Bbattista

What a shame. This course was a great layout and in good shape. But the staff completely ruined our golf experience. Our check in and warm up went fine. The atmosphere was great at the beginning. The front nine were pleasant. However, starting on hole nine—it went downhill quickly. The ranger approached us and told us we were told on that one of the guys in our group brought outside beers onto the course and that we needed to have our bags searched or we could not continue with the round. Completely ridiculous. We went back to the car between 9 & 10 and returned the two beers he brought on. They said they would “lose their liquor license” if people brought outside alcohol onto the course. Cute excuse, obviously the cart girl was just mad we didn’t buy anything or tip her and she ratted him out. Yikes. I understood the petty beer thing being brought on and thought that would be the end of things since we abided by their request to return any alcohol to the car. But nope. On the 13th hole, a ranger again approached our group and told us we needed to hurry our play up and that we were in danger of being forced to skip holes because we were “holding up the whole course”. No less than 3 minutes later, the same ranger returned to tell us we were REALLY slow and again in danger of being forced to skip holes. Never even gave us a chance to speed up (even though we weren’t playing slow to begin with). He then followed us up the fairway and green for the remainder of the hole in one of the more uncomfortable exchanges I’ve ever experienced on a golf course in my life. We teed off at 8:40, we finished at 12:45. We had one guy in our group of 4 playing his second ever golf round. Four hours and 5 mins for that isn’t slow at all IMO. In any event, I will not be back. I run a small business and it’s a true shame when you have experiences like this. Above all else, you are wanting people to feel welcomed at your establishment. For the last 9 holes I felt so uncomfortable I remarked to the guys I would be ok leaving early after just paying nearly $80. Good luck in the future with your course.

What.A.Play. Port Royal was truly one of, if not the finest round of golf I have ever played. My wife & myself took a cruise to Bermuda last week and I made sure that visiting this course was near the top of our list.

We arrived and were dropped at the front of the course. We began the walk up and luckily were met by a maintenance gentleman that drove us the whole way up to the clubhouse as it was quite a walk up the hill. The clubhouse locals were extremely friendly and inviting, got us free range tokens and directed around the grounds. We were even taken off about 30 minutes early.

The course itself was truly remarkable. In excellent shape from tee to green. On the day we played, you couldn't have asked for a better day temperature wise. It was mid 70's but was rather windy. It made for some truly challenging shots. Notably, the 180 yard shot into the 1st green over a pond. The par four 9th hole usually plays about 400 yards (scorecard says 350) being that it is entirely uphill but with a stiff wind the clubhouse attendant told us it was closer to 475-500! The layout of the holes were really what set the course apart for me. No two holes play alike. A true tour de force in terms of golfing a high end course.

The pace of play was respectable enough, we played through an older group of 4 on the front nine being that it was just my wife & myself. The back nine we were stuck behind a group of three that could have played a bit quicker. Front nine we played in under 2 hours, back nine in just over 2.

For anyone thinking of playing golf in Bermuda, I can't recommend Port Royal enough. Yes, it is an extremely expensive round but how often are you going to get to play a par 3 that literally hangs on a cliff over the Atlantic Ocean? The views in itself from some of the tee boxes make the round enjoyable & well worth the price. I am looking forward to our next visit to give the course another go.

Had a tee time for this disaster of a course yesterday morning. I haven't played here in about 3 years because of a terrible previous experience. Yesterday's experience will ensure I NEVER return. Ever.

We booked the first tee time of the day, at 6AM for two golfers through Golfnow. We arrive at 545AM only to see the parking lot full. We make our way inside to the clubhouse and there was a line of no less than 10-15 guys waiting to be rung out and sent out. The woman behind the counter could not have been more unhelpful, unprepared, or miserable. When asked, one of the patrons said he plays every Sunday and it's really a 'first come first serve tee time process'. After standing in line until 605AM (past our supposed 'tee time'), we heard to woman state to another player that the carts aren't out yet and that they would take a little while to get out. By my estimation, we would not have gotten off the tee until 630 or after. Due to the fact that we were hoping to play at a quick pace and did not care to play a shot to shot round--we left immediately. We booked the earliest tee time because of almost every previous review and our own experience with the 6 hour round issue here and we expected that. So we figured by being the first ones off, we'd bypass that. Note: It does not matter what tee time you have!

