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This course is best summed up as less than impressive. It's not the worst place to play, but definitely a far cry from some of the other courses we've played. It has a few positives going for
it, but the negatives balance them out. First, the good. The course has an interesting  nautical theme to it, as it is set on the Thames River, and there is a walkway bordering it, from which
people can watch your game. We had one family follow us for the last couple of holes, letting their small child watch and it felt as if we were on
tour. They even clapped when we sunk our putts. This course also puts a twist on most of the holes by having a longer, shaggier carpet in some
spots, creating a rough. This may be overdone at times along the course, but it does add a bit of a challenge. They also have a couple of neat
holes. One hole splits to create two paths which go over/under each other and there was a multiple step one that had an interesting way of sending
the ball through the PVC pipes. This course does present a challenge on most of the holes, but is not the most difficult in the world. Also, the pars
are set very high, so it is easy to shoot a mediocre round and come near or under par. The best thing about this course is the 19th hole. It is a very
long, but not terribly difficult hole and you can substitute your score on that hole for any higher score on the course, according to course rules.
Now for the bad. It all begins with a pricing model that drives one mad. All other courses we've play
have included tax into the price to make it a nice even number. This course, however, insists on posting
$5.00 as the price, then charging tax. Needless to say, the man at the desk shocked us when he told us
the price and we were irked from the start. It also didn't help that the people working there were less
than cordial, but at least they stayed out of our way while playing. The second downer is the volcano in
the middle of the pond that the course is set around. Now, although it was neat to see chutes of fire
periodically, the volcano is pointless. It adds nothing to the course, doesn't match the theme and is way
too hot if you are on a hole close to it when it goes off. Worst of all, it doesn't even look like a volcano. Another negative on this course is the overuse of the double hole. Too many holes on this
course have more than one cup to shoot at. It's fine to use this idea once, even better to add a penalty
for going on one hole, but more than once is pointless and not very interesting. The last thing that brings
this course down is the lack of water in the water hazards on some holes. Maybe we caught them at a
bad time, but none of the little ponds in the holes had any water in them. If they did, there was only a
centimeter or two and it was nasty water, great places for breeding mosquitoes. It makes the course look rundown and not cared for, and as five dollars a pop (a normal price for most courses), it could
be better kept. So don't rush out to play this course, or you'll be sadly disappointed. Wait for a day when you truly have nothing else to do, then give it a try.
Pat Sheridan (2002), The Putting Penguin
Best score reported:
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