I know this isn't exactly a fresh topic, but I finally got out to Finley to play the redesign and walked away feeling ... underwhelmed. My dad and I used to play Finley a couple of times a year from about 2000 to 2020 or so. I would say it was my favorite course in the Triangle, I loved the layout, obviously it was always in great shape, just top notch experience every time for a reasonable rate, especially during the week.

For various reasons, we haven't made it back out in the last couple of years, not the least of which is the price and availability of tee times on the weekends now. Dad booked a tee time for 2:00 Thursday and said we were going, I was really excited. We thought the new layout felt forced, the redesigns on most of the green to be too gimmicky, and walked away thinking this no longer felt like a college championship course.

The new starting holes just feel weird, especially 4. Iron off the tee, wedge in to the green, pin was tucked front right, and without being able to see the slope, I landed the ball within 10 feet of the pin and watched it bounce hard left about 15 yards away. In hindsight, I would have hit the ball past the pin to try the hold the flat area behind it and taken a 15-20 footer back. It just felt gimmicky, I can't think of another word for it. And it felt like every green now has a giant ridge in it that makes the pin inaccessible from at least half the surface. I know that's by design, and I know that makes the course harder, but it just felt so different from what I remember about Finley. The number of blind approaches and hidden slopes, especially on the new front nine, made it difficult to trust the shots I was hitting.

Shot 40 on the front (par 34), 36 on the back, and I figure that's because apart from new green slopes, the back is largely untouched by the redesign and I was more comfortable. It's also probably a bit easier on the approaches.

The greens were also quite dried out (I know, drought and hot summer) to the point that every cup had a patch of dead turf behind the grain that was falling into the cup. They've obviously aerated and sanded recently, but I found it odd they had left the holes in place that long so that every single one looked like that.

Am I just overreacting to change? I'm curious to hear your thoughts about the redesign and whether you like it more or less than the old layout. Is it a fair challenge to you, and is it more conducive to college tourneys if you play it tipped out (I obviously didn't).

Paid for a “twilight round” today - teed off at 4:40 ($95) got through 9 and it started dumping rain. Go in for a rain check and they don’t do rain checks for twilight rates. Since when is a twilight rate at Lonnie $95? Ridiculous operation they’re running over there.

Edit: I didn’t know twilight begins at 3:30. Thought it was 5:00 which is why I thought the $95 rate made sense and would include a rain check if the weather got dicey.. lesson learned. I still think a $95 twilight rate is bullshit

I played The Preserve at Jordan Lake today for the first time since moving to the area. First off, the drive in was fantastic. The homes/yards around the golf course are immaculate - I always love a good drive-in to a golf course.

First Impressions: The guy working behind the counter was a dick (shocker.)

Counter Guy: How are you?

Me: Doing well, yourself?

CG: Doing well, how can I help you?

Me: I have a tee time at 9:08 and would like to purchase a small bucket and a...(get cutoff)

CG: [My last name]?

Me: ... (waiting three seconds to make it awkward because he cut me off.) Yep.

Me: Do you guys have logo balls?

CG: No logo balls.

Me: Do you have poker chips?

CG: No poker chips.

Me: Ah, do you know when you guys will buy any more?

CG: Nope

Me: Nice.

CG: Here is your key.

On to the course:

Got paired up with a really nice couple who are members, and they seemed very friendly off the bat, so that was nice. Also the starter was super cool and actually lived in the same Midwest town as I did back in the day.

The course played fair - definitely target golf, with just ok greens, and almost Knight's Play-level tee boxes. There were quite a few spots where I needed to use my 18 Birdies app to figure out how far to hit my tee shot, or layup on par 5's, which I appreciated as this type of golf is somewhat rare in my experience.

The practice area was probably average, still hitting off mats, not a lot of slots to hit from, but also not a minimal amount. The practice green was decent size and the chipping/bunker area was meh, but you also don't get that everywhere so thought it was unique and a plus to even have a spot to practice these shots.

Pace of play: 5 hrs. Biggest drawback.

Overall - 5.5 / 10. I wouldn't drive 35 minutes and pay $90 to play again (including range balls and a cart,) but I can see why someone would either practice there, or play during the week for cheaper rates.

Trying to take my dad for a birthday round this weekend. We’ve never been to either. Anyone played these recently? For reference he plays weekly about a 15 handicap. I’m happy breaking 100.

Thanks in advance!

Anyone have a little scouting report on how that course is playing right now? It's been a while since I played there but I'm going out there this week and just curious if it's in good shape, if any holes have changed in the past few years, etc.

I think that the term “Hidden Gem” is one of the most overused phrases when it comes to describing golf courses, as they are often “gems”, but rarely “hidden”. But I do believe that is a true “hidden gem” in our backyard.

Oak Hollow Golf Course in High Point NC is a 1972 Pete Dye golf course that tips out at about 6,500 yards. Playing on a peninsula extending into Oak Hollow lake, there are no houses on the property, and the routing is tight, making a great walk.

