View Full Version : Golf course conditions
I thought it might be interesting, informative, and helpful, for people to comment, positively or negatively, about the course they played that day, to let other people know the conditions of greens, fairways, bunkers, etc. as far as playability goes. The reason being is, that for different people, different conditions are more important than others. For me, for example, my priority is nice greens, over good fairways. Now, of course, would prefer everything to be pristine, but as we know, isn't, and can't always be that way, due to weather conditions, disease, etc. If people could come, and make a comment about where they played, and how conditions were, might really be helpful when it comes to deciding where we'd like to play the next few days. Any comments concerning people's interest in starting a permanent thread for this, or not, and suggestions to how it could be done in the easiest manner, would be welcome.
KathieI
03-03-2009, 06:07 PM
I think its a great idea - I don't play golf but I agree with EVERYTHING Ronnie says! :bowdown: :0000000000luvmyhors
graciegirl
03-03-2009, 08:13 PM
In the last couple of weeks I have played Pelican and Truman and Hawkes Bay and Bogart. All of them had tremendous roll, the winds were always against me and you could use your putter from 20 feet off the green.
zcaveman
03-03-2009, 08:59 PM
Briarwood is in great shape with great greens,
Hawkes Bay is in real good shape with great greens.
Saddlebrook is in good shape but the greens are not too great. Pitted and some kind of growth on the greens. Not smooth.
Belmont is in great shape and has great greens.
El Santiago is in really good shape with great greens.
De La Vista is in really good shape with fast greens.
Taltarzac
03-04-2009, 09:45 AM
Like KathieI I do not golf but this information sounds like it will be useful.
Played Mallory on monday. The greens are starting to get better there, finally. Still bumpy and bare in a few spots, but better than they have been in at least a month. A couple bunkers still have too much sand in them, but I guess the answer to that may be to not hit it there!! Fairways were very hard and fast, as I am sure they are most places, due to the dry and cold conditions lately.
donaldlmiller
03-05-2009, 09:38 AM
Will be coming back to our home in Hadley in a few weeks. Plan on playing many of the courses and in the championship at Glenview. How are the conditions of the Championship courses. I am most concerned with the greens. Fast, slow, bumpy or great. I would appreciate your comments.
Don Miller
Hadley
iaudit
03-05-2009, 10:31 AM
Courses I played in last week:
Churchill Greens: Good shape - tees and greens
Amberwood: Great shape - tees and greens
Walnut Grove: Great shape - tees and greens
Belmont: Good shape - tees and greens
Heron: Tees is bad shape - greens are so-so
Pelican: Tees are so-so - greens are good shape
Roosevelt: Tees are so-so - greens and surrounding areas are hard as a rock
Bacall: Good Shape - tees and greens
Briarwood: Great shape - tees and greens
Hawkes Bay: Good shape - tees and greens
dgammon6
03-05-2009, 10:33 AM
Played Mallory Hill yesterday, Caroline and Virginia Trace. Great shape, fast hard fairways, and greens were in good shape. Life is good.
Bogie Shooter
03-05-2009, 01:29 PM
What am I as a golfer to do with this information?
Halle
03-05-2009, 01:35 PM
:undecided:
It may help in deciding which courses you want to play. In my case it really doesn't help much because I'm a beginner and all courses are difficult.:cus:
:pepper2::pepper2:
Bogie Shooter
03-05-2009, 01:55 PM
this time of year you don't decide....you take what you get.
Russ_Boston
03-05-2009, 02:02 PM
What am I as a golfer to do with this information?
Bogie - Even if you can't pick and choose the course it might still be nice to know the condition to let you pick HOW you play the course. Run off the tee, fly to the green, chip it in low, high etc. etc.
And don't you have some options on the CC courses? Or is that take it or leave it this time of year also?
Well, I actually haven't had much problem choosing a top three of where to play. Now, if you are picky about specific times, or want to only play with a particular foursome, then, I have heard, you have more difficulties. I play tuesday mens day a good bit, which makes it easy to choose your course, and format, seeing as the clubs rotate the format, and 5 or 6 clubs involved every week, so many choices there. I play one day a week, usually, with either 1,2,or 3 regulars. Now, the point system definitely comes into play there, depending on how much the other three have played. The other days, I just look and take what's available, as a single, over the next three days. I don't request a time when i am going to play alone, and there is almost always something available for a single.
