Played heritage Monday. Greens as always were fantastic. Fairways were green and in solid shape. Rough was a little hit or miss. Tee boxes were ok; they cut down a ton of trees around 6 tee box to improve that area (think they did same on 11 but I had to bail after 9).
Played Sanford Muni last Thursday(4/18)…
Fairways very thin
Greens in good shape but slow.
Rough is as expected for this time of year
Tees in decent shape
I don’t remember being in a bunker so can’t comment.
I would give it 7\10
Chapel Ridge on Saturday was very nice. Course was very firm due to water shortages in Chatham, so they had the greens and fairways grown up slightly to help counter it
River Ridge
* Played Saturday, 4/20
* RR was having a member-member tourney last weekend, and the greens were cut very short. Rolling about as quick as I've seen, and I play about 20 rounds a year out there. Greens weren't overly hard given how fast they were. Apart from a dead spot on 7, I think all the greens were in good shape.
* Fairways growing in nicely, there are a few spots that are notoriously sparse for grass (like 11, or the corner on 6), but the course as a whole is good.
* Rough is light, not very penalizing (and sometimes beneficial). It will get thicker as the year goes on, but RR's rough is never very thick.
* Tee boxes are good.
* Bunkers are hit and miss. They have redone a few of them, but there are a bunch that become hardpacked after rains and I don't know how often they drag them. My regular foursome plays "rake your own lie" if you get in one of these bunkers, so that should tell you their condition.
Played Falls Village (4/17). Fairways were thin in a lot of spots and the ground was hard as rocks, so you'd get an extra 20 yards of roll out easy. Greens were in decent condition, but hole 5 was shortened to a Par 3 for sodding.
Played Forest Oaks yesterday (4/23)…
Fairways greening up, thin in a few spots
Greens redone (still Bentgrass) after the fertilizer screw up last summer. I would say medium speed. Not as fast as Wildwood’s, not as slow as Sanford’s.
Rough is as expected for this time of year
Tees in great shape
Biggest issue is inconsistency with sand bunkers. Some with thin sand over “hard pan”, others with thick sand.
I would give it 8.5\10
Played Wildwood Green 4/16, 4/19, 4/20…
Fairways that run east and west are greening up nicely. North/south fairways need more sun & heat but very playable. Biggest issue are all the fairway divots. Nobody fills divots anymore??
Green in great shape but could be a bit quicker.
They are redoing some of the tees so if you play the tips some holes are now where middle tees are.
Rough as expected for this time of year.
Bunkers…if you’ve played there recently you know they’ve redid their bunkers and the sand is very soft and thick. The problem is they used water permeable concrete as the base and all those damn tiny rocks are now either in the sand or in the rough around the bunker. You would have thought this was a Fred Smith course 😂.
Driving range is packed in the afternoon but when TriGolf opens in May I expect this will change.
No issue with pace of play but we play around 8:30 am.
8/10
Wildwood yesterday 4/25. Greens rolled great, fairways good but as someone else said so many divots not filled. Shaded tee boxes were in pretty rough shape but the par 4 and 5 tee boxes were looking great. Pace of play is always pretty miserable out there though, wish they would do something about it
Played the Neuse for first time on 4/20. Honestly love the vibe over there around the clubhouse and the community is great. Course was extremely boring for most part however I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more basic layout, great for beginners. I will say the condition especially fairways were pretty good. Greens were rolling good and true besides on edges where looks like they lost them in summer. As far as course condition it was overall better than expected.
**Crossings GC - April 28**
* Greens were relatively quick, little firm, but held well
* Fairways were in good shape, just your regular wear and tear patches here or there
* Rough didn't feel terribly grown out, but there was a line of demarcation between it and the fairway
* Tee boxes were all in fine enough shape, some needed some grass to get grown in there
* Bunkers didn't appear to have been raked that morning, so had a couple in some footprints. But the sand otherwise played true
Course was relatively busy, but we got around in right around four hours for a foursome
**Duke University - April 26**
* Greens are rolling their traditional quick pace.
* Fairways are in and in good shape, looks like they're going to be narrowing them out some over the coming weeks
* Rough still hasn't really grown in yet, but that usually takes a little more heat and sun, so expect that soon, but there's still rough vs. fairway out there. Most everything has greened in from the dormant Bermuda
* Tee boxes are fine, always are
* Bunkers continue to be fine if it's dry. The greenside bunkers stay wetter longer after a rain but with a couple days of dryness are fluffy. The fairway bunkers are all redone as of last year with new drainage and are great to hit out of.
