The weather had been great for golf so far this December and Friday, 12/09/2022, was one of the best days for golf. I decided to play English Turn Golf and Country Club since it had been since October of 2021 that Golf Nola has done a review of the golf course.
English Turn has always been one of my favorite properties. Great practice facilities that include a full grass, double-ended driving range, and large putting green along with another green to practice chip, pitch, and bunker shots. It's a fun design with smaller greens, compared to today's standards, with wide fairways that also require placement off the tee for the best approach to the greens. The golf course also hosted the PGA Tour from 1989 to 2004 and again in 2006 due to Hurricane Katrina causing issues at TPC Louisiana.
Checking in for my tee time was a pleasant experience. The staff is very welcoming and friendly. The golf shop also is well stocked for just about anything you may need for your round or if you wanted a souvenir. There is a full men's and women's locker room as well. Something many golf courses lack. There is a full grill and a "turn" house for food and beverages. The on-course starter was great as well and we had a wonderful conversation. The only issue I had with any staff was staff I never saw. The beverage cart person left early for some reason. I saw the cart out there when I was on the range but I went around all 18-holes without seeing the cart once. Also when I got to the "turn" stand there was a sign gone for lunch. I was unable to get a drink but thankfully there are water coolers spread around the golf course.
Once I was checked in and headed over to the driving range I got my first glimpse of the conditions the property was in. The range was in exceptional condition. I only had one issue with it, however. The designated area to hit from was at the edge of the very front and you were basically hitting golf balls from a downhill lie. I didn't see any reason this had to be set up that way when there is so much flat turf that can be used. Especially when the range is double-ended. The putting green and other practice areas were all well maintained.
Once out on the golf course, the very well-maintained conditions continued. You can tell the golf course and recently been sprayed with a chemical or fertilizer. The bonus is it made everything a beautiful green color. The tee boxes are very level and cut to a good height. What I particularly found refreshing is the maintenance staff did a very good job making sure the tee markers were lined up pointing you to the middle of the fairway. Something you see all too often at other golf courses.
The fairways were very good as well. The ball didn't seem to get much bounce or roll but you would get a nice lie for the most part. Even though the fairways were cut tight they were not perfect. This only was an issue on a few holes for me, particularly the par 5 13th hole. I hit a great drive that left me 245 yards to the center of the green but because the ball was not sitting up on the grass I could not hit my 3-wood and go for the green in two. Honestly however this time of the year the cut of the fairways was tighter than it normally would be if we were having cooler weather and the overseed was growing properly. All in all the fairways were great and one of the best things is the course is very well marked. You can find yardage markers easily and sprinkler heads are marked as well.
The greens were also in great condition. The speed however took some getting used to. All of the greens looked faster than they actually were. I first found this out on the practice putting green but it still took a few holes to adjust. Due to whatever they sprayed on the golf course the greens seemed sticky. Not sticky to the touch more like the ball just didn't want to roll. They still rolled very pure and true despite being somewhat slower than normal. The ball bounced on the greens like they were very firm and even wedges I hit that had a good amount of spin on the ball did not stop immediately like they normally would. Again due to what maintenance needed to do. I will gladly take greens rolling 10 or 11 and smooth over 13 and bumpy.
Overall I was very pleased with the conditions of English Turn. It is a fun golf course that is challenging yet fair and will test the best golfers while allowing the mid to high-handicap golfers to enjoy themselves. One of the best things about the entire property is the entire golf course is essentially an island. If you were to look at an aerial view there is water surrounding the golf course as the barrier between the golf course and the homes.
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