Carolina National Golf Club - Ibis Nine

Lots of water,sand and need to have accurate shots.

I’ve played Carolina National many times and generally enjoy it, but not so today. From the first check in at the pro shop to the cart attendant to the starter, none seemed particularly appreciative of our business, nor attentive to our needs. It wasn’t very busy and we got stuck behind several slow 4-somes (none if which offered to let us play through. We just had 2). It would have been nice if they had offered to let us start on another 9. There were no on-course food or beverage offerings and the snack bar at the turn was closed. The course was in pretty good shape for the time of the year and recent weather conditions, but there are a ton of other courses within easy driving distance in just as good shape, and whose staff are a lot more friendly, welcoming, and accommodating. See ya later Carolina National. But probably not.

I hate to say this after such a perfect day for golf, but the fact that this course had no ranger on it at all completely ruined any chance at playing this course in a decent amount of time. My foursome got stuck behind THE absolute slowest threesome ever. The first 6 holes took 1 hour 45 minutes. We finally just skipped over this group on hole 7 (par 3) since they obviously had no intention of letting us play through. Other than this annoyance, the course was in great shape considering the recent hurricane (Florence) and all the havoc it wreaked. The greens were excellent - very firm and quick. Just a TAD bumpy in some spots, but I'm nitpicking a bit. Layout is nice and the signature holes are gorgeous. Would have gave this place 5 stars if there was a ranger out on the course. For the money it was pretty hard to beat.

Aside from the sand traps, course is in nice shape. Layout is amazing. Holes are interesting and diverse.

after hurricane damage that was extensive in the area - nice to see a course rebound...greens were excellent, fairways very nice - understandable that the bunkers were all still washed out and GUR, but didn't effect the play ability or difficulty for most.

layout and green were good, pace of play slow due to golf school training day before tournament but we have been advise by the starter that the course was full. When your ball is in a banker they said in the pro-shop it's better to dropout your ball beacause no work was done since Florence

Teed off early as a twosome on Egret and Heron, Ibis was still closed. Lots of fallen trees, but course was in good shape and very playable.

Traps were awful, but the greens and fairways were in great shape despite the recent hurricane. Hopefully, these were be cleared soon.

Two carts broke down during round which should not have happened.

They had a rough winter and you can tell on a few greens but overall it was a good experience

Greens are getting there due to harsh winter.... shotmakers course I hit iron off tee more than driver. Course is Not very long at all. Some really pretty holes on the hering 9.

I heard that Carolina National struggled in the spring because of the long winter, but the course was in pretty good shape today. Greens had the occasional rough patch but rolled pretty well. Fairways were aerated but still in decent shape. It’s always a fun and challenging layout, especially from the longer tees, with some of the most scenic par 3’s in the region. Nice staff, practice facilities, and clubhouse. Feels like a private club, and it’s worth a try if you’ve never played here before.

OVERALL: 7.3/10, potential to be 8.5/10 when the fairways grow in.

We arrived early for our confirmed 10:20 tee time for 2 made 6 days before. Checked in and went to first tee before starter told us to return to putting area as they were a "little" delayed. Advised that our time was now 10.36. When questioned, pro shop told that maybe a computer mishap, but a member foursome was playing at 10:20. We joined a 2-some at their 10:36 time. Teed off at 11:00 and played in 5+ hours of very slow play. If they had sent an email to advise of the change, it would have been OK. And the next day I got an ad/offer from the course for another round. No apology.for the 90 minute delay.

The staff was friendly and welcoming. Nice Pro Shop. We didn’t eat here, so can’t speak to that. Beautiful layout of the course, but cart paths were in rough shape in a lot of places - you could get jolted out of the cart if you weren’t watching carefully as there were big chunks missing or broken. The greens were not good... most were sand in large part, so balls did not roll true. All that said, it was a fun course to play. We played Egret and Heron. Egret was not as challenging as Heron (or maybe the heat was impacting us more on the 2nd nine - entirely possible!). Pace of play was very good... we didn’t have to wait and didn’t feel “pushed”. Played 18 in 4 hrs total. With a little work on the greens and cart paths, this would be a really enjoyable course.

Didn’t have 6+ hours so left after a 3 hour front nine. I don’t think I have ever played anywhere when it was so slow.

This course offers 27 holes that will challenge your play, an incredible layout that will require different types of shots, but be prepared to wait up to 20 MINUTES per shot. This is the third time I’ve played this course and never have I played a course that has 27 holes and puts groups off every 8 minutes all on the same 9. A perfect recipe to have you waiting on every tee and between shots. Why they don’t send groups off different 9’s is beyond me. It seems as though they don’t care about the quality of play and would rather just make the most profit off sending a bunch of people out at once. I don’t know about you, But I expect a course to be faster than 3hr front nine while riding. If there are a lot of open tee times definitely play this course, otherwise STAY CLEAR.

The greens were pitiful. Full of sand. They failed to mention this while we were checking in. Made for a bad experience on what could be a good course.

Pace of play terrible. Good ranger would make golfers who cannot play pick up and would not let them go for two on the par 5s when they end up in woods anyway.

GREENS ARE HORRIBLE. not fair to blame the winter. Tarp the greens when it is freezing. Should have left the greens bent grass since you don't know how to take care of bermuda.

Ineffective starter and no ranger. Nearly five hours on an uncrowded course. The course is attractive and a nice level of difficulty for average players. And it was in reasonable condition considering the winter damage in the area. There were no cart path restrictions, which was a good thing because all the buckling cart paths made for a rough ride. Not a good experience!