Review Statistics
Reviews Map
Reviews
The Links At Spring Church
Played On 07/29/2018PACE OF PLAY
The staff seemed super concerned about pace of play and seemed extremely organized.. But once we got out there, it was a nightmare.. Good for them I guess.. super busy day, had to be a great day for the course... but 6 hours to play 18 holes.. at that point, as a golf course operator, you have totally given up.. ill tolerate 5 hours on the weekend because I get it.. Its busy.. but 6?? Insane
Course was good though.. Greens seemed slower than in years past.. But the course/layout are always great.
Rittswood Golf Club
Played On 08/05/2017A Great Option north of Pittsburgh
Its been a few years since I have been to Rittswood. Its come a long way over the years. BEST GREENS I PUTTED THIS YEAR. Smooth and fast. And not easy to hit, feels like they reduced the size of the greens making it a tough challenge.
The family that owns the course are all tremendous people and couldn't be nicer and are always working hard to make sure that the course it as good as it can be.
Honestly, give it a chance.. Its a great value too. $38 to ride 18. Others in the are want close to 50 on the weekend and probably aren't worth it. But this is moderately priced and very worth it. CASH ONLY THOUGH!! which isnt a problem.. just putting it out there!
The Links At Spring Church
Played On 08/04/2017Worth the Drive Out!
The Links is always a pleasure to play. Its a great layout and is in great shape this year. We pretty much had the course to ourselves.. We wanted food and such at the turn, and possibly dinner after, however restaurant was closed.
But definitely worth the drive. Fairways/Greens/Tees were all in top shape. surrounding rough was great also. Fair from the front tees, but challenging from farther back if you ant it..
Pheasant Ridge Golf Club
Played On 06/26/2016Great Option in the North Hills
Pheasant Ridge has come a long way over the years. Condition wise, its a step above comparable courses in the area. Greens are not extremely fast, but are very smooth and roll true. At times are very undulating.
Tees are a little rough, they would benefit from making the "daily tee position" smaller so they can control tee wear and tear more.
Bunkers are well placed and maintained better than most in the area.
Pace of play has been tough this year. Its a good problem to have, people are coming out to play, and that's a good thing! But they seem to be lax on pace of play a little. Full disclosure here, I mostly play in the afternoon, so things might be different on weekend mornings, but I have yet to encounter a starter this year, and I've never seen a ranger. people kind of line up on the first tee and manage themselves. Unfortunately, the first hole is a blind tee shot, so someone from each group has to drive up to make sure the fairway is clear. This is something a starter could do. 5 hr rounds have been the norm this year. Luckily I personally don't mind that much because golf for me is an escape for me and I really don't mind being out there! But I feel Pace of Play is a problem that is easily fixed, and the staff here doesn't seem to be real proactive. Probably the result of under staffing. I made the turn one Friday and encountered a 6-some on the first tee, which is inexcusable!
For the money, you are getting much more value here when compared to other courses in the area. Prices are fair and there are plenty of deals available through the courses own tee time site and via emails. And thankfully, they gave GolfNow.com the boot this year! The staff is very nice/helpful/welcoming, which is also an improvement from previous years.
Definitely what I would call my "home course" and I really enjoy playing here. I write what I write in hopes that the course will continue to improve.
Birdsfoot Golf Club
Played On 06/04/2016Frustratingly Average (The Truth About Birdsfoot)
I'm going to be real about Birdsfoot in this review. And it's not to put it down, because it was and IS a special place. But I hope to inspire the ownership to turn this place around!
When Birdsfoot first opened, it was a head turner. It was a bit of a ride to get there, but man was it special. Course layout/conditions were second to none. To be able to play a daily fee golf course like this was really special. Somethings you cannot deny, the views are spectacular. The "links" feel of it is really amazing.
But as the years have gone by, it has become frustratingly average. If i'm paying $50+ there are some certain expectations. Ill split this up to give a little structure.
Pre Round/Clubhouse/Parking lot/Practice Area:
Upscale is how this course is marketed. With upscale, I expect some care to be given to entryway/clubhouse area. Here we just get a gravel parking lot w/ zero landscaping. The clubhouse is an the original farmhouse, which is a cool concept, but for the purposes of a busy golf course, its awful. Again, no TLC given anywhere to indicate that you are on an upscale property. Carts are stored outside and are dirty and beat up. No real signs of ever being cleaned. The driving range had potential to be nice, but its been neglected, the hitting surface is a real mess and the short game area is under utilized. Its simply a place to hit a few warm up balls. Nothing more.
The Course:
The layout and "style" is extremely above average. The course can play fair or difficult depending on which tees you play. The views and elevation changes are magnificent.
The actual conditions, again, frustratingly average. The greens/fairways are probably the best asset for sure, but are honestly just OK. Comparable course in the area are just as well conditioned. Cart paths are bordering on dangerous in places.
The tees are OK, but are really showing a lot of wear and tear and mis-management of daily tee box placement.
The rough is worse than the average persons yard. Often difficult to find grass for the ball to sit on. Just weeds and dandelions. Again, not something you expect from an upscale property.
The bunkers are unplayable. 99% of the time. They are well placed and often times add to the beauty of the hole, but are never playable. The 11th hole has a bunker surrounding the green, an very cool/unique feature, but again, has never been playable in my estimation. Even on weekends, I seldom see any effort made to have the bunkers even be half playable. Its sad because they COULD really add to the experience.
Pace of Play:
Starter does a great job of managing the flow of the first tee. He has an I-pad so he knows when people have checked in. They do have rangers that roam the course, which is much better than some other places in the area. But they are famous for having afternoon outings, squeezing people out on the back, etc making cart and course availability sketchy sometimes. numerous times, ive been in the first group for the day, only to make the turn on 10 and come to a complete standstill for the back 9.
Price/Value:
I will never play for full rack rate at Birdsfoot. Weekends are 63, which is a little outlandish. Thankfully there are enough deals out there that you should never have to pay full rate. They have a ton of really great deals that they sell in the off season that usually never expire. Im talking REALLY good deals. So if you live in the area, sign up for their mailing list. They also have a number of great events. 8 in cup tournamnts, Beer Tasting related events, all of which are great fun and they give away some great prizes to boot!
Unfortunately, years have caught up with Birdsfoot. They really need to consider a pretty big re-grading/overseeding project, major tee box renovations, drainage construction on 12 in front of the green, pave cart paths/parking lot. Build a clubhouse guys. The farm house is cute, but you have out grown it. Nothing too extravagant, but its time. You have great food/beer ideas going on, but just no real ability to execute anything. You are far enough out in the country, you have people there by the hundreds. If you had a restaurant there, people would likely stay and spend more money on lunch/dinner.
If you want to be an "upscale" daily fee facility, you have to spend some money on upkeep, and on the little detail things. There are so many other options nearer to Pittsburgh that are better value for your money. The Foot has potential to be a special place, no doubt about it. And even still is to some extent. I make it a point to play out there once a year for sure because it is a really neat place.
Great and honest review. I also played there since it opened and go back once or twice a year hoping to see changes. Most recent on a Monday 7/10/17. Back 9 had groups $hoved in and took 3 hours. Ranger was deaf to our pleas to have group ahead that was 3 holes open in FROUNT to skip a hole or two. Won't be back even if it is FREE