This course always has been and always will be a complete and utter joke. The fact that they book 45 golfers in a 15 minute span tells you exactly what they think of your golfing experience. I can't speak to the conditions because I obviously did not play but if they are anything like they were previously, the tee boxes are atrocious and the greens have crab grass growing through them. Would not even play this course for free. Terrible excuse for a golf course. If I could give it negative stars, I would.

Got an awesome deal through Golfnow to play yesterday. For $15, this course was well worth the drive out to play.

The course was in pretty good shape for late May. We teed off at 215 and played at a pretty quick pace. Did not wait on a single hole for the entire round. Was almost as if we had the whole course to ourselves. The course itself was in pretty good shape. Looks like the greens were just aerated within the last couple weeks but they weren't much of an issue. Fairways were average and the rough was playable. Looked like there was a men's league coming in around 6ish so we got out of there just in time.

Overall, a very pleasant day on the course. Great pace of play and decent course conditions considering the rock bottom price we played for, it was well worth the drive. We will return.

Made the drive out to Hawk Valley from the Philadelphia area with my wife and buddy. This was our first time playing the Hawk. We got a great deal from Golfnow for a Sunday afternoon time so it was worth the hour ride to give it a shot. We had an interesting experience.

The course was a bit of a ways of the PA turnpike and is strangely placed in the middle of PA farmland. The smell of manure followed us through the round. I didn't mind it, but some might. As we arrived, there was a single younger kid running the course. We were told to load up and go and that we were on the tee. It seemed to be a first come first serve tee off because as we were gearing up some other guys hurried and zoomed right in front of us at the first tee. We got stuck behind a couple two somes which made for a bit of a slow start. The fairways played pretty well and the greens were very soft but were in good shape. The rough was not overly thick so you could recover if you miss the short stuff. There were guys fishing off the 6th tee box which made for an awkward tee shot on that particular hole. Played the front in 2 hours, which was expected for a weekend.

The back nine was where things really turned interesting. We teed off on the tenth hole only to find a group of 5 golfers suddenly in front of us. We played shot to shot for much of the back nine and they would not allow us to play through even though there was no one was in front of them. We would have skipped them but had never played the course before and wanted to play the course in its entirety. Made for an extremely trying golf experience. It came to a head on the par five 15th hole. They had just cleared the green and were dancing next to the hole for a minute or two. My guess is they were drunk or just being ignorant because they knew we were wanting to play through. My buddy let go his 5 wood from about 235 and it smashed down into the back of one of their carts. Clearly his fault for hitting into them but it made for an interesting interaction. One of the five proceeded to pick up his ball and drive it back to us 235 yards and threw the ball at him before driving off. The next few holes were extremely awkward considering that experience and they were sure to play the next few holes exceptionally slow. That combined with a woman walking her dog across the par three 17th fairway made for just an all out strange experience. The group of five eventually drove back to the 12th tee after playing the 17th hole to replay holes for free. No ranger present so they were obviously getting their money's worth and more. My guess is they are regulars that do this kind of thing quite often.

Overall, the course itself was your standard public track. No really memorable holes. The par four 9th has a nice approach shot over a small pond into a large green but other than that, much of the holes are straightaway. Some tight fairways but plenty are generous and wide open. For the price we got, we will probably head back out at some point to give the place another shot. Just beware if you are playing that the locals that play here can be a bit wonky.

My buddy & myself had the glorious privilege of playing last Monday afternoon. Weather was beautiful. This was our 4th or 5th time playing here. I believe we have played the course from the 1st tee as intended just once. Every other round we have started on random holes because they are working on the course. This round was no different.

