Carriage Greens Country Club

Over the past 15 years I’ve probably played this course close to 50 times. Partly because I live near by and partly because I used to really like it. Way back when... this course was kept in pretty good shape, it was run professionally, had rangers to help with congestion, a half way house for hot dogs and snacks, and they even had beverage carts (they may still at times but it’s been a while since I’ve seen one). For at least the last 7 years give it take the course conditions have become awful. I moved away for a few years and remember playing the first time when I was back and couldn’t believe where I was. The grass was like playing in my backyard. The sand, I can’t even think about. The greens were terrible. The staff was horrendous. The list goes on....

Fast forward to the last 2 years at least and things have definitely started getting better. Clearly someone is attempting to to bring the grass back to life as that has improved tenfold. The staff 50/50. Last year there was a guy who just rubbed everyone the wrong way and seemed to always be the only one there. Just an attitude and very unpleasant. Ive only been out once this year and he wasn’t there. Big plus. The greens have turned a corner for sure. The sand is hit and miss. Some holes it’s real life sand. Others it’s unplayable.

The worst thing for me, being a long time player there, is that they flipped the front and back 9s. I’m sure this is somewhat of personal preference I guess but for me it completely changes the entire feel of the round. The old back 9 which is now the front 9 can be extremely grueling. There’s some long holes, some tough par 3s (1 especially), and some topographical challenges as well. Playing the (new) number 9 from the back tees ..... can punish you severely.

The point being is that the old set up started out with some easier feel good holes. A short 4, followed by a challenging 4, right into a fun par 3.... the front 9 used to be relaxing and somewhat forgivable with some cool shots you’d have to make. Except (old) #4, ha! I don’t know what it is about this home for me. It’s along one probably around 550 but it’s as straight as hole can get. It does have a narrow fairway, and a perfectly placed little crick but it’s no excuse for my play on that hole over the years. It’s my nemesis. Last year, I was on the fringe chipping for birdie, moments later I marked it a 7. I’m getting upset just thinking about it. The point is the course flowed more getting more challenging as the round went on. With the front being tough but fair and finishing with that back 9 you were exhausted in a sense coming off 18 and almost relieved that it was over. But in a good way. With the reverse layout the (new) front 9 can really kick your butt and by the time you get to the back, you’re drained. If you’re an average golfer like myself, the course probably gets together and the holes tell stories of the souls they’ve snatched over the years. . (Old) #15: remember that one guy coming up on his 3rd shot from about 50 yards out thinking “I might actually par this”. Ha, can you believe he tried to flop me!? I heard he went to the nut house after that round.

Writing this, I realize I do still like the course more than I thought but the layout really makes it somewhat difficult to enjoy. The course also has some issues in certain places with water I’m not sure can ever be fixed. For example, if your drive goes right on (new) #4 it’s probably unplayable in the swamp grass of sorrow. That hole has been like that since the beginning. Mush. It’s a challenging course making somewhat of a comeback but charging $45 on a Tuesday in late March across the board? Come on. That’s a big reason it’s usu Wide open. They still charge top dollar like it’s a destination. Here’s to better days, and flipping the course back to what I loved about it.

Nice course but we played in very soggy conditions, so not the fault of the course, hole 16 is closed for now, so you have to play another hole

I found a deal I couldn’t pass up on golf now, so I decided to give this course a visit on an afternoon in late March. The course has an interesting layout with a combination of some nice holes and some really narrow greens. While it’s been a few days since our last heavy rains, the course had a number of really wet and saturated areas which resulted in lots of plugged shots on fairways, rough, and a few greens. The 16th hole was shut for a renovation which was disappointing but it’s a reason to return later in the season to check out the course again when conditions are firmer and the grass is actively growing. Overall a decent track that I’d like to play again to improve my front 9 score.

Nice Round, everything went fine, but Clubhouse Bar should stock non-alcohol beer & wine for those who dont or cant drink alcohol..

This was my first time back at Carriage Greens since they flipped nines and did some upgrades. The greens were in excellent shape, the fairways were good.

I play to a 14 hcp and shot an 80 and although I said I would recommend the course, I would with the caveats below.

We are seniors and play from the forward tees - Red. These were absolutely atrocious. Tiny (8' x 10', give or take) pitted, bumps, holes, dirt, clumps of grass, uneven. TERRIBLE! On 3rd hole the tee box is behind three trees. Yes, BEHIND three trees.

