"Great course"
Nice course. Greens were in excellent shape, rolled fast and true. I like all of the elevation changes. Course was a bit wet but not unexpected and not a negative. Pace of play was good. If you don't mind all of elevation changes, would be relatively easy course to walk. I really like the layout.
Located off Lawyer's Road in the Matthews / Indian Trail area, this course lives up to the 'lake' in its name, with water coming into play on many holes, including the signature par 5 14th hole -- with 2 shots over the 12-acre lake. It is a semi-private course and one of the few Charlotte area public courses with bent grass greens.
All-inclusive memberships are available. The original clubhouse burned down on the 4th of July back in 2012 -- I was one of the last people to leave the clubhouse that day when I still had my membership. A new one was finished in 2016 and now includes an event facility that can host weddings and banquets. The Lakeview Grille looks over the 14th tee and 18th green and has shaded outdoor seating.
This course was once my home course, back in 2011-2012, and I still live only about 5 minutes away. It took some time for me to get comfortable here because the course is definitely challenging. Between the tree-lined tight fairways on some holes, the water hazards / sand bunkers on others, and the slick, sloped, undulating greens, your swing needs to be under control to keep the ball in play and your score down. I've started to have better success here in recent years, as I've learned to stay away from trouble and not hit driver on every par 4. Some holes can still get me, though, including #12, a very long, narrow par 4, and #9, another long par 4 with an approach over a creek, uphill to the toughest green on the course. My favorite holes are the exciting par 5's #14 and #18 with water in play for more than one shot. I don't play here as often anymore because the bent grass greens sometimes suffer in the summer heat and lots of play (read: un-repaired ball marks!). The course also thinks rather highly of itself and has become one of the more overpriced courses for its conditions. Check for a recent review before heading out.
Tee | Par | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|---|
Championship (Emerald) | 71 | 6820 | 71.2 | 137 |
Men's (Blue) | 71 | 6455 | 69.9 | 132 |
Other (White) | 71 | 5963 | 67.4 | 121 |
Ladies (Red) | 71 | 5120 | 68.7 | 116 |
Back at Emerald Lake to use up a raincheck before it expired (and managed to dodge the storms so I didn't get another one). Got what I expected. The bent grass greens are getting close to the edge with unfixed ball marks and bare dirt spots where old locations used to be. You've probably got another couple of weeks before the greens will be in trouble. Today they rolled well as long as you fixed any marks on your line. The rest of the course was in fine shape, no issues. Very pricey, as I've reported for years. Got there as a walkup about 2:40 and the rate was going to be $64. The pro shop suggested I go out at 3:10 when the rate would drop to $45 - so I appreciated that. Still, $45 after 3 on a Friday afternoon for Emerald Lake is... not a deal. I kinda had to use the raincheck or lose it, so... One other note, they have paved the parking lot where the old clubhouse used to be to the right of #18. So that's a different visual now, not to mention dangerous O.B.(better have insurance ;-). Other than that, Emerald Lake is still a fun track to play and I have so much history here that I'll be back when the time and price are right.
Read The ReviewSaw this email come in last week and I've heard many folks complain about TeeOff getting bought by GolfNow:
"After a long relationship with GolfNow, we have decided to part ways. Emerald Lake Golf Club will no longer have tee times available on any third party website. Some of you may have even noticed that GolfNow.com is showing that our course is closed, which is inaccurate. We are open for play!
The lowest rates available (including our Daily Deals) can now be found exclusively on our website"
Courses are finding that they can manage their own tee sheets now. I wonder if that's recency bias though -- with the heightened play due to golf being allowed during the pandemic.
I still see a need for tee time aggregators, especially for last minute golfers like myself. When you don't care where or how much but just need to quickly see which courses have openings, these aggregators are very helpful. When you have to go to each course's website to check for openings, it might take you 10 minutes to find one.
Emerald Lake used to be my home course and so I played it a ton over the years. Wasn't particularly happy with my experience this time back for 3 reasons -- they have raised the hole cups, they've added a $7 surcharge for single cart usage and their rate for a Tuesday morning round 3 weeks after aeration was $55 (!). The fairways were in good shape and the greens rolled well considering you could still see the aeration holes and some of the sand. But come on, the raised cups do not feel like golf. Put a foam filler in, turn them upside down, but don't raise the cups. Every thing within about 8-10 feet was a virtual gimme. No fear at all. At least my two birdies on #6 and #10 were gimmes under normal conditions (less than 3 feet), but I had a few pars that were no sweat at all from within 10 feet. And I made a dubious "bogey" on 7 with a chip that hit the raised cup. So it was a great round (75) but was probably a 78 with normal cups. This is the first course I've played that's using raised cups and I'll wait to come back until they go back to normal and wipe out that ridiculous $7 surcharge. $62 for a weekday morning round!
Read The ReviewCourse being aerated on 3/25 and 3/26. Only 9 holes will be open both days and then discounted fees will be in effect for 1-2 weeks.
Read MoreLove the layout but the bent grass greens were soft and hairy. Could not get enough of a consistent roll to make any significant putts. I've gotten so spoiled by all the Bermuda grass courses around town that coming back to Emerald Lake was a bit disappointing. Several of the greens had issues with old ball marks or thin dirt spots, but they didn't necessarily affect putting as much as the slow speed and natural bumpiness of the bent grass. Fairways, rough, bunkers and tees were all just fine. The rate was good for a weekday afternoon but $5 for a Stella was pretty steep.
Read The Review"Great course"
Nice course. Greens were in excellent shape, rolled fast and true. I like all of the elevation changes. Course was a bit wet but not unexpected and not a negative. Pace of play was good. If you don't mind all of elevation changes, would be relatively easy course to walk. I really like the layout.
By The B-Man on 12/31/20
For those that may have missed the news last month, The Golf Club at Ballantyne closes for good today. I really hate to see it go and have no idea how they will manage to find comparable golf for their guests to enjoy while staying the hotel. I will always have a plaque...