Golf Course Reviews
Golf Course Reviews: California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Florida, Hawaii!After many years of staying away, and for good reason, decided to chance a round. Green fee walking on a Friday was very fair. Wet, muddy conditions all around. E.g., Casual water, almost a pond, in front of 1 green. Brutal to hit out of thick, mushy rough. Hadn't rained in couple of weeks, so I didn't understand over-watered conditions. Pace was brutally slow. Greens are small, some are domed, presumably as protection for the short distances on many par 4s. On #1 you realize the tricks the course designer put in as there is a large tree just in front of green, blocking 75% of any approach. Beginners gather here so extra time, without a thought for etiquette, taken to search for errant shots as you watch from behind. Range balls are kept in large plastic tubs, unwashed. Every ball was muddy. Won't return to play on poorly maintained course.
Played here on 12-2-19. Recent booking policy is to constantly adjust the green fee for different times each day. So, you have to decide whether to book now at a possibly higher price, or wait closer to the date u want to play and hope for a price drop. It's like playing the stock market. I have a Creek Card, but it saved me only $10. Even though it hadn't rained for a few days, when I checked in it was cart path only for all 18 holes. No warning on their app re cpo. You have to call the pro shop the morning you're going to play to find out conditions. The fairways were very shaggy in spots. Looked like normal rough. The rough was brutal - long & sticky, with deep holes. The practice green near the range was punched and bumpy. Fortunately, the greens were in better shape. Pace was a reasonable 4 1/2 hours. I'll skip buying a Creek Card for 2020. No longer worth the ever increasing price.
Very quick pace as single yesterday on hot day: 3:15 hours. First time here. Lots of elevation changes and some blind shots. Greens in good shape: Smooth, rolled quick. Fairways were thin, even bare in spots. Rough was very inconsistent. Did not play long from blue tees. Hit some ridges on back of greens and ball rolled down 10-20 feet. #5 was particularly tough as it wraps way around to right from tee box in secluded nook. Fairway 200y out from green goes right of it, then over a small lake. Guessed direction/distance on couple of shots. Recommend coming back as course knowledge could lead to a good score. Course plays in valleys in between homes on both sides of fairways.
Played yesterday pm. Pace was fine, about 2 hours on front 9; slower on back 9. Conditions had deteriorated since my last visits in July. Dried out fairways and greens left patchy, uneven surfaces. Greens running slow, had trouble convincing myself to hit ball hard enough on long lags. Fairways were scruffy, some dirt lies, with little potholes in fairways and in rough just off. Got very warm at end of round, but cart came by in timely fashion for cold drinks. Sand in traps was inconsistent: sometimes damp hard pan, v. , e.g., very fluffy in left greenside bunker on #15. Creek Card still a worthwhile option if you play here regularly. Led to use of points to cover my round. Cart path only on #2 and 12.
Haven't played here in a few years. Early pm tee time on a Friday. No starter. Place has fallen into disrepair. Fairways are chewed up, full of potholes. Hard to distinguish between fairways and rough. Dirt mounds, weeds everywhere. Cart paths are an adventure as bounce around in and out of holes. Greens in best condition of any area on course. Green fee was appropriately low considering the lack of attention paid to maintenance. Smooth fairways are long gone. There are barbershop size poles in middle of fairways as distance markers. I hit one and ball ricochet sideways. Why aren't they located on border of fairways? Pro shop shelves half empty. Personnel were understanding when I found empty ball machine for range. Got another ticket no hassle and machine was filled up in timely manner. Pace good at 4 hours.
Played yesterday, early afternoon tee time as single. Joined up with 3some. Hadn't been here for months due to rain, poor conditions. Greens were good, not marked up, rolling quick and smooth. Fairways in good shape. Rough wasn't too high, but ball rolled into some holes. Getting good clubhead contact on buried ball was difficult. Sand in traps uneven - some hardpan, some fluffy (e.g., front left bunker on 14). Pace was very slow: 5:10 hours. Creek Card still a decent deal, esp. for seniors. Hitting off range mats still too hard on hands & arms. Pin positions were tough. Some were right along edges of greens. Will return, hope for faster round next time.
