Summer's traditional end, Labor Day Weekend, is upon us but there's still time to sneak in a round or two before the first frost of the year sets in.
Here are a few more courses to think about when deciding where you want to drive for show and putt for dough.
Scenic View Country Club
4415 Club Drive, Slinger
(262) 644-5661
www.scenicviewcc.com
Scenic View Country Club has only one thing going for it; the view. This course, while suitable for the casual to average golfer, isn't much of a challenge for an avid or frequent golfer. My experience at this golf venue was less than stellar. The facility is in rough shape all around; from the course to the management to the club house, this place needs some work.
The staff doesn't seem to be focused on customer service here. My experience upon arriving at the pro-shop was an empty desk. I found the pro-shop attendant flirting with the bar staff. He seemed surprised and then apologetic as he hurried back to the pro-shop's desk. The club house is very limited as to what it carries for golfing supplies. It has you covered if you need golf balls, gloves, tees or soft spikes. Beyond that there are some no-name sets of golf clubs taking up space in the pro-shop.
The course is showing signs of weather wear. It sits low and the ground composition is predominately clay. The course use to be a farm field. Basically it was leveled off, seeded and turned into a course. There wasn't a lot of extra money sunk in to making the green foundations decent. The high quantity of clay creates a condition in which rain water doesn't wick away at a sufficient pace, therefor creating the magnifying glass effect, effectively cooking the grass.
Another issue I saw was no flag position markers. While yes, the greens are small, the flags should still indicate the position of the pin front to back. The flags are all the same color and the course doesn't so-much-as have the secondary flag representing a front or back placement.
The price for 18 holes with a cart is ridiculous at nearly 50 bucks. This course isn't worth 50 bucks a pop. At that price you'd think the owner could afford to rebuild a few greens or smooth out some of the wash boards he calls fairways.
I spoke with the superintendent while I was golfing. I asked about the sketchy condition of the course and the difficulty getting an approach shot to hold a green. His response was that his hands are tied on funding to maintain the course properly; he's given enough funding to make the bare minimum up keep on the course. He added that there are only two greens on the course that are sand based, which is a more receptive base for approach shots into greens. The other 16 greens are not causing a golf ball to bounce like it was hit onto concrete. He recommended hitting short and letting the ball roll on and do the work for you.
Scenic View Country Club: save your money it's not worth it. Take your $50 and go down the road to Songbird Hills.
Score: 1.5
Silver Spring Country Club
N56 W21318 Silver Spring Dr, Menomonee Falls
(262) 252-4666
www.silverspringgolf.com
Silver Spring Country Club's two courses have very different faces. The first is The Falls Course; I like to think of it as a leisurely stroll through the park. The other face of Silver Spring Country Club would best be described in the words of Dr. Cox from the TV sitcom Scrubs, it's a "bastard coated bastard with bastard filling."
Falls Course: While both courses are in good condition, this one shows a lesser degree of wear. This could be as a result of one of two things. It's A). The easier of the two courses and people coming there are looking for a challenge, or B). it's cheaper than the Island Course and people tend to think that cheaper means lesser quality.
The Falls Course is in fact a bit easier than The Island Course; while playing this course you'll only encounter a couple holes that require a driver to be pulled from the bag. Most of this course could potentially be played with irons or fairway woods off the tee. However, if you choose to play a driver off the tee there are a couple greens that can be driven, offering an opportunity for eagle.
The turf conditions on The Falls Course are great. The staff is keeping the course in very good condition. The only improvement I could see is spending a little more time in the morning taking a divot popping tool and repairing the greens a bit. Putting on both courses can be a mine field of divots; spend a little time popping some and putts should roll true.
Overall The Falls Course is a nice course but a little pricey at face value. Look for a deal on golfnow.com or try to get a tee time before 8 a.m. or after 3 p.m.
Island Course: This piece of land is the jewel on the property. The Island Course as I said above is quite the game and patience tester. The course is beautiful from the first tee to the last green. The back nine is a nice reprieve from the last three holes on the front. The run of 7, 8 and 9 will test your mental stamina for golf.