Now, I had a thought about how to make this thread better, that is if enough people are interested in keeping it alive. I thought, if there was some way to have a template, that would have different categories, say greens, fairways, bunkers, etc., that would have some kind of rating system for each course, championship and executives. This way, could just come on here, and click what you played, and click on the ratings for the different categories, instead of having to type out everything every time. This is only an idea, of which I have no technical expertise of how it would, or could be incorporated, as I am not an expert on setting up stuff. I just know how to use the puter/internet. If anyone has any ideas, be my guest, or maybe we have to talk to admins, to see if something like this is possible.
graciegirl
03-05-2009, 02:31 PM
Will be coming back to our home in Hadley in a few weeks. Plan on playing many of the courses and in the championship at Glenview. How are the conditions of the Championship courses. I am most concerned with the greens. Fast, slow, bumpy or great. I would appreciate your comments.
Don Miller
Hadley
Greens are pretty good, but the speed of course depends on how long it had been since they were cut and watered. I find the greens really challenging because they undulate. Not all that easy to read. (My stooping down isn't as good as it used to be. lol)
donaldlmiller
03-05-2009, 03:07 PM
Bogie:
Choose your courses wisely. Don't play the bad ones. If you don't care you can shoot 45 anywhere.
The Great Fumar
03-05-2009, 11:28 PM
personally I am not having any trouble with the condition of the courses , I find that if its a windy day , I just aim a little up wind around the windmill and to the right of the clown's left shoe........and speaking of clowns , If the condition of the course isn't important to you then you might try pickleball..
won a free game .. Fumar .:beer3:
Muncle
03-06-2009, 03:44 AM
Played FDR today and the course was in great shape, as it usually is. The first par 4 could use some better fairway grass on the last 50-75 yds--- the next one is quite good all the way up. All the greens seemed pretty firm, hard to hold for a hacker like me. Most were quite vast. However, some pin placements were downright vicious. On one (#9), we had a 8-10 footer that broke about 3-4 inches. I barely touched the ball, it lipped the cup, almost stopped a foot past the hole, then took a sharp right turn and rolled off the front of the green. A birdie quickly became a bogey. But damn it was fun anyway.
schotzyb
03-06-2009, 08:38 PM
Played Mallory Hill Thursday and found fairways to be very hard. Lots of roll.Greens were lightning fast. Hard to hold the greens on approach shots.
Play Glenview Friday(today) and found fairways to be hard but not extremely so. Greens were absolutely perfect. No bare spots and speed was perfect.
Taj44
03-07-2009, 11:29 AM
My experience has been that Glenview is about the best condition with the exception of Palmer - haven't played there yet this year. The courses south of 466 have really hard fairways, and if you get off the fairway or green, it is basically hardpan. The greens at Mallory had some sort of disease, and they were terrible for awhile, but I've heard they have gotten better. Haven't played there lately to check. The greens at Cane were decent last week. Havana was really hard and dry, so I've avoided that course as well, but their greens are usually pretty fast. I last played Glenview 2 weeks ago, and the greens were a little on the pokey side, but not bad. Of course, things change quickly around here, and they may be faster now.
Played TDS today. Had some bare lies, in fairway as well as off, but I guess is to be expected, with the lack of rain we've had. Greens are pretty good, although today, front side was considerably slower than back, but was told by a friend that works on the course, that they double cut the back side greens this morning, which i liked alot. Overall, I say it's a go to play it right now. I personally love TDS course layout, anyway. when it's in good condition. Is among my top 3 in TV's. That doesn't mean I score the best on it, by any means. Is all you can handle from back tees, and a challenge from any tees, commensurate with your ability.
graciegirl
03-08-2009, 07:45 AM
All of the courses would play much better and the fairway grass would be more dense if they were watered properly. The watering ban, if I understand correctly, extends throughout Florida, because of drought conditions. As we are only allowed to water once a week with our irrigation systems at our homes, I wonder how this is handled on golf courses. Anyone know?
rshoffer
03-08-2009, 08:17 AM
We played mallory Yesterday (Sat)... It was hard as a brick... zero rough... endless hardpan... very dry.
Russ_Boston
03-08-2009, 10:05 AM
Don't mean to interrupt this thread but you guys (gals) are making me crazy. It's 60 degrees here this weekend but still ankle deep in snow!
Keep up the good discussion. I live vicariously through it:laugh:
Russ_Boston
03-11-2009, 10:14 AM
In case you missed it here is an explanation regarding the hard, fast conditions south of 466:
http://www.golfthevillages.com/turftalk.asp
Taj44
03-11-2009, 10:25 AM
We played Glenview yesterday - beautiful fairways and greens. The rough is still brown, but doesn't appear hard and dry like Mallory. They were obviously doing some watering.
schotzyb
03-11-2009, 10:35 AM
I also played Glenview again yesterday and I concur with Taj44's description. Course is in very good shape. Greens are a tad slower than some of the other courses but perfect speed for me.
