Independence Golf Club - Championship

For the price I paid, which was more than most of the area courses, I was expecting perfect Fairways, perfect greens and a much more interesting layout! The truth is, this course has nothing on Royal New Kent or Magnolia Green , or even Viniterra! It didn't help that the starter allowed a foursome that had been hanging out in the clubhouse for over an hour to cut literally right in front of us as we were coming off #9!! I should have asked for a partial refund because of the frustration of it all, but oh well.

I love playing here, mostly because the Bermuda greens often are rolling at 11 or higher. Not sure if it was because of the recent rains or the heat but they were noticeably slower when I played this time and not nearly as smooth because of it.

Still the course is in great shape and it drains well so the fact it had rained that morning, it was cart path only but not many soggy spots.

Pace of play was better because of the threatening forecast so my twosome played in about 3:30. Staff was very friendly and they've implemented a new check-in shack right at the curb go facilitate with COVID restrictions.

I got a Hot Deal off GolfNow so it was worth it but I'll wait till the greens get fast to come back and play.

Puzzling why my GOLFNOW tee time for 11 am never made it's way to the tee sheet at the course. Luckily, the pro shop attendant only needed to see my GolfNow receipt showing I was paid in full and he worked with the starter to get me out and paired into an earlier group. How can I book a time thru GolfNow, pay for it, and the course has no record of it? Glad I called ahead before arriving, otherwise I wouldn't have known to print receipt for proof of payment.

I’ve recently been playing golf a lot more due to the Pandemic. I’ve probably played 25 times since March13th In the Chesapeake/Va Beach area and the Richmond area and Independence Golf Course is by far the nicest place I have played. Worth EVERY penny to play that course! Loved it and will definitely be back to play Soon!!

I have absolutely nothing bad at all to say about this course. I’ve been playing the 4star and up public course within a 75 mile radius of my home these past 3 months and this was stop # 13. For the price I paid using Golfnow this has been #1 from the carts, staff, course conditions, layout view and pace not to mention that the course was packed and we as a foursome still finished our round in 3 and 1/2 hours. I compare it to some of the other 4star rated courses and I wonder how is it possible for some of these other courses to even be mentioned when put up against a course like this! I think it has to do with the amount of money a person can afford or is willing to pay to play. I must admit had it not been discounted at about 40% I probably wouldn’t have played it either. It’s addicting (courses like this) now I really only want to play this type of course. I will pay regular price for this course as many times as my finances would allow. So I guess I’ll be looking for another part time job to just pay for golf lol!

To bad too many trees are coming down. Course is in great shape from tee box to greens. Fastest greens I’ve played on so be prepared. Real nice clubhouse and practice facility.

Course was great, as usual. I stupidly left my clubs on the cart when I returned it and only figured this out when I got home. I called the pro shop and Dale brought my clubs inside and waited 30 minutes (after the shop closed) for me to drive back and retrieve them. Great customer service, thanks Dale.

I wrote about my disappointment in the conditions of Independence when it re-opened back in August. My criticism focused mainly on the revamped greens and how much slower and softer they were compared to previous years.

I’m happy to report that the greens have matured since and have firmed up nicely, producing blazing fast putting speeds like I was used to here before.

The rest of the course has also improved and nearly fully recovered from last year’s harsh winter. Despite a ton of rain, the maintenance crew here has kept up with the bunkers and the fairways, rough, and tee boxes are all lush. It was cart-path only when I played, though only a few holes were wet enough to warrant it.

All else remains unchanged, though I was a little disappointed that the GPS/Shark Experience screens weren’t running the day I played. That would have been especially helpful given the cart-path only rules.

I still think this course is a bit overpriced for what you get but it’s worth playing a couple times a year just for those PGA Tour-fast greens!

Writing a review like this hurts. Having played Independence each of the past 3 years and falling in love with its blazing fast and silky smooth greens that the harsh winter destroyed, it pains me to see this premiere course diminished by sod. I understand the reality and challenges that faced this club months ago when the grass refused to grow back and I can’t fault their efforts to get the course playable again. But there’s no hiding the fact that their biggest asset is now their greatest liability.

Part of what made Independence’s greens so quick was how firm they were. You rarely could even see a ball mark on the greens because of the firmness and toughness of the putting surface. But now with every green sodded, you can feel the sponginess under your feet (however slight) that kills the speed. Additionally, the rows of sod mean a lot of seams and while most have no impact on your putted ball, a few of them do and that’s not what you expect from an $85 round.

If you can overlook the difference in the greens, however, you may find Independence to be an enjoyable place. The fairways and rough are generally in good shape, as are the bunkers. The club offers free range balls on a grass range and excellent practice facilities.

But with the previous greens being the real defence of the course, the lack of dynamic layout characteristics now with the slower greens means there’s not a bevy of value added to your relatively expensive round of golf. One exception to this is the golf carts which retain the most comfortable seats ever and now offer the new Shark Experience screens. I sampled some of the Slacker Radio music offerings and found it to be not only enjoyable but undistracting.

The value of getting to putt on pro-speed greens is lost with the old grass. What we are left with is a pretty average course with a lot of flash to compensate. Many if not most golfers will find it acceptable, but sadly I think your money is better spent elsewhere. I certainly hope that is not the case for long.

I’ve played on many courses which host PGA events, but none of them have better greens than this course. So smooth. So quick. So true. I admit it made it hard on my sand game when I’d drop the ball next to the hole and have it spin off the green, but I’ll take my lumps for the quality moss.

Really nice course to play. The starter was friendly and gave great advice about the course. The Bermuda rough is a challenge and takes a lot of getting used to. The greens were in very good shape and were fairly quick. The course had received rain overnight and was cart paths only, but that didn't detract from the course or the pace of play. A few of the fairways were a bit wet, but in general it was not too bad. Love the course and will play it any time I'm in the area.

Greens are fast. Really fast. Did I say fast? Conditions are great for the time of the year - Bermuda fairways and greens. Looks great - they paint the dormant fairways green. They have a great bar/restaurant and clubhouse is very nice. Practice facility is the best around. The only thing about Independence is the price. $85 for 18 riding. It's worth it to play if it's in your budget. It's also very walkable if you like to walk. There is also a par 3 course which I have not played but I have heard great things about it. Go play this course.