NashvilleGolfer

Venetian Bay is nestled inside a beautiful, quiet neighborhood, and surrounded by ferns, palm trees, and other native fauna - throughout my round, I often caught myself looking at my surroundings and thinking, "This is what golf in Florida is supposed to look like."

The club house is nice; the pro shop is a bit sparse, but the attendant couldn't have been more courteous or helpful, offering tips to us tourists about tricky holes. The course offers a full range, including dedicated chipping and putting greens. These are all well-manicured.

Pace of play was good, <4 hours - it could have been even faster, but the elderly couple in front of us was taking their time. There was no marshal, but the beverage cart circulated regularly.

As for the course itself, my group kept commenting on how ridiculous it was that we got to play this course for only $25 (book online at their website)! It's not the longest course in NSB, but it offers a great challenge. Good shots are rewarded, while poor shots will inevitably end up in the ever-present water or the absolutely massive sand bunkers that dot every fairway and green. It is not necessary to hit driver every hole, but the temptation will certainly be there - a good drive on most holes will leave you with a wedge in, and several of the par 5s are reachable for the long hitters. Again, beware: if those drivers miss long, left, or right, you're going to be scrambling! Also, this is a paradise for golfers who like to work the ball both ways - you can really get it close and avoid trouble on most holes if you can shape your shots.

Tee boxes were generally good; one par 3 was in poor shape, most of the others were just fine. Greens were fantastic, maybe one that needed work but the others were firm and rolled true. Fairways were great. The bunkers are currently undergoing pretty significant renovations and repairs, and once those are completed this course might just be the prettiest in the area. My one gripe in this area is that the workers who were doing the repairs appeared oblivious to us - they were often right around the expected landing zone for a shot, but kept their machines running and didn't so much as acknowledge that us duffers may send an errant on their way!

There's some work to be done - and they're doing it - but I think within the next 3-6 months or so this course could be the new public standard for NSB. Awesome staff, great amenities, a fair course that's as inviting or challenging as you want it to be - I really, really enjoyed playing Venetian Bay.

I first played Turnbull in 2014 when I couldn't get a tee time at a more well-known course. I then proceeded to play it four times in five days because I enjoyed it so much! Fast forward three years, and I finally made it down to NSB again. I immediately headed back to the Preserve, cautiously optimistic that my nostalgia wasn't due to rose-tinted glasses.

I'm happy to report that my nostalgia was well-earned. This course is fantastic! From tee-to-green, I'm confident that there isn't a better value in New Smyrna.

With regards to the big picture stuff: the tee boxes are all excellent-to-fair; the par 3 boxes can be a bit worn, but the markers are moved every day, so it's no issue. Par 4's and 5's all have boxes that are well-mowed.

Fairways and bunkers are very good. No weeds in the bunkers, and the fairways exceed what you would expect for the price range - all are mowed and green!

The greens are plush and oh-so-green. Be prepared for wedges to hop and stop, and putts to move slow; the putting surface is thick and very well maintained.

As glowing as this review is with regards to the tangible assets that this course possesses, it's really the course design that I love the most. Nearly every par 4 and 5 invites the player to hit driver; likewise, nearly every par 4 and 5 rewards the accurate and punishes the wayward! A fairway drive will set you up to attack every pin position. A drive off-course will result in a scramble par...at best. Par 3s are challenging, with most guarded by both sand and water...a player who can move the ball in both directions will get the chance to showcase that skill. Overall, the course plays tight, but fair: if you find yourself in a hazard, it's because you picked the wrong club or made a bad swing; Turnbull isn't trying to blow up anyone's score card, it leaves that to the player!

Finally, the seclusion of a course that is smack dab in the middle of a gated community is remarkable. There is only one hole on the course that features a fairway that is visible from another hole. Unless you have a group behind you (very rare, in my experience!), you can literally go an entire round without seeing anyone else. With as hot as the Florida sun can be, the winding, shady cart paths are a welcome respite.

In sum, playing Turnbull Bay is my favorite part about visiting NSB. The staff is friendly, the course is a blast...it's just great vacation golf

I first played King's Creek in 2014. At the time, they were totally renovating the front nine, so I had to play the back nine twice. I remember it as being a satisfactory experience, but was obviously left wanting more.

Flash forward two years, and King's Creek has really started coming into its own. Both nines are now open, and offer a little something for everyone. In the past week I've played from both the men's tees as well as the tips, and I got a totally different experience from each set.

The course offers a full range, as well as a putting green. The clubhouse isn't spectacular, and the food/beverage options are limited, but the staff is incredibly friendly. Pace of play both of my recent outings has been decent, but there are definitely times when a roving ranger is needed - I don't think I've seen one in the ~10 hours I've spent there the past week.

The course itself is really fun. From the men's tees it actually plays fairly short - almost every par 3 is about 130 yards, and most of the par 4s demand little more than a stock 9 iron for your second shot. There are a couple longer holes, however, and bunkers and elevated greens keep aggressive golfers in check on the par 5s, so the layout still feels challenging. From the tips, both accuracy and distance are a must. The titular creek will be a constant presence, but every hole still feels fair.

The fairways are all in fantastic shape, as are almost all of the bunkers and most of the tee boxes. Some of the greens need some work, though - they look and play REALLY spotty. It's disappointing that the rest of the course looks so good but the greens are so hit-or-miss; some of them are as green and receptive as the ones you see on TV, and some wouldn't be allowed to be played on at your local $10 muni.

Overall though, Kings Creek is a very enjoyable course. It easily matches any area course in its price range, and I highly recommend it

Forrest Crossing is one of the most popular golf courses in Franklin, and for good reason: it's Players Club might be the best deal in town. For $30/month, you can get two free buckets every day and discounted rounds all week ($20-25 before noon, $15 after 1pm and $10 after 3pm).

Half of every green is being aerated right now - they're almost all grown in now, and when they're lush, they're very fair and mostly true. Some fairways are better than others, but they're all in pretty good shape. The rough is well-maintained, as are the bunkers. The tee boxes are in really poor shape though - most are in need of sod, and almost all of them are uneven; nothing like hitting a tee shot with the ball significantly below your feet.

Having said that, the course can be very, very fun to play - it really is in great shape considering how many duffers populate it every day. It's this volume of players that gives Forrest Crossing it's biggest problem, however: pace of play. If you tee off anytime between 8:00-2:30 on a weekend, expect to spend every bit of 4.5-5 hours on the course (weekdays are a little better, but the 3:00 $10/deal means there are TONS of Players Club members, so it really slows down in the afternoon). I've played the course more than 50 times and never seen a marshall do anything to "encourage" slower players, but often times there isn't anything a marshall could do - the clubhouse sends groups out every five minutes or so, so there are always groups stacked on top of each other. When you're offering a deal like the Players Club, I guess you have to maximize volume to makeup for the lower green fees.

Bottom line: the Players Club is a great deal if you're looking to maximize course time and minimize damage to your bank account. If you have the luxury of playing weekday mornings or very early weekend mornings, Forrest Crossing can be a really fun course to play. Woe unto the duffer who accepts a noon Saturday tee time.

The range is in rough shape too, and the putting green isn't exactly Augusta-esque; having said that, there are a ton of stalls to warm up in, and the putting green is significantly large enough to accommodate both pitches and putts; there are also two dedicated chipping greens and a practice bunker.

Also, I'd be remise if I didn't say "Get the cheeseburger!" It's something I look forward to every time I make the turn