stevecurrie46

After having played many Hilton Head courses, w e got to this course for the firt time because, post hurricane Mathew, many of the other courses were still closed, and this had available time on GolfNow. We were so glad to have found the course -- very nice, and in excellent condition for so soon afterthe storm. Greens were escellent, if a little bit slow. Based on the starter's recommendation/push, we played it too far forward, I thought -- it would have been more fun from one tee back.

The course was in excellent shape considering only 5 weeks after Hurricane Mathew ravaged the area. Thee was still a lot of final woods clean up to do, but the tees, fairways and especially greens were in really good shape. I've played there before and always enjoyed it. On this trip (with my wife) we were paired with another couple, and the starter really pushed we 2 men to play the "white" tees -- which in this case were the most forward men's senior tees. On several holes, the men's white tees were colocated with the green ladies tees -- and the course was just too short to enjoy or feel challenging. This has not been an issue on other visits when I played further back. From these tees, I shot an easy 74 -- and I'm really not that good, usually.

The concept -- 18 holes designed to imitate 18 world famous holes is very intriguing -- until you discover it's built on a closed land fill, complete with hundreds of vent pipes venting out the methane, and many access hatches, along with a central control station. I support the productive use of land fills after closure -- but this one seem kind of extreme. Too many people, too crowded, not well maintained, at least when we were there. To be fair, NJ had been having a drought, and the courses reflected that. Too gimmick for our group. Nice to have seen it, but we are unlikely to return.

Easily overlooked among the many bigger name courses around Destin, this course really should not be missed. Very nice and a real value for its price.

I booked on Baytowne via GolfNow, but when I arrived, the starter asked me if I would join a member single on the Raven (much more expensive), and I agreed. Raven was spectacular, both layout and conditions. Greens were decent speed, and very true. Baytowne reported by the staff as in good shape, greens just overseeded -- and much more a resort course, less challenging. But the facility and folks were wonderful!

I had played the course many years ago; this time was really like a first time. The course is lovely, quite wedged into limited terrain between hills with a creek meandering through the valley and coming into play many, many times. While not overly difficult, there are many small targets due to the terrain and creek. Conditions were excellent, greens nice, rough trimmed but still enough to make the fairway matter.

The value -- regularly $79 w/ cart -- was improved by a GolfNow hot deal!

First time playing this course was a pleasant surprise. We've played most HHI courses, including several rounds at the neighboring Oyster Creek (which is also very nice, but we liked this more) and will list Bear Creek now as a new addition to our favorites list. May is a challenging month for course conditions and greens, as the weather shifts toward summer and bermuda grass. And these greens were outstanding -- the best greens we played out of 5 different courses this past week.

Played a couple of rounds at Emerald Bay on this trip -- I had played it several times back before the greens were redone and the entire 8th hole was remodeled. The new greens are a huge improvement -- though the greens were very firm and fast -- quite hard to get a ball, even well struck and spinning, to stop and grab. Had to hit approaches and chips/pitches quite short to keep them from rolling out way past the flagstick. The value was excellent using the GolfNow Hot Deal -- though I thought the morning rack rate of $115 would have been overpriced. Nice people, nice facility, and an interesting course layout and design -- no "repeat holes" -- but rather 18 different holes each with its own character. It's not exactly a resort course, but it is in a resort community, so has some of the characteristics (like $$'s) of a resort course.

Crescent Pointe fits a golf course into coastal marshes and wetlands in a creative and environmentally responsible way. There are a few awkward holes due to the needs of the terrain, and many, many forced carries over marshland. The forced carries are not real long distance, but are still challenging to shorter hitters and many women. The main effect is the number of times you need to hit a 120 yard lay up because you'd need to hit 225 yards to carry the hazard, even though the hazard is only 100-110 yards wide.

Well done, given the limitations of the land and geography. And in good condition, and very friendly, nice staff.

Nice course. More open, room to spray a little than it looks from the tee and GPS maps. Greens were in seasonal transition and bumpy, though not slow. Other than greens, course in nice condition.