lh1141

A challenging course that was made more challenging by a windy, hot, and dusty day. However, the course played fair and was an enjoyable experience. The staff was attentive, the beverage cart was close by, but not hovering around. Great course, great day.

The Fire Course at JGE is "supposed" to be less difficult than it's much more famous big brother, the Earth Course. This course will quickly lure you in with what look like fairly straight and open shots but in fact the fairways need to be landed just right in order to set up for the next shot. It's very easy to find yourself in trouble on your second or third shot because where your ball ends up or of pin placement. Take your time to look ahead to each shot. Unfortunately this great course suffers from the same lack of attention to detail that the Earth Course suffers. The staff works hard to get through the problems that are created by the management's lack of prior planning. I like playing both courses at JGE but it could be much better with just a few tweaks.

The course is in excellent shape as expected. Being the home of the DP World Championship you would expect that it would be. The course can go between challenging to extremely challenging depending on pin and tee placement. The staff is friendly and accommodating. Unfortunately the small things can make a good day a bit frustrating. The beverage cart may or may not appear. The range balls often look like they have been run over by a lawn mower. During a busy day the staff is almost able to keep up, but not quite. The gems in the crown are the golf academy (ETPI), the course, and the staff itself. Management needs to step up their game.

I played this course under less than ideal conditions, but my partner and I were determined. I hadn't played this course in years as I no longer live in the area, so I was excited to once more hit the links. The course played honestly by rewarding a good shot and punishing a mis-hit accordingly. The lay out of the course is complimented by the terrain and in turn compliments the surrounding area. The course needs clubhouse revamp and maybe purchase a few sets of decent rental clubs. The staff was friendly and accommodating.