bradsyr

Greens had been sanded overnight but didn’t have too much impact on putting. “Cold beer” kiosk was closed. Not sure if it’s only open on weekends? Course was fully booked and we had to wait a couple minutes on most tees. But overall it was an enjoyable round.

I like to walk when I can, but with the heat and humidity it was a golf cart day. The cart fee is only an extra $5 per rider which is far less than most courses. Course wasn’t busy on a Monday morning. Par 59 with the five par-4 holes all in the 240- to 300-yard range, and an interesting variety of par-3 holes ranging from 90 to 190 yards. A good value and solid four-star experience when the lower price is factored in.

Pace of play was a bit slow on the Lakeland nine but much better on Middle. Course is fun to play but if you spray it with the driver you’ll need to bring some extra golf balls or tee off with a different club on the tighter holes. I didn’t score very well but still had a great day at Westview.

Rolling Hills Challenge is only about 4900 yards from the back tees, and many of the holes are quite open, but it is a good course for higher handicappers, shorter hitters, or when you need to build some confidence in your game. Club selection off the tee is important on several holes, especially if your driver is not cooperating. Many of the bunkers had some (and sometimes a lot) of water in them, but it was great just to be able to play golf in April. The rest of the course was in reasonable condition.

At $50 to walk 18 holes, this course is a good value. It is long enough for the average golfer (6484 from the back tees) and has a few strategic ponds and streams to force some course management decisions. The dogleg par-4 12th drops precipitously to the left, which you can’t see from the tee, so it’s best to lay up with an iron. I’ll know that for next time. Looking forward to playing it again in the spring.

Great weather and good pace of play today. Some fairways have a few brown patches. Ball/pitch marks on the greens are not always repaired. Overall good value at $35 to walk 18 holes. Some holes should probably be par 3.5 or 4.5 instead of 4 or 5 if that was a thing. Just be aware going in that this is a shorter course where longer hitters might have a few eagle putt opportunities. If that’s not for you, then try their Bethesda Grange course at 6484 yards from the back tees.