Whirlpool Golf Course

The course is very challenging with tight fairways and deceptive greens. It is currently being renovated so there are some area under repair and the rough has a lot of dense clover. It was difficult to find your ball in these areas. If you haven’t play there before, you will find that the helicopter tourist ride (which takes off and lands next to the course) can be very distracting.

I will preface by saying there was a 20 minute fog delay starting first thing in the morning. However, my tee time was 1:00pm for Battlefield and by that time I was told they 45+ minutes behind. I requested to tee off on Ushers and was able to do so after 10 minutes. The front 9 took 3.5 hours and I ended up requesting a refund for the back 9. I understand weekend golf is typically busier but 3.5 hours for 9 holes is ridiculous. Thankfully I received a voucher for the back 9.

I was looking forward to re visiting Whirlpool Golf Course with guests from Pinehurst NC after many years and fond memories.

We teed it up at noon on Saturday July 6, 2024. We are 3 senior, single digit handicap players playing from the white tees. The starter packs red us up with a single, 22 year old, who was relatively new to golf. He insisted he play the back tees which killed any flow in our game. He picked up after 9 shots on the first hole. We invited him to move up to the white tees and join us, but he insisted on his own tees. The pace of play was chronically slow. By the third hole there were three groups of golfers backed up. The biggest annoyance was the tourist helicopters which buzzed overhead constantly. There was significant “ground under repair” and sod damage throughout the course, and there were many unkempt areas near the tee decks and “feature trees” that were weed infested patches with “sucker stems” growing out of the bark. We showed up 2 hours early to have breakfast, only to find the all day breakfast begins at 11:30am! We went to IHOP , and it was so busy we ended up going to Denny’s.

At the turn we tried to use the washrooms, only to find they were out of order and had no lights! Staff explained that the maintenance crew couldn’t figure out the problems and the issue was ongoing for many weeks.

The round took over 5:15 to play, which is more than an hour longer than their advertised pace of play guidelines. We never saw a Ranger once on n the golf course except on the first tee where he explained the cart rules, etiquette and local regulations.

After the round we went into the beautiful clubhouse which it was totally empty, except for 5 staff which were huddled around the bar. We struck up a conversation with the friendly staff who explained that the club was totally underutilizing the best restaurant facility in the area, which offered great food, spectacular views, and wonderful staff!

I love golf, and I’ve played the finest courses the world over. If you seek a round of golf on a course in a tranquil setting, in excellent condition, with good guest amenities and a reasonable pace of play, there are many better options available close by.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Whirlpool Golf Course to anyone at this time. It’ was such a disappointing day when it started with some ch high hopes and expectations of days gone by.

Beautiful course with lots of sand challenges. Greens in beautiful shape. Rough was long with lots of clover. Tee boxes and fairways were in good shape. Pace of play was excellent on a busy Friday afternoon.

We finished our round at 7:45 and there were. O washrooms open. That needs to be rectified.

Whirlpool is a must play. Great old style track that is timeless. This place has really nice greens. Just wish they’d drop the mowers a bits so they weren’t so slow. Pace of play was excellent.

Not my first time at Whirlpool but my friends first time and we both enjoyed the course. Well maintained very friendly staff

Thank you

Beautiful course, grounds/greens kept in perfect condition. Can’t wait to go back!!

Mother nature ruined the day. Course was cart path only, and needed to be. Puddles of standing water everywhere except on the greens and in the bunkers, which were both in great condition. Greens had been cut and rolled that morning and were superb. Bunkers had also been groomed that morning. Sad that the course was so wet though. Stanley's courses are wonderful.

A classic Stanley Thompson design. Well manicured and cared fore!