Matt Engfer

Others have raved plenty - but the scale, variety, beauty, strategy, and fun this course embodies make it one of the best days of golf one could ever imagine. The start/finish piece of land is a stadium of golf perfection. I count myself blessed to have gotten the opportunity to enjoy this most perfect walk.

Totally average in my opinion and overpriced for what you get in the quality of the design. Water on almost every hole. Very much a "here's a shot, execute it" type of test. Conditions were wonderful, as they are at most spots in the desert, but by the 9th hole I found myself wishing I would have instead played another round Indian Wells.

In my opinion, this course is the best public option in the Coachella Valley. Fantastic views of the mountains abound. Real thought must be given to your approach on nearly every hole. A good mix of par 3s. Great conditions.

Honestly found this course, as much of the golf in the Coachella Valley, forgettable. A 5+ hour round, unwalkable, and, with the exception of the great conditioning, not enough interest to hold my attention.I'd rather have played a cheap muni or payed the extra $20 to traverse one of the excellent Indian Wells tracks.

This must be the best value in America. Having played this course 3 times, it continues to elude me how this track can be played for such a low price point, or why the rest of the world's courses can't be played and maintained at this price point.The accommodation of high handicappers and challenge of low handicappers is something we often laud well designed courses for. This track lays that quality bare for your appreciation. Wide fairways with huge canted greens that favor a particular approach make for a day spent making conscious decisions. The par 3s offer a wonderful mix of distances and visual challenges. The considerable afternoon winds make approach play here a real challenge. The mountains, barrancas, washes and plentiful wildlife make for a truly special walk.Simply put, this is one of my favorite courses for its mix of fun, challenge, and everyman vibe. The only item that left something to be desired is the pace of play - a 5 hour round is considered standard.

Enjoyable layout surrounded by nice homes. Pristine conditions. I love Weiskopf courses and I was not disappointed in this experience. That said, I found much of it to be somewhat forgettable until you approach the finishing stretch and start dealing with the more significant elevation changes. The winds really impact decision making at this point.Compared with Papago (much better value) and WeKaPo (much more memorable) I found this course to be a bit overpriced given options in the Scottsdale vicinity.

What a piece of land! This course swallows you whole. The undulations don't stop. It reminded me of Tobacco Road for a number of reasons, the key difference being that this track feels discovered more than manufactured. Another difference is the altitude here (~7k feet). I was sucking wind after attempting to walk the front 9 and had to switch to cart for the back in order to keep my head clear! There are many blind shots both from the tee and fairway, especially if you're not dead center - not one of these bothered me as I made my way around. Greens have very significant undulations but none I encountered were comical. Many green sites are built into hills that can serve as funnels, which is great fun and makes the site more scorable. At the par 3 11th pulled left and came to rest pin high, about 40 paces from the hole. Unfortunately it was 60 feet above the top of the pin. I scrambled to the top of the cliff, tapped a sand wedge to 12 feet and two putted for bogey. Maybe the most fun I've ever had with a bogey.The tee boxes often feature views so utterly spectacular that maintaining focus with a wood in hand is extremely difficult.If this course were closer to Phoenix or Denver, I could see it charging $250+ per round. Being a bit outside Santa Fe, the price point is an absurd value of $40 for my midweek round in late March.Had it not been for one important but regrettable shortcoming, I'd have given this 5 balls. The greens were bumpy, inconsistent, slow, relatively soft and took a lot of the fire out of their design. Worse, directly around the multiple cups cut into each green, the grass had grown to the point where making breaking putts was a complete crapshoot that required a firm, artless whack. If this changes as the season wears on, I'd be willing to stay overnight just to play this course with buddies.Bottom line: super fun day in the arroyos, canyons, and spines of New Mexico's broken high desert with snow capped mountains smiling down from the horizon in all directions. Great value.

This course throws everything your bag can handle at you with long approaches into the very strong wind (sometimes so strong play becomes impossible), flip wedges downwind and uphill, downhill, etc. You have to earn your flat lie with a perfect shot. Landing areas are large enough to reach for driver, but barely. The sun bakes you uninterrupted in the high desert here. The wasteland between you and the nearby mountains stretches out to the horizon and swallows a surprising amount of golf balls.While this may feel like a rough day, the effect at Red Hawk is just the opposite. It's invigorating. It's fun. It's varied. The short par 4s are truly special. The second shot on the par 5s are relentlessly thought provoking. Yet you must commit to every shot and in this wind. The finish is excellent. Overall this course is a true treat and a phenomenal value.The only elements that distracted from my experience were1) the state of the bunkers (basically rock hard and inconsistent upon my visit) and 2) the very very slow play when I played on a Saturday afternoon.

