RobKempinski

Always love playing OCN. Crooked Cat was in fine shape even though the greens had been recently punched. Although they looked bumpy the rolled well and I only had 26 putts. The ball sat up nicely in the fairway. Some of the rough was a bit long but hey it’s the rough. The cart attendants and the starter were exceptionally friendly. Look forward to playing this fine layout again,

Staff was friendly but the course conditions were not so good. The fairways were hard packed and bumpy. The greens manage to hold shots but they were quite bumpy. Could be the effects of the cold winter. Everything looks pretty dry so I would say the course needs irrigation. Pace of play was very poor in fact did not get to finish all 18 holes as it was just too dark for the 18th, a par three. I include a photo of two other members of my four some I met at the first tee..

The Blue Monster offers a fantastic layout for flat terrain. The holes feature many hazards, either lakes or sand traps (I was in 9 bunkers). However the bunkers are firm and very fair for hitting to the green. The course has several tee options - my playing partner tried the black tees and he commented on the long par 3s. From a few tees up tees the course still is on the long side but playable. The greens were rolling true and fast despite being sanded. The fairways were perfect, the best I've encountered in Florida in a while. The only complaint was the parking and club drop off. Despite very expensive green fees the parking lot attendant charged us $10 to self park, that seems like overt greed considering the green fees. And then the parking lot was a long hike to the golf pro shop and the shuttle bus was non-existent. Despite wind and rain which made the course tough, we enjoyed the round. Even though it is great course the value for $ was not there. Streamsong, Copperhead or other Florida courses offer better value.

Played Sunday morn after some heavy rain the previous days. The small greens were in good shape, most being elevated but there were lots of wet spots in the fairway. The course is generous off the tee but small greens put a premium on iron play. Pace of okay was slow but I auppose that’s common in Miami.

The club house is a bit old but nice. Full locker room with showers which was convenient.

There are lots of interesting old fig trees and other tropical trees on the course.

The only real negative was one pond on the course had a pollution boom and it had collected a load of floating trash. Can’t blame the course for all the trash but if they’re going to set up the floating boom they should go clean up the trash. And people need to learn to put trash in the proper receptacles.

Victoria Hills is a well designed golf course with elevation changes not typical in Florida. It only has a few lakes, but it has hundreds of bunkers. The look of the course has changed as houses are now being built around it but their presence has not changed the playing quality (only the view - now ugly). It is still a good mix of long and short holes with nice greens. Some of the fairways are very spotty -need some fertilizer and water. Interestingly, they did away with the pro shop and sell green fees at the bar. Says it improves their cash position. Good idea if it keeps cost down.

Thoroughly enjoyed the course. Despite heavy rain the day before and cart path only the course was very playable. Greens were excellent, putted true and not nearly as curvy as a typical Jack Nicklaus designs. Good mix of long and short holes. The island green 15 was fun. Lots of bunkers add to the challenge.
Only drawback is on Monday the course is open but the clubhouse closed.

RSC has an interesting links style layout with some tough greens with contour. Being Florida it's played on Bermuda grass so you don't get the true links bump and run, but the course is still very enjoyable. The cold weather means the grass has compacted and there was some run out, although there are a few wet spots where the ground didn't behave like a true links. Greens were in very good shape and so were the fairways. Pro shop is nice with a fancy bathroom. A solid course definitely worth the money and the drive (we live on the coast).
I docked pace of play as we were teamed with two beginning golfers that were slow so our group backed up the course. Sorry about that. My buddy I had to really move them along on the back nine. One of the lads, who didn't hit a good shot all day, was marking putts for a 10, yikes.

Located about an hour from downtown Fort Worth, my expectations were muted, yet I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent course layout, shot values, condition and appearance. Starting with the first hole, there are plenty of strategic factors throughout the design. A great mix of long and short holes, incorporation of water hazards, and mounding add to an enjoyable round. The greens were dormant but nearly perfect and quick. Same as the fairways, good lies abound. The dormant rough made the course play easier as there was plenty of room to drive the ball. Some holes feature old trees that add strategy. I had the first tee time and played 18 holes by myself in just over 2 hours. How’s that for pace of play! There a good driving range and excellent putting greens and chipping practice area. I definitely plan to return.

For an older design the course has a very interesting layout. Although surrounded by houses on the front nine there is still plenty a room to hit the ball. The back nine has less houses and goes down into a valley with some tricky holes. The course is not long from the back tees but still very enjoyable. Conditions are decent. The fairways were dormant, after all it is December, but held the ball nicely. The greens were quick although there were some spots where the grass was sparse however it appeared that the course was fixing bad areas with new grass plugs so in a few months when the grass grows, the green should be very nice. I had the course to myself and played 18 holes in just two hours.

A challenging layout through the"wilderness." The greens were in excellent shape, fast and true. The bunkers are still damaged due to Hurricane Harvey but the rest of the course more than made up for it. The par 5s are a fine set of long holes. Holes 9 and 18 are two challenging par 4s that will test your resolve and skill
The staff had a friendly Texas attitude and the log cabin clubhouse fits the milieu perfectly. Thoroughly enjoyed the round and recommend anyone making the drive from Houston to play.

