Echo Valley Golf Course

For this time of year, the course was in great condition. Some tee boxes had been re-sodded to recover their condition and a couple of fairways had wet areas roped off but the course was very playable. The carts are newer and equipped with GPS. The staff was friendly and welcoming. A member of our group bought a sandwich and a hotdog at the turn and was surprised to be charged $18.

From the tee boxes to the greens, this course was in excellent condition. The carts are new and are equipped with GPS. We had quite a bit of rain prior to the round and this course used to be quite soggy on the back 9 after a rainfall but the course has upgraded their drainage system and all holes were in great shape. $61 taxes in is their seniors riding rate which I think is a little steep for this course but that seems to be the way of things since covid has up the demand for tee times.

I should start by saying that I have always been a fan of Echo Valley. Normally play it a couple of times a year and have enjoyed it. A good variety of holes with character, but I don't remember it being so expensive to play. I walked and payed $57 incl tax this past weekend. With a cart I'm sure its more than $80. That is on the high end for courses in London and in line with the likes of Firerock and Forest City. The problem is the conditioning just isn't there for the amount they are charging in a green fee. The course isn't in terrible shape, but it wouldn't be anywhere near either of those two courses. The single biggest complaint is the firmness of the greens. On a 120 yd wedge shot the ball would bounce 10 feet in the air before rolling out well beyond its pitch mark. That just isn't right; well executed shots from that close should come to rest a few feet from where they hit. I want others to know about my experience. I'm not sure if this is a cash grab by management due to the late COVID start, but either way it's not worth the money.

I have played this course in previous years and have found the fairways baked as soon as the weather became consistently warm. This appears to no longer be the case as some areas off the fairways were baked and burned but the greens and fairways were well maintained. The undulating terrain here makes for some interesting and challenging holes without being frustratingly difficult.

This course is cheap and a great value. the layout has a ton of hills which causes you to lose lots of balls because its tough to see where you hit it over the hill. Other than that it is a great course.