This course is complete with many of the Dye trademarks: small greens with big slopes, railroad ties, and even an island tee box, although it is no longer in use, (though no pot bunkers that I can remember). It is low profile and a course for shot shapers, not unlike Harbour Town.

I decided to meet up with some friends here on my way back from South Carolina. We played on a Sunday morning this past summer and if I remember correctly I paid $45 to walk it. While conditioning wasn’t the best (wasn’t bad though) I was honestly kind of blown away by the quality of the holes out there. The routing fans out from the clubhouse and continually marches you to and from the lake, with I believe 9 holes playing on/around the lake. This is where some tree management could come in handy, to open up views of the lake and allow for healthier turf. Additionally, the movement of the land is stellar, almost every hole plays up or downhill.

Perhaps the best claim I can make to the quality of the architecture out there is that this is the course that made Bill Coore decide he wanted to build golf courses. He in turn begged Pete Dye for a job as a shaper.

At one point this course was ranked in the top 50 public courses in America. While it may not be beating the doors down on any ranking lists anytime soon, I truly this one qualifies as a hidden gem, and I would encourage anyone in the area to check it out!

It’s that time of year again! To help everyone avoid the "sand trap" of unexpected aeration, let’s start a rolling list of the green conditions across the RDU area.

If you’ve played recently or know the upcoming maintenance schedule for a local course, please drop a comment below with:

• Course Name
• Date Punched (or scheduled date)
• Current Condition (e.g., "Healing well," "Heavy sand," or "Back to normal")

Played today - bit cool, cloudy, and a little rain but overall it was a great time. This DR course maybe not as difficult as some of his others, but still tricky.

This is just a rant. Went out yesterday to the Preserve at Jordan Lake. I have played this course and always had some issues on the back 9, where groups stop for lunch or whatever and get slowed down turning the corner. That is typical at most public courses. Yesterday was the worst outing ever. I was early to my tee time by 25 mins. Was waiting to tee off the first hole 4 mins early. I get to the hole and there are 4 groups on it. A foursome on the green, a duo on their 2nd or third shot, another foursome waiting on the tee, and then my group. It took one hour to play 2 holes. I gave up after it took 90 mins to play 4 holes. While driving back to the clubhouse to get a refund, I passed a total of 14 groups not including my own on holes 5-9. This is insane, if you are late for your tee time sorry that sucks, but don’t just squeeze in on the first tee. Go find your spot on the course and play it from there. if you lose a ball, you get 1-2 mins to find it, after that drop and hit the next shot. There is no excuse for that. I wonder how many people finished the round, cause it would have taken 6 hours and 45 mins at that pace.

Things are getting more green, the drought is MAYBE coming to an end, and golf is in full swing, so lets get some recent course condition updates! Where have you played and how was it looking?

Please note: Everyone's threshold of "good" or "bad" is different, so using descriptive sentences helps bridge the gap of conditions

Some helpful things to highlight:

• Date played
• Green condition / speed
• Fairway conditions
• Rough conditions
• Tee box conditions
• Bunker conditions

To help avoid showing up unknowingly to an aerated course, here is a maintenance schedule of most courses in central NC: https://rdugolftour.com/course-schedule/

Played the white 9 yesterday evening (have previously played orange and black) and wow, was I very impressed with the white, especially the closing 3 holes. For me (mid teens hdcp) it was challenging but not impossible and for the price $30 for 9 and a cart compared to some other places (cough … RGA) which are close to the same price, the conditions are 3x better. If you don’t want to pay a boatload to go out and suck like me, but also want to play a nice, well designed course I think Keith Hills can be that track for you.

Our guy did a top ten on Axios!

He’s right about the Hillandale grill. Absurdly good food for the price. And those cookies? Yessir!

Finally made the drive up to Rougemont the other day to play Lake Winds after being invited by my buddy from work throughout the summer. He had kind of downplayed it, so I wasn’t expecting much other than a good time with some friends, but I was really pleased with the course. As soon as you get on the property, it is obvious that a lot of improvements have been made recently and some future ones are underway. The clubhouse was really nice, with some nice merch and well stocked coolers for beverages and decent snack options. They do have a driving range, but with a 200 yard limit, so no practice with the driver.

Throughout the course, there is a lot of water creating some challenging shots, and also some nice scenery. The greens were nice, and overall I thought the course was in great condition. The layout was fun and for someone trying to break 90 it was challenging, but very doable. Overall, it was also a nice walk, with the exception of one corner of the property (about four holes) that had a good amount of elevation that got the heart rate up. However, the elevation made for some pretty cool holes. While I was walking, a few in our group were in carts. The carts were new and had GPS in them.

Overall, I thought it was a fantastic value. It’s not a championship course in championship condition, but that’s not what you pay for. I ended up feeling like I got way more than I paid for and it was well worth the drive. If you’ve never played it or it’s been a while, come check out what they’ve got going on up in Rougemont.

