Thursday, January 8, 2009

Area Golf Courses-Fox Hollow Golf Course

So this is the second installment of my review of my local area golf courses. This installment will cover our other public course option in Glasgow; Fox Hollow Golf Course.

Fox Hollow is a run of the mill track. It is very inexpensive to play ($22 for 18 Holes and cart) and very inexpensive for a membership ($720 per year). As always there is a catch though. You shouldn't expect anything extravagant here. So let's start our review:

Clubhouse- Well, I don't really know which word would describe it....maybe....horrible? Anyways, there is little in there clubhouse. They offer no clubs and very little golf ball selection. The apparel is cheap looking and there is very little of that. The staff is hit or miss. Don't expect to get refueled at the turn either as there is very little to offer on that front as well.

Driving Range- The tee area has no grass usually. They don't take very good care of it and it shows. There is no way the distance markers can be accurate either.

Tees- This is the most frustrating part. The tee boxes are very limited in grass. There might three of eighteen tee boxes that have a grass, the rest are dirt. Another issue with the tee boxes is the fact that they are not level. You can tee your ball up and address it and you will notice that your feet are below the ball or vice-versa. There really isn't anything I can say that is positive about the tee boxes.

Fairways- The fairways are wide. This course is set up nicely for the golfer that struggles off the tee. You will find a few holes that are tight, but 98% of the holes are wide open. There are limited out of bounds on the course as well. Basically, unless you hit it in the trees you can still play your ball. The front nine fairways are average at best. There will be dead spots along the way as the front nine is the oldest part of the course. The back nine fairways are in decent shape and you will find very few issues with them.

Greens- Well, they aren't awful. The main problem I have with the greens is the people who play the course. You will find multiple divots on each green. I spend a majority of my time there fixing divots. I really feel that the ownership should mention this to the customers as this is an extreme issue. Other than divots you will rarely find a dead spot on a green. They have good roll to them and there is a lot of tier greens here that provide you with some difficult putts.

Hazards- Well, there are a handful on the course. The back nine has bunkers, if you can call them that, as they don't have sand in them. It is mostly filled will old sand and dirt mixed together. You can basically putt or chip out of the bunkers. There is only one bunker on the front which is on number two. There are a few water hazards, but they are minor. The only one that poses any threat is at number three which is a stream that guards the green.

Challenging Holes- There are only a few holes that provide a challenge. #3 is a tough par four that requires a short tee shot and a very high soft landing second. The green on #3 is an egg shape that rolls off on all sides. #5 is a interesting hole as the tees set below a hill that requires you to hit the ball very high in order to get it over the hill. This hole is a par five and could really benefit from either a blast of dynamite or some very aggressive shaping of the land.

Overall- I think Fox Hollow could be an average daily fee course, but it wont get there under the current management. I hate to say that, but it is true. The management doesn't really do anything to improve the course. You rarely see people working on the course. The ball washers never have fresh water in them unless it rains. There are no marshalls to speed things up so on a busy day it can take a while to play around when you get stuck behind people who take their time. This course lacks direction and leadership. I have said that I hope before I leave this world I can see this course develop into something, but until a new owner is present in the clubhouse I just can't see that happening.

My next update in the series will be regarding Glasgow Golf & Country Club. I will also be posting a blog regarding the upcoming trip to the annual Golf Show in Louisville, KY. This will be taking place on Saturday, January 11, 2009 at the Freedom Hall Expo Center. Last year was a disappointment so I hope this year is better.

Have a great day!

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