Muncle
03-11-2009, 10:40 AM
In case you missed it here is an explanation regarding the hard, fast conditions south of 466:
http://www.golfthevillages.com/turftalk.asp
Thanx Russ. I'd never noticed that feature.
Did have to cut 'n paste, however, as the hot link didn't work.
Course report: Played Pelican and the fairways were dry as advertised. The weeds/natural grasses/snake pits seemed to be quite healthy and if anything have increased their magnetic attraction to errant tee shots. On a positive note, when I finally did hit a green, it took a nice ballpark and held well. Except for the mysterious stripe on #8 (or 7 or 6, whatever), all the greens were plush and putted well. --- What is that stripes. Guesses have ranged from vandalism to an escaped Burmese Python that died and rotted there.
`
spk7951
03-11-2009, 11:41 AM
Thanx Russ. I'd never noticed that feature.
Did have to cut 'n paste, however, as the hot link didn't work.
Course report: Played Pelican and the fairways were dry as advertised. The weeds/natural grasses/snake pits seemed to be quite healthy and if anything have increased their magnetic attraction to errant tee shots. On a positive note, when I finally did hit a green, it took a nice ballpark and held well. Except for the mysterious stripe on #8 (or 7 or 6, whatever), all the greens were plush and putted well. --- What is that stripes. Guesses have ranged from vandalism to an escaped Burmese Python that died and rotted there.
`
The mysterious stripe you mentioned on Pelican #8 green was caused by an oil leak on a mower.
Taj44
03-12-2009, 11:19 AM
I also played Glenview again yesterday and I concur with Taj44's description. Course is in very good shape. Greens are a tad slower than some of the other courses but perfect speed for me.
I agree - the greens were a tad on the slow side. On a brighter note, I played 9 holes yesterday at Mallory (Caroline, sigh) and the greens seem much improved over a few weeks ago. The rough is brown but not as dry and hard as it was. I assume they're watering too.
FLBuckeyeIII
03-12-2009, 05:26 PM
The mysterious stripe you mentioned on Pelican #8 green was caused by an oil leak on a mower.
The stripe IS NOT an oil leak.....
It's a hydraulic leak from the greens mower......
FLBuckeyeIII
03-12-2009, 05:30 PM
The greens on Pelican have been sprayed with high amounts of Manganese and different nutrients, not to mention the amount of water on them....
They are a tad slow, but are getting thicker, which is good......
schotzyb
03-12-2009, 06:42 PM
Played Cane Garden (Jacaranda&Allamanda) and both were in great shape. Greens, and fairways both very nice. Faiways fast but not real hard. Greens very nice; some had some "sandy" spots but all in all in great shape.
Played Palmer yesterday, in trmendous shape all around, greens are perfect. I know this is the most expensive course we play in TV's, and would, therefore, expect it to be in good shape, but really is exceptional right now. Well worth the 41 dollars for a priority member, and coming from south florida, is dirt cheap for a course of this quality. I made everything I looked at, greens so smooth. Shot 70, first time under par at Palmer for me.
Russ_Boston
03-13-2009, 09:57 AM
Ok RCT - It's official - you're giving me 5 per side!
70? Nice!
schotzyb
03-13-2009, 12:26 PM
Played Tierra Del Sol today and found the following as far as conditions go. Greens and "T" boxes in very good shape.Fairways not very good. More brown than green and very fast.
Just finished playing Mira Mesa executive, one of my favorite executive layouts. Fairways are marginal, greens have alot of grass on them, very very slow. I wish they were faster, but understand why they tend to keep exec greens slower, because alot of people playing them aren't exactly skilled golfers, so is a good thought to keeping them slower. All in all, worth playing, I guess, considering it Is part of our amenties!
PJOHNS2654
03-14-2009, 07:23 PM
Played Glen View Thurs. great shape. played TDS yesterday even better. Greens were beautiful at TDS.( medium fast):coolsmiley:
Played Silver Lake executive tonight from 7 til dark. Is a fun little course, although out of the way for alot of TV's. Greens have ALOT of grass on them, and very slow, but at least they have grass, unlike a few other execs around right now. The fairways were pretty bare and tight, though. But, is a nice chance to get to see where the whole idea started, in the pre-historic section.
texasfal
03-17-2009, 09:45 AM
Played Oakleigh yesterday. Greens are in terrible shape. Husband says it's time for the grass change. On the other hand, played Belmont Friday and it was gorgeous.
