Sand Valley Temp Greens

[sths31]

Has anyone played the Sand Valley temporary greens (because of the terrible winter) and can report back on what they are like and if it is worth playing that course twice? Thanks in advance for the help. Heading up there next week and want to be sure we know what we're getting into.

[nowitski41]

I played Sand Valley on Saturday June 2. The temp greens are terrible. Just shaved down patches of fairway. They have a 2 putt max so if you are on in regulation it is an auto par. Very slow and bumpy. One of them actually had divots because they placed the temp green in the fairway collection area. All 4 of us agreed that we would not come back to play it again. Even the regular greens are in rough shape. Very sandy and high spots on the regular greens are worn down and sandy. If you are going to replay one of the courses I 100% recommend playing Mammoth twice. MD is the easier course but it is visually appealing and has some fun holes.

[CDM]

Just wondering are they discounting anything given the conditions?

 

*Not that I am going to be playing there...just a random question

[BG5]

Yes 25% discount off posted prices

[nowitski41]

They gave us a $50 discount so we ended up paying $170 plus tax for Sand Valley. They quoted me $170 for mammoth Dunes but when we got there they charged us $70 plus tax (replay) even though they specifically told me before the trip that the replay rate only applies if you play the same course twice. That was an unexpected $100 savings. Maybe they did that because we voiced our displeasure the week before regarding the temp greens(when we made the tee times there was no mention of the temp greens).

[eboettne]

Interesting to hear negative reviews on SV and MD. Following Ashley Mayo from the Golf Channel(I think?) she made it sound like the 2 courses were the next coming of Bandon Dunes.

 

This also further solidifies my decision to play Bandon Dunes this year and give Sand Valley another few years to mature and potentially build a 3rd course.

[sths31]

Interesting to hear negative reviews on SV and MD. Following Ashley Mayo from the Golf Channel(I think?) she made it sound like the 2 courses were the next coming of Bandon Dunes.

 

This also further solidifies my decision to play Bandon Dunes this year and give Sand Valley another few years to mature and potentially build a 3rd course.

I think the current condition reflects the long long winter that we had in the Midwest this year not the actual course. However, I don't really want to pay $150 or more for temp greens. MD sounds like it is in good shape so good to go

[CDM]

Interesting to hear negative reviews on SV and MD. Following Ashley Mayo from the Golf Channel(I think?) she made it sound like the 2 courses were the next coming of Bandon Dunes.

 

This also further solidifies my decision to play Bandon Dunes this year and give Sand Valley another few years to mature and potentially build a 3rd course.

Have not been in the area in a while but a friend said the winter was brutal this year which caused the greens damage from what I have heard by others.

 

As to the courses and setup a lot of people say is excellent. Being the same owner/developer, will it be the level of Bandon.... IMHO I don't think so but it will be close I am sure. I only say that because you have the ocean at Bandon, even Cabot has the ocean which really adds to the aspects..

[payerasjl]

unless you are in the area... its silly to go now. Give it a couple seasons to get going before making the pilgrimage.

 

My club redid the greens from scratch a couple years ago, and finally this season they are where they should be! (3 full seasons of lots of rain and aeration). I imagine SV will have to wait a few seasons before peak rolling! I personally cant wait to go! i got a couple more trips lined up before making it out there though

[eboettne]

Interesting to hear negative reviews on SV and MD. Following Ashley Mayo from the Golf Channel(I think?) she made it sound like the 2 courses were the next coming of Bandon Dunes.

 

This also further solidifies my decision to play Bandon Dunes this year and give Sand Valley another few years to mature and potentially build a 3rd course.

I think the current condition reflects the long long winter that we had in the Midwest this year not the actual course. However, I don't really want to pay $150 or more for temp greens. MD sounds like it is in good shape so good to go

 

That makes sense, my course in North Dakota got hit by that this year too. Usually the course is in prime shape within 2-3 weeks of opening but this is the first time I ever remember having winter kill on the greens. I read a newsletter from a course in Northern MN that said average days with tarps on about 120 and this year it was like 160 days. I wasn't aware that Wisconsin was having the same issues with greens. That being said, I'll still go to Bandon first!

[Roadking2003]

Have they said when they will move to the permanent greens? I'm playing there with a group in late August.

