Not to be confused with Quail Hollow in Charlotte, NC - this place used to be private, but struggled with the economy and went semi-private in Feb 2009. The best part is that most people don't know it exists, so you can usually get a pretty decent tee-time on weekends even only a few days before. The cost is pretty fair for a course of this caliber. What I like: - Price ($78 including cart)
- Availability of tee-times
- Challenging layout - first & last holes (par 5's) are BEARS - definite 3-shots, #12 should be a par 5, and #13 requires a solid 5-iron with little room for bail-out (see pic below)...
- #13 Par 3 - 173 yds (from Blacks) over water (Hcp 8). There is absolutely no bailout (except 5 yds of fairway to the right). I had to hit a nearly perfect 5 iron, to leave myself with a 30-footer.
- #18 Par 5 - 557 yds (from Blacks) alongside brook & over water (Hcp 2). You cannot bail right on your drive, yet the fairway is only about 20 yds wide. Your second shot has to be 175-200 yards to leave yourself 150 yds+ away with all carry to the finishing green. 3 tough shots to get home here.
What I don't love: - Ranger - one ranger I've had there is the opposite of everything you look for in a good starter - he basically denigrates everyone coming thru with his know-it-all attitude. Having said that - another UK / Irish ranger was awesome.
- No range - only members are allowed to use the range and even then, they can only use irons. It's tough to come out to this tough a course without hitting any balls.
- Difficulty - this place is short (7400 from the tips), but VERY difficult (73.8 rating / 138 slope) so if you're not hitting it straight, you're gonna lose a lot of golf balls and be very frustrated. But if you like a stiff challenge where virtually every shot demands your focus & concentration, you'll like playing from the tips at this course.
- Course layout - as I said above, overall I love this course, but there are some aspects of the design that make you scratch your head - like when you drive back towards the 9th tee on the 7th hole, and when you drive thru some burrowed out tunnel between #11 and #12.
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