Where have you played this week? Would you recommend it? Give us an honest appraisal in the comments section below.
Golf in western New York
Local Course Conditions: 10-31-2012
Where have you played this week? Would you recommend it? Give us an honest appraisal in the comments section below.
Golf in western New York
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Played Terry Hills this past Sat. fabulous shape!
Has it ever not been? 🙂 Heck, that course is in good shape in January!
We played Glen Oak today. Also in excellent shape. They always consistently have some of the best greens around…never slow, never stupid fast, and always true. My only somewhat-comical complaint about this course is I’m sure you guys can relate to occasionally having to umm…get rid of a little liquid. Thing is, so many of these holes are right up against people’s houses that it’s hard to find a good place/time to do that sometimes.
Actually, 2 complaints. I hate the 18th hole with a passion. I’m not a fan of gimmick holes, and it esp shouldn’t be how one ends the round.
So I leave work at 4:00 and don’t have to be at a friend’s house until 7:30. He lives near Caz, and I wanted to sneak in 9, so I called but bag line too long. So then I did the unthinkable. I played South Park. If anyone was anywhere on the first hole, I would’ve drove away, but there wasn’t. Every few years I find a reason to land up there…always interested if the place has changed and conditions any better. The answer is a big no on all fronts. There is no redeeming value to this place, and a couple of the holes aren’t even real golf holes…they’re just an exercise in trying to punch the ball through a forest of scattered trees on the ‘fairway’. The only 2 good things is I finally put the ball on the green of the par 3 water hole, and I got good exercise walking the half mile around the water between holes 5 and 6. And there sure were a lot of squirrels playing with their nuts.
Mark: conditions were good until about 4 weeks ago. The drought basically fried the course. Greens developed a fungus and fairways and tees finally died out (there is no watering system for those except for a few tees). Too bad you did not play it in June and early July, it was really nice, probably the best ever. Course and tees also took a beating with extra play from first year carts are available to rent. I have to agree, its not so good today.
We played Elma today. I continue not to be a fan of this place (I don’t get to pick the course every week). Too many greens had brown patches. 2 boring par 5s, 3 par 3s, and 13 mostly-similar par 4s. (I confess I like the 5 par 5, 5 par 3, 8 par 4 setup of so many Canadian courses). No water of consequence. Most holes have generous fairways but outside of that, there are thickly wooded trees. Club house, which has a cafeteria feeling to it, was closed. If I’m going to pay almost $30, I can think of a boat load of places I’d rather play. It’s not a bad place or a waste of golf time (like say South Park)…just not good either. Best thing about the course is I was impressed with the high quality sand they had…very fine and hour glass like. They had good senior rates too.
mark…that is hysterical. you have to extol the virtues of the one place you don’t want to be! that’s like praising the guy that robbed you, or the bully that beat you up~”he had a great combination of a punch to the gut and a derisive, cackling laugh! As far as bullies go, he had cache.” I differ with you on the par 4s, though. Think about the four consecutive 4s that open the back nine: long downhiller, medium uphiller, short uphiller, really short downhiller. There’s no comparison. Go to the front nine~same thing. Movement is never the same direction on consecutive holes.
I played two courses last week with my new Ping I-20 irons (thanks, Lindner’s Golf Service!) I had 76 at Park Club and 77 at Sheridan Park. Before the bitching starts, I know how fortunate I am to play private clubs from time to time, so type something else! Park’s greens were so quick that I never got acclimated to long putts at Sheridan; kept leaving them 15 feet short. Park is going chihuahua; getting rid of lots of unnecessary trees. Course is amazing, but that’s what hefty dues brings. Sheridan played fast and firm…kept hitting approaches 15 yards shy of the front edge, kept watching them bound on and sometimes over. Want to test your driving ability? Play the back nine at Sheridan. Toughest driving nine in western New York, private or public.
There is one thing about a golf hole that bothers me more than anything else. The 13th at Elma has it. The 8th hole on Willow Brook’s original back 9 has it. A hole at Rothland has it, if I recall right. Every hole should have a defined ‘fairway path’ from tee to green. Whether straight, dog leg, double dog leg, whatever…there should be a path you are supposed to follow. There should never be a big ass tree on the fairway in the middle of that path!
Isn’t there a wall of trees on the 13th at Elma? I agree that a tree should not be there, unless it is a double-wide fairway. The original holes at Willowbrook are claustrophobic…don’t know how anyone ever hit driver there. The hole at Rothland is on the first nine of the Bright Meadows course…I think that it is number three on that side. Absolutely impossible to navigate over, around or under that tree.
I remember Rothland with a white 9, a red 9, and a gold 9. And I remember Bright Meadows (though never played it) as a 9 hole course. Is Rothland now just an 18 hole course, comprised of the red and gold, and is Bright Meadows now an 18 hole course with the old Rothland white 9 tacked onto its original 9?
I’m also curious if anyone has played Arrowhead over the summer and what they thought of the condition of the course. I like the course and played it in spring and thought it was fine, but I remember someone writing a scathing review of it since then.