This Norman course is certainly worth half a day. Where it strengths lie is where Norman's did as a player - on the tee box. Nearly every hole requires a decision on club and line that isn't immediately obvious. I found myself hitting 3 wood or hybrid up severe hills or over valley carries on multiple occasions, something you don't find at many "resort" style courses like this.The undulations are significant in a routing through the jungle that spills out to cliffs above the Pacific in the rounds most thrilling points. Pity that you can't spend more time by the sea on this routing because the Pacific's views and breezes truly cast a spell over those few holes (really just three on the front and the 18th). True to its resort style, the distances between holes restricts the possibility of walking. The grass type is spongey and results in rough and fringe that grab at the ball, so chipping and pitching should really carry onto the proper green if you're not familiar with this turf. The wonderful surprise was that the greens rolled true, firm, and fast at this track in Feb '21. The conditions were surprisingly good.All in all a nice track I'd recommend if in the area for a few days.

Vista Vallarta is a wonderful complex with a satisfactory driving range, putting green, chipping/bunker area, and very good restaurant. The vibe is pure resort course and you're made to feel welcome upon entering. The Nicklaus course has hosted some great players and tourneys over the years and it's fun to see the photos of great players and their names on the lockers before heading out.The Weiskopf course is a really fun inland resort-style track that winds through undulating jungle landscape. Walking is unfortunately not very realistic, as the distances between holes can be significant and the hills/undulations at this course cut into mountains and barrancas can be truly wild even in a golf cart.The course looks short on the scorecard but doesn't play that way off the tee, as many holes take driver out of your hands. (There are at least two short par 3s and a number of short risk/reward par 4s and these shorter holes are some of the finest on the course.)Relatively wide fairways pinch closer to well (very deep) bunkered large greens that often require a cut or draw to access the low side of the hole - something imperative to do here if you want to score. The undulations and break represent the primary defense this course offers. You're consistently presented with flashy breaks and bumps that look significant but are often undercut by the natural cant of the larger putting surface. Reading these putts is the puzzle of the day. If you can get that sorted and gauge the speed (neither fast nor slow when I played in Feb '21) you can score here, as there are plentiful par 5s and short par 3s, as mentioned.While the greens are where the dough is made, the approaches at this track are where the fun is had. The pins tucked high and tight to the edge of a green and well guarded by bunkers are just close enough to really tempt you. Don't fall prey to that swashbuckling attitude here - you'll pay the price with winding down and side hill putts that can run away. Hit it to the fat of the green and you'll likely have an uphill 2 putt.The conditions are typical of this area - spongey, sticky grasses laid over firm ground that makes for wonderful lies and good amounts of roll under the considerable Pacific breezes in this part of the world.All in all, a very fun course that rewards strategic thinking and is a pleasant day under the bright Mexican skies.

Others have raved below but I've never had more fun in my life on a golf trip. We added an extra day, changed our flights, shelled out, and didn't regret a second of it for a 3rd round on Cliffs.

What a course! In my opinion the best at this resort. From the acrophobic opening tee shot, to the trippy Van-Gogh worthy dunes behind #4 green, the truly magnificent par 3 7th, to the par 5 17th (my favorite hole on the course due to raw bunkering dominating your visual field with every shot) - this is a disorienting bear of a track upon first walk. It plays harder than the distance/slope would lead you to believe. A test of every club in the bag - including and especially the putter.I did find the 10th and 11th to be rather bland compared to the rest of the course.Enjoy the walk but don't let it distract you from the total commitment this course requires. Leave time to enjoy a beverage and revisit your round as it can be a whirlwind. You'll want to relive it.

A course that revels in the "unfair" with more blind shots than visible ones, endless green complexes. I imagine those playing first for score or test of skill would bicker about some of these features. A caddie is basically required for tee, approach, and even green reading (ask for Remy aka Jamaican "Bones" - he won't let you down). Black would likely not age as well as the red and blue with multiple rounds, as its quirk might fade. The flip wedge par 3s don't fall into that category, as they are memorable, fun, and very tricky.That said, this is a resort course designed for friends, betting, and settling up on the putting & par 3 courses at the excellent clubhouse. Bottom line it is fun fun fun. Not sure I've ever played on such a large plot of land (and in 30 mph winds). "Everything the light touches" is your golf course and you can play it with whatever club you damn well please, be it a putter, wedge, iron, or hybrid. Forget about the "rules" of course design and have a great day - that's the whole point.

Of the three courses at Streamsong, Red was my least favorite, which speaks more to the overall strength of the resort than this course in particular. It's the most "traditional" course here in that the holes are more clearly defined - as opposed to the Blue, which feels primordial and recently hewn from the land, as if the tractors just left a week before. Black's design is akin to 18 cups cut into a disorienting endless moonscape of bumps and bowls.Others have written plenty here but I'll say this - the par 3 16th Biarritz is possibly the greatest hole I've ever seen. The scale of it borders on insanity. It makes you feel small, insignificant - in the best way possible. I will never forget playing it.Also - the wildlife here is national geographic worthy. Deer, Gators, Eagles, Birds, Owls - simply magnificent.