Played an afternoon round in between typical Florida thunderstorms, and had the course to myself. Nice layout with lots of water and houses surrounding but plenty of room to hit the ball. Interesting assortment of holes with several sharp dog legs around water. The core is a bit short by today's standards but still playable. The greens were shaggy and the cart attendant told me that they were slow coming out of aeration and would be cut short soon.

Any review of this course has to start with the greens - gorgeous. Very smooth Bermuda with hardly any grain that I noticed. They putt true and quick. I only had 26 putts for 18 holes. My compliments to the maintenance staff.
Some of the greens feature run off areas so local course knowledge would help. The rest of the course was in very good condition.
The layout is a traditional housing development routing, homes on most sides of the fairways. The course has some tight holes and some wide holes, a good mix. Tees are close to the greens which would make walking acceptable. Even from the back tees, the course is a bit short by today's standards but still enjoyable. Hazards are strategically placed.
The starter let a bunch of groups go off as twosomes and we waited on every shot and played in 4 hours. Long time for a twosome.

There were some really cool old trees on the course, I uploaded a photo of a group of Australian Pines.

I've played here many times before but not since the housing construction took off. The houses have caused the course to be reconfigured with a long distance to the second tee and heading in from the 18th green. It's not a big deal with a cart. The greens had two issues - they were sandy with sparse grass (~60% grass coverage.) Second, they have shrunk in size an amazing amount. The National always had small greens but they have shrunk even more. I paced off a few greens and it seems they are smaller by at leat 3 yards on each side of the perimeter, or 18 feet less across. Talk about small targets. Not sure why they are reducing the size of the greens. For the price we paid I would have expected better greens.
The National have an interesting layout and it is not a very long course although the new holes (10 and 11) and 18 are very long. A couple of holes require blind tee shots.
The Rueben sandwich in the clubhouse was excellent.

I was surprised by the decent layout. Hadn't heard much about the course but it has some solid golf holes. Very little water in play, although there are some tight holes. Longer holes provide more room to drive which I feel is a characteristic of a good design. A few short holes and a few long holes mixed up the layout, another clue to a good design. Conditions were good, the warm weather has contributed to good greens. Fairways were average.

Loved the course and conditions for a December round. The greens were dormant but had green dye sprayed on it yet putted very true and smooth. There was a good variety of holes, length and direction. The lay hole at 630 yards will test your ability to string some shots together.

The clubhouse area is still in development but the course is well worth a visit.

Enjoyed my round on this interesting layout designed by Fred Couples. You can tell Freddie designed it as the rough channels to the fairways about 300 yards from the back tee on the long hole. I noticed it as I played up a tee.

The greens were in good shape with challengeing speed, some slow some fast. Good variety of holes. Nice drive-able par 4 on the back.

Pace was slow due to frost delay and lots of golfers that need more time on the range.

I enjoyed my time on the course and would like to play it in the summer.

I got a great deal, $25. The course has an inauspicious start but the holes get a bit better as you get into the round. The greens were small and firm. Putting was ok. I found the green collars very soft and muddy which stopped run up shots. This combined with the firm greens made it tough to get approach shots close.
The layout has an old fashioned feel.
The starter let a bunch of twosomes off which meant we waited on quite a few shots.

The club house and rest rooms are showing their age. The Club Med facilities look ok but are off limits to green fee golfers. Heard several European languages around the facility.

I only paid $19 (plus $10 spectator fee for my wife to ride with me) so my expectations were moderate. The layout is decent but the fairways and rough, although green are full of weeds. Very little grass. The weeds are cut short though. The greens were ok, nothing to rave about but playable.

There was no starter to make groups. Pace of play was the worst I've encountered in a while. Granted it was great weather in October so the hackers were out. We waited on every shot. Many elderly poor golfers. (PS I'm no spring chicken.) I watched one older guy take 8 shots out of a bunker and never raked the bunker That is the clientele the course attracts.

Even for $19 I was disappointed and did not complete the round. Got tired of waiting for a so so course and quit after 13 holes.

The course surprised me with how nice it was for a old style housing development layout. It is not long, but it is tight and while the greens had pretty grass they did not hold and did not putt very true. I believe they need some time to grow in and some sand placed on top to soften them up a bit and more rolling. Adding to conundrum is most of the greens are raised so a run up shot is not always feasible. I had many lofted irons into greens and the shots landed short of the hole yet still rolled off the back. If you are looking to prepare for a US Open approach shots this might be the place.

The first few holes are every tight and have some blind hazards, although the GPS on the carts was a nice feature.
17 and 18 were surprising long and different character than the rest of the course.
The clubhouse and rest rooms are showing their age but it is Houston....

The course was in top notch shape, Greens were quick and smooth. Fairways and rough all excellent. The layout is challenging but not too hard. The staff was friendly and treated me like loyal member. The club house has lots of amenities including showers for those traveling. We played on Saturday and the course was wide open in front of us and we played 18 holes in just over three hours - never felt rushed or slow. Really can't ask for more from a golf course.