We noticed a couple hot deals pop up on Golfnow randomly for the afternoon so we scooped them up considering the reviews. We were mistaken. When we arrived, the guy in the clubhouse informed us that they were aerating the greens and that we would need to start on number 13. We teed off jammed in between two groups and were waiting to hit and having guys hitting onto us for the whole round. We were told to play 13 and that they would be done aerating greens 1-12 by the time we reached them. That was false. The first few holes were ok because the greens weren't yet aerated. After that, every hole was completely sand ridden and you could hardly make out the hole on some of the greens because there was so much sand. When we reached the 2nd hole, there were kids and guys walking across the fairways with fishing poles, despite several signs stating it is private property. No ranger to scatter them or anything. Guess it makes for a more challenging approach hitting over them. On the 3rd tee box, a collection of no shirted guys were filling up jugs from the water containers as we teed off. Very scenic. We continued and teed off on the par 5 tenth hole and both hit two shots. We were waiting to hit our approach shots onto the green only to notice a guy driving on the green with no flag in. We drove up to the green and the guy told us to just go back to one and play the first nine holes again. Completely ridiculous.

Why Raven's Claw didn't put the aeration logo on the Golfnow site as most courses do says an awful lot about their management. Otherwise we obviously would not have booked here. Not to mention the fact they allow players to play WHILE they are aerating is ridiculous in itself. Most courses will shut the front nine while they aerate and vice versa and you would just play the back twice. That would have at least been a semi enjoyable experience versus the disaster we encountered.

It's a real shame because I genuinely like several of the holes at this course but just can't bring myself to make the hour plus drive again to play a course where the owners obviously could care less about any players that try to play the game on a budget. Will be awhile before I go back here, if it all.

First time playing Valleybrook yesterday. A buddy of mine & myself decided to give it a go after having an absolutely terrible experience at another Ron Jaworski course (Riverwinds) a few years ago. That course was a sure fire 5.5 hour round for 3 golfers. We swore we would never go to another Jaworski managed course but couldn't pass up the great deal for Valleybrook on the best weather day for golf so far in 2015.

When we arrived, the course was packed. We had an afternoon tee time but it was a Monday so didn't think it would be as busy as it was. When we arrived, the clubhouse was crowded and we noticed 4+ carts on each hole. Not exactly a pleasant sight considering our previous experience. The guy in the pro shop did not even have enough carts to give us one so we had to wait a bit to even get loaded up. We hit the range and then headed out. Despite the fact that there were guys-- I assume regulars-- who were trying to butt out without a tee time, we grabbed our bags and headed to the tee. We teed off right on time, however if you are not aggressive, you may end up getting stuck behind guys that just go out when they please. The course itself was very poorly managed from a tee time standpoint. There was a two some ahead of us that we asked if they wanted to play together to speed up play, they declined. In front of them was another two some and in front of them was a group of 5. Behind us was a single walker. Held up the pace significantly on the front 9. Took us almost 2.5 hours to play the front with this pace. We waited for a good 5-10 minutes on every single tee box. The ranger drove around regularly but could not do anything to help us out. He stated they do tee times every 8 minutes (which I personally think is closer to 5) so there was literally no where to move us. We got lucky and 3 groups quit after nine so the back opened up and we played in less than 2 hours so it ended up being a 4 hour round for us, which was about what we expected.

The course plays quite easy from the white tees. Not very long at all and most holes will leave you a wedge or 9 iron in if you are just 220-240 yards out into the fairway. Greens played quicker than anticipated even though it looks like they were just aerated within the last couple weeks. Couple holes on the back nine force you to hit irons off the tee and play conservative golf. The par 5's are all birdie holes and most golfers should probably be able to get there in two if you hit a decent drive.

Overall, it was exactly as expected. A lot of golfers crammed into a small space that made for an extremely trying front nine. If you go in with the frame of mind that you can be on the course anywhere from four to five & a half hours, then go for it. Pack some beer would be my recommendation. If you can get a tee time for earlier in the day for less than the $25, I would say it is worth a play. If you play after 2, I think you would be hard pressed to get your round in. I played well here, so for that reason alone -- I will probably be back at some point.

Bella Vista is truly a must play course & one of the best public courses I have played this year. A friend & myself made the 45 minute drive from Delaware County after hearing several good things from friends.