Very nice course at an excellent value in great condition given the number of rounds it hosts. It would be ranked higher in my book if not for the absolutely dreadful pace of play. A 5 hour round is something to be thankful for here.

As the son of a member and an Orlando area native who played many high school rounds at Bay Hill, I've come to know the course and the club well. There are a number of primary points that come to mind when I think of Bay Hill. They include:1. It's very difficult to score well on this course. The opening 2 holes are a real punch in the face. It's a requirement to warm up here - you don't want to be attempting the below without proper preparation:-driver, long iron on 1-very long iron on the superb 2nd (par 3). The left side of this green beckons but aim for the right side, hit it true, and the green will funnel to the middle. If you can hit a 180+ yard high fade into a hard green and hold it, then that might be the play here - and I'd be happily be your partner.-driver, short iron over water on the dogleg 3rd.-The rest ain't much easier. The 5th is underrated and tempts too many into too much club off the tee. The par 5 6th is simply one of the best holes in golf where strategy and decision making are still driving me nuts 100+ rounds in. The 8th is excellent from the proper tees, an elegant dogleg with an endlessly interesting green complex.-There are duds, however. The par 5 12th is forgettable. The par 4 15th is just strange - with its 90 degree dogleg right. It asks you to leave the driver in the bag and then punishes a well struck hybrid or iron by kicking it through the fairway and leaving you with a long, long approach. A baby cut 3 or 5 wood is the shot here but for most players that's not realistic request.-Par 5 16th is one of the more fun holes on the course - a risk/reward birdie opportunity-17 and 18 are strong, difficult holes that are hard to forget.- When you come, do yourself a favor and play from the proper tees - as most players I see here are hitting hybrids all day long.2. Ever since struggling with some greens/mold issues and then a vandalism/insurance issue that required the greens to be replaced and a few touch ups to the bunkering and green side areas a few years ago, the course has been cared for so meticulously and consistently that it has to now be among the best conditioned courses in the Southeast US. The greens are consistently harder and faster year over year. This was evident in 2020's Arnold Palmer Invitational. Huge congrats to the staff on this improvement.3. The practice facility (upgraded a few years ago) is world class and offers short game facilities that are just perfect.4. The ability to welcome others to the club via the Lodge is something I wish more clubs offered. It's truly a fun, welcoming environment where you can play cards in the locker room where the King collected his winnings, grab a beer by the putting green, etc. It lends a more relaxed vibe to the entire club, as is evidenced by it's growing cadre of younger members and families, something other clubs in Orlando are struggling with. It's also surprisingly walkable and the caddies are excellent. Bottom line: Bay Hill is a fun place to hang out and swing the wrenches, something so many clubs inexplicably miss.

An early morning walk through this peaceful routing feels like a trip back to the golden age. The experience is more than the sum of its parts, with the light, sandy pine areas, and undulation evoking a unique sense of place.What's more the golf itself firmly holds your attention throughout. Spectacular green complexes will reject mishits. Great conditions allow offline putts to funnel and funnel and roll and roll until the entire group can do nothing but laugh. I love a course that feels very challenging without coming off as an exhausting brute. Mid Pines does exactly that and enters my top 3 in the area along with Dormie and #2.

Plenty have raved appropriately. Falling in love with this home course has been the best abusive relationship of my life. I just can't quit Beth.

On a trip that included Pinehurst, Pine Needles, Tobacco Road and a number of others, this was the best course we played (unanimous among our foursome). The fun factor is off the charts and you're presented with many options. Fantastic bunkering. Interesting greens in great shape. Great mixture of distances in par 3s and par 4s. Themes that our group felt were overshadowed by the Disney-esque aspects of Tobacco Road, so we booked an additional round here on a whim and enjoyed it even more the second time.

Super fun course and great local muni vibe with interest/challenge for the low handicapper and accessibility for the higher handicappers. Plays far longer than the yardage would suggest. Truly amazing green complexes that play differently as the dew evaporates in the morning - though they could have been cut just a hair shorter when I played in Nov 2020. The turtleback green holes really mess with your eye and challenge you to trust your stroke. Wonderful surprises await in the fairways as lies are always just a bit more rippled and slanted than expected. It reminded me of English links golf with many blind tee shots and bunkers sprinkled about the property to make any length hitter think before swinging. Very walkable - easily got in 36 with energy to spare. The holes by the water are the only negative, as they feel like a completely different course - but it's easy to forgive given the absolutely gorgeous scenery in that part of the routing. I could play here all the time without a complaint.

Super fun course in October peak colors. Lovely conditions and true greens with tricky contours. Requires pretty much every club in the bag with plenty of opportunity to run the ball up or fly it in if you can handle the wind up here. Played alone and didn't see another person outside of the clubhouse. Wish I could have played it again. Worth a drive from Bar Harbor area or further!