I found myself in Surprise on business, finished early and decided to try this course out. Like Julia Roberts said to the snotty store clerk in Pretty Woman, "Big mistake. BIG mistake."

Most tee b... Continue »

I found myself in Surprise on business, finished early and decided to try this course out. Like Julia Roberts said to the snotty store clerk in Pretty Woman, "Big mistake. BIG mistake."

Most tee boxes were neglected Kikuyu, grassy enough but overgrown (though some on the back 9 were mowed properly, it only made me wonder why ALL of them weren't like this). A number of tee boxes also weren't level. The fairways were an utterly overwatered, muddy mess, with many bare spots scattered throughout the course. Grass clippings were everywhere as well, forcing me to clean around my ball time and again to get a good shot. Greens were very soft and very slow. You could shoot a golf ball out of a bazooka and it would slow down after 30 feet on these greens. Never made it into a bunker, but the sand in them looked thin and crispy. The aptly named rough appears to be simply not mowed, as opposed to cultivated.

The few water stations on the course poured out tepid, poorly tasting water and the cart paths had so many potholes that they must have been sponsored by a local chiropractor. Really, the course just seems old and neglected, with no memorable holes or style, just a long, flat, dreary march back to the clubhouse.

When compared to the Del Webb's seven courses that are available in the same area (in far superior shape and less expensive), Hillcrest simply seems superfluous. Knowing what I know now, I'll only golf at Grandview et al, and keep this course off my rotation.

CP