The course was easy enough to find with our GPS and is built in a housing development. After checking in, the starter went over the course with us and how to play certain holes which was extremely helpful considering it was our first time playing there. The course itself was in great shape. Lots of well placed sand bunkers and tough greens that made for some interesting putts. Overall though, plenty of wide open fairways. Our personal favorite was the island green 14th which I have attached a picture of. Didn't play too long, only about 115 yards but be sure to take the wind into account when selecting a club. (my 110 club nearly flew the green.) The pace of play was fantastic, we played in just a shade over 3 hours and 20 minutes and didn't wait on a single hole. We did not stop for food or drink so I can't speak to that but if it was anything like the course, it is great. It's rare to play a course that is kept in this kind of condition, much less a public one, and will definitely be a regular addition to our frequent play list.

A buddy of mine and myself tackled Raven's Claw yesterday afternoon. This was the 2nd time we played the course. The 1st time we played a few years ago and they were in the midst of renovating and aerating the back 9 so we played the front twice then. It wasn't a particularly good experience but I had heard good things since so we decided to give it another go.

We had to start off the back nine but were able to play the whole course this time around. The course is extremely well put together. Lots of undulating fairways. The greens on some holes make for some extremely tough putts. The 17th hole was memorable if not ridiculous. A 250 yd par 3. We were forced to hit driver here, which is honestly the first time I think I have ever hit a driver on a par 3. If you are looking for a course with vastly different holes, elevation changes, and tricky greens--this is your course. No holes play the same. So long as you keep your ball in the fairway, you will do just fine. My only gripe with the course was that it is not particularly well marked. For first time players, we found ourselves wandering around the cart paths a bit when going from one hole to the next as the course is built within a housing complex. Overall, a very solid course which I plan on playing a couple times a year because it is worth the 45-50 minute drive for me.

First time playing Mainland. It was a great round. The pace was pretty average. The course is short but has some challenging holes nonetheless. Many of your tee shots are blind shots over rolling hills. A couple very driveable par 4's make you really grip up and rip some tee shots. The greens & fairways were in great shape. The course will also hold a bit of sentimental value for me considering I had my best round ever here. For a weekday afternoon, the hot deal price was well worth it. We will be back here again soon.

Linfield is a great golf course. Not very renowned for some reason & I can't figure out why. They always have great specials to play and the course is always in good shape.

My friend & I played Monday afternoon around 3PM. We paid $20 and essentially had the whole course to ourselves. We did not wait on a single hole & rarely saw another group. Awesome pace of play. The course has got some challenging holes as well. My personal favorite is the par 5 12th. Blind downhill tee shot with your second across a hazard to a small green with danger all around. The greens & fairways are always in good shape. The rough is tough to hit out of and will eat your ball if you aren't careful. We usually drive roughly 40-45 minutes from Delaware County to play and it is worth the drive. Great course that I enjoy playing several times a season.

Played yesterday with my friend. We teed off at 830 and enjoyed the round thoroughly. Weather was overcast and rained some at the end which led to some wet conditions so I would be excited to head back and play again when it is sunny and dry. Course was in pretty decent shape considering the brutal winter we endured. My only gripe would be that some of the holes were not well marked so being as it was our first time playing there--we were confused in some instances as to if we were playing the right hole. Greens were in good condition and the staff was accommodating. The holes themselves were pretty wide open so it is a forgiving course if you tend to be a wayward hitter. Pace of play was great, we didn't wait once and the group behind us wasn't on top of us so it was a nice time out. I'll be heading back out here at some point this summer & I recommend it to anyone.

This course is one of my favorites. Its a short course but has some challenging holes nonetheless. I have played it roughly 10 times in the past year alone. They usually run some great afternoon hot deals that make it well worth getting out.

I played yesterday with my friend & wife. The course was in great shape. The greens and fairways were very well maintained. I was expecting the course to be pretty soggy considering all the rain we got Saturday night but it drained pretty well by our 2:00pm tee time. The pace of play was excellent. I am not sure if the course was just empty because most people were home watching football or what but we teed off at 2 & were in the car ride home by 5:40. And we are not great golfers by any stretch. I am about a 13 handicap,my friend is a 20+ and my wife just started playing this year so we were hitting our fair share of shanks. The course has a little vintage feel to it & I like that.

