Timmyterrific

One of the greatest things I enjoy about golf is driving out to courses that I never played before and this is how I ended up at River Falls on April 13. I was immediately impressed by the community that surrounds the course and all the azaleas that were in bloom on this beautiful spring day. The clubhouse was very nice and the staff was very friendly. The course was the star attraction, however. I thoroughly enjoyed the layout. The fairways were still a little tight, leading to lots of rollout, and there wasn't much rough to speak of, but the conditions were overall pristine. There were many memorable holes as well as some very unique challenges. I really enjoyed the holes that ran along the river and I really, really enjoyed the elevation changes on many other holes. Several holes required very precise placement and I appreciate course that don't make you reach for driver on very hole. Some of my long irons got a workout on the tee boxes, which for me was a refreshing change of pace from the bomb and gouge style of play you need at some venues. While I enjoy traveling to new courses, this is one course I can't wait to get back to and try again.

Greens were in fantastic shape, rolled beautifully. Fairways and rough are going dormant for the winter so the ball is sitting nicely just about anywhere you hit. Since it wasn't cracking 50 degrees on Nov. 20, we pretty much had the place to ourselves so pace of play was ridiculously fast. This course is more than an hour drive for us but we try to play it at least once every month or two. It's a fair test and a bargain for what you pay. I wish there was a separate rating for snacks because White Plains is crazily cheap to purchase a hot dog, bottle of soda, chips and a candy bar at the turn. You won't find a less expensive golf course snack bar.
One note, and it's nothing against this course, I will never give five stars to any layout that isn't one of the bucket list courses we all know so well. (Eg. Pinehurst No. 2, Pebble Beach, etc.) I wish everyone would adjust their star ratings accordingly because five star reviews on layouts and overall ratings are far too common and have muddied the ranking system. Much like there's nothing wrong with a three-star football recruit coming to your favorite college there's nothing wrong with a three-star course rating. But a three star rating seems like a kiss of death on these ratings boards today. These boards need a reset, if you ask me.

I know some people like to pile on the bad reviews because this course apparently doesn't live up to their champagne tastes and single digit status, but Pinetuck remains a great place to learn the game, have fun with family and friends, and challenge yourself with, architecturally speaking, one of the best collections of par threes in the area. Yes, a couple of greens are in dire need of repair, but course work was ongoing while I played on 9-22, Several greens were being punched and sanded while I was there and I enjoyed talking with the course workers, who are always friendly, On the greens that had some bad areas, the holes were cut in places where there were no issues putting unless you hit a really lousy approach shot. The par three hole 5, which is a postage stamp sized green to begin with, was most in need of work and putted like a temporary green to be honest. Still, the course remains a steal at Hot Deal rates and rack rates are better that anything around there by $20 bucks or more. Heck, you'll pay $10 for a range bucket at just about any course today. I'd rather just play 18 for a little more!
I can't complaint about the pace of play. I breezed around in about two and half hours on this weekday and that included stopping at one of the ponds to look for fish around the bank and little ball hawking on one hole. I had no one behind me.
In short, no course deserves a five-star rating unless it has something like Pinehurst #2, Pebble Beach, etc. in its name. Adjust your star rating accordingly. If having fun and not breaking the bank are important to you, I can recommend this course.

Fairways and greens were in fantastic shape when we played on June 29. I love the course layout as well. If I had any constructive criticism, it would be about other players and not the course itself. Please fix your pitch marks! The course was busy when I played but it doesn't take much time to repair a pitch mark or three. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed my round.

They've done a lot of work on the greens since the last time I played here a few weeks ago. Some damaged areas on several greens were replaced with new grass. The greens appeared to have been aerated somewhat recently as well but not recently enough that it impacted putting at all. I was able to snag a Hot Deal rate and it was a bargain. I know it's easy to write bad reviews but please balance your expectations. You can't have Augusta National-level grooming when a Hot Deal green fee goes for 19 bucks. This course is what it is, a great, local place to have fun without breaking the bank. On a side note, my twosome was able to play 18 well under three hours. You can't complain about the pace of play.

I hadn't played Harry Jones since before they shut down for green replacement. Wow, they did a fantastic job. This golf course was always close by, convenient, fairly-priced and the staff is always super friendly. Now they have a beautiful set of greens to go along with everything else that makes this public track a special place in Charlotte. Do yourself a favor and check out the renovations. They did a fantastic job. I think these greens are only going to get better as they continue to grow.

Greens and fairways were in beautiful shape the day I played. I was paired up with three other singles and we all had a great time. Bonus, for the first time I've seen in a long time on a golf course, there was ice cold water in an on-course water cooler.

