Etowah Valley Golf Club

In the mountain area there are no shortages of difficult courses, but most are short, tight and tricked up. Despite all the things I had heard, this course is far from a regular mountain course.

We found the course to be quite challenging but fair. The fairways were dormant bermuda, spotted with 5% - 10% fescue. The greens were large, quick and smooth. For winter golf the course was in moderate shape with the expectation of quick spring recovery as fairways were not over seeded. The review requires either pristine or requires attention which is completely unfair as winter conditions are never pristine when grasses are dormant.

Expect demanding but not unfair tee shots, which even require the use of a driver, to be required. There are several dog legs which favor but do not require shot shaping. The targets from the tees are obvious and there are no hidden obstacles. The par 3's are challenging with good length, the par 5's are only reachable if you are truly long. There were many greenside bunkers which came into play. We found the sand firm and very playable. Greens were firm and quick but receptive to iron play, pitches and chips.

There are not many courses in the area which you can play to work on your game, but here you can. You can see where to hit the shots; there are no hidden hazards and you actually need to hit driver on 10 - 12 holes. This is a change from most mountain courses where you can hit driver 2 or 3 times a round.

If you are looking for a championship layout, this is one of the best I have played in this area. We played from the gold tees which was approximately 7200 yds in West/South combination. Please note there are not 4 sets of tees but 6 sets which should accommodate anyone's ability requirement.

Course was soggy due to the heavy rains recently. The greens were in remarkably good condition considering. Always a tough challenge due to its length. Five tee boxes gives all skill levels a chance at a fair challenge. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for good golf in Western North Carolina.

I enjoyed playing this course. It was in good shape. My game advanced with easy. I would recommend this course and will definitely play it again.

This was the first time I've played Etowah Valley. Overall, I would recommend it. The greens are in great shape and very quick - don't leave your approach above the hole. There are some really nice holes and it's not overly long. Staff was very friendly, and the starter paired me up with a twosome to maintain pace of play. However, that quickly deteriorated and there was no ranger to monitor pace of play which ended up being just over 5 hours. Inexcusable for the time of year in my opinion. We caught up with and played through the offending group. Unusual finish with a par 3 hole which was not particularly memorable.

Nice scenery and I like the three-course option - 27 hole course. I also like the fact that it has electric carts and the ability to walk the course if you like. Greens are very put-able.

The course was in average shape and was the least impressive of those we play on this vacation althought it wasn't a bad course. It lacked character and the staff was indifferent but not unfriendly.