doplussee

No range balls. Carts that don’t work. Broken AC. 5 1/2 hour rounds. There is just no reason to play this course. How it is going private is beyond me. Would be the worst condition private course in the USA

I’ll be honest. I am baffled as to how this course is rated so highly. About the only good thing about the experience was the friendliness of the staff. Where do I start. Well... I guess the fact that it has not range is a good place. You can hit into a net but that is it. The course layout is just plain weird. Some holes will make you say “what was the designer thinking”. Conditions were ok...but not great. Also, be prepared to play in some hectic wind. While it was a beautiful day windless day in San Fran, this course played in a 4-club wind. It is a hike too. You are looking at a 1:20 min drive from San Fran. Given, the course layout, conditions, lack of amenities and wind, I have zero desire to rerun. Finally. The main reason I drove out to play there was that GolfNow states the course plays at 7500. Most courses I saw in San Fran were short. I figured at 7500, there had to be a set of tees at 6900. (My preferred yardage) to play from. Well. The course is only 6,200 from the back tees. I would not have made the drive had I known that.

I have played Vic Hills many time. I remember the course when it opened in the early 2000's. They were commanding $70+ for a morning tee time.... and it was a steal at that price. Perfect conditions. Greens like glass. Trees framing the entire course.

Fast forward 15 years, and the course is now a shadow of it's former self. Holes 12, 13, 16, and 17 have been visually destroyed by the developer, for seemingly no good reason. A course where the homes were unobtrusive has not become a course were homes are prominent... at the expense of the golf course.

They have lost many fixtures. The tree guarding the green on the right on #6. The 2 trees guarding the drive on #15. The destruction of the entire left side of holes 12 and 13.

Then you have the poorly made bunker on the right side of 15 that doesn't match ANY of the other bunkers on the course. It is like someone decided to just create a patch of sand... for no good reason.

Now let's get to conditioning. They used to overseed Vic Hills. As years went by, the amount of overseeding decreased. Now they don't even bother. Dormant thin grass is the norm. Areas that used to be maintained, like the waste bunker you drive through on #5... well.. I don't think they have bothered in 7+ years.

As for pace of play. We played there on a Wednesday. We waited on every shot starting on number 5. When we got to 16, there were 4 groups on the hole, and we waited 30 minutes to tee off. The reason was pretty obvious. We were a 2 some. Ahead of us was a single. Ahead of him was a 2 some. Ahead of them was another single and ahead of him was a 4 some. There is no group management on the course.

Now let's talk price. You used to be able to play there for $27 in December. It was a great price. You can overlook a lot of the issues when you pay that price. But now you pay a minimum of $42 on most days. I have seen it at $55 for a 3PM time!!!!!! It just isn't worth the money at those prices. You can go and play Retail for $35 after 11. Now that is a bargain, give it's layout and condition.

Oh... and want them to price match their on-line rate? Forget-about-it. Sorry. We literally had to stand in the pro shop and book a tee time on-line since they would not give us the on-line price (Retail DOES match BTW).

So in summary... This used to be a great place to play. Now.... not so much. If you can get a tee time for under $30.... and you have never played it.... well give it a go. But for over $30... there are better options.

We played Juliette Falls on 9/30/2017. The course was in great shape... as it always is. It's a real hidden gem, and well worth the 2 hour trip from Orlando. Its a fantastic layout! As good as the course is, the service at Juliette Falls WAS always terrible. I wrote a review stating this in January of this year. I stated the course was a 5/5... but the service was a 1/5. The staff WAS just downright rude. This was not just our experience in one trip there, but 3 consecutive times.

Note the emphasis on the word WAS. What a difference 9 months has made. Gone is the rude staff. Management obviously realized there was a issue, and replaced the problem staff with staff that were extremely friendly and helpful.

It all started when we expressed our disappointment with past service to the new club manager Wyatt Stephens. He profusely apologized and stated that ownership/management had addressed the issue, and assured us our experience would be different. We were greeted on the first tee by the starter. Upon reaching the 1st green, the starter drove up and asked if we would mind if Wyatt joined us for a couple of holes. We told the starter it wasn't necessary, since we had all already decided to leave positive reviews for the course, based on our check-in experience. He insisted, and Wyatt joined us on the 2nd tee. He played the next 8 holes with us, and we thoroughly enjoyed his company. We finished our round and once again had a blast playing the course.

The nett result of the new staff was that rather than simply getting in our car after the round and driving away disgusted (as we did 3 previous times), we all enjoyed a meal at their restaurant. The food was excellent (probably the best potato salad I have ever had at a golf course). The waitress was extremely friendly, and her service matched the rest of the excellent service now at the club.

I applaud and thank the ownership/management for addressing the issue. I now actually look forward to returning there as soon as possible. It is a pity I now live in Houston, otherwise I would make a point to play there every month or so.

PS: Even though Wyatt has only been playing the game for 3 years, he has a VERY impressive swing and game. He absolutely annihilates the golf ball, and it was fun to watch

Literally!

Round was $37 including lunch.

So why was my bill $41+? Well, because you are forced to pay $1.50 for a "GPS" fee. We are not talking some fancy visual GPS, but instead you get a early 1990's non-visual with front, center & back measurements. I did not look at it at all. I have a range finder. I did not need (nor want) a 1990's GPS.

Want ice? Sure that will be 50c. Not a biggie, but would have been nice to know so I could have grabbed my wallet before I left the cart. Now at least you know.

Want a cart key? Sorry. No. Come back no sooner than 10 minutes before your round please.

Oh.... your round was at 11:40? Sorry you only get to tee off at 12. Don't want a 5hr round? Oops, sorry. 5hr+ round you will get, and no rangers out on the course.

You want a drink with your "free" lunch. Sorry, not included. Want to call ahead to place your lunch order at hole 8? Sorry... our phones have "technical issues". Better let that 4-ball behind you through at 10 if you want lunch. Turning groups with to-go orders are not given priority over others at the "restaurant". So 20-25 minute wait for your food you will get.

A little germaphobic? Avoid the restaurant. No gloves for food prep. Let's just hope the "cook" washes his hands after using the bathroom.

I avoided playing here for more than a year because of the 5hr+ round I had the last time. Nothing has changed.

Better off playing up the road at Eagle Dunes (less than 2 miles from Black Bear) or spend the extra $10 and play one of the best courses in Central Florida, i.e. Red Tail, which is less than 4 miles away.