[exgolfpro]

Mid 70's and sunny today. A few weeks of that kind of weather and the greens should really fill in nicely. But, will still keep an eye on what others are saying because I am playing there July 8-9.

[sths31]

Have they said when they will move to the permanent greens? I'm playing there with a group in late August.

Email said June 17 but they originally said May 29 so I'm not sure if I believe the new date either

[vallygolf]

Have they said when they will move to the permanent greens? I'm playing there with a group in late August.

Email said June 17 but they originally said May 29 so I'm not sure if I believe the new date either

 

4.5 months of decent greens........that sucks.

[SDL]

I played both Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes last week. The greens were pretty slow on both courses and the four temp greens on SV were a pain, but these are both really good courses that shouldn't be missed. For people making comparisons, Bandon Dunes has a wider range of courses that are much farther along in their maturation, but I didn't regret paying discounted rates to play the Sand Valley courses in the shape they are in currently. SV is an excellent course, and MD is a great course that is really something special. In fact, I think that MD is likely to compete for being rated as the best new U.S. course to open this year. MD has a number of very interesting holes as well as a very natural "flow" through dramatic dunes and valleys. I really liked it!

[sths31]

I played both Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes last week. The greens were pretty slow on both courses and the four temp greens on SV were a pain, but these are both really good courses that shouldn't be missed. For people making comparisons, Bandon Dunes has a wider range of courses that are much farther along in their maturation, but I didn't regret paying discounted rates to play the Sand Valley courses in the shape they are in currently. SV is an excellent course, and MD is a great course that is really something special. In fact, I think that MD is likely to compete for being rated as the best new U.S. course to open this year. MD has a number of very interesting holes as well as a very natural "flow" through dramatic dunes and valleys. I really liked it!

Did you play the Sandbox? How would you describe the condition of all three (knowing that SV has temp greens)?

[healthyscratch]

I played both Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes last week. The greens were pretty slow on both courses and the four temp greens on SV were a pain, but these are both really good courses that shouldn't be missed. For people making comparisons, Bandon Dunes has a wider range of courses that are much farther along in their maturation, but I didn't regret paying discounted rates to play the Sand Valley courses in the shape they are in currently. SV is an excellent course, and MD is a great course that is really something special. In fact, I think that MD is likely to compete for being rated as the best new U.S. course to open this year. MD has a number of very interesting holes as well as a very natural "flow" through dramatic dunes and valleys. I really liked it!

 

Was also there last weekend and agree with this 100%. Temp greens are never fun, but we didn’t let them ruin our overall experience. And yes, MD was spectacular.

 

Sandbox was fun but nothing special though. Mostly a lot of similar 50-70yd shots, a few 120ish.

 

If you use Shipsticks, just a note, as first rate as the rest of the resort is, their bag room is amateur hour.

[SDL]

I played both Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes last week. The greens were pretty slow on both courses and the four temp greens on SV were a pain, but these are both really good courses that shouldn't be missed. For people making comparisons, Bandon Dunes has a wider range of courses that are much farther along in their maturation, but I didn't regret paying discounted rates to play the Sand Valley courses in the shape they are in currently. SV is an excellent course, and MD is a great course that is really something special. In fact, I think that MD is likely to compete for being rated as the best new U.S. course to open this year. MD has a number of very interesting holes as well as a very natural "flow" through dramatic dunes and valleys. I really liked it!

 

Was also there last weekend and agree with this 100%. Temp greens are never fun, but we didn't let them ruin our overall experience. And yes, MD was spectacular.

 

Sandbox was fun but nothing special though. Mostly a lot of similar 50-70yd shots, a few 120ish.

 

If you use Shipsticks, just a note, as first rate as the rest of the resort is, their bag room is amateur hour.

 

Playing the Sandbox was definitely a lot of fun - and good practice for wedges and short irons - but I had some difficulty replaying the holes in memory since many holes blended together in my mind. The Sandbox would be an especially good setting for some serious betting among friends, and the greens were interesting and challenging. You can find some serious trouble if you end up in a deep bunker or get out of position.

 

We didn't have any interactions with the bag room, so I can't comment on issues there. My brother and I drove up to Sand Valley from Illinois and Iowa respectively, and we moved our clubs around on push carts we brought ourselves. We stayed in the Fairway Lodge, which was very close to the Clubhouse and the shuttle stop. We didn't have to drive our cars at all while we were at the resort, which was very nice.

