Glenlakes Golf Club - Vista/Dunes Course

The greens were in need of repair. They had lots of bare spots.

The green are in bad shape. I have played this course many times over the years and I have never seen the greens in this shape. I know they are working to correct ththe issue.

Everything about this course was great other than one exception. The greens were easily the worst I’ve ever experienced. All of the greens had disease damage some of them at least 60% of the green were bare from disease. The areas that did have grass were still a little bumpy. They have a lot of work to do to get their greens to be as beautiful as the rest of the course. The staff was fantastic.

Course layout was great, tee boxes and fairways great. Greens are in bad shape. Would not recommend!!!

Other than the current conditions with their greens (winter kill) it was a great course. We’ll play it again next trip.

Fairways excellent tees good greens poor except for vista 8 and 9

Glen Lakes is unique due to the Dunes (Front) and Vista (Back) being polar opposites. This is what make this course worth playing. I'll cover the core areas from the star rankings for reference.

1. Pace of Play - Solid, however, like so many courses today and the lack of etiquette by golfers, groups of 3 and 4 are expected to let singles and doubles play through when they should have partnered up (by the staff or individually). This is now standard, even at premium golf courses and is very rude even when our group was 20-30 minutes ahead of the pace.

2. Course conditions. This would be a 5-star as the tee boxes, fairways, and rough areas are very solid for this time of year. The greens are terrible to be nice due to the failure to cover during the below freezing temperature days. Please use temporary greens for 4-6 weeks and reseed, sand, and roll the original greens. We have a rule of a max 2-putt on several greens due to the labyrinth your ball will go through to get to the hole.

3. Staff - The staff, especially the starters and other outside members are always friendly. The inside staff could loosen up a little more.

4. Value - Utilizing Tee Off or Golf Now is very reasonable for Glen Lakes. The rack rates are too high for the current green conditions. Overall, the value is one of the best in the region and is worth suffering through the greens as I have confidence they will be renewed / repaired by end of summer.

5. Course Layout - One of my favorites due to the change in design from front to back and hole numbers 5 & 7 on the front. Two of the best holes in the area (albeit very difficult).

6. Amenities - Too expensive for beverages. Bring a water bottle to fill up on the course. This is not an amusement park and players should not be charged $4 for an 18.5 Oz. Iced Tea. I've not ordered food due to the high prices. Eat before you go or bring a protein bar.

In conclusion, Glen Lakes is a fun and challenging course that will test your skills, especially on the Dunes. The Vista allows you to score if you can keep the ball in play. When you go, view the course from the tips to see the beauty in the design.

Handicap - 9.2

Tee Box - Blues (~6,350 yards)

Very disappointed, Greens are bad, many bare spots and they are letting what grass is there grow so they are unbelievable slow. Had I known I would not have booked a tee time. Paid for 18 and left after 9.

Greens are not in playing condition,if I new I would not of played their

All Fairways punched… like big dog turds all over fairways and tee boxes.

Greens are terrible

Overall the course is OK until you get to the greens. They are a mess.

Fairways just aerated, greens thin but improved. Working to get back in good shape.

Played the Dunes and Vista. Fairways and tees were aerated on the Dunes course but didn’t cause an issue. Greens are suffering from winter kill and are tough to putt. Fair price, great course layout and will play again next time in Orange Beach. Staff was very welcoming. Starter was helpful.