Played Palmer again today, still in great shape, greens just a touch slower than last week, left a few 2 inches short. Shot 72. Reccomend snowbirds to play it before leaving.
schotzyb
03-23-2009, 09:55 AM
Played Glenview this past Thursday and it is in very good condition as it has been for the last several times we played it
Played Nancy Lopez Friday and cannot say enough about the fantastic shape the greens were in. Very, very nice. Fairways also were in good shape. Made for a very enjoyable round
Mallory
03-23-2009, 10:45 AM
Today's rain will help all the courses.
Indy-Guy
03-23-2009, 10:46 AM
The rain today will help all courses. This is the first rain in many weeks. I can't remember the last rain.
sdgolfer
03-26-2009, 11:44 AM
I've been following this thread with great interest since it began. Thanks RCT for starting it. I'm renting in TV for a month beginning April 1, and course conditions are very important to me. This will be my first visit, except for a half day stop in December driving thru the state, and I plan to get in lots of golf, hopefully at least once at each of the championship courses, as well as many of the execs.
Does anyone have any more info on current conditions at courses you've played recently? Have overall conditions improved with the rain? Thanks to all of you who have contributed so far.
sdgolfer :2excited:
Mallory
03-26-2009, 01:37 PM
Mallory's Amelia & Not So Sweet Caroline were very good today. Grass growing well on the fairways and provided good lies although still pretty hard; rough is still hard pan. Greens were also in very good condition.
schotzyb
03-27-2009, 08:14 PM
Played Hacienda Hills today. Course is in very good condition from tee boxes to the greens. The greens are in terrific condition.
schotzyb
04-23-2009, 11:23 AM
Played Orange Blossom Wed and it is is not in the best of conditions. No grass in the rough , only hard ground. Fairways fair but several greens in bad shape; one in particular(can't remember which hole) is burnt brown in spots.
Played Nancy Lopez Thursday and found it to be in only fair conditions. Several greens with "large bad spots" Fairways were good and so were most greens but no rough.
tamike
04-23-2009, 11:37 AM
I am sure there is a reason out there somewhere and no doubt it is $$$ related but if anyone has played that little old course just north of the Villages (Baseline) I am sure you are wondering like me......why cant the Villages courses be in that kind of shape??? I love the way no mater when you go the ball really stands up on the fairways and the greens are so plush.
But dont get me wrong...I love the Villages....Just an observation
Russ_Boston
04-23-2009, 11:46 AM
There have been other good comments about Baseline. Sounds like something I should try.
The Great Fumar
04-23-2009, 01:36 PM
In the last couple of weeks I have played Pelican and Truman and Hawkes Bay and Bogart. All of them had tremendous roll, the winds were always against me and you could use your putter from 20 feet off the green.
Gracie
Thats not a putter , its a three wood .....
Fumar
Indy-Guy
04-23-2009, 01:40 PM
I played Palmer on Friday it is in great shape. Fairways were like hitting off a carpet and greens were in very good shape. I had 2 guests that are good golfers one shot a 76 the other shot a 78. That was the first time they had played in The Villages as both live several hours South of here. They said the fairways at Palmer were the best they have played this season in FL.
We played Mallory on Saturday it is in nice shape but after playing Palmer we were spoiled.
I played Cane Garden today and I thought it was in a little better shape than Mallory was on Saturday.
The Great Fumar
04-23-2009, 01:53 PM
I am sure there is a reason out there somewhere and no doubt it is $$$ related but if anyone has played that little old course just north of the Villages (Baseline) I am sure you are wondering like me......why cant the Villages courses be in that kind of shape??? I love the way no mater when you go the ball really stands up on the fairways and the greens are so plush.
But dont get me wrong...I love the Villages....Just an observation
Baseline (northeast side of Bellview) is a course that everyone should play at least once for the experience .....Its a Mini Augusta , with cart paths lined with palms and greens surrounded by flowers .......