I’m going to put this matter to rest NOW. Tim K. is a great commenter on BuffaloGolfer.Com, but he could not have been more off the mark with his review of Arrowhead. The HS team I coach had its third round of tryouts today at Arrowhead and the kids played from the tips. After the round was done, these talented youngsters discussed not only the brilliant layout, but also the excellent conditioning. Arrowhead at ANY price is a bargain and a treat. Don’t hesitate to play it. Full Disclosure: They advertise with us, but the song remains the same.
This week’s golf outing landed me at Willowbrook. Love the club house…pretty much don’t like anything else. They have 27 holes, but for some reason every time we play 18, they make us play the ‘new’ 9 and the original back 9. It would be nice to offer the players more variety and rotate the 9s more. So my review is of that 18.
The greens had divots galore, and rarely was there a true roll to the hole. The fairways are never plush there…always seems like I’m hitting off green-painted dirt. Miss the greens by an inch and you often are in thick rough. And man is this course unforgiving with thickly wooded trees lining entire holes, on most holes. On hole 14, the trees are squeezing the fairway so much that I couldn’t throw the ball off the tee and keep it on the fairway. And if you avoid the trees, many holes have no shortage of bunkers, and half the holes have in-play water. The only saving grace for a bogey golfer is it is a shorter course.
It’s a change-of-pace course for sure, but once a year is enough of this place. I can’t maintain consistency for 18 holes, and it’s aggravating to often get whacked 2 strokes on your score for every mistake. I think if I was a kid and this was the only place my dad took me too, I’d hate the game of golf.
I remember playing Willowbrook’s original 18 in the 1980s and commenting that you needed to hit it straight there. No doubt, as trees have grown, you have to hit it straighter today! When I play local publinks team events, the Willowbrook guys were never off the fairway.
There might be a tree-cutting ban on certain trees in Niagara county or funds might be tight at the course. One thing we know is, courses have been desperate for water this summer, purchasing water from local government by the millions of gallons. Without water and with extensive tree coverage (prohibiting air transfer and sunlight) a golf course will lose grass and get that overly-firm feel you mention. There’s a fine line between fast and firm, and dead grass.
I was at Willowbrook this summer, but only played the new nine. That one has elbow room, for certain, so perhaps the other nines could emulate it. I remember some claustrophobic holes on the other nines, but that should be the exception (in my opinion) not the norm.
Interesting – I played Arrowhead yesterday, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. The greens were unbelievably slow; I doubt they had been cut since Thursday or Friday. The cups hadn’t been changed in three or four days either. That’s inexcusable for a holiday weekend.
I’ll re turn there because the layout is excellent – and natural. I much prefer it to Glen Oak. It’s just a shame the conditions can vary so much.
Went to Beaver today…first time in years. I got an incredible weekday afternoon 18 hole walking rate of only $12. This course hasn’t changed in forever. It’s a forgiving course, but its length (6645 from the regular mens tees) and occasional trees and water makes it challenging enough for a bogey golfer. The layout is fine though not overly picturesque.
But now the real bad news…
1) Terrible green condition. Very slow…pot holes all over the place…plenty of dead patches. About the same quality as South Park.
2) Most of the rough area was bare dirt or matted down crab grass.
3) You need to play winter rules, as it sometimes is a challenge finding decent grass on the fairway to hit off of.
4) They need to switch their front and back 9…the way I remember it, 9 to 10 was a short walk by the starters shack, and you finished in the parking lot. With it how it is now, going from 9 to 10 requires walking across the whole parking lot. Stupid.
5) I finish at 7pm and not only was the clubhouse closed, there literally was nowhere to even go to the bathroom.
Oh yeah, there’s also all the goose turd, but that’s been a known ‘charm’ of this place in forever. 🙂
We’ll go back again for sure, but probably not for another few years…even with the $12 rate.
I agree with Mark. Beaver could be a decent Muni with a little TLC. I played there a few weeks ago and couldn’t have been more disgusted with what little value there was in a $12 round.
1. Greens wouldn’t hold anything, even shots landed 10-15 yards in front. If only there were a major body of water nearby to draw from to keep the course green…..
2. We played 1 and 2 and by the time we teed off on 2 the group that was 2 ahead of us was teeing off on 4. It was going to be a long day. There is nothing worse than a group playing incredibly slow that either doesn’t know they are or doesn’t care
3. We did not see a ranger until the 9th hole, and he drove right past the group causing the backup. A Ranger at Brighton or Sheridan would have asked why there was a holdup and why there were 3 or 4 holes between them and the next group.
4. The structure of the course staffing is ridiculous. There are two snack bars less than 100 feet from one another. Before the clubhouse was burned down you had to pay separate people for golf and cart. In addition to this there is starter at the first tee. It seems like one or two of these is not needed when the state is in bugdget crisis. At least put one of the snack bars at a far corner of the course. The only person that really seems needed is the drink cart operator because there are zero water stations on the course.
