fizzhogg

Hidden away in the small town of Edwardsville, IL, Sunset Hills appears - when you first drive in - as if you're driving into the middle of a neighborhood. And you are. This made me nervous as I despise courses crammed among houses causing forced OB's and taking away the feeling of "golf" when golfing.

I was pleasantly surprised to find Sunset Hills is not this at all. While the course is tight, with many OB areas, it is not because of backyards and swimming pools right off the fairways. The course winds its way into a beautiful, natural woodsy area, and if you miss the fairway and rough you're in what my son and I call "the shmutz." Trees and bushes and canyons, etc.

The course is beautiful tee to green. Once you get past the first tee, you see only a few houses and they are not intrusive. The terrain is hilly with many blind shots and elevation changes, but again, unlike some newer courses which are tricked up with terrain changes, Sunset Hills is all natural and feels natural.

The design is smart, rewarding well played shots - you can go low here - and penalizing bad shots - you can score high easily, too. There is a good variety of holes - you're not feeling like you're playing the same 4 holes over and over - and several holes are worthy of taking photos.

The greens are in good shape and run true, if not that fast. The tee boxes - a big tell if a course has a good superintendent - are all well maintained and offer true, flat tee surfaces.

The pro shop is well stocked, and the staff was extremely friendly. This is a private course and I was able to play due to reciprocal privileges with my home course. John the head pro went out of his way to make me and my son feel as welcomed as if we were Sunset Hills members.

The locker room and restaurant areas look nice and are well maintained. The food we tried was good, if not spectacular.

My only criticism is that due to some lengthy distances between greens and tees, the course is not really walkable. But that's a small critique considering everything else.

If you get a chance to play here, I highly recommend it. And if you are able to consider membership, I think it'd be a great club to call home.

I had heard great things about Bear Creek. That it was one of the toughest tracks around; that it was worthy of tournament play, etc. So I was very excited to finally play. What a disappointment.

We made a tee time on a Thursday afternoon and when we arrived were informed that due to "leagues" we'd have to tee off immediately (despite being there 45 min ahead of our tee time), and that we would need to check in at the turn because we likely would not be able to go off of 10 tee.

When we got to the #1 tee box we saw it was hard and had many dirt patches. Neglected tee boxes are the first sign you've got a course with either a bad superintendent or one working with no budget.

As we played on, the course condition never improved. Most all the tee boxes were not only in bad shape, but some it was impossible to get your tee into the ground, and several had uneven surfaces - forcing you to play your TEE SHOT either above or below your feet.

The greens were in fair condition. I've seen worse, but only on muny courses that charge much less to play. The back nine layout is definitely better and more fun than the front - which is very basic and boring. The back had a few really great holes that made me wish the course was in better condition.

As for the difficulty, it's all hype. The course is tight because of houses, but otherwise there's nothing out there to contribute to the high slope rating. Unless you count back condition. And you can't buy the "no rain" excuse as other courses in the area deal with the same weather, yet manage to keep their properties in great shape.

If you enjoy walking, Bear Creek is not for you - as there are many long travels & elevation changes between greens and the next tee.

The pro shop is well stocked and the staff is generally friendly - although, as I said, when we made the turn, we had to check-in and were sent to the 12th tee to start our back nine. When we finally got to #10 (our 17th of the day) we were behind 2 very slow foursomes... so slow that we were unable to finish our round, giving up after waiting 30 minutes before we could even hit to #10 green.

Hale Irwin designed this course in the 90's and it is an absolute gem of a track. When his company ran it back in the day this was one of the best tests of golf in the area. But somewhere along the line it was sold to some guy who made a quick few million and now it's like seeing the great Arnold Palmer barely able to move. Only it's not age, it's neglect.

Quail Creek is in such bad condition it makes Sunset Hills or River's Bend look like Bellerieve. You simply cannot play out of the bunkers. They are more dirt than sand, there are weeds growing in 75% of them, and there are rocks strewn throughout waiting to ruin your sand wedge.

The tee boxes are a disaster. Some are completely unmowed while others have virtually no grass at all. The fairways are so barren and full of dirt and gravel that at a recent US Kids golf tournament there the kids had to play Lift Clean and Place -- despite the fact it had not rained and was 60 degrees!!!

The pro shop is a joke. It feels like a construction trailer despite the fact it's a brick and mortar building. The staff on both days I was there was rude and acted like they didn't care if I paid to play the course or not. The food is disgusting. My playing partner and I ordered a dog and a bratwurst. Both were inedible.

What kills me the most about Quail Creek being so horrible on every single level is the fact that the design is superb. You can see the once great course lying dormant under the decay and neglect. I wish another millionaire who actually cared would buy it, restore it, fire everyone and make it great again. This place hosted US Open qualifiers and Mid Amateur championships! So sad.

The nail in the coffin is the price. They're changing as much for a round of golf as the Bluffs... but Quail Creek isn't worth more than $18 a round in its current condition, joke of a pro shop and terrible staff.

Avoid this place at all cost!

This little executive course is one of StL's golf secret gems. It's simply the best designed golf course at Par 60 or under I have ever played. Most every one of the 18 holes is designed like a championship golf hole. The only difference is yardage.

There is not a better course for juniors or beginners to learn on. The course - like a championship layout - gets tougher from the longer tees, and while it's only about 3300 yards from the tips, it is a serious challenge. Water and excellent bunkering make it a great test of golf. But the forward tees give kids a chance at playing a course that feels like a big time track.

For the amount of play it gets, the course is usually in great condition. The greens are true and have subtle breaks. The bunkers could stand to be better taken care of - but as I said, the overall bunkering on this course is up there with any of the big name StL courses.

The price is ridiculously low, and you don't need a cart, though they have them. Their practice facility is never in great shape, but it is All-Grass practice range which is hard to find around these parts.

There's been a For Sale sign on the property, and I really hope this place doesn't get bulldozed for apartments or homes. Again, there's not a better place for kids to learn the game. Pheasant Run is connected to the Family Golf Center, which features an 18-hole Putt-Putt course as well as an 18-hole Pitch & Putt Par 3 course. The Pro Shop there is surprisingly well stocked.

I really hope more people try this place out. I'd hate to see be destroyed for more ugly buildings. I've played golf in 16 states around the country, for over 30 years, and this is truly the best Executive length track I've ever played.

I love this place. Unlike the overpriced Landings, Aberdeen is a true links course in every way. It is all out there in front of you - no blind shots or trickery. If the wind is down, you can score very well here. But just like a true Scottish links, when the wind blows, Aberdeen becomes a beast. But it is one of the fairest layouts in the area - you're rewarded for great shots, and penalized for poor ones.

The greens are smooth and reasonably fast, and in the 5 times I've played here, it was in good condition every time. The US Kids Golf tour held an event out here and my son loved it. Everyone was friendly and the course was perfect for kids -- it can play as short as under 5000, or over 7200 - a true test for all skills levels.

I prefer walking, and while they obviously offer carts, this is simply a great track to walk. No severe elevation changes, and most green-to-tee walks are less than 30 seconds.

My only criticism of the place is their Pro Shop and food/amenities is severely lacking. It has a construction trailer feel to it. But the staff is friendly, and it's one of my favorite places to play. Prices are better than most courses of equal stature.