It is owned by a man who has a large landscaping business and does a lot of work here in the Villages.....He knows how to make trees , grass, and flower's grow........the course has waterfalls , ponds and fountains and looks like cypress gardens with golf greens .......If you haven't played it , put it on your MUST list......The course is a little short but fun to play , take it from old fumar ,
FORE goodness sake , play it , Fumar ....:coolsmiley:
Jullie
04-24-2009, 02:38 PM
I agree...Baseline golf course is wonderful. We take all of our company up there. Beautiful flowers & trees too. No tee time required, just wait in line
Mallory: Greens are getting better, just a few bad spots now, and rolling pretty fast. Still not happy with other things, rough is shorter than the fairways, and such bare tight lies around many greens, takes wedges for chipping out of most players hands. See most people putting or using hybrids instead of wedges.
Hacienda: In pretty good shape all around, very lush. Only complaint is in consistency of bunkers, too much sand in some, very fluffy, but, then again, a good way to combat that is to stay out of them!!
Palmer: In as good a shape as I have seen it since moving here. Just about perfect.
Havana: About the same as Mallory, with fairways still hard and faster than Mallory, though. Greens are better than they have been all winter.
schotzyb
04-24-2009, 07:53 PM
Played Glenview today. As has been the case every time I have played there, it was in excellent shape from tee boxes to the greens.
Taj44
04-24-2009, 09:18 PM
I agree. Glenview is the best of all the courses, with the exception of Palmer. Have always enjoyed playing Glenview.
Played Havana today and was disappointed. The fairways are green but they are very hard, like concrete, and greens were not all that receptive. If you roll off the green, the ball will roll quite a ways and you are chipping off a really tight lie. Hacienda is lush on the fairways, but off the fairways you can get some really horrible lies. In some places just a foot or so off the fairways there is just dust, absolutely no grass. But the grass directly in front of the greens is nice to chip off of, and the greens at Hacienda are pretty speedy, but very consistent throughout the entire course.
schotzyb
04-28-2009, 05:21 PM
Played Havana Monday. As previous posters stated, course was like playing on concrete. Playing partner hit a drive 301 yards where his normal drives are 240-250 yards. Impossible to stop a ball on the greens unless hit so high it "brought rain"
schotzyb
04-30-2009, 03:19 PM
Played Cane Garden Wednesday and was pleasantly surprised. Other than tee boxes being very hard course was in good condition. Fairways were very green and plush and there was actually some "rough" though it was short,but better than bare ground. Greens were fast and fairly hard but it was possible to stay on them on your approach shots.
schotzyb
05-07-2009, 08:39 AM
Played Palmer yesterday and found course to be in very good condition considering the lack of rain we have had The rough is actually green. There are some bare spots but all in all course is in very good shape. Greens very fast, at least for me they were.
schotzyb
05-16-2009, 10:27 PM
Played Hacienda Hills Friday and found course to be in pretty good shape considering our drought conditions. Several greens had some brown spots but not too bad. Greens were slow' maybe not cutting them as short due to lack of rain.
schotzyb
05-18-2009, 06:12 AM
Played Mallory Sunday and it is very much improved from 2-3 weeks ago. Greens are in very good condition. One green has some areas that appear to have been a leak in the mowing equipment but not a major issue. Still not a lot of rough but the rain we are getting should help.
cabo35
05-31-2009, 06:20 PM
Played Glenview this morning. First two holes were modified to par 3's because of heavy ponding at front end of fairway. Should be back to normal sometime this week according to ambassador. Call first
Greens - horrible - recent airation and sand made direction and distance an adventure
Fairways - generally good
All water hazards flooded and bigger than usual
Playing a round in well under 4 hours with no one in front of you or behind you....priceless
schotzyb
05-31-2009, 06:54 PM
Played Palmer today and the greens were terrible; burned to crisp and hard as a rock. Hard to believe with all the rain we have been lucky enough to receive that the greens could be in this bad of condition. Must be something other than lack of water causing this. Riley Grove greens were the worst I have seen here since I have been here.
The Great Fumar
05-31-2009, 07:57 PM
Played TREETOPS yesterday and the course conditions were fabulous ...Truly one of the best Golf Courses in the country.....
Well,,,,,,, you didn't say where !!!!
Fumar
schotzyb
06-05-2009, 06:36 PM
Played Cane Garden today and was pleasantly surprised with the great condition the entire course was in. Greens were excellent but much slower than the burnt out greens at Palmer and Havana.
Indy-Guy
06-17-2009, 09:49 AM
Played Palmer Laural Valley / Riley Grove yesterday greens are still in poor condition. Perhaps a couple of weeks away from back to near where they should be they have been working on them alot. Fairways are in great condition.
Cane Garden is perhaps the best shape that I have ever seen it.
