The golf course was okay. Having to walk the course was something akin to torture. We played it twice and the second day I could barely make it and did not enjoy the round at all.

Some of the holes border on unfair. You can land on the green and still have impossible two and three putts. I am not a fan of having to putt the ball sideways to get the ball near the hole.

The opening hole is an uphill 465 yard par 4(Sand tees). I hit a good drive and still could not get the ball near the green with a three wood.

There are places on the golf course where you literally cannot hit a second shot. I hit a shot that was 5 feet off the fairway and it took ten minutes to locate the ball.

A gentleman who worked there said the course was going to play "around 8000 yards" for the US Open in 2015. He went on to say that he figured that the winning score would be "even and 7 over". After playing it I would agree with him.

I played it twice but will not go back until carts are introduced.

Customer Service

The people were extremely friendly and hospitable.

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Lahinch (Ireland), Old Head (Ireland), Waterville (Ireland)

i didn't understand when the starter told me i had hit short of the green and let it bounce up, but soon found that unless the green is canted toward you, the ball will not stop. had to learn to deal with the green side mounds to get the ball to roll to the hole. incredible course, can't wait to play there again.

Customer Service

very good

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nothing like this

Fun holes, huge fairways, you don't get a chance to play many courses like this in America. And how often do you get to play a U.S. Open course? Each hole is exciting, challenging, and fun.
All that said, the conditions were not ideal (maybe 7 on scale of 1-10) when I played 3/18/09 (and staff said that is typical in winter). Fescue grass doesn't grow well in the winter in Washington, so they are being understandably conservative (2010 US Amateur is their audition for 2015 US Open, so the condition of the course in summer 2010 will make or break their development plans).
So the greens putt a little slow (but are firm on chips and approaches), and the fairways are a little thin but certainly playable. The dark gray soil was not what I expected and takes some getting used to, but it plays firm. It rained for two weeks before my round, but the ball didn't land softly on the fairways or greens - unlike most American courses.
My caddy read every green perfectly, if only I could've made myself hit the putts farther on those slow greens. Also, this is the most difficult course I have ever walked. It is walking only, no carts are allowed at all. There are about a dozen SEVERELY STEEP climbs of 50 yards or more, and several more that are not easy. Not many of the holes play uphill too much, but a lot of the walks from a green to the following tee are difficult. You'll definitely want to take a free pullcart or a caddy.

Customer Service

Great caddy.

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Whistling Straights, Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines

Fun holes, huge fairways, you don't get a chance to play many courses like this in America. And how often do you get to play a U.S. Open course? Each hole is exciting, challenging, and fun.
All that said, the conditions were not ideal (maybe 7 on scale of 1-10) when I played 3/18/09 (and staff said that is typical in winter). Fescue grass doesn't grow well in the winter in Washington, so they are being understandably conservative (2010 US Amateur is their audition for 2015 US Open, so the condition of the course in summer 2010 will make or break their development plans).
So the greens putt a little slow (but are firm on chips and approaches), and the fairways are a little thin but certainly playable. The dark gray soil was not what I expected and takes some getting used to, but it plays firm. It rained for two weeks before my round, but the ball didn't land softly on the fairways or greens - unlike most American courses.
My caddy read every green perfectly, if only I could've made myself hit the putts farther on those slow greens. Also, this is the most difficult course I have ever walked. It is walking only, no carts are allowed at all. There are about a dozen SEVERELY STEEP climbs of 50 yards or more, and several more that are not easy. Not many of the holes play uphill too much, but a lot of the walks from a green to the following tee are difficult. You'll definitely want to take a free pullcart or a caddy.

Customer Service

Great caddy. Everyone was nice.

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Whistling Straights, Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines

Played in Feb. Lucked out, the weather was beautiful. Hard to lose your ball here, very open course. Wonderful views from all points on the course. My only complaint was if you played the Men's tees some of the par 3's were too short. Kinda pricey for a new course but gets away with it because the 2015 US Open will be played here.

Played this course in early October after hearing so many positive things about it. Was not disappointed and came away totally impressed. From the moment my group arrived till the time we left, We were treated very well without it feeling like every employee had his /her hand out for a tip(it is a public course after all) and you are already paying a premium, premium price. Played from the white tees and it gave us all the golf we could handle. Our groups handicap ranged from a low of 8, 12,14, and 24 and none of us broke 90. I kept my ball on the fairway on the front nine and shot 42. The back side was another story. Once you found the huge waste areas it could be lights out for your overall score. Even if you tried to take your medicine and go out to the nearest part of the fairway, it might be easier planned than done, and the next thing you know you are walking off the green with an 8 or nine on your scorecard. Ouch. The greens were not super fast, but the undulations and pin placements led to many 3 putts and a couple of "others" in our group. There are many memorable holes and the views are beautiful. I am a lifetime resident of Puget Sound but never take the beauty of our area for granted. The par 3 ninth does stand out as my favorite hole with the massive elevation drop down to the green. The only negative to the place, is the price for non- residents of Pierce county, but you don't get many chances to play a course destined to host the U.S. open either.in th conclusion, it is well worth a trip to the area to play.

Customer Service

Very good with no complaints from our group.

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Crosswater in Bend Oregon as far as difficulty, none as far as layout.

Great, challenging course that is not very forgiving with mistakes. No *real* unfair holes. You must think out your risk/rewards. Greens are very undulating and have some tricky pin placements.

Customer Service

Horrible! This is hte single reason I will not play this course EVER again, even if I won a free round. Most of the staff (there were a few exceptions) treated it as if they were doing me a favor by letting me pay to play on their course. Terrible. Awful.

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Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach

I've been watching this course for a while(I'm a local).
My wife bought me a round for my birthday last winter and I've been sitting on the gift card for the right time. August up here is perfect weather, and I played today. Get a caddie. It made the round much more enjoyable.
Everything it seems heads to the waste areas. They are massive in places. There are not many flat spots. You have to chose every shot and then totally commit to it. You do not want to leave the fairways. Its can be a lot of work just to get back.
The greens were surprisingly slow. I guess they are just young. The contours were wild. I can't wait to see the pro's play this place.
This place was awesome. I can only afford to play this about once or twice a year, so for me it will remain a special treat. I've only been playing seriously for about a year and I average in the mid to high 80's now but I did break 100 today so the average golfer can play here and enjoy it.

Customer Service

Top notch. GET A CADDIE !

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None that I've played yet

I've been watching this course for a while(I'm a local).
My wife bought me a round for my birthday last winter and I've been sitting on the gift card for the right time. August up here is perfect weather, and I played today. Get a caddie. It made the round much more enjoyable.
Everything it seems heads to the waste areas. They are massive in places. There are not many flat spots. You have to chose every shot and then totally commit to it. You do not want to leave the fairways. Its can be a lot of work just to get back.
The greens were surprisingly slow. I guess they are just young. The contours were wild. I can't wait to see the pro's play this place.
This place was awesome. I can only afford to play this about once or twice a year, so for me it will remain a special treat. I've only been playing seriously for about a year and I average in the mid to high 80's now but I did break 100 today so the average golfer can play here and enjoy it.

Customer Service

Top notch. GET A CADDIE !

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None that I've played yet

This course will be great, but you simply can not charge $171 for a course where the greens are in this poor of condition. Yes it's new, but putting is the name of the game in golf, and you can't get the ball rolling on these greens. in fact two of them are nearly lost!! Give it time, but $171 is a joke.

Customer Service

Excellent. The food is very good, and so was our forecaddie!!

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All Bandon courses.