It was a beautiful day to get outside yesterday. The sun was shining with a small chance of rain. I could think of nothing better to do than get out and play some golf.
I decided to go to Carter Plantation. This is for two reasons. One it was time I got another review done and two because I knew they just completed their aerification process recently. The main purpose of this during a review is to see how the golf course is healing and how playable the greens are. I can say this the golf course was very playable and you could barely notice any maintenance work had been done in the past two weeks.
Upon checking in for my tee-time there was only one thing that was kind of disappointing. Not a big deal but I have to mention it. When I walked into the pro shop I was greeted with hello sir but almost didn't see where it came from. The guy behind the counter was sitting with his feet up and I could barely see him behind the counter displays. Where I got disappointed is when I told him my tee-time he did not get up from his chair at all, just checked me in, and said you are all set. He was polite and perhaps he is just young, inexperienced, and not a "club professional". Maybe it's me being in the golf industry a long time, my age, or being in customer service but to me, that is not how to greet and check people in. On the flip side, the girl on the beverage cart was great. She had a good friendly personality and remembered what I was drinking after the first time I saw her.
Before I get into the rest of the round I do have to say if you want a golf course to get a really good practice session in before playing Carter Plantation is a great place to do it. There is a full double-ended range, two putting greens, and a large green to practice short game shots including bunker shots. Although I only used the driving range and one putting green I could tell were all in great shape.
My round didn't start off on the best of circumstances as the group I was supposed to be paired with did not show up and left me as a single. I do not mind but on a day with many groups of three and four out on the course, you just have to adjust and be prepared to wait a lot. During my wait on the first tee, the starter and course marshall were there and fun to talk with. The filled me in on how the weather had been and the changes made to the golf course, like switching nines, since my last visit.
Throughout the entire day, I was pleasantly surprised with how much bounce and roll the ball got in the fairway. You can tell there were some areas where water had accumulated at one point a few days ago but the fairways were playing firm and fast. The grass was not extremely tight but it was tight enough the ball was just sitting on top of the grass perfectly. Even the rough areas off the edges of the fairway were not that long.
The greens that I was expecting to still have visible holes and possibly a light layer of sand had neither. Even though the aerification was slightly noticeable it did not affect the roll of a putt. Putts rolled nearly perfect with the occasional bump and the speed was very good. They were not real fast but not slow by any means. The only putts I had to give it a good firm pop were the ones uphill. Even those I came up short most of the time. However, when I had a downhill putt I had to be careful to not hit it 6ft long. The greens were slightly firm but yet soft enough to hold a shot and make a ball mark.
All in all the golf course was in great shape and I'm positive next week it will be near perfect if we continue to get some good weather like yesterday. Carter Plantation is a good golf course that can challenge you yet let you enjoy yourself and shoot well depending on the tees you play. And speaking of those tees one of the things I love that Carter Plantation has is a combination set of tees. I think more courses should have these to fill in gaps of yardages and give golfers different options.
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