On the 8th hole, the tee box is behind a tall tree. In order to hit driver and hit the fairway, you need to be able to draw the ball hard. If not? Just hit an iron to the top of the hill and deal with it.

On 11 the Red tees are just plopped in the fairway. Same thing on 16 - with the 200 yd marker dead center between the markers, about 10' in front of you.

Also on 16 they took out all the tee boxes - looks as though they are selling that piece of property for a home to be built. The white tees were plopped down haphazzardly too.

Cut grass is blown into the ponds making them look all scummy. Lots of holes need to be cleaned up. The 2nd hole has a wet trashy area just in front and right of the tee boxes that looks terrible.

They are working at it, no doubt. The 9th hole is stable and you can drive your golf cart on it. Drainage is much better - it rained last night and normally that would have meant 90 degree or even cart path only in the past - but the course was relatively dry.

The course is tight, relatively challenging and the price is right - $32.00 18, riding for seniors. Staff is terrific and helpful. Pro shop has been upgraded and enlarged.

So, pluses and minus' for the course. I will be back again, but not anytime soon. I'll wait to see if improvements have been made to tee boxes and general upkeep of the course.

Round took 5.5 hours on a Saturday. No ranger in site. Lost several balls in the rough.Pretty scruffy out there. Tiny greens that were a little beat up. Got a decent Hot Deal rate but would never pay full rate to play here.Needs a facelift, pretty tired looking.

First time and last time playing here. Was supposed to play 18 holes but left after 9. I read some other reviews saying the course is much improved, and I couldn’t begin to imagine it was ever worse. The course condition was awful as was the pace of play. Stay away!

This course is great for my skill level. I shoot around 100. The worst part about the course is that for years they have refused to get towels for the random ball washers on the course. When I asked the manager about it, he got angry and said “people steal them and I’m not buying anymore, you have a towel on your bag, use that.” Even park district courses have towels - just a weird thing to be cheap about.

The pace of play was good, based on the date and the hot temperatures. Even with the online deal I thought I paid too much money for the golfing experience. The red tee boxes are tiny, on some holes the tee’s are blocked by tree limbs. The course is in need of upgrades. No water on the course, no cart vendor. The pro shop is tiny, outdated and lacks the basic necessities. I will compliment the entire staff as they could not have been more friendly and helpful in getting the round started or kept going at the turn. All in all, for the money I paid it was not worth the price.

Tee time was 11:30. Finished by 2:45. Course had standing water in some bunkers. Bunkers with no water were rock hard. Many greens had unrepaired divot marks. Fairways were cut nicely. Planned for a dog and beer at the turn but they said they were out of dogs. So peanuts and beer instead. Not a lot of people golfing that day. Completed the round in just over 3 hours.

I like to be the first person on the tee box when the course opens. The reason...not to wait on hackers. I recently played Carriage Greens and flew through the first 9. I made the turn and saw a backup worse than the toilet after eating one of their clubhouse hotdogs. I asked the people where the heck they came from "They do a back 9 special in the morning." This might be great to the people looking for 9 early... but it's also a back door special to the people who play 18 early... and now have to wait. TERRIBLE.

The staff was very accommodating and the course is looking pretty good. We enjoyed our 3 hour and 45 minute round very much

Course was in really good shape . Rough was high and lush which added up to tough round . Staff was fantastic

Love this course.A little poorer conditions today than normal because of recent heavy rains. 1st cut rough was quite thick and hard to manage for a duffer. Look foward to coming back in better weather.

Since Lou has come on board the golf course is in far better shape than years past. Sand in the traps. New rakes. Greens rolling fast & true. Keep up the good work!

I’ve been playing CG for 40 years. It’s always been a great layout...challenging hole designs, lots of mature greens & tabletop greens. But course conditions have always been an issue. No irrigation system so fairways were always rock hard and drainage on 9 has always been a problem.

New owners took over a couple years back and they’re working hard to improve course conditioning. We actually took a cart onto 9th fairway...which wasn’t allowed for years.

So I made a point the last couple years to play here to see if what I had heard abt course improvements was true. We thought course was in great shape. Greens especially were clean & rolled true. Some old waste areas cleared out, trees removed, bunkers were better...all around progress is being made. Staff is super friendly...especially compared to a few years ago when all u got were grunts & frowns. The bar/restaurant is great & the food there is awesome.

Give the new guys a chance & check it out. It’s not pristine just yet but it’s getting better. Great layout & really reasonable green fees.