of it. But on my most recent visit I discovered the course had become like too many other courses in the area: slow, worn down, and not a good value.

The layout remains decent here, although not as dynamic as I remember it. There are a few memorable holes but not much wow factor like you get at places like Raspberry Falls, Stonewall, or even Westfields. Those other course are more expensive but not by a lot.

I was thankful to get a good GolfNow Hot Deal and only paid $30 which is good because I would have been very disappointed had I paid full price. Play was pretty slow and crowded but my main complaint was the course conditions. On many of the tee boxes it was difficult to find a place to tee it up due to either dry spots or crabgrass. The crabgrass intrusion remained a theme on much of the course which is a shame. The greens are decent enough but did show a lot of use.

The staff is pretty friendly, especially the starter Joe, but there was no beverage cart to be seen and it was a hot day. For the rack price of the greens fees and with so many other courses nearby, I wouldn’t recommend Pleasant Valley right now until conditions improve.

Recently opened for public play, the Highlands Golfers Club doesn’t get as much mention as it’s neighbor clubs but it still offers a great experience, especially for those looking to walk a quality course in the Richmond area.

If you like to walk for your golfing and aren’t a member of a country club here in Richmond, your choices are regulated to some rather meek municipal courses that lean more on value than quality. Highlands offers a much better experience for walkers with an diversely-designed 18-hole layout that’s well maintained.

Hilly? Yes. Exhausting to walk? Surprisingly, no. While there are a lot of elevation changes throughout the course, you’ll far more often notice the downhills than the uphills. Only a couple holes have a noticeable gap between them and there are plenty of shortcuts and bridges to keep the miles of walking down.

Back to the course: it’s a good one with a full serving of forced carries, doglegs, potato chip greens, and uneven lies everywhere. Conditions meet the expectations set by the greens fees, but don’t exceed them. The greens are full and smooth and reasonably quick. Te Bermuda fairways are in far better shape than other course in the area. Bunkers are raked but may of the tee boxes could use some softening.

Only complaint for walkers: a couple more water points would really help in this heat/humidity. Only one or two per nine so you really have to bottle it up.

Staff was friendly enough though I encountered only one of them. If you are looking for a place to walk and really enjoy a full round, this is your place to go.

*This is a combined review for the Rock and Boulder courses*

Rock Harbor GC continues to provide the most creative and unique course layout anywhere in Virginia. And what it lacked in conditioning over the past several months has now improved greatly, making it a must-play destination.

The conditions are noticeably better than my visit last year and far better than what was described by the last reviewer back in May. The greens, fairways, rough and tees are all lush, green, and smooth (though the fairway grass remains too high for some). The course super has clearly put a lot of effort and money into the courses' many bunkers by adding a lot of fluffy sand but the heavy rains from the past few months have been working hard against those efforts. Even still, most of the bunkers are in very good condition.

The layouts of the Rock and Boulder courses remain as different as they are diverse. You’ve never played anything like it here and while some complain that a few holes here and there are tricked up, I see them as a welcome change to the same old designs so many courses employ. Here they really embrace the unique quarry setting and give so much character and identity to a rather humble course.

The cost to play here is right on par with other courses and when you factor in all that you get for that price, the value is easy to see. My recommendation for the best experience is to walk the Rock course and then pay a replay rate for the Boulder course with a cart (and a yardage book!). That plus a bucket of balls will set you back $63, not bad at all for a full day of fun golf!

Colonial Heritage Golf Club continues to be the most underrated course in all of Virginia and my most recent visit proves that even more. From exceptional playing conditions to a top-notch staff and everything in between, this course truly deserves to be considered one of the best courses anywhere that you can play for under $50.

The course conditions are the most improved aspect from my previous visit, though they’ve never been sub-standard. From tee to green, everything is superb, the greens especially are absolutely perfect with no bumps, grooves, patches or burnouts areas. Bunkers are ranked, the undulating fairways are well groomed and lush and the rough looks like it could host a U.S. Open.

