somvil

If you've read reviews to this point - you've likely noticed a couple themes. Mainly, bad conditions and bad cart paths. Let's get one thing out of the way - the cart paths are, without question, absolutely horrible. I'm convinced they're sponsored by a local chiropractor. At the end of the day though, just slow down over bumps. It's not your personal cart at risk of damage. Chill out.

Conditions for any public course in this area should have an asterisk. This summer started hot and dry, killing the grass, then all of a sudden we can't go a day without an inch of rain. What do you expect a moderately priced course to do? The conditions are perfectly in step with every other course that can't raise the POA fees by a grand one month to cover extra maintenance expenses. The greens are lush and roll true. The tee boxes are flat. The fairways are mowed.

If you're complaining about the height of the grass in the deep rough... Maybe go to the range and practice so you're not in it all day?

It's a really challenging course with a unique layout, especially from the tips. In this volatile economy, it's a good course for the price. If you're expecting $200 conditions, go play a $200 course.

We enjoyed our round! The dude at the counter was very helpful with explaining the flow/layout of the course and also did us a huge favor without even asking. We had a tee time at 8:20 but we got there to check in about 8:00. I don't know if he could sense that my buddy and I were above average players or what, but there was a group of "bros" that were supposed to tee off in front of us - and he told us to just go straight to the 1st tee to get ahead of them. As the day went on, the distance between us and the group behind us got longer and longer - meaning that if we were stuck behind them it would've added a significant amount of time to our round. Don't get me wrong, golf doesn't always have to be about the score - I'm happy the bros behind us got to have fun and take their time, but I'm certainly glad I wasn't waiting all day while they did it. Hats off to the employees at Trenton for their proactive approach by letting us through.

The carts were fast, the course was in pretty dang good condition and it was a great value. It has a fun layout that makes you rethink your driver often! The only thing I can recommend to others is to GO TO THE PRACTICE GREEN before you tee off. Those greens were fassssstttt and I wasn't ready for it. However, they rolled true and were spot-free. We clocked our round in at just under 3.5 hours. Trenton takes good care of their course, and I absolutely recommend that you go check it out!

Back in the day, there was a fun Palmer course over in Bluffton that you stopped playing because it was getting run down. Remember.. it was over by Best Buy and had that absolutely wicked 210-yd dogleg Par-3? The #2 hole that ate your second guesses, laughed at your mishits, but rewarded your ego with a clean hit? It's back.

Remember the Par-5 #6 that always gave you the option for glory but punished your bad judgement going for home in two on the beautiful and rare island green? It's back.

What about the green with the scary backside on #10? Remember? You had to make sure your approach shot spun enough to hold it or your ball would inevitably be lost to the pond should you run it through the flag? Guess what? It's back.

Ooooh what about that 451-yd dogleg right Par-4 on #13? You remember, don't ya? The classic Palmer dilemma of risk vs reward? Cut the corner and carry 270 for a chance to chip your approach, or play it safe, hit it straight and face a 200-yd hybrid with danger on 3 sides of the green because you didn't have the stones to cut out that problem on the tee box? Oh buddy, it's back.

What about the hole that made you tense up more than any hole in town? The approach on #18, where a greedy sand trap in front left was waiting to snatch any ball that thought it could trickle up and sneak onto the green from the fairway, a mean ladder-down bunker guarded the back, and a massive Live Oak limited your aerial attack... All while everybody at the clubhouse had a perfect view of your attempt? To laugh at your error or applaud your skill? It's back, too.

Years ago, Crescent Pointe (The Crescent, whatever you wanna call it) was one of the most fun courses in Bluffton, a true player's course. Then came a management company that tried it's very best to rip the soul out of the course and turn it into another statistic of mediocrity in the lowcountry. It lost its luster, its charm, its sophistication. Those days are behind us, and Crowne is on it. There is grass in places I haven't seen grass in 5 years. The greens are green, can you believe it?! Not only green, but smooth and sand free.

Don't get me wrong, the course still has some work to do. Their cart paths still have some issues, there are some bunkers that are rarely hit into that still need some work, and there's still some drainage problems that need addressed, but please please please don't let that stop you from playing. If the little moon-shaped tee box markers weren't enough to clue you in, allow me to. The course has done a 165 degree turnaround and I have full confidence that the management team will finish the last 15 degree turn to home. Thank you for giving the middle class golfers amongst us our player's course back. The Crescent was always the TPC for the local golfer who couldn't afford Savannah Harbor or Harbor Towne a couple times a week, but too good to find enjoyment at "- West" and "- Hill". As you may have noticed from my review... It's back! GO PLAY.

This course is different, and that's a good thing. There's so many golf courses down here that sometimes it seems like it's saturated with mediocrity. Most are "fine". Several are terrible, and several are elite. This is not an elite course, but it's better than "fine" and that's refreshing - therefore I'll be back.

There was clearly a group of golfers with an ettiquete or entitlement issue on the course earlier in the day, because I repaired other people's ball marks all afternoon which infuriates me, but you can't blame that on the course itself. The greens rolled true, the fairways were nice and full with a clear-cut rough line.