Had a late tee time yesterday, ca. 12:50 pm. Big mistake. Started on time. But, I knew it was a bad sign when we waited for 10 minutes on the #2 tee box, a par 4. Pace was reduced to 3 holes an hour. Course was in good shape, but we had no rhythm as long waits in between shots. I lost focus. Group behind us was impatient and on our heels, but nothing we could do about it. By the #9 tee box, nearly 3 hours later, we had enough of the crawl, so all 4 of us left the course. We were not going to finish before dark. Got to start in the morning for a tolerable pace.
Very disappointed/upset at the pro shop employee yesterday. Our foursome are all walkers. Our leader tried to book a tee time last week through the CM golf course website but was unable to do so. Instead, he was directed by a CM GC email to book on GolfNow.com, which accepted the booking. At check-in we were told, for the first time, we had to pay the extra $15 cart fee even though we informed him we were walking, anyway. Many other courses use GolfNow to reserve the spot, and the amount actually paid is determined upon check-in: based upon whether you qualify for senior/walking/twilight, etc., rates. In a pathetic and futile gesture, we were handed two cart keys, "in case we decided to ride on the back 9." One of the incentives to play here is the lower green fees, especially the walking rate. That benefit was cancelled out with the higher cost. So, we had to endure the long waits on the par 3 tee boxes leading to the 5 hour pace, which you expect here, without the consolation of a good price. I've never been treated so callously here before. A shame because I like the layout and the greens were in good shape. Not likely to return for quite some time.
Played here today. I really like the layout. There are bailout areas for most shots. Pace of play was great. The fairways were in fine shape. However, the scarce crowd may have been the result of horrible greens. Are players avoiding AT cuz of the failing greens? They were patchy, uneven, checkerboard pattern. I had only a handful of putts that stayed on a consistent smooth surface. Otherwise, putts were an adventure thru multiple surfaces and speed. 6 weeks ago the greens were much better. I'll have to wait until cooler weather & healthier greens to return.
Came here on a recommendation as never played in Phoenix area before. Able to book as a single a month in advance at a discounted rate. Had weekday am tee time. Weather was great. Course staff were friendly. Range balls included in green fee. Got paired up with a nice guy from Vancouver & a couple from Toronto. My riding partner had played here two weeks ago, and said course conditions were scruffy. He was right. Little pebbles and sand on fairways. Front 9 had really wide fairways so it was easy to keep tee shots and hybrid approaches in play. Traps had very little sand, so clubheads bounced off hard pan bottoms. Greens were rock hard/slippery fast. Rarely found a ball mark to fix. Back 9 was tricky with some unfair shots. For example, #10 had a left to right slant after a big drop from tee box. I hit a straight 150 yd approach from middle of fwy down the throat to green middle. But, I found ball pin high in right greenside bunker 20 feet below green. Hit up and out to green and ball rolled back into trap. Wow! Pace was on slow side, about 5 hours; lots of waiting in fwy for group ahead of us to clear green. If I ever play in Phoenix again I will try elsewhere. I'm use to better conditioned courses for less $ in Orange County & Long Beach.
Conditions are deteriorating, probably due to lack of water. Fairways are getting patchy. Found myself on very thin lies, even hard-packed dirt. Greens are still good, must be taking extra care to water and keep smooth. Bunkers are inconsistent, although we saw maintenance workers putting in sand on a few greenside traps that had been hard pan. Pace of play was typical 5+ hours. #18 has been playing easier now that fairway bunkers have been removed.
Unplayable. The course should be closed until it dries up. Don't come here for at least another week. Played today, full price walking. Many holes have ponds running across the fairways. You cannot find a dry spot to play your ball out of casual water. On #11, moved my ball 30-40 yards to get to reasonably dry spot to hit approach. My shot in the middle of #13 disappeared in water on the fairway. Did not find it. I could not keep an honest score. The lake at #18 green flooded across the fairway. Greens were ok. I trudged through muddy water all day. Like playing in a marsh. Terrible experience. I complained at the pro shop after the round about no warning at check-in about the standing water, yet still greedily charging me full price to walk. I got this reply: "I'm sorry. I'll let my manager know." At least, offer a discount to compensate for temporarily bad conditions. Many courses lower their prices for a week or two after punching the greens. Why not do it when you got ponds in the fairways?
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