I had previously only played this course on my own but I brought along some friends this time to show them around and it became clear pretty soon that I’ve been underestimating this course’s difficulty level. The rundown given by the starter is slightly sensationalized, but only slightly. We played from what we thought were reasonable tees for our skill levels at right about 6000 yards. We really should have played up a set because we admittedly took quite a long time to get around the course. Making sure you play the tees that match the slope rating your comfortable with will not only help you enjoy your round more but also speed up play for everyone. One last tip: spend as much time on the practice green before your round as you can.

Back to the course, the Arthur Hills design is as beautiful as it is challenging with well-crafted fairways and green complexes. Bunkers and hazards are in all the right places and really require you to think your way through your round. You’ll use driver less here than many courses but I feel that really adds to the experience. Challenges continue with heavily tiered or potato-chip-sculpted greens (running about 10.5 on the day I played) and sharp drop-offs on many of the greens and a few fairways as well. There’s quite a few blind shots as well so if you haven’t played here before, bring along someone who has or pony up the $6 for a yardage book.

The staff continues to impress here with professional and friendly service, we even had one of the maintenance crew pause her mowing to guide us towards a lost ball. If I have a complaint about my round it’s that the lack of a beverage cart for the 5 hours we were out there in the heat and humidity really seemed out of place.

The practice facilities (which I hadn’t really used before) are excellent here as well with grass driving range and separate chipping and putting greens. The food in the restaurant is a little pricey but you get what you pay for.

Speaking of value, it remains Colonial Heritage’s biggest asset. You can spend upwards of $100 at Spring Creek up in central VA (which is routinely rated as the best in the state) and not feel like you’re getting a better golfing experience as you do here for as little as $35. To me that’s a huge difference and with both courses just over an hour from me, I know I’ll be choosing Colonial Heritage far more often.

I try to play this course at least once a year while I’m up visiting family from my home in Virginia. I love the mountain course layout and the price has always been great. But this time I got even more for my money with exceptional playing conditions and very friendly service.

I don’t remember this course being in as good condition as it was this past visit. Despite a general lack of rain this year the fairways and greens were lush and smooth, putts rolled with perfect speed for the slopes, the bunkers were just about perfect and I had no complaints on the tee boxes or rough either. This course can easily hold its own against others in the area, better than The Shattuck and even Bretwood.

I’ve always loved the layout here with plenty of elevation changes, a few blind shots off the tee, and interesting contours on the greens. The long downhill par-3s on the back nine are the signature holes to me but there are plenty of favorites to choose from. It's not an overly difficult course but it will test your game, especially off the tee as many fairways are a bit tight.

The staff was really friendly and accomodating. They were just finishing up a tournament when I arrived and let me tee off early and I blazed through the course in just over two hours, helped by a gas-powered cart that was probably the fastest golf cart I’ve driven on a course! I only wish the friendly beverage cart girl had made one more round, but I won’t complain.

I got a great GolfNow deal and paid just over $20 for the round, one of the best values of the year for me. I can’t wait to come back and play here again. If you are visiting the Monadnock Region and want to play some good golf, come here!

Whatever your priorities are in a golf course and golfing experience, Crumpin-Fox GC has got you covered. From immaculate conditions to fast play, great food and a friendly and attentive staff, there’s very little this club doesn’t excel at.

You wouldn’t know this area hasn’t had much rain the past several months as the course was green and lush with exceptional playing conditions. Fairways were smooth and trim, putts rolled pure and fast on the small-but-forgiving greens. Bunkers were well looked after and the tee boxes were as good as any I’ve tee’d up from.

The Robert Trent Jones Sr layout is very good, with mostly medium-to-long holes but some risk-reward strategy can be employed on a few of the doglegs. I’m not a golf design nerd but many who are seem to like it here. Watchout for bunkers and some small creeks/hazards in front of greens. Number 8 is among the more beautiful, true par-5s I’ve played and I was very satisfied to birdie it!

The GPS-enabled carts come in handy but (and I’ll say this to every course that has them) I really could do without the GPS-powered/governed cart function that cuts power if it thinks you’re doing something wrong. Those things are never 100% accurate and can really take away from an otherwise pleasant experience. Despite having GPS and comfy seats, I’ll pass on the power carts and walk when I play here again.

