Quail Hollow Golf Club

This was a great course and a fantastic value at $12 (family rate after 4pm). Nice putting green, chipping and bunker area. There was a driving range as well. It was a very tough course to walk with a bag on your back. Pull cart would have come in handy. Fairways in a good shape and greens were nice. Lots of elevation changes and a few really great elevated tee boxes. I'll be going back next time I'm in Boise.

the course hasn't changed much since I last reviewed it in 2017 (although, right now, it is in about as perfect a condition as it can get); however, what has changed enough to warrant another take I think, is my game. I now hit a driver and routinely play either the blue or blue/golf tees.

As I mentioned in a previous review, as much if not more than any of the other 85 courses I've played, dropping back a tee box at Quail completely changes the nature of your round. Because each hole is fairly unique and challenging, this is true pretty much throughout the entire course.

Since I've started hitting driver (I average about 250 with it), Quail has become a lot more "gettable" even from further back (e.g. some of the previously blind approaches are no longer so)... however the premium on accuracy is unchanged.

Hole#15, in particular should be your gauge as to whether you intend to take on the gold tees it is a 239 yard (downhill) par three with a hillside blocking part of the green and a cart path leading to the street below on the other side (and there is almost always some wind to deal with)... often from back there, the bunkers are your best result.

In the early/mid spring the foothills the course runs through are still a bit green and the course itself is very lush, it's really a terrific time to play this course (and, at under $25 at twilight, is certainly one of the better golf values out there).

I've mentioned this before as well, but it's probably on the short list of things to know (especially for the budget conscious)... Quail is a walk only for the most intrepid golfers. Most holes have elevation change and some of them are very significant. If you choose to walk Quail, your legs will let you know about it.

I've never done a second review for the same course before, and I don't know if I will again. Quail hollow, though, is a rather different course from the Blue tees... enough so that I thought it was worth it.

Looking at the scorecard, particularly the rating and slope you might not think it that different (67.7/125 vs. 70.1/127. However there are an extra 500 yards to take into account and, moreso, many of those yards are added to the carry necessary to safely get on board the fairways of some of the tougher holes on the course.

Number 5, for example, usually requires something of a mid-iron. I usually use a 7 my father uses a 5. From the blues; however, you will want a good 210+ off the tee to wind up in the same place for your approach. Similarly, on number 11 I needed a 224 yard 3w to get to where I normally place my 7 iron. On both of these shots, being short can mean losing a ball in a very overgrown creek bed.

The par three's also average about 23 yards longer apiece as well with two of them stretching out over 200 yards.

It's just quite a bit more challenging from back there, with an even greater premium on accuracy than was already present and a greater challenge delivering on that because of the added distance.

I am not a fan of par 70 courses, and yet I love this track. What it lacks in distance (specifically par 5 holes) it more than makes up for in unique and challenging holes. Further, Quail will test both your target golf and more conventional games. If you are playing golf in Boise and want the best chance to use your full bag of clubs, this is your course.

The average golfer can play the first five holes at Quail without using anything larger then a 5 iron. From the white tee's I don't use anything larger than a 7. It doesn't hurt that there are 2 par 3's in that 5 hole run; however, the other three holes are short par 4's are less demanding about the accuracy of the tee shot as they are regarding it's length. All three offer the possibility of hitting the ball too far out of bounds. Only one isn't a lateral hazard, so it won't ruin your day to be long, but it won't make it either.

After that, however, things open up quite a bit and the big dogs can bite. Driver is a perfectly acceptable club off the tee on holes six through fourteen (although 11 does re-introduce the "you can hit it too far" vibe unless you elect to carry a decent amount of water, with a non-lateral OB for shots hit through the fairway). Two of the last four holes are par 3's, but the other two are also driver holes.

One of the things I like about this course is it puts a premium on accuracy the majority of it's holes, even if they are not short iron target golf holes. In many instances tee shots must navigate down course stands of trees which can swallow even slightly errant shots. Most of those stands bookend creeks that run through the fairway, so there is the added difficulty of a carry to consider as well.

The par three holes are all unique as well, with their one common factor being that there is some version of trouble between tee and green on all of them. The first is hilltop to hilltop, the second requires a water carry, the third is an (at least) one club downhill over sage brush and the final one requires a shot over a ravine (sometimes occupied by a deeply recessed pond, sometimes not).

This course is simply a joy to play and (as long as you are not taking advantage of the ample opportunities to lose balls) a great way to spend 4+ hours.

The pace of play can, at times, be a little slower than that of other public course in Boise. This is largely because there just aren't a lot of places to easily find wayward balls and groups are often delayed using "their full five minutes" (more than once). At the same time, most of my rounds here still come in around 4 hours and I've never turned down an invitation to play because I was afraid it would be too slow.

it is worth noting that while Quail Hollow can be walked, it is not for the feint of heart. There are plenty of hills, some quite high and requiring a decent distance to be traveled, that will provide both a physical challenge as well one to decent pace of play standards. I almost never use a cart anywhere else, but I almost always do here.

This is probably Boise's best golf, if you are here and get the chance, be sure to play!

Beautiful condition in mud June. Difficult but open enough to be a crinkle to a wide range of skills. Love this track.