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Rating Index Rating
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3.2
588 Reviews (588)
5 Stars
112
4 Stars
217
3 Stars
132
2 Stars
79
1 Stars
48
Conditions
2.8
Value
3.4
Layout
4.2
Friendliness
4.3
Pace
4.3
Amenities
2.9
67.0%
Recommend this course
420 out of 588 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.5
30 Reviews (30)
5 Stars
7
4 Stars
10
3 Stars
7
2 Stars
3
1 Stars
3
Conditions
3.0
Value
3.8
Layout
4.3
Pace
4.3
Amenities
3.1
StaffFriendliness
4.4
80.0%
Recommend this course
24 out of 30 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.4
36 Reviews (36)
5 Stars
8
4 Stars
12
3 Stars
7
2 Stars
3
1 Stars
6
Conditions
3.0
Value
3.6
Layout
4.3
Pace
4.4
Amenities
3.0
StaffFriendliness
4.3
75.0%
Recommend this course
27 out of 36 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
The course layout earns consistent praise for its fun and challenging design that stands out in its value range. Friendly staff and smooth pace of play make rounds here a pleasant experience.

About

Holes 18
Type Private
Par 72
Length 7072 yards
Slope 134
Rating 73.5

Lake Wales Country Club boasts a classic Donald Ross design that players of all skill level will enjoy. Built in the 1920s, the golf course has a different look and feel than most modern courses. Rather than exaggerated hazards and dramatic contouring, the layout blends seamlessly into the natural landscape. The routing of each hole was determined by the existing contours. Like many of Ross' designs, the phrase "hard par, easy bogey" holds true here. The layout features small greens with crown centers that are sloped back to front. Rough borders the fairways and the wide-openness of the course means that wind will often be a factor. Lake Wales C.C. is a challenging but straightforward golf course. There are no trick holes but there are several holes that will make you think.

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Lake Wales Country Club
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Course Details

Year Built 1926
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Bent Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Donald Ross (1926)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes
Practice Hole Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No

Food & Beverage

Bar, Snacks, Grill

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Available Sports

Tennis
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Reviews

3.2
588 Reviews (588)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 14
19th Hole Specials 6
Dinner 6
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 25
Undulating Greens 23
Elevation Changes 12
This course/club is great for:
Locals 26
Seniors 22
Advanced Golfers 16
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 19
Convenient to the City 16
In the 'Burbs 6

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

great but nit with a five ball playing

Great course but they had a 5 ball followed by two two balls and then us a four ballRound ruined by slow play .5 balls should of be allowed and shocked to find a 5 ball on course. Told they we not allowed but no marskal so stillcourse fault. Shame

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Beginner
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Course was great

I play here as much as I can in the winter- it's very nice

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 21
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

British golfers

Generous off the tee and no water comes into play .
This makes the course ideal for higher handicap golfers. Not particularly memorable in that many holes appear the same . Not challenging enough for low handicap golfer. The staff are fabulous and could not do enough to help us . Greens are excellent.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 30
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Featured
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great course coming back

This old Donald Ross gem is definitely on the way back. From the staff to the course, it is quality all the way. Course plays long , with many holes playing up hill. Par 3's are really tough. Just a tremendous course found on Golfnow. It is one of the best in this area, and I suggest you also try the 19th hole and their specials.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

A pleasure to play!

With many of the courses in Florida having water on the course or burnt greens....this course was a pleasant surprise! Wide fairways and quicker greens than anticipated made the course enjoyable to play. I'll be back!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Well maintained old course

Felt like you were back in the 60's/70's, but everything worked, well maintained, kept up with. Stay in the fairways, rough is tough.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 15
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great find

Nice old Ross course. Layout is excellent. only complaint was the slowness of the greens. otherwise I highly recommend it.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Old Donald Ross

I have played a few Donald Ross courses and found this course to be very good design and layout. The staff was great, very friendly.Will defiantly be back.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 15
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Nice old design

Green s had a lot bare spots . Rolled ok but slow. You need to keep it on the short grass because the ruff was tough.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 15
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Old style course

Greens need a lot of work. Not a lot of grass ,lots of bare spots. They rolled ok put slow. I enjoyed it and play it again when the greens get better.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 22
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Now public

I'm glad this course is now public and the fairways and greens are well maintained . It's an older course so the fairways are wide enough to allow for some hooking and slicing while still keeping the ball in play.
Well worth the money .