I had a early morning tee time but there were already a few walkers ahead of me. Even in a powered cart I didn’t have to wait long on the folks in front of me. This course seems pretty walkable, especially for a place that otherwise has a resort-feel to it.

I got a GolfNow deal for a whopping $40 which is a total steal. I can’t overstate what a fantastic value this course can be with even a modest discount. I wish I had stayed to eat lunch because the smells coming from the grill were pretty epic.

This course is highly rated for a reason, it’s why I chose to make it my first course played in Mass and it did not disappoint in the least!

Viniterra has recently replaced their golf carts with the nicest gas-powered carts I’ve ever driven to make the 9/5-miles of path even more pleasant to drive. Combine that with excellent course conditions right now and great GolfNow deals and this course is a fantastic value.

I’ve said a lot about the Rees Jones layout here in previous reviews but it’s worth repeating that this course is a lot of fun to play with all sorts of elevation changes, undulations in the fairways, fair greens, a plethora of bunkers, and multiple par-3s that have tee boxes 100+ yards apart to give you such a variety of angles.

The conditions right now are as good as I’ve ever seen them with smooth, fast green, lush fairways, and well-groomed bunkers that have sand with just the right weight. The maintenance team does a great job here and should be commended.

This is my go-to course for early morning rounds, you can often find them for under $40 which is a steal considering the value here. The new carts just add to that. I’ll be visiting here more often and you should too!

Mattaponi Springs is a unique course in its Central Virginia location and boasts some of the best playing conditions in the state. That combined with a diverse layout make it worth a visit.

The course uses Zoysia grass for the fairways and immaculately maintained bent grass on the greens, making this course a joy to play on in most conditions and especially the day I played. There are a few dry patches of rough near the cart paths but nothing that impacts play. The bunkers are also well groomed and predictable as is the smooth fringe and the excellent playing conditions really seemed to help me enjoy my round.

The layout is unique in the amount of diversity and elevation change on many of the holes and strategy and creativity are invited and rewarded here. I’m a sucker for a treeline-split fairway which you’ll find here as well. There are a few water hazards and a couple blind shots from the tee but nothing about this course will beat you up too badly and good shots are well-rewarded.

One thing to note that will impact the enjoyment of your round: of the nearly 100 courses I’ve played I’ve rarely visited one that has more flies swarming in your face than this course. I neglected to bring bug spray and that was definitely a mistake you should avoid. Otherwise, this is a very pleasant location with no houses to be seen and good pace-of-play.

The staff on hand when I showed up around 5pm on a Friday was minimal but friendly and with a twilight rate of about $50, this is not a cheap course but offers a decent value for the quality it offers (GPS on all carts). I definitely recommend playing this course, it’s truly a gem.

My greatest impression while playing The Manor Golf Club for the first time was how much it reminded me of another great Virginia course up in Fredericksburg: the late Cannon Ridge GC. Unfortunately, I found out during my round that this beautiful and beloved course may soon share another similarity; it could be closing soon too.

What reminded me so much of Cannon Ridge was the layout here which is very good with plenty of elevation changes, doglegs, short holes, long holes, and a few blind shots. But having never played here before and having only my golf app to guide me, I was never surprised by a landing zone or a green location, it’s all well laid out, natural-looking and fair.

I played in the morning when the relatively flat greens were soft and wet which made scoring well very doable (just not with my atrocious putting woes at the moment). Overall conditions were good, even very good considering the vast amount of rain the area had received in the days and weeks prior. There was no need for cart-path-only, the course drains very well and the only mud my ball found was in the bunker. Understandably, the bunkers were not in great shape and the greens had grooves in them but they didn’t affect roll on putts so I didn’t mind.

The staff here is excellent, the pro shop attendant even walked out to grab a cart and scorecard for me and showed me to the first tee. A greenskeeper who was valiantly trying to mow the fast-growing rough as quickly as possible stopped to chat for a moment and it was then I learned that without relief, the course is slated to close; possibly at the end of the summer.

