Rock Manor Golf Club

The closest course to my house, Rock manor is a good muni that has a reputation for above average conditions and slow play. But only one of those things didn’t happen. A little over 4 hours to play with a lot of cart path only holes is, unfortunately, not the norm.

Course is above average condition for February. Greens were fast. The bunkers looked and played well, according to the others in my group. ( I was lucky and missed them all)

It was great to get the first round of the year in the books. Paid the regular rate of $44 for a mid week afternoon tee time. Maybe a little high for winter golf, but the proximity to my house made it worth the little extra.

For what’s it’s worth, I had the typical February round. 54-40. My personal best on the back 9 .

This is the closest course to us 10 min. Away. has some tight holes and is popular in this area. Fees tend to be quite high for the quality of the track and gets a lot of play as a local favorite so I always consider alternatives. Wilmington area has lost several nice course to development over the past 10 years. Golfer skill levels are probably below average and so can play slow. Greens in decent shape and can be fast. Staff always friendly and accommodating. Good enjoyable course.

Unless you have 5-6 hours to kill do not play here. The course is always in good shape but pace of play is always an issue. I was told to play in a five-some and we were still on the butts of the other groups in front of us, waiting on each. Absolutely ridiculous.

Was a club member way back when Always liked this course. It got very popular and more expensive for some of us seniors. So I play when I can get a better rate. Otherwise I would play a lot more often.

Love the course. The Rock is a solid 18 even if it’s kind of expensive. Greens are decent and the rest of this muni course is in great shape despite a huge number of rounds played. Best bunker sand in the region, too. Greenskeeper is a hero.

But.. like so many other busy courses, The Rock’s tee sheet controls everything and ends up causing problems that can be avoided. Self inflicted delays should be embarrassing to the course management. It’s not that 10-minute tee times are necessarily a problem; this course could handle a steady 10-minute of 4-somes all day long. Not managing the first tee is the problem. I offer a possible solution. Read all the way here, please.

For example, I GolfNow-ed a 1:20 pm single walking tee time for the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Beautiful day. I arrived about 45 minutes early to warm up on the range and putt prior to my tee time. When I arrived I told the starter my tee time and told him that IF he needed to fill out a group, I would go off early. But no rush.

While I putted I watched several 3-somes and at least one 2-some go off the first tee. Ok, not necessarily a problem. Moving me up is optional for the starter. But I also watched the carts fill up with groups getting ready to go out. It was a busy day. Why wouldn’t the starter want to fill up groups to keep things even out there? After all, 3-somes play faster then 4-somes, so creating logjams is not a good strategy when the carts are full and ready to go out.

But here’s the problem. When I went off at my 1:20 pm time, I was paired two players who Missed their 12:40 pm tee time. Not a problem except the gap should have been filled. This is where it gets good. We tee’ off and play the first hole. I missed a 12 foot birdie put t and then missed a 3 foot comebacker. Just bad putting, dang it. Bogey. We go to the 2nd tee box. Guess what? 4-some waiting, 4-some on the box and a foursome in the fairway waiting on a 4-some to putt on the green. Why? How can the 2nd freakin hole be jammed up like that? Come on, Rock!

Here’s my theory. The Rock’s 1st hole (old 10) is a blind tee shot, 430+ par par five. Any group on the tee box cannot see the group in font when the group plays the second shot. So every group tees off on the 10 minute mark, just as the starter who stands 150 yards away in the parking lot tells them to do. They drive up, fairway looks clear, and they swing away. And they take off up the fairway. Only to find the ahead group still working on their 2nd shot. So they wait. And the jam up is on. By the 2nd tee it’s 2-3 groups standing there with something in their hand. Great.

Why, Rock? Starter must worry ONLY about the 2nd hole, not the 10-minute tee sheet. Tee sheet is not the controlling document. Pace of play is the responsibility of us players, but when are told to go off matters. Waiting 5 minutes in the first tee box is not a problem,. Waiting at all on the 2nd tee box is unacceptable.

Solution: starter uses tee sheet as a starting point and figures out what is happening on hole two. Put in a camera. Focus on hole two, not hole one. Manage the tee sheet, don’t be slave to it. Come on, Rock!

We waited all day only because the tee sheet failed to account for what was really happening on the course.

Again, great course,. Let’s all manage this tee sheet thing better.

Fairway and green in great shape, some interesting holes, enjoyed the round, will be back in the future.

Very fast greens in need of ball mark repairs, but in excellent shape on fairways and tee boxes for this time of year.

Now if I could just clear that front bunker on #7!

Played on a perfect day. 68, no wind, full sun. The course is a mix of open fairways and challenging tee shots. Never feels like a slog. If you have trouble with a hole, it's usually followed by a wide open fairway. My one issue was the greens. They were F-A-S-T. I mean "tap a 10 foot putt and it rolls 12 feet past the hole" fast. Even uphill putts were risky. I finished the day with 11 3-putt holes, which is demoralizing. Maybe it was the fact that it's late in the season and it's dry. I don't know. Just be prepared.