Number seven requires a long ball on all three shots of this par five. The yardage measures 617 yards from the tips. Granted the tee is elevated slightly, but this is still a lot of real-estate to cover in three shots. The average drive for males is 210 yards. With this in mind, you're still looking at two He-Man powered fairway shots to get to this green. If you're lucky enough to cover 500 yards in two shots, I recommend a lofty approach shot into this green rather than a pitch and run type shot. There's a potential to over shoot this green and send your ball swimming.
The island hole, number eight, is an accuracy tester with your lengthier irons. From the tip this hole plays a smidge over 170 yards. The yardage I would imagine is a 5-6 iron for many golfers, which typically isn't a very accurate club. This hole is definitely easier from the silver tees (white on other courses) at a mere 130 yards. That kind of yardage you looking at an easy struck pitching wedge for a potential birdie putt. The contours of the green actually resemble the contours of the infamous number 17 at TPC Sawgrass. If you shoot par on this hole, walk away happy.
The last hole on the front is an accuracy tester once again; this time with the big stick as you have to carry 205 yards off the tee to clear another portion of the above mentioned lagoon. Lying up is an option but it leaves a severely uphill, roughly 200 yard shot to the green. The green slopes from the back left to the front and right almost in a quarter cone like shape. Par here is also a great score.
The rest of the course requires more accuracy off the tee than other courses. The fairways are tight and the foliage is thick if your ball strays too far left or right. The rough is dense but manageable.
Turf conditions of this course a very good. The tee boxes though have sustained a lot of divot damage. The greens on The Island Course are like the ones on The Falls Course, they need to spend more time repairing ball marks.
The staff both in the club house and manning the beverage carts is courteous and very customer service oriented.
You'll get your money's worth out of this course. It totes a reasonable price for week day prime time hours. After 3 p.m. the price gets better; check golfnow.com for some good deals on these courses.
Score: 4.8
Idlewild Golf Course
4146 Golf Valley Drive, Sturgeon Bay
(920) 743-3334
idlewildgolfclub.com
While this course isn't in our backyard here in Milwaukee, it is definitely worth playing if vacationing in the Door County area. Idlewild Golf Course is a moderately challenging, 18-hole, par 72 course. While an avid golfer will score well on this course; the casual golfer won't have too hard a time with this beauty. Both the front and back wrap up with greens that have water on at least three sides.
Number nine is the highlight of the eighteen holes. Although it is an island green, there's about 15-20 yards of bail out fairway/fringe at the front of the green. The watery area that is needed to be carried here is roughly 20 yards across. This hole is a par five, thus a golfer lying up is in fine shape to make par or birdie here. A decent plan of attack to achieve par on this hole is a tee shot of about 215, a lay-up of about 165, and a 50 yard chip shot should get you on the green. Depending on pin placement and third shot placement, you could potentially have a birdie putt on deck. If you choose to try for the green in two on this picturesque hole, you'll need to be able to carry roughly 200 to 210 yards. If you stray from the fairway on this hole, the best idea is to play the lay-up back out to the fairway to set yourself up with a fairly routine chip to the green. Regardless of how you choose to play this hole, it's not out of the realm of going under par.
Other than number nine being quite notable, the rest of the course is in great shape. The back tees aren't seeing a lot of use but the white and blue tees are. The fairways, green and lush, are in great shape for middle to late season. The first 20 feet of rough is thick and full; it's not unmanageable though. Straying into the rough won't kill you on this course as it's not real long and easy to recover from. The greens were running fast on the occasion I visited. They're also fairly large so you need to pay attention to flag color; it will tell you the position be it front, back or center.
The staff was very friendly and welcoming. You get smiling faces when you come through both the clubhouse door and the door to the bar and grill in the upper level of the club house. The bar and grill has a menu such that you might actually want to visit for the purpose of dining rather than golfing. The practice facility is adequate but not extravagant. However the putting green near the first tee is huge. Two foursomes could be putting around waiting for the first tee to clear.
Hole four is also quite notable, the island tee on this hole contains the black and blue tees for this hole. A shot of 250 off the tee will leave about 120 yards to the green. This hole is a definite birdie opportunity, don't let it slip by.
My evaluation of this course, while the evening play was a bit slow because of a twilight special the course has, spend the money if you're vacationing in Door County. You won't be disappointed.
Score: 4.8
