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How was your latest round of golf?
To clarify, I'm not especially interested in what you shot. But I am interested in the experience you had. More importantly, so are millions of your fellow golfers. Your insights could help them discover a hidden gem or avoid an expensive disappointment.
For years, GolfPass has been a trusted source of reviews of golf courses, by golfers, for the benefit of golfers. To date, we have processed more than 2.7 million ratings and reviews from golfers like you. Those crowd-sourced golf course reviews have formed the basis for more than a decade's worth of Golfers' Choice, our annual rankings of popular golf courses across the country, state-by-state and even internationally.
I read tons of the reviews you submit and am always impressed and intrigued by what different golfers find wonderful or maddening about the courses they play. When I plan my own travels, I use GolfPass course reviews to help me find hidden gems that may lack the flashy marketing or PR machines behind them that the big boys do. You and your fellow golfers have never steered me wrong.
Golfers are getting more and more savvy, too. I have seen plenty of appreciative five-star reviews of humble munis as well as some less-than-stellar reviews of higher-profile, hype-heavy courses that end up over-promising and under-delivering. Thoughtful golfers who go against the grain of groupthink are interesting, whether I fully agree with their takes or not.
If you have contributed a review of a golf course on our website in the past, thank you. You have performed a valuable service for your fellow golfers via your reflections on thousands of golf courses.
If you have played golf recently and haven't yet reviewed your round, I would be honored if you would consider it. Your fellow golfers will appreciate it, too.
What makes a thoughtful golf course review
I have read all sorts of golf reviews over the years, from glowing reflections on an unexpectedly great out-of-the-way course to white-hot takedowns of some of the golf world's sacred cows. There is no single "right" way to review a golf course, but here are eight general principles to keep in mind when you fire up your phone or your desktop keyboard to debrief after a round.
The golf, then everything else. At the end of the day, the golf course is where golfers spend the vast majority of their time. Try to weight your review toward the playing experience; there's a reason why three of the six sub-categories you can rate - Layout, Conditions, Pace of Play - have to do with what happens on the course. By all means, touch on the friendliness of the staff and the off-course amenities as well, if they're noteworthy. But great golf course reviews are mainly about the golf course.
Give comps if possible. If you're reviewing a golf course in an area you're familiar with, let your fellow golfers know if it stands out above its neighbors, or lags behind.
Value proposition. As golf has gotten more expensive, golfers are more and more sensitive to courses that seem to be nickel-and-diming them and delivering a dogwater experience at champagne green fees. Value is one of the sub-categories on which you can rate a course 1 through 5 stars, but a sentence in your review explaining the value proposition can be extremely important to the next golfer who considers paying to play there.
Pictures always play. It has never been easier to provide visual backup for your written thoughts. I completely understand that playing golf is often a precious opportunity to resist the pull of the smartphone for a few hours, but I will also say that a lot of great reviews tend to have one or two complimentary photos attached. If something - a beautiful vista from a particular tee box, some cool-looking bunkering, a particularly tasty hot dog at the turn - catches your eye, please share it with your fellow golfers, along with your words. (Note: Every week in our Tavern newsletter, we choose a 'Review of the Week' to feature. Only reviews with accompanying photos are considered. We periodically feature golfer-submitted reviews on our social channels, too.)
What's new? Is the course you played fixing up its cart paths? Did it just replace its greens? Are the range balls fresh? Even little updates represent hustle on the part of management and ownership. If it stood out during your visit, point it out in your review.
Try to be honest, not mean. Sometimes aspects of the experience fall short. When that happens, you don't need to sugar-coat the facts, but please remember to be respectful and, if it's appropriate, constructive in your criticism. Golf course operators scrutinize the reviews their courses receive on GolfPass.com. If you earnestly point out room for improvement at a course, not only are you helping to inform other golfers, but the courses themselves may be able to take action so that your next visit is more pleasant.
Review the reviews. Did you know that you can keep your fellow amateur golf course reviewers honest by declaring their reviews to be helpful or unhelpful? Click or tap the Helpful or Not Helpful button beside reviews you read to add context for the benefit of your fellow golfers.
One-year grace period. If you're interested in reviewing the golf courses you play, you can reach back in your memory banks up to 12 months. Happy reviewing!
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