The Championship 5:30 all you can play for $5.00 is getting alot of play. Play is slow as I think that many that don't normally play the Championship Courses are taking advantage of the $5.00 rate. I understand that this was to be a June only thing but with the play it has gotten perhaps they will extend it. Also needs to be noted that there are no rain checks and no computer tee times.
Taj44
06-29-2009, 01:38 PM
I agree - played Cane last week, and it was terrific. Played Lopez as well, and have to say was disappointed. Fairways were good, but greens on Torri were awful. I've heard Mallory is good as well. How are conditions at Tierra, anyone play there lately?
Cane is beautiful right now for sure, Mallory also close to that. Taz, played Tierra, and is playing a 7.5 out of 10, I'd say. Haven't been to Palmer, and won't until I hear the greens are back to where they usually are. Playing Havana tomorrow, hopefully. Will report on that then. Sorry, haven't been contributing to the thread that I started much lately. Was away, then haven't been playing too much recently. Will be back to normal after the 4th with my take on the courses more.
Played TREETOPS yesterday and the course conditions were fabulous ...Truly one of the best Golf Courses in the country.....
Well,,,,,,, you didn't say where !!!!
Fumar Is Rick Smith still there, Fumar?
schotzyb
06-30-2009, 05:06 PM
Played Mallory this afternoon in the rain and I have to admit that the course is in very good condition. Greens are the best I have seen there(Mallory) in a while. A couple blothes on some but all in all very good. Play Cane Garden Thursday and Glenview Friday.
Played Havana on Tuesday, is in very nice shape. Best I have seen it in the year i have lived here.
golfnut
07-03-2009, 01:30 PM
Fumar, although I admit this is a belated reply, have you ever played Threetops??......GN
The Great Fumar
07-03-2009, 04:51 PM
Fumar, although I admit this is a belated reply, have you ever played Threetops??......GN
Funny you should mention treetops .......I have two free passes on my dresser as we speak........Will try to get there sometime in the next three weeks.......will let you know what I think of it ..
Fumar
Indy-Guy
08-07-2009, 03:42 PM
Played Mallory Virginia/Amelia yesterday both 9 are in good condition.
schotzyb
02-24-2010, 11:37 PM
Since there has been so much talk about the courses conditions latel,I thought I would resurrect this old thread. Beartrack started a thread about the executive courses green conditions and it got hijacked to everything else . This old thread can be for the Championship courses if you like. I am playing Cane Garden tomorrow and I will posts it's condition afterwards.
ajbrown
02-25-2010, 06:51 AM
This will be very subjective to one's experience(s), but could be fun. I played Jacaranda to Allamanda yesterday (only 4 holes on Allamanda due to rain :cus:)
My rating:
1 - being I would go in and ask for my money back
5 - Would not come back unless I had no choices.
10 - being a PGA Tour championship course played the week a tournament in town.
Most of my rating is about the greens. I am not too picky about fairways as long as whatever grass is there is short.
IMO Cane was a 7, which is acceptable to me this winter as I do believe weather matters and am providing some slack.
Are the greens pristine? No, and a few pin placements were in the worst conditioned part of the green. The placer could have been better by moving 6-8 feet in either direction without changing the characteristics of the hole.
Did I miss a putt because the greens? No and I missed plenty ;)
I will go back there without issue.
BB14616
02-25-2010, 07:16 AM
This will be very subjective to one's experience(s), but could be fun. I played Jacaranda to Allamanda yesterday (only 4 holes on Allamanda due to rain :cus:)
My rating:
1 - being I would go in and ask for my money back
5 - Would not come back unless I had no choices.
10 - being a PGA Tour championship course played the week a tournament in town.
Most of my rating is about the greens. I am not too picky about fairways as long as whatever grass is there is short.
IMO Cane was a 7, which is acceptable to me this winter as I do believe weather matters and am providing some slack.
Are the greens pristine? No, and a few pin placements were in the worst conditioned part of the green. The placer could have been better by moving 6-8 feet in either direction without changing the characteristics of the hole.
Did I miss a putt because the greens? No and I missed plenty ;)
I will go back there without issue.
I agree. Of the championship courses I've played lately, Cane is about the best other than Lopez. I played Mallory last week, Caroline to Virginia. Would give it about a 6. Greens had a lot of rough areas, pretty bumpy, and fairways were splotchy. Bunkers didn't seem to have enough sand in them, or they needed to be raked deeper. It wouldn't be my choice to play there again for awhile. Hacienda has been about a 7. The greens were decent, fairways needed work. If you get off the fairways you can run into areas with little or no grass. Lopez was about and 8. Most greens were very good and fairways good. One bad bunker full of stones. Lopez practice green is pretty rough, but on the course the greens were better. Orange Blossm I'd give a 2. Awful, just awful. Greeens and fairways were bad, not enough sand in bunkers, areas with no grass at all just dust.
