CTTarHeel

Ak-Chin lived up to every great review and rating. The design was highly challenging with all of the bunkers and waste areas, yet the course is quite playable for a low-to-mid handicap player. (Course knowledge and the ability to play a second time would be helpful). The greens and fairways were lush and flawless. Only minor complaint was that the greens would not hold a wedge or short iron, making it difficult to put anything near the pin.

The course was surprisingly wet -- despite the fact that the area has not had an overabundance of rain in the past week or so. I played the day before at another JAX-area course, and there were no wet spots. The wet conditions were only half of the battle. Once I finally found the course (you would think that if World Golf Village can afford TV advertising it could afford more than two directional signs to Slammer and Squire), the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. As for the course, interesting layout, visually attractive and challenging enough (though not particularly long unless you play from the tips). Other observation was the relatively slow speed of the greens. This is the time of year when the greens all over JAX speed up. Not here though. I would like to play here again, but it will have to be during a prolonged dry spell.

St. Johns Golf and Country Club is normally one of the public course gems in Northeast Florida. But the greens were freshly punched, making putting a waste of time. Between the sand and aeration punchouts, you had to hit the ball significantly harder than usual to the the ball to the hole -- not that there was much chance of making a putt with ball bouncing the across the green. The issue here is not aeration -- it's vital and it will help keep SJGCC one of the best courses in the area. The issue is that they are charging normal afternoon rates at 3 pm for half of a golf experience.

Loved the multi-tiered, undulating greens. The bunkers have the deepest, fluffiest sand in the area. Unfortunately, the overall design of most holes was forgettable and, unless they get lots of rain soon or begin to invest in water, they are on the verge of losing the fairways to drought. I've played many other public courses in the JAX area during this hot and dry summer, and these fairways are showing the most stress. Overall, a good course if you get a bargain on GolfNow, but not worth more than $30-35 with all of the other choices in the area -- even on weekends.

Didn't learn that the greens had just been aerated until I arrived. Aside from slow, sandy greens, this course was one of my favorite since arriving in JAX. The layout includes a number of memorable holes. The course also has a links element to much of it, and the overall conditioning was great -- especially when you consider the hot, abnormally dry summer. When the greens rebound from the aeration, they will be challenging and very interesting with the undulations and tiers. This course is far superior to South Hampton, and among my top-two public courses in the area (the other being St. Johns Golf and Country Club).

Enjoyed the hospitality and retired playing partners. Course is generally wide open with limited challenges -- perfect for practice and focusing on iron play. The handful of interesting, well-designed holes were balanced by an abundance of average holes that weren't memorable. Biggest issue -- and this seems to be JAX-wide problem -- is a need for marshals to manage and speed pace of play.

Played Memorial Day Saturday at 1 pm and finished my round in less than four hours. Better than that, the layout is among the best of the public courses I have played during my year in JAX, and the condition of the course was generally good. The only criticism is that the greens were showing some stress (perhaps from the recent heat and lack of rain); the fairways, however, were in very good shape. I suspect the upcoming aeration and top dressing will help the greens. Can't wait to return in a few weeks after greens are smooth again. This will be in my regular JAX public rotation going forward.

Highlights of the experiences were the staff. In the clubhouse pre-round, club pro steered me to cheaper, better balls than ones I was considering. Starter provided a thorough overview of course and upon finishing my first round here, clubhouse staff member came out to greet me by name, ask about my round and impressions of the course, and presented me with a certificate for a free greens fee on next visit. In terms of the course, greens were the strong point. Layout is short with lots of water and trees, and bunkers clearly are not a point of emphasis for maintenance (though there are quite a few of them). All told, the combination of reasonable cost, solid condition with good greens and outstanding hospitality will bring me back.