Brandywine Bay Golf Club

I learned to play golf here in the 90’s. It was great to come back. Clubhouse very nice. The ladies who checked me in were so warm and welcoming. 1st 9 holes were great. Fun layout. Course in very good shape. Back 9 the course is struggling. Tee boxes missing grass. Greens very patchy. Fairways need some work. But overall nice course and I plan to play again soon.

I don't understand all the negative reviews of Brandywine Bay Country Club (BBCC). I played this past weekend and here's my honest assessment of the various aspects of the course:

1. Driving range: While there is one, it's small and limited to irons. Actually, I believe the sign requests that you not hit further than 175 yards. As a result of the distance limitation, I don't warm-up on the driving range and opt to go straight from the parking lot to the tee box.

2. Condition: This appears to be where BBCC is heavily-criticized. While there are some bare spots on the greens and in the fairways, the superintendent (with whom I was paired) apprised me of all the things being done to address the issues. Clearly, management recognizes this as a problem and is working toward resolution.

3. Layout: The course is challenging! If there's a weakness in your game, BBCC will expose it. For some of the par 4s and 5s, driver is not the best option off the tee. Club selection and accuracy will save your scorecard.

4. Patrons: I played BBCC approximately 20 times in the past six months and, typically, I play solo. On these occasions, I always find myself "catching" the group in front of me. I can't think of a time when I was not allowed to play through...or at least had the offer extended to me. This past weekend, I was solo and the group ahead of me had a person unexpectedly drop from their foursome. They invited me to play with them and I had a great time!

5. Price: If you're staying "at" the Crystal Coast, BBCC is the most cost-effective course in the area. Sure...there are other equitably (or lower) priced courses in New Bern or further; however, you have to drive 45+ minutes to get to them. I value my time at the beach and don't want to waste 1.5 to 2+ hours of it in the car.

Hopefully, you find this review helpful. At the end of the day, it's your money and you can spend it wherever you want. These are the reasons I spend mine at BBCC.

For the money they charge to play this course I was expecting something pretty decent. The fairways look like a war zone. The greens were surprisingly okay but nothing more than that. Overall it just looks like nobody takes care of the course and I will not come back. At most I’d spend $30 to play this course.

I had played Brandywine Bay a year or two ago. At that time, it was in pretty good condition. What a difference a year or two makes.

The Pro Shop staff was quite pleasant and friendly. We went to the driving range to find a field with a "hitting area" that was over grown with weeds. It hadn't been mowed in some time and was difficult to find any area where one could even hit balls from. That should have been our first clue.

I found the entire course to be in fair to poor condition. Most tee boxes were "OK" but the fairways were covered with weeds, hadn't been mowed in awhile and it was difficult to even define the fairway boundaries.The bunkers were mostly hard pan and not in good shape.

The greens had also not been mowed in awhile and were quite slow. Of greater concern were the bald spots and diseased turf on many of the greens, especially on the back nine. Several holes actually had grass growing all around the hole and had not been changed in a long time.

The basic course layout is interesting and even fun but the current management has let this course deteriorate into one that should be avoided at all cost. To ask for a $64.00 green fee at Brandywine Bay is ridiculous at best. Shame on us for playing it.

Our group enjoyed a cold beer at the 19th hole and all toasted the fact that we would NEVER return to this facility.