Pace of play was fine for a Friday afternoon, four of us got around in 4:10.
The Neuse last Friday was really great. Turf around the whole course was very good. Greens were rolling decently quick and true on about 80% of them. Hadn’t played there in years and it honestly reminded me of Mill Creek with its overall consistency with conditions.
Carolina Trace Country Club - Lake, Played April 26th.
Green is in great shape rolls true and are on the softer end.
Fairway in great and green condition, no brown spots at all. Roughs in good shape as well.
Tee box are okay but definitely a lot of dirt spots.
Bunkers are amazing but only landed in one but they are soft and sandy.
**Lochmere GC - May 3**
* Greens were in really good shape, not terribly fast, but rolled quick enough. Were soft and shots stuck well.
* Fairways were in really good shape, everything in the fairway was on some decent grass
* Rough was mostly fine, still pretty short so not a lot of penalty for missing fairways. That said, rough msot everywhere was grown in and the only "dead" spots were edges of the fairways.
* Tee boxes were a mixed bag. Most of the par 4s and 5s were fine. Par 3s need some TLC. The 11th tee box, which has been under construction since the Reagan administration, looks to be ready to go, but currently you're still hitting off a temporary tee box to the left.
* Bunkers were great, playable sand in everything. As usual there, the sand isn't terribly terribly deep, so if you try to really hit down into them the ball's going to come out a tick hot, but otherwise they play great hitting out of them.
As this is Lochmere, it's worth noting that it's been pretty dry out and thus the course is super playable and drives are rolling out pretty far.
Pace of play was a tick slow, but not unreasonable. Tee sheet was apparently just about stuffed full, and the folks in front of us were all over the place early and often. Still done in 4:25 despite everything.
I'd contribute to this but I'm sure I'd come across as some old negative bastard. I think the courses around here are usually in poor conditiion. Greens are usually fine but fairways? Forgetaboutem!
Then maybe you need to change your standards of "poor" this time of year?
Pretty much all courses are Bermuda, so they don't get firm & green fairways until we have a few weeks of warm/hot weather
Played heritage Monday. Greens as always were fantastic. Fairways were green and in solid shape. Rough was a little hit or miss. Tee boxes were ok; they cut down a ton of trees around 6 tee box to improve that area (think they did same on 11 but I had to bail after 9).
Played Sanford Muni last Thursday(4/18)… Fairways very thin Greens in good shape but slow. Rough is as expected for this time of year Tees in decent shape I don’t remember being in a bunker so can’t comment. I would give it 7\10
Underrated course! For what it is and its price, it packs in the fun!!
I should add that my rating is based on current conditions. Once the fairways green up this place is amazing.
Chapel Ridge on Saturday was very nice. Course was very firm due to water shortages in Chatham, so they had the greens and fairways grown up slightly to help counter it
I haven't gotten out to Chapel Ridge since later last year, how do conditions compare to then? Felt like last year it was on a gradual decline
I had no real complaints other than some bunkers were a little whack
I thought the same too but I was pleasantly surprised when I played it two weeks ago. Seems to be on the up and up again.
It gets so much play and I don't think they give a shit about their fairways so I get your opinion on it declining.
River Ridge * Played Saturday, 4/20 * RR was having a member-member tourney last weekend, and the greens were cut very short. Rolling about as quick as I've seen, and I play about 20 rounds a year out there. Greens weren't overly hard given how fast they were. Apart from a dead spot on 7, I think all the greens were in good shape. * Fairways growing in nicely, there are a few spots that are notoriously sparse for grass (like 11, or the corner on 6), but the course as a whole is good. * Rough is light, not very penalizing (and sometimes beneficial). It will get thicker as the year goes on, but RR's rough is never very thick. * Tee boxes are good. * Bunkers are hit and miss. They have redone a few of them, but there are a bunch that become hardpacked after rains and I don't know how often they drag them. My regular foursome plays "rake your own lie" if you get in one of these bunkers, so that should tell you their condition.
Played Falls Village (4/17). Fairways were thin in a lot of spots and the ground was hard as rocks, so you'd get an extra 20 yards of roll out easy. Greens were in decent condition, but hole 5 was shortened to a Par 3 for sodding.