5. Although there is a lot to complain about, I wish the course would get back into decent shape. I shot my best round on a par 72 course there a few years ago and don’t remember much brown or the greens being as bad as they are now.
As far as arrowhead, I played bright meadows last sunday because it ws the only place i could find a time before the bills game. Another course that is just forgotten about by staff. I am surprised to hear that arrowhead is in bad shape as well. Maybe 54 holes is too much to take care of.
I asked this question before but no one answered…I remember Bright Meadows being a 9 hole course, and Rothland having 3 9s (gold, red, white). Has that now changed, with Rothland now being an 18 hole course (gold and red), and Bright Meadows now also being 18 holes, with the white tacked onto the original 9?
The course I played this week is Chestnut Hill. I have nothing but glowing things to say. Only cost me $24 with cart (my dad, a senior, only $20). The course was in great shape. The greens were a tiny bit on the slow side, but were in gorgeous shape.
When taking into account cost plus condition plus layout, this course would normally be in my top list of places to go to. The only thing that keeps it out is I only golf Mon-Thurs afternoons, and that course is absolutely impossible to get on during that time, until after Labor Day when all the leagues they have start ending. I highly recommend this place.
Here is the history, pre-Arrowhead. Rothland and Bright Meadows were separate courses. Rothland had 27 holes (Red and Gold on one side, White on the other) and BM had 18 holes (sketchy at best). Joe Frey hired Scott Witter to design Arrowhead over 9 of the BM holes and a bunch of new land. BM reduced to 9. Joe Frey purchased Rothland and created 54 Flags (Arrowhead 18, Rothland 18 [red and gold] and BM 18 [Rothland white and remaining BM 9.) At some point, two holes on Rothland white were changed and improved. That weird par five with the tree, however, still remains.
(You should leave this thread always at the top…it’s the only one anyone posts to, and is probably the one of most interest to folks.)
Went to Ironwood today. This course is like comfort food to me…I always enjoy myself here…it’s always in very good shape…and because it is easier/forgiving, I generally score well here.
I love the par 5s…esp the 2 on the back 9. The par 3s are boring. There’s a mix of par 4s. A few are boring/easy straightaways. A couple 420 longies. This course definitely has more left to right than right to left.
This is a relatively new course out in cow country that hopefully over time will toughen up a bit. But it has a hilly charm to it, and if you’re looking for a stress-free, easier round on a course that’s always in good shape, give this place a shot. The people who own this course definitely care about maintaining this place and making it look nice.
And if ever waiting to hit a shot, kill time by watching/counting all the windmills in the distance!
Played Mill Creek in Churchville on 9/25. Course conditions were excellent and I feel I’m short-changing the course by using that term. I really can’t overstate the shape this course is in. With those conditions comes a very stern test of golf. Rough is thick and greens are fast. Greens rolled very true but there were many subtle breaks that would not let you relax. This course kicked my butt but it left me with the impression that I did the damage, not the course.
We golfed Terry Hills today. All of you know about this place, I’m sure. All of you have heard the umpteen positive comments. No review is necessary. I’ll simply re-confirm all of those good things…nothing has changed. 🙂
This week’s outing took us to Buffalo Tournament Club in Lancaster. There are 2 things I really don’t like about this course:
1) Lack of a clubhouse
2) Since day 1, there’s just never been enough growth on the fairways. There’s no plush-ness…just flattened grass on dirt.
But overall I do like coming here each year and there are more pluses than minuses, including:
1) The $23 fall rate green fee (incl cart).
2) I love the natural landscape/scenery of this course. Golfing in October was an extra benefit, getting to see the color changes.
3) Awesome greens. They were in perfect shape. And I love how some of them are extraordinarly large.
4) This course offers 5 very different sets of tees. Whatever your playing level is, there’s a set of tees for you.
I, and I’m sure every WNY golfer who could get out of work today, got a round in. How great to be outside all afternoon enjoying summer-like weather 6 days before halloween, but a little sad since given the extended forecast, I couldn’t help but wonder if this might be the last round until spring.
Anyway, we hit Arrowhead, a course that has gotten some mixed feedback on here. I completely agree with what Mo said back on August 24. Putting aside issues all courses have this time of year (wetness, leaves, etc), I thought the course was in fine shape. This is a course that a bogey golfer’s score can almost vary by 20 strokes…if playing great, low-mid 80s is very doable as this course has plenty of par-able holes. But if playing bad, can definitely go over 100, as this course has all the hazards (if no trees, there’s that heather)…has them well-placed…has tough greens…challenges your short game.
I have always liked this course. The clubhouse has always been an enigma to me…it’s more like a banquet room for a royal family, and it seems to rarely be open to the public whenever we go. When it is open, it is dead as a doornail. We’ve given up on it and always go to Ivy Ridge’s clubhouse.
I hope this isn’t my last review of the year. I’m not ready yet to go to the stupid domes.
That’s good for them to know. Hopefully, Arrowhead will pay attention to this comment, accept its plaudits for a challenging yet enjoyable course, and perhaps work on segmenting the Grand Ballroom into smaller units.