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 27
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

A few long par fours but you can make up strokes on the fives.

Lake Wales is now in great shape and I always get treated great by Bobby and Tim, even though I'm not a member. For anyone that plays a few times a week they do have some real good membership plans. I only play on Sat. or I would join, mabey after retirement.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 47
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

A Little Piece of Golf History in Florida

When I first booked this tee time I wasn't sure about it. A course built some 90 years ago, afterall, made me wonder if it would be maintained. Am I ever glad I make the trek into Lake Wales! This course, as it turns out, was timeless.

The course was well maintained and difficult. The staff could not have been more welcoming and friendly. And my overall experience was extremely positive. I am already plotting another trip out there just to take on this challenging track once more now that I know a little more about its layout.

The summary is simple; this course was laid out in a different era in golf. This course uses and becomes a part of the landscape; each hole just makes sense as to how to travels through the property. Management has maintained the course is a way that keeps it challenging and keeps golfers honest. Even with a ton of rain lately the course was not flooded. The rough was truly rough and you paid a penalty if you ended up anywhere other than in the fairway. In my book courses such as this should be listed as an historical landmark.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Maintenance staff???

Drove down to play here because I read that it is a Donald Ross course so I wanted to give it a try. It is an old style country club, but looked ok for such a long drive down route 27. The course is maintained, fairways and greens ok. They had just punched the fairways but I have never minded that. The problem is when I went into the edge of the rough on my 2nd hole, it was sitting on top of all the plugs they took out of the fairway. They took all the plugs from punching the fairway and just dumped them all down the edges of the fairway all over the course. So I had to clear me a spot and drop my ball every time I rolled into the rough. Other then that it went good until I got to the back nine. On 10, I could see two men mowing the greens ahead, when I got to the next fairway they were on tractors mowing the green and the area around the green. I had to wait a few minutes but then the guy drove off the green so I hit it up about 10 yards short of the green. When I got up there he got back on the green and finished while I stood to the side for a good 5 minutes before he finished. I get to the next tee, a par 3, and walk to the box and those guys pull up and take out the flag and start mowing that box. So I go sit in the cart to wait and notice the tractors have stopped so I walk back up to the tee to see the tractors both parked right in front of the green and them talking off to the side and taking a water break. I wave my arms at them and they yell just a minute and get back on the tractor and finish. I waited sixteen minutes from the time I got to the tee till I teed off. Then I get to 16 and they is a man on a tractor sitting up by the fairway in a tractor with sand in the back. I tee off and head to my cart and notice him start driving down the middle of the fairway throwing sand over the fairway that was punched. I drive through a cloud of dust and get up to my ball that he has now covered with sand. The course is a nice old course, but the maintenance crew is the worst I have ever seen. I will not be driving back down there to play again.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Good design, well maintained.

This is an enjoyable course to play. It is always in good shape and is well designed.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 28
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

a real gem a true donald ross.

i was quite surprise when i saw the course for the first, beautiful old style ross gem in central fl.wide open off the tees but challenging, have the move the both ways to be effective, classic old style greens with crown centers and sloped back to front. found the course to be good condition. will definitely be playing here again soon.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Good Old Donald Ross course

Had the pleasure of playing Lake Wales Country Club today with my wife. We teed off at 1:00PM on a hot Saturday afternoon. We finished our round in under 3 hours with no delay. Course was in immaculate condition, the only faults we seen were some of the tee boxes needed attention and the sand traps lacked sand in them, though with all the rain this area has received, you could see the sand was washed out. The course is all in front of you, no trick holes and very playable. Had lunch prior to our tee time and was very good at a affordable charge. Will be back in the future....

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Enjoyed the course ,will pay again!

One of the better courses in the area. The fairways are well kept as the ruff. Greens a little slow but have alot of breck as the balls slows.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

very nice private course!

This private course is well maintained with really good true greens.We played from the blue tees, around 6400 yds and it was plenty! Will definitely try to play again before they close to the public. Great deal for $25.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 28
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

A friendly course.

It was an enjoyable experience. Not much challenge on the front nine as most hole were straight forward. Little to no water in play, hard to lose a ball on this course. Really super friendly staff and it was nice to have fresh ice and water on both 9's. Would probably go back again.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
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