If you are concerned about the golf course conditions, I contacted the District Board (on golfthevillages.com) a few days ago and the email went out to all the members, asking them who to contact regarding golf course conditions. Most of the members got back to me and told me to contact Country Club Administration at 753-3396 and they would be able to point me in the right direction. Mr. Basso is at that number, and is the Golf Opoerations Manager of the Villages, and works closely with each facilities manager. I suggest that all of us who have concerns, let Mr. Basso know, so they cannot say that people are satisfied.
schotzyb
02-25-2010, 08:16 PM
As stated earlier we (a foursome) played Cane Garden today and to say the least, I was pleasantly surprised. The greens were in good shape with only a couple showing thin grass in a couple of spots. Pristine, no but good for the amount of play they are getting now and the time of year and weather conditions we are subject to. My only quetion is, if Cane Garden can provide us with a course in this codition, then why can't they all?
Bosoxfan
02-25-2010, 10:38 PM
This will be very subjective to one's experience(s), but could be fun. I played Jacaranda to Allamanda yesterday (only 4 holes on Allamanda due to rain :cus:)
My rating:
1 - being I would go in and ask for my money back
5 - Would not come back unless I had no choices.
10 - being a PGA Tour championship course played the week a tournament in town.
Most of my rating is about the greens. I am not too picky about fairways as long as whatever grass is there is short.
IMO Cane was a 7, which is acceptable to me this winter as I do believe weather matters and am providing some slack.
Are the greens pristine? No, and a few pin placements were in the worst conditioned part of the green. The placer could have been better by moving 6-8 feet in either direction without changing the characteristics of the hole.
Did I miss a putt because the greens? No and I missed plenty ;)
I will go back there without issue.
Thank you for this post.I have guests coming next week and really would appreciate feedback from people playing the championship courses.Thanks again!!:thumbup:
Pturner
02-25-2010, 10:47 PM
Ever the silver lining person, I just surprised myself and spotted a dark cloud:
If they improve all the greens and fairways before I get back in April, I'll have to find another excuse.
:sigh:
schotzyb
02-26-2010, 08:52 PM
Played Havana early this morning. Frost delay until 8:30 so greens were unable to be mowed which is understandable. All in all the greens were in good shape. Slow due to the longer grass but very few bare spots. Fairways were "spotty" at best.
canuk69
02-27-2010, 04:13 PM
Play a few courses outside the Villages and you will see what decent Greens should be like. With the Ammenity Fees we pay I can't imagine why we can't get better quality.
chuckster
02-27-2010, 08:37 PM
Play a few courses outside the Villages and you will see what decent Greens should be like. With the Ammenity Fees we pay I can't imagine why we can't get better quality.
Have done just that and have have found some in good, not excellent condition and others that were not good bordering on poor in AND outside the villages. Incidentally amenity fees only cover Exec. courses, Green fees support Championship courses.
Been here for 6 years and this has been the worst year for weather conditions hostile to course conditions both in AND outside the villages. Soon (April/May) the weather changes for the better (warmer) and growing conditions will improve. Also more t-times available:beer3:.
ajbrown
03-01-2010, 07:37 PM
Played Havana Sunday. Kilimanjaro to Kenya, I put it in the same category as Cane, 7 of 10, very playable....
The weather on the other hand I put at 5 of 10 for 'almost March' in FL. Does anyone have a number we can call to make sure someone is aware of the issue ;)?
Pturner
03-01-2010, 08:58 PM
Played Havana Sunday. Kilimanjaro to Kenya, I put it in the same category as Cane, 7 of 10, very playable....
The weather on the other hand I put at 5 of 10 for 'almost March' in FL. Does anyone have a number we can call to make sure someone is aware of the issue ;)?
