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Reviews
Locust Hills Golf Course
Played On 11/25/2014Great Fall Golf
We played on a crisp fall day and had a great time. I hadn't played this course since the early 90s when it opened and was delighted to find that the course was in excellent shape. Of course, now there are homes and other buildings all along the perimeter of the course but this doesn't detract too much from the views or layout. The greens were fast and smooth and didn't suffer from the usual daily-fee course problem of un-repaired ball marks. We played on a Tuesday afternoon so there were few people on the course and we are able go right around at our own pace as a twosome. Would definitely play again.
Links at Challedon
Played On 08/08/2014Greens Need Help
We played in the afternoon in gorgeous, low humidity August weather so the day was enjoyable overall. That said, the greens at Challedon need some work. I was told when we checked in that the greens on #1 and #2 had been aerated due to "some problems" and that they were lowering the greens fee by $2 in recognition of this. What we found, however, was that most of the greens were suffering from some sort of blight and had lots of bare spots as well as bumps and holes. In addition, it would appear very few players actually repair their ball marks and that added to the poor green conditions. Bunker conditions were quite variable also with a few showing washouts and others being dug up as part of repair. We'll be playing Challedon again in 3 days in a charity tournament so I guess we'll just have to remember the purpose and live with the conditions.
Blue/Ridge at Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club
Played On 07/25/2014Slow, Slow, Slow
The good news is that the weather was excellent and the course was in very good to excellent condition. The bad news is that my group got bumped behind a group of 16 at the time I made the Golfnow tee time and this caused us to just drag along and wait on every shot. Not very conducive for good play or enjoyment of your round. We didn't see a ranger or anyone trying to get play moving either. I'd have to think twice about playing this course on a Fri/Sat/Sun if this is typical.
We were in town for a family reunion and I had played last year by myself to try out the course and just zipped around but I played very early in the morning as a single that time.
A side note: the ladies and senior tees are very friendly and give quite an advantage so it really makes play fair and more fun for those players.
Poolesville Golf Course
Played On 06/05/2014Good Value
Played as a twosome on a Thursday afternoon. We had the course pretty much to ourselves since it had been cloudy in the morning after an overnight rain so people must have stayed away. Course was in good shape and the greens rolled true. Bunkers were a bit variable as to the amount of sand, but this is not uncommon on public courses. For the GolfNow hot prepaid price, definitely a good deal and we will play again.
Brambleton Regional Park Golf Course
Played On 12/04/2013Good Late Season Value
Played on a Wednesday with another retired buddy when the weather was cooperating. I haven't played Brambleton in something like 10 years or more but it was just like I remember. It's a good course for average players and is not overly difficult for the occasional player or high handicapper. Considering how many other folks had the same idea, pace of play was not bad and we finished in right around 4 hours. The course was in pretty good shape considering the growing season has stopped except for #17 green which had some bare spot problems. As seems to be typical for public courses these days, few people are repairing their own ball marks. C'mon people, exhibit some golf etiquette! It only takes a few seconds to repair your ball mark plus one or two more.
Westpark Golf Club
Played On 11/18/2013Late Season Bargain
It had been more than 10 yrs since the last time I played at Westpark. My overall assessment is that it's not bad for the Golfnow rate but you'll find better conditions elsewhere. I continue to wonder how this course stays open with the old Westpark Hotel closed but I guess they have a loyal local following. The good news is that my partner and I made it around in only a little over 3.5 hours with essentially no one in front of us. We were OK with the value for the money but I wouldn't go out of my way to play here at full rate.
Goose Creek Golf Club
Played On 8/21/2013Good Old School Course
Goose Creek is now over 50 years young and is still a good place to play a nice round. Most of the fairways are generous and the greens are in relatively good shape considering the amount of play the course gets. There's really not a lot of trouble out there so high handicappers can have an enjoyable round. It had been years since I played the course and it was the first time I had seen the rearrangement of the front nine which was necessary because of the loss of some land when Route 7 was expanded to 4 lanes and a new interchange was built for River Creek Pkwy some years ago. I have to say I liked the new layout and one thing the reshuffle did was to get rid of the #9 green as we used to know it which was always a poorly designed green and provided for some really unfair and unplayable hole locations back in the day.
The only real complaint we had was that play was very slow. Everyone was moving along, just not very quickly. It wasn't clear exactly what was causing the slow play, but there certainly were a lot of folks out there for mid-day on a Wednesday. Luckily, my partner and I are both retired so we were in no particular hurry but we did have to wait on quite a few tees and some approach shots as well. All in all, though, I would play here again as it's a bargain on Golfnow or even at the regular 55+ age rates.
Raspberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club
Played On 5/30/2013Nice Layout
Played in late May and the course was in good shape overall (it won't look like this in July or August). We've had plenty of rain in the area and this allows the fairways and greens to recover from play. I had not played this course in 10+ years and it was pretty much the way I remembered it. It's meant to invoke the look of a links with the many mounds and pot bunkers (more on those in a minute). The greens were a little fast but putted true even with all the unrepaired ball marks. I guess for the regular rate of $105 (we paid $40 GolfNow rate), players feel they don't have to fix ball marks. C'mon folks, act like real golfers and fix your mark plus one or two more while you wait to putt. As for the pot bunkers, I can say that they need some work. Most of the original stacked sod on the faces has fallen down and has not been replaced so what you see from the fairway is the red clay soil of Northern VA. I don't imagine this is what Gary Player was thinking when laying out the course. Other than the ball marks and the no-longer-stacked sod bunkers, the round was enjoyable and I would play again for $40 (but not for $105).
Links at Gettysburg
Played On 5/15/2013Unique holes and terrain
We played as a twosome on a Wednesday and almost had the course to ourselves. The conditions were very good and the greens rolled a little fast and very true. The layout is interesting and the holes with the red rock faces as backdrops are quite unique and interesting looking. I would say the front nine is definitely easier than the back depending on the prevailing wind although there are some blind tee shots on the front that make it interesting if you have not played the course before (thank goodness for modern golf with a GPS). In particular, the very first hole has you hitting to a target on a fairway that drops off severely. Placement is important due to the creek in front of the green but the creek and green are well below the fairway so you can't see them from the tee. Local knowledge or experience playing the course would help in these cases, but this is a minor complaint. At the Golfnow rate, the round was a bargain and we're looking forward to playing again (especially since we now have a feel for some of the holes with blind tee shots).
White/Gold at Wakefield Valley Golf & Conference Center
Played On 8/31/2012Pretty Run Down
Played with my Dad on 8/31. Last time I played this course was probably 6 or 7 years ago in a tournament and it was in pretty good shape back then. Now, unfortunately, the course is in bad shape and really looks neglected. There is very little grass in the fairways and what's there is mostly crabgrass. The only good news is that there was almost no one there (no big surprise) and we zoomed around the course at our own pace. In fairness, I would say that the greens really were pretty good. I found this surprising given the very poor condition of the tees and fairways.