That news definitely put a bit of a damper on my round but I am glad I got out here to play because this is a really good track and I hope I have not played it for the last time.

It was nice to come back to my old home course after moving away several months ago. I’m happy to report it’s in as good condition as I’ve ever seen it.

The fairways look great with the new two-stripe mow pattern and have filled in nicely. The greens have already fully recovered from aeration just a few weeks ago. The tee boxes are nice and soft and cut, the bunkers are generally well looked after if not immaculate.

This remains a great home course if you live close by, if you are visiting you won’t be disappointed with the playing conditions or overall value of the course. I’ll be coming back up in a few months to give it another go.

I had heard from multiple people who don’t even live in Virginia about this course in the past several months which I found particularly odd since I lived less than an hour away from it for years and never knew it even existed. Part of that reason is the fact that it’s a par-3 9-hole course, and part of it is the fact it’s located a half hour from any city anyone has heard of. But if you find yourself looking for something completely different, or if you are traveling with non-golfers (i.e. your family), this is a great destination for everyone.

The reason for this is that Schoolhouse Nine is only partially about the actual golf course. Forget a clubhouse, there’s not even a pro shop. Where do you check in for golf? At the bar in the pub, naturally. Sounds like a place that’s not family-friendly though, doesn’t it? Not so, because in the room adjacent to the bar is a rec room complete with pool tables, ping pong, old-school arcade games, and even a single small-ball bowling lane. There are also shops, antique stores, and nature trails within walking distance. There’s plenty for the whole family to do for even a full two hours if you want to play a “full” 18 holes.

For $15/$20 you get to walk the 9-hole course (no motorized carts, but they do provide big, 2-wheeled pull carts for free) that has a unique setting: the middle of a random field with the beautiful backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This course pride's itself on its minimalist design and environmentally friendly approach. No fertilizers or pesticides are used here, and almost no construction or irrigation is used other than to create and maintain the 9 beautiful looking greens. And after all, on a par-3 course, the greens are all you really care about.

You’ll want to take a paper scorecard with you since the entire town is in a cell network dead zone, but that just adds to the retro feel of the whole place as if you drove there in a time machine. Also, bring some bug spray. It turns out an open field next to a babbling brook is prime real estate for those pesky flies.

The only complaint about the course itself is that the tee boxes (one per hole) are simply mowed areas of the field and they aren’t mowed nearly as low as most any other course so if you don’t tee it up a good bit, it’s like hitting it out of the first cut of rough.

The greens have a ton of tiering going on which I think adds a much-needed level of dynamics to the course and make it worth coming back to learn them and play better. A mid-handicapper like me can score darn near even par here with a little practice and extra knowledge of the greens.

In the end, it’s not about the course itself that makes the drive out here worth it. It’s the super friendly staff/bartenders, the rustic, rural Virginia environment, and the getaway isolation of having no cellular interruptions that makes Schoolhouse Nine so unique (there is free wi-fi, just don’t tell the kids).

$12 for nine nearly-regulation sized golf holes, just keep that in mind here. Yes, it only plays 2800 yards from the tips but you get two par-5s and neither one is an easy green-in-two hole. The overall layout is actually pretty decent here, you even have to carry water the entire way on one of the par-3s. The conditions, well, they started out looking pretty sad, especially the weed-infested fairway on #1 but by the end it was actually nearly as good as some of the 18-hole courses in the area and the greens were in great shape!

The staff here is really friendly and don’t forget they have a seperate par-3 course that’s lit up at night! Imagine getting of work, playing a full 9 holes at dusk and then complete the 18 by stadium light? I think I might have to try that out actually, stay tuned!

Independence GC has struggled with the damage from the winter and this has affected the short course the most since the lingering damage maily impacts the greens and the condition of the green is a primary consideration for playing short courses.

The driving range and practice green were both closed the day I played and rumors have started that the club my have to take drastic measures to repair the greens. On the short course, large sections of nearly every green is still dead making for inconsistent roll and speed. The firmness of the 9th hole remains noticeably softer than other holes.

For $15 walking it's still not a bad value to practice your approach and short game, but it's not as good as it was.