Not sure of the number, but it's in the phone book under Punxsutawney Phil. His phone, hell. I'd like to ring his :censored: neck!
kwachowski
03-01-2010, 09:22 PM
Played Orange Blossom on 2/28 and the greens were sparse and bumpy, fairways were thin. I think the cold weather has hurt the course
schotzyb
03-02-2010, 07:05 PM
Played Tierra Del Sol today and all in all i was in fairly good condition(a 7 on a scale of 1-10) Greens were slow; had not been cut due to heavy rain.One thing worthy of mention is that #4 fairway was in terrible shape. Heavy blotches of what appeared to be diseased grass. Looked like massive divots.
schotzyb
03-04-2010, 08:56 PM
Played Hacienda Hills today and found it in very good condition cosidering the weather we have been stuck with lately. Greens were as good as any I have played here in The Villages the last couple of months . On a negative note , I did think some of the pin placements were in some very precarious spots making even a two footer an adventure.
golf2140
03-04-2010, 09:15 PM
Played Hacienda Hills today and found it in very good condition cosidering the weather we have been stuck with lately. Greens were as good as any I have played here in The Villages the last couple of months . On a negative note , I did think some of the pin placements were in some very precarious spots making even a two footer an adventure.
I agree about the conditions. I played the same rotation today with three gentlemen.
schotzyb
03-05-2010, 05:08 PM
Played Mallory Hill(Caroline and Virginia) today and found the course to be in very good condition. The greens were the best I have seen in a month or so . Fairways were a little spotty but should fill in nicely when the weather improves
Bogie Shooter
03-05-2010, 05:18 PM
Played Havana Sunday. Kilimanjaro to Kenya, I put it in the same category as Cane, 7 of 10, very playable....
The weather on the other hand I put at 5 of 10 for 'almost March' in FL. Does anyone have a number we can call to make sure someone is aware of the issue ;)?
Try 1-800-God.
ajbrown
03-05-2010, 07:46 PM
Hacienda today, Palms to Lakes. IMO the greens were better than Cane/Havana.
I still did not putt well, starting to think it might not be the greens ;)
ajbrown
03-08-2010, 07:09 AM
Played Tierra yesterday. With the exception of number 10, they are the best greens I have played in TV recently. Have only played 4 times in past couple of weeks (Tierra, Hacienda, Havana, Cane). All courses very playable.
graciegirl
03-08-2010, 07:45 AM
I played nine holes at Truman. Like hitting off a sidewalk. Very hard winter here. Not at all like last year.
Got lots of roll...........
schotzyb
03-08-2010, 08:43 PM
Played Mallory Hill(Amelia and Caroline) today.The greens were not very good especially on Amelia. Lots of bares spots and ball bounced all over the place on putts. Caroline was a little better but still would only rate about a 5.
grayesun
03-09-2010, 10:03 AM
I played nine holes at Truman. Like hitting off a sidewalk. Very hard winter here. Not at all like last year.
Got lots of roll...........
Agreed graciegirl, we played Truman (for 1st time) the other day and found same conditions plus a frigid wind chill.
Looking on the bright side of life; recently had my 1st ever 270+ yard drive with all that downhill rolling at De La Vista.
ajbrown
10-25-2010, 06:20 AM
Old thread but as good a place as any to post this. I just looked back at posts from last spring and want to clear up one thing, I do not work for Tierra Del Sol :)
I played Tierra yesterday (Sunday) and found the greens to be very good. Had a good pace for greens in TV. They overseed starting Saturday, so if you have not been there for a bit you may wish to try it out before it changes. IMO, it was better than Cane (HIB/JAC) or Glenview (FR/SC)
PS. They also still have the yardage markers every 25 yards. I hope they keep them.
Pturner
10-25-2010, 11:19 AM
Old thread but as good a place as any to post this. I just looked back at posts from last spring and want to clear up one thing, I do not work for Tierra Del Sol :)
Oh sure. Take the O'Donnell defense.
Mikeod
10-25-2010, 01:24 PM
Old thread but as good a place as any to post this. I just looked back at posts from last spring and want to clear up one thing, I do not work for Tierra Del Sol :)
I played Tierra yesterday (Sunday) and found the greens to be very good. Had a good pace for greens in TV. They overseed starting Saturday, so if you have not been there for a bit you may wish to try it out before it changes. IMO, it was better than Cane (HIB/JAC) or Glenview (FR/SC)
PS. They also still have the yardage markers every 25 yards. I hope they keep them.
You've hit on one of my minor frustrations. Over the summer, the bermuda greens get really good. They get them rolling smooth and fast just in time to overseed and they get slow and a little bumpy for a while. Then, when they get good again with the overseed, it's time to kill off the overseed and let the bermuda take over, so they get a little sparse and bumpy again. I've always felt the seasonal residents don't get to see the courses at their best because that occurs in the summer.
Don't misunderstand. The courses are very enjoyable year round, just better at some times than others.
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