Rating:*
- Layout: 9
- Conditions: 9
- Staff: 10
- Value: 10
TCS™: 9.5
— Not counted in TCS™, but just as important (imo):
- Pace of Play: Moderate to Fast
*All ratings are out of 10 possible points.
Commentary:
This is an amazing golf course. A true links course in every sense, huge natural bunkers break up the rolling fairways and greens. It is like walking along a coastal plot of land that happens to be good for playing a round of golf on.
My ONLY quibble with the design is the tease factor. For most of your round you are within a stone throw of the beautiful Tazzy beach and ocean views, but because the course is cut through some dunes the spectacular coastal views are often hidden as you make your way through the valley of the fairway between rising dunes on either side. At one point in the round (on 17) the siren song of the surf breaking just over the rise became too much and I climbed up the embankment, jumped down the 4 foot ledge, and walked along the beach for a bit (no one was behind me for a good 30+ minutes). Don’t get me wrong, the setting is nothing short of breathtaking, but the tease of ocean vistas was slightly frustrating, at least for this golfer who spends most of his days far inland from the ocean.
The conditions were not picture perfect. A links course often plays a little rougher, but in their off season Barnbougle Dunes tee boxes and fairways were a bit patchy with club strikes, even for a natural links course.
The woman (sorry, forget her name, local from Tazzy) was super nice and helpful. The woman with the shorter hair in the bar, not as friendly, but she was accommodating. Staff gets a 10 for the woman in the proshop.
At $99 for a round in this setting with this design it is an easy 10. You don’t even have to stay to play, but having stayed a night I can also say the accomodations were clean and comfortable.
Bottom line, go play this if you find yourself in the vicinity, or make a trip, it is worth the visit!