It was cart-path only due to moisture so it was more walking than I'm used to. I played from the tips and the course gave me a workout for a hard-earned 79. The only issue I have is the sand traps. My goodness! Alright look - sand makes a course challenging. I get it, and this course has an absurd amount of them. However, if you're gonna have that many bunkers, it's my opinion that you should devote the resources to keeping them filled with quality sand and devote staff to keeping them raked. It's a penalty to the golfer's bad judgement or ability to find his ball in a bunker, and that's fine, that's golf. It's an unfair penalty to be in a bunker full of hard packed junk, which is what these were. Yes it rained earlier in the day, but that's not an excuse to me. No rule of golf requires a course to have this many bunkers, so it's the course's decision to design it this way. If you're gonna do that, commit to it and send a crew out to fluff them up when the storm passes... Period. It's the only stain on what could be one of the best public courses on the island.

The staff was fantastic, to be honest. I play by myself typically - which usually earns me cold, if not abrasive, treatment at nicer courses for (whatever reason). Not here, which was genuinely appreciated. The starter very politely asked me if I could wait 20 minutes to tee off with another group so he could keep the course moving at a good pace. He worked me in with a twosome and offered range balls while I waited. Pace was reasonable overall but even if it wasn't - it'd be hard to blame it on the course management due to the diligence they clearly have for monitoring it. Well done.

That's all I got! Had a good time, staff was wonderful, course is in great shape, just steer clear of the bunkers.

I love this course. If you're in the Savannah/Hilton Head Area and find a deal, you gotta play it. I'm local and snagged a stupid good deal on GolfNow, so I don't know how much the going rate is. I would happily pay well over $100 here if I was traveling or visiting.

You buy the experience here, and it's textbook southern class. Included in your greens fee are range balls, tees, towels, iced down bottled water, divot tool, etc. The carts are top-of-the-line with GPS, thick two-toned seats and rain covers. There's a bag drop, a starter, and a staff that is genuinely friendly and more than all else - helpful!

Look, golf is a strange sport and we all know it. We want the course to have a sense of sophistication without crossing over into snotty territory. We want manicured greens and striped fairways, but we don't want to pay too much. We want to play fast but we don't want people hitting into us. It's a constant conundrum. Savannah Harbor balances all of these factors very well.

The pace of play was typically fine, it was the one group in front of me in particular that was the problem, not the course as a whole. The greens were spectacular, but a little fast (just aerated I think, no problem). Sand was fine and groomed. Fairways were very defined and full. This course has a tendency to be windy, but that's no fault of the course. It's a great experience here and I highly recommend it.

I'll start with the good. For $24 I got to play my favorite game on a course that is laid out very well in a quality golf cart. I played 18 holes in just over 2 hours because the other golfers, including the groups of IJGA kids bunched up randomly around the course, were kind enough to get the heck out of my way. The staff was accommodating and helpful, loading my clubs without asking and even escorting me to my truck after finishing the round. The driving range was perfectly adequate. I value local businesses in the age of large scale corporate mediocrity and I love golf, so it pains me to write bad things about a local establishment. That being said, it's not fair to stop my review there. Ughh, here we go. I have two complaints. The first one I will not defend and I will not excuse. That is the story of the cart paths. The cart paths here are an absolute disgrace. I will not play here again without neoprene covers for my irons and I'm being dead serious. The banging and clanging around in my bag is going to cause damage to my clubs if I play here again the cart paths are that bad. It's inexcusable. Gravel would be better than what they have. It's insane how bad they are, to be honest. Alright, second complaint. The greens at this course are a a shame. I don't know if they're having a water or disease issue, but they're in rough shape. To Island West's credit, they appear to be trying really hard. It's not like they are just ignoring them. They know. I see headlights on their lawn equipment every morning on the way to work. They're out there in the dark working on the greens, but they're bad. Look, you can putt on them, you can read them fine. Unless you are a better golfer than I am, and I shot an 80 yesterday, they aren't going to affect your game too much. Just hold on tight because your ball is not gonna stick them and the slightest tap of a putter is gonna send your ball racing. They're patchy and they're dry. They aren't bumpy though, and they're not uneven. Just ugly. That being said, I paid $24 and I had fun. The course is relatively challenging. The front reminds me of some courses out west. Wide in spots, large fairway humps that will eat your carry. Well placed hazards that put you in a pickle at times. I hope they get their course management straightened out before it turns into a municipal practice facility rather than a golf destination, which it totally could be given its design and location.

Hole #1 is still being worked on. You kinda start in the middle of the fairway and despite the fact that it's a Par 5, you should consider it a 4 during the construction.

Look, this isn't a premium course. Don't expect premium conditions. The course is in better than average shape if you don't try to compare it to the $200+ courses in town. The only sub $100 course that is in better shape right now is HH National. I paid $39 here on a local rate, but this course is worth $60-ish in my opinion. Any excessive bumps or turf issues (of which there are few) is more than made up for in the challenging play here. It may not be quite as nice as HH National, but it's absolutely harder in my opinion.

Play the black tees for an interesting afternoon! There's a do-or-die par 3 over a pond, there's 2 eagle-ready par 5's that will make you pay if you don't hit your 2nd shot clean, and there's a par 4 that I was able to drive the green on. The greens are absolutely enormous and there seemed to be a sand trap everywhere I aimed. This course makes you think and debate yourself on club selection, and I really enjoyed it.

The only minor complaint would be that some stretches of the cart-path seemed to be sponsored by the local dentist as they'll rattle your teeth out of your head, but that's common in the lowcountry and judging by all the work being done on the course, they'll take care of that in due time.

Good round, I'll be back.