Overall I would recommend this course to anyone. It is not a long course, so if you are looking to boom it down the fairway--you won't get the chance too often here. Its more for accurate shot placement in lieu of distance. But for the hot deal prices they are usually always running, it is definitely worth a play.

Took my wife out on Sunday morning. I was a little hesitant about playing a course in North Philly but this course was not too bad. Very short course & had a fair amount of interesting holes. Greens were just aerated so that was somewhat disappointing as we were putting through wet sand since we played early AM and the dew didn't mix too well with it.

Overall, we paid around $30 a piece to play early AM, which is probably right at what I would think this course should be priced at-- so I can't complain. Back nine was somewhat stale as there were just a lot of flat-straight holes. Lots of crab grass, some on the greens, and the tee boxes were in need of some attention as it took us some effort to get our tees in on some of them. The golf carts have seen better days and barely made it up some inclines.The pace was great though considering the course was packed. My wife (who is not very good, and just started playing) & myself (12 handicap) finished the round in about 3 1/2 hours.

The staff was nice and friendly. For the $30 we paid for early morning, I'd go again.

I really don't understand the fascination with this place. I've played it roughly 10 times now and it is always in a state of disrepair. Only reason I play it is because my business has outings here or as a last minute hot deal. I guess after the first 5 times playing it, I should've known better. But my latest experience took the cake and ensured I will NEVER play there again unless it comes under new management.

We played the "Olde course" Sunday morning, our tee time was supposed to be 9AM, we didn't tee off until 945 because they overbooked. They decided to let a Bachelor party of 20 ppl tee off at 840! In 5 groups of 4, they were expected to tee off in 20 minutes. Yea, right. We ended up playing shot to shot and waiting at every single tee box for 10+ minutes and fairway to hit. I guess it was cool because we felt like Tiger Woods with a gallery watching us at every tee box considering the two groups behind us caught up and were waiting at every tee box with us. We left after 4.5 hours and only completed 13 holes because neither of us three had the time nor patience to continue play on a sure 6 hour round. If that's how you like playing golf, then power to you this is the course for you. Oh and the cherry on top? They were aerating the greens! Haha we didn't find out that neat fact until we got to the first green of course--because that would be silly to warn you beforehand. But that's just how this disaster of a place does business I guess. Greens had weeds and crab grass growing through them. Half of the tee boxes were not even playable, to the point that we struggled to even get our tees into the ground. Some of the boxes are so bad that the grass has not grown back and you are forced to stand with the ball above or below your feet--which any person that plays somewhat regularly knows, is not an ideal way you'd like to have to line up to hit a shot. Not to mention the homeless guys walking through the course. Very scenic! We complained to the manager, who didn't offer our money back but instead to come back and play for free. But our experience was so dreadful I don't even think I will go back and play it for free!

Some people love this course & I for one just can't figure it out. I guess for the shear convenience? Idk but for me in the Delco area, Paxon Hollow or Springfield & Glen Mills (very expensive but nicest in the area) are head and shoulders above this place. I recommend you stay far far away from it. For the $51 they charge for a weekend morning, you could really do so much better!

A buddy of mine & myself found this course through a Groupon. It was a decent deal so I snagged one to try it out. I guess I should have done my homework first. We made the commute from Philly and were immediately met by an extremely rude man in the clubhouse. He approaches us and says "Oh you must be the Grouponers". We had an 11AM tee time and had arrived at 10:20 to try and warm up and possibly get out early. It was a Monday morning & the course was dead. He claimed he was not going to let us out before 11 because his 'system wouldn't process Groupons before then'. I knew this was untrue considering I have run Groupon deals for my own small business. The guy was just being ignorant because we got a deal to play there. We checked in and then went outside to roll some putts. Strangely at 10:50 he comes out and says we can now go out. I guess his 'system' somehow allowed him to process our voucher early. That's weird.

In any event, the course itself was in terrible shape. Water filled to the brim of sand bunkers & no markings on many of the holes. I estimate one of the Par 3's was mis-marked on the scorecard by about 25-40 yards. The clubhouse and facilities are trapped in the mid 1980's. The only positive of the whole round was the pace of play. We played quickly because I suppose the secret is already out on this course and no one plays it. We won't be back here again.