 

Although all the staff were extremely friendly and helpful, several staff admitted that they had just started working there and couldn't answer some of our questions without checking with other staff. Also, although the food was pretty good, the menu options were somewhat limited by the fact that their new restaurant is in the middle of construction. On the other hand, the food was tasty and very inexpensive at Craig's Porch at SV (overlooking the tees for Holes 1 and 10 and the 18th green) and at the food tent at the turn on MD.

[SDL]

Did you play the Sandbox? How would you describe the condition of all three (knowing that SV has temp greens)?

 

Yes, we did play the Sandbox and enjoyed it a lot. Looking at the condition of the greens on all 3 courses, I would rank those on MD as best (though slow), with the Sandbox being pretty similar but maybe having a few more areas where the grass seemed thin or brownish. SV had the most problematic greens due to the harsh winter, but there were only 4 remaining temp greens (all on the front 9) when I played it. To put things in perspective, we were much more concerned about having to play SV in a steady rain than from any issues related to the greens.

[Roadking2003]

Have they said when they will move to the permanent greens? I'm playing there with a group in late August.

Email said June 17 but they originally said May 29 so I'm not sure if I believe the new date either

 

So, my late August dates should be good. Did they comment on when they will mow the greens to normal height?

[sths31]

Have they said when they will move to the permanent greens? I'm playing there with a group in late August.

Email said June 17 but they originally said May 29 so I'm not sure if I believe the new date either

 

So, my late August dates should be good. Did they comment on when they will mow the greens to normal height?

Nope

[Roadking2003]

Any news on the greens over the past ten days?

[exgolfpro]

Interested as well. Will be there 3 weeks from today!!!!!!

[krzeczowskimatt]

I will be up there around mid July very interested to hear if they still have the temps greens, my group has made backup plans for that weekend of conditions do not improve.

[briggek8717]

I will be up there around mid July very interested to hear if they still have the temps greens, my group has made backup plans for that weekend of conditions do not improve.

 

Don't you have to make cancellations/changes prior to 30 days of your planned date? The email I have with my confirmation clearly states that cancellations or reductions in number of players need to be made at least 30 days in advance or you'll be charged anyway.

[chrisisoutrunning]

Received an email today regarding the Summer Solstice event on Thursday. There are evidently still five temporary greens on the front nine. They said it's possible that they will have some open by Thursday, but in no way was it worded in a hopeful manner.

 

I can report back sometime post-Thursday. I probably won't remember to come back here after 72 holes walking.

[krzeczowskimatt]

I will be up there around mid July very interested to hear if they still have the temps greens, my group has made backup plans for that weekend of conditions do not improve.

 

Don't you have to make cancellations/changes prior to 30 days of your planned date? The email I have with my confirmation clearly states that cancellations or reductions in number of players need to be made at least 30 days in advance or you'll be charged anyway.

 

Is this true? I think when we booked ( Sorry my friend did the booking) they said we can cancel up to two week ahead of the tee time. Also, with the conditions as bad as it sounds like they are do you think they would really try and charge us for canceling when they do not even have all the greens on one of the courses in play? As long as they do not have Temp Greens I will be happy.

[briggek8717]

This is the exact wording from my reservation. I don’t know if they’ll enforce it with temp greens or not. We are not staying on resort. If you are, perhaps it is different.

 

Cancellations: Your golf-only reservation is guaranteed by a credit card and cancellations or reductions in the number of players must be made at least 30 days in advance. Changes made within this time-period will result in a charge for the full green fees.

[krzeczowskimatt]

This is the exact wording from my reservation. I don't know if they'll enforce it with temp greens or not. We are not staying on resort. If you are, perhaps it is different.

 

Cancellations: Your golf-only reservation is guaranteed by a credit card and cancellations or reductions in the number of players must be made at least 30 days in advance. Changes made within this time-period will result in a charge for the full green fees.

 

Damn well thank you for the heads up, we do have 1 night booked to stay on property not sure if that changes things but I will definitely be checking the reservation.

[BG5]

Called today. Temp greens will be in place at least till June 24 and At that time they will decide what the plan is but there is a good chance temp greens will be in place for a while. The greens struggled over the winter and they are focused on the long term success