Fairways were in great shape and while some greens had some patchy spots they were rolling fast and true when I played. I paid only $25 to play and it was a bargain. I can't understand some of the negative reviews from people bashing conditions at any of the low priced courses in the region. You can't have Augusta National conditions at these prices. And you sure can't water and fertilize your own lawn, let alone a 100 acres, for 25 bucks. Here we have a fun, close by, affordable place to enjoy the game, spend time with family and friends, and get outdoors. It will be sad if we ever lose affordable places like these but I guess the people who like to post bad reviews don't mind paying 100 dollar and up green fees. They will still complain about something, though.

Other reviews about the conditions of the cart paths are spot on. They really do need work, But don't let that stop you from trying this course. From an architectural standpoint, the only weak hole in my opinion was hole No. 1. I particularly enjoyed the layout from holes 4 onward. Lots of false fronts that made you aim for the back of the greens. The front side is Donald Ross. The back side, I was told, is Gary Player. Both sides had some really fantastic hole designs. The Par 3s are particularly memorable.
The workers in the club house were super friendly! Can't have asked for a warmer welcome as First Timers. The one thing I HATE about online reviews is that some reviewers compare a sub $30 green fee course against a $100 course and knock the heck out of the lower priced course for conditions, or this or that. Some reviewers let a bad round spoil their reviews as well. Yes this course needs work, No doubt about that. But it really is a diamond in the rough! I can imagine what this course must have looked liked in its heyday but it still has a lot of charm.

I've been playing Waterford for several years now, though it had been a little while. We could see see that a lot of work was being done to improve the course since we last played, particularly the cart paths. The greens were really nice when we played on Oct. 27 and the fairways were in great shape.. Kudos to the management for the investments they have been making.

Greens are in fantastic shape right now. Hardly saw any pitch or spike marks and they rolled very true. Fairways are coming around. Pace of play was excellent. We got around in about 3 hours. Leaf gremlins got us on one hole but that's not too bad this time of year.

We played the course for the first time a day after the Pinehurst area received about 2.5 inches of rain, so we moved up a tee box figuring the course would be playing longer. It still was extremely enjoyable.
I can't say enough good things about the course, the pro shop staff and the layout. The conditions of the tee boxes were better than some greens I play on back home! The elevation changes were great, too, making you really think about club selections. I felt guilty after we were done that we had gotten onto the course with a Hot Deal. The course was worth much more than we paid. We will be back.

It was our first time playing the course and we didn't really know what to expect based on other reviews. We had a blast. The greens were a little slow but that was fine given many of the pin placements. The layout was thoroughly enjoyable, especially from the blue tees. Thank goodness we hooked up with a regular player of the course who showed us some of the aiming points as there were several blind fairways. Staff in the clubhouse was very friendly. The clubhouse had a nice selection of craft beers on sale! And the hot dogs were tasty! We will be back. I live Muni golf!

It was a little longer drive than I expected, but totally worth the trip. The clubhouse is beautiful, the staff was great. There are a couple blind tee shots but the layout was very interesting and fair. Fairways were rolling beautifully and greens rolled very true. Can't wait to play again.

First time playing Monroe and I am so glad I did. I absolutely loved the place. I gave the course a lot of 5-stars in individual ratings, particularly for the condition of the fairways and greens. Snacks at the turn were self-serve hot dogs and pre-made sandwiches, but I was completely ok with that. I was there to golf, not have a 4-star dinner. The snacks were very reasonably priced, too!
The front nine, Donald Ross I believe, was mature in the best ways possible. The trees lining the fairways have no doubt been around for a long time and no doubt have a lot of stories to tell. No offense to Ross fans, because I mean this in a good way, the course reminded me of a 1925 A.W. Tillinghast-designed track I used to play years ago.
It's not a long course but the elevations, crowned greens and bunker placement will make club selection a thinking person's game.
Staff was great. Very friendly.
I actually felt bad playing here on a hot deal. The course was worth more than we paid. We will be back.

Springfield was in its typically beautiful shape when we played here on Aug. 27. The weather was perfect. The greens were lightning fast. Holes 7-8-9 were as challenging as ever. We were teamed up with a great single, named Scott, who was a joy to play with.
Only issue we had was on hole 13. There were a bunch of kids hanging around the water cooler. Didn't think much of them. Greeted them with a hello.
Two of the people in our group (not me) hit absolutely fantastic shots on the par 3, both of them really legitimate birdie chances.
From the time we got to our carts and drove to the green -- the green is out of sight for a few moments because of trees -- someone stole the golf balls from the green. There were two kids standing in the woods to the right of the green and they all denied taking them. Saw a bunch of bicycles in the woods, too.
We were later told this has happened before and that police and the homeowners association had been notified.
Kids will be kids but that ruined an otherwise enjoyable experience. And wouldn't you know it, the two balls that were hit really close to the green were fresh out of their sleeves.
I still recommend Springfield, but beware the ball thieves.

The guy in the clubhouse, sorry I forgot his name, was super friendly when advised it was our first time. He took the time to give us some history on the course and also some tips about how to aim on some of the more demanding holes we would encounter. We will be back....