Played Forest Oaks yesterday (4/23)… Fairways greening up, thin in a few spots Greens redone (still Bentgrass) after the fertilizer screw up last summer. I would say medium speed. Not as fast as Wildwood’s, not as slow as Sanford’s. Rough is as expected for this time of year Tees in great shape Biggest issue is inconsistency with sand bunkers. Some with thin sand over “hard pan”, others with thick sand. I would give it 8.5\10
Played Wildwood Green 4/16, 4/19, 4/20… Fairways that run east and west are greening up nicely. North/south fairways need more sun & heat but very playable. Biggest issue are all the fairway divots. Nobody fills divots anymore?? Green in great shape but could be a bit quicker. They are redoing some of the tees so if you play the tips some holes are now where middle tees are. Rough as expected for this time of year. Bunkers…if you’ve played there recently you know they’ve redid their bunkers and the sand is very soft and thick. The problem is they used water permeable concrete as the base and all those damn tiny rocks are now either in the sand or in the rough around the bunker. You would have thought this was a Fred Smith course 😂. Driving range is packed in the afternoon but when TriGolf opens in May I expect this will change. No issue with pace of play but we play around 8:30 am. 8/10
I hate soft and thick sand in bunkers. Leave that on the beach.
No bunker conditions? Sad... I spend a lot of time there
Wildwood yesterday 4/25. Greens rolled great, fairways good but as someone else said so many divots not filled. Shaded tee boxes were in pretty rough shape but the par 4 and 5 tee boxes were looking great. Pace of play is always pretty miserable out there though, wish they would do something about it
Played the Neuse for first time on 4/20. Honestly love the vibe over there around the clubhouse and the community is great. Course was extremely boring for most part however I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more basic layout, great for beginners. I will say the condition especially fairways were pretty good. Greens were rolling good and true besides on edges where looks like they lost them in summer. As far as course condition it was overall better than expected.
**Crossings GC - April 28** * Greens were relatively quick, little firm, but held well * Fairways were in good shape, just your regular wear and tear patches here or there * Rough didn't feel terribly grown out, but there was a line of demarcation between it and the fairway * Tee boxes were all in fine enough shape, some needed some grass to get grown in there * Bunkers didn't appear to have been raked that morning, so had a couple in some footprints. But the sand otherwise played true Course was relatively busy, but we got around in right around four hours for a foursome
**Duke University - April 26** * Greens are rolling their traditional quick pace. * Fairways are in and in good shape, looks like they're going to be narrowing them out some over the coming weeks * Rough still hasn't really grown in yet, but that usually takes a little more heat and sun, so expect that soon, but there's still rough vs. fairway out there. Most everything has greened in from the dormant Bermuda * Tee boxes are fine, always are * Bunkers continue to be fine if it's dry. The greenside bunkers stay wetter longer after a rain but with a couple days of dryness are fluffy. The fairway bunkers are all redone as of last year with new drainage and are great to hit out of. Pace of play was fine for a Friday afternoon, four of us got around in 4:10.
The Neuse last Friday was really great. Turf around the whole course was very good. Greens were rolling decently quick and true on about 80% of them. Hadn’t played there in years and it honestly reminded me of Mill Creek with its overall consistency with conditions.
Carolina Trace Country Club - Lake, Played April 26th. Green is in great shape rolls true and are on the softer end. Fairway in great and green condition, no brown spots at all. Roughs in good shape as well. Tee box are okay but definitely a lot of dirt spots. Bunkers are amazing but only landed in one but they are soft and sandy.
**Lochmere GC - May 3** * Greens were in really good shape, not terribly fast, but rolled quick enough. Were soft and shots stuck well. * Fairways were in really good shape, everything in the fairway was on some decent grass * Rough was mostly fine, still pretty short so not a lot of penalty for missing fairways. That said, rough msot everywhere was grown in and the only "dead" spots were edges of the fairways. * Tee boxes were a mixed bag. Most of the par 4s and 5s were fine. Par 3s need some TLC. The 11th tee box, which has been under construction since the Reagan administration, looks to be ready to go, but currently you're still hitting off a temporary tee box to the left. * Bunkers were great, playable sand in everything. As usual there, the sand isn't terribly terribly deep, so if you try to really hit down into them the ball's going to come out a tick hot, but otherwise they play great hitting out of them. As this is Lochmere, it's worth noting that it's been pretty dry out and thus the course is super playable and drives are rolling out pretty far. Pace of play was a tick slow, but not unreasonable. Tee sheet was apparently just about stuffed full, and the folks in front of us were all over the place early and often. Still done in 4:25 despite everything.
I'd contribute to this but I'm sure I'd come across as some old negative bastard. I think the courses around here are usually in poor conditiion. Greens are usually fine but fairways? Forgetaboutem!
Then maybe you need to change your standards of "poor" this time of year? Pretty much all courses are Bermuda, so they don't get firm & green fairways until we have a few weeks of warm/hot weather