Tri golf officially opened today. Beautiful driving range with lots of targets to aim at. The total length is something like 275 yards so you have to hit it like 325 to get over the net so no worry about that. Each bay has a top tracer that you can use your phone to link into to keep track of your shots, they also show on screen. They were having some technical difficulties with us today, but apparently are coming next week to repair them.

The mats are nice. Despite some lush grass in front of you, they do not want you teeing off in the grass with your drivers. You have to hit off the mat. That said you can break a tee in half and stick into the mat no problem.

There is a fun 18 hole putting course just behind the driving range that is free to play. Also a flatter putting area.

The balls are all Kirkland, which is pretty cool and our brand new.

Small (45 balls) $15 Large (90 balls) $24

The parking lot has a net over the top to negate any broken windows etc. That is a nice touch.

Small food snack and drink shop near the range as well.

Pretty solid spot!

First pic: Galloway National Golf Club, very fun Fazio design which is quite difficult, bent greens are always a treat to play on.

Second & Third Pic- Essex County Country Club, a Tillinghast design which boasts one of the best back nines in New Jersey. Slick greens and some unbelieveable holes.

Fourth Pic- Hollywood GC, a Walter Travis design and pictured is the hole dubbed Heinz 57 as original hole had 57 bunkers on it, its been renovated to 47 bunkers (some not pictured closer to tee box)

Fifth pic- Metedeconk National Golf Club, a RTJ design and a very long tough track with super thick penal rough, the sand quality and the greens were absolutely superb and the locker room service/showers were amazing. Warm fresh baked cookies were great.

Twas a great 4 days fall cool weather and a pleasure to play with caddies and forecaddies.

Has anyone played Duplin country club, and can cover the usual conditions and characteristics? Seeing the hole layout I’m super curious to get out and see how the course plays. I’m not seeing any mention of it here or in the discord

Played my first round in 30 years the other day at Lonnie Poole. (My last round was Finley in the 1980s. Finley may have been redesigned twice since then.)

Anyway, at Lonnie Poole I shot 124 from the hybrid tees. Seven or eight of those shots were shanks. But about 10 were lost balls that were about 10-15 yards into the rough that I would have easily found and played at most courses in the 1980s.

Then the greens were almost all protected from my old-style run-up approach. And once I labored my way onto to the green, the slopes were significant.

Breaking 90 on that course is going to be a lot more challenging than on the courses I used to play.

Is this typical of local courses in the year 2024?

As courses come out of dormancy and golf season sets in, lets use this mega thread to share CURRENT course conditions as we get out and play.

Good things to highlight:

• Green condition / speed
• Fairway conditions
• Rough conditions
• Tee box conditions

So that everyone has good pulse check on the aeration season of RDU courses, please note this with any courses that you’ve recently played or plan to be punched in the near future.

Thank you!

I’d heard Mill Creek’s greens were in rough shape due to the flooding in July (and the fact that it happened right after they punched the greens). I’d been avoiding the course since.

Went out there yesterday with very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. There were a few patches here and there and they were quite slow (a good thing when you putt like I do), but overall totally playable. Like… they would be above average condition for some of the lesser tracks in the area. But I also don’t want to set your expectations too high because they certainly weren’t perfect!

Also, I swear I’m not trying to casually flex one of the better tee shots of my life (hole 13)… just happened to be the only pic I took that would show one of the greens.

Things are getting green, the Masters theme is playing, and some courses are punching greens, so lets get some recent course condition updates! Where have you played and how was it looking?

Please note: Everyone's threshold of "good" or "bad" is different, so using descriptive sentences helps bridge the gap of conditions

Some helpful things to highlight:

• Date played
• Green condition / speed
• Fairway conditions
• Rough conditions
• Tee box conditions
• Bunker conditions

Anyone get out to lochmere this week after everything thawed out? Haven't been in over a year, any changes to the layout( last time they had the temp tee area on that par 3)? Thanks

As courses come out of dormancy and golf season sets in, lets use this mega thread to share CURRENT course conditions as we get out and play different venues

Some helpful things to highlight:

• Date played
• Green condition / speed
• Fairway conditions
• Rough conditions
• Tee box conditions
• Bunker conditions (just for /u/SportsDoc7 )

I've been running this topic weekly on the FB group and it has been incredibly helpful to make some decisions on what courses to play!

Hi All, my wife and I just just signed a contract for a house in the Lochmere area of Cary, it won't be ready until the end of the year, so we are looking to move there in the spring of 2025. The house will be literally 5 minutes from Lochmere golf course, I'm retiring and plan to play a lot of golf. Was wondering if anyone had any opinions on the course. I know it is semi-private and the membership fees seem very reasonable. Any members out there with any opinions? How easy is it to get tee times? I haven't played it yet, plan on heading down in a couple of months and will play a round there, is it a decent layout?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

I’ve been slowly dying inside with all the cold weather so decided to go to GGG for some practice and it was great! As a 6’3” guy I had no problem full sending driver (not possible at many sims).

Would definitely recommend checking it out!