Elkhorn Golf Course

I've been playing this course off and on for almost 30 years. The last few years it's been sliding downhill fast. The staff gas always been accommodating and friendly. I've played here for fun, and tourneys (still fun).

This last time I played I was sad and angry. The greens were beyond trash. Some greens looked like an earthquake opened up faults, and they were either soggy, or bone dry. Tee boxes were the quality of a cow pasture. Though the fairways were never beautiful, they were at least playable.

Sad to say that even the yearly tourney I played in has moved to another course. I may try it again in a couple of years, but I see nothing good in its future.

"The Elk" or Elkhorn Valley used to be a gem in the wilderness. The latest owners have let it go to absolute junk. For a course that was rated in the top 10 9 holers years back to be in this horrible of condition is criminal. I can't imagine what it would take to bring it back.

My brother and I played this course seven or eight years ago and it was absolutely beautiful. We played September 15 and the course is a disaster. Driving up to it you can see the fairways are yellow and burnt. Driving the golf cart through the fairways to reach your ball you can see the dust cloud behind the cart. That is how dry and dead the fairways are. They are doing the best they can to keep the greens from dying so they are over watered and spongy. I had a few balls plug. In areas on the greens that are not getting the water there is no grass! You are putting over dirt. Not an exaggeration at all. It's almost a 2 hour drive for my brother and I and we were highly disappointed.

Let me first say how bad the front 9 greens were. By far the worst greens I've ever seen in my 15 years of golfing. I've played this course five times now and it's sad to see what it has become. The greens were soaked to the point a bladed shot would plug on them. The tee boxes didn't even exist anymore along with a lot of the greens on the front side. However the greens on the backside were 100 percent better. The views were still worth the 10 bucks though.

I have played this course numerous times since the 90's and have always found it to be if not as manicured as some courses, always playable and beautiful. Now it is an embarrassment to the description of golf course. I hope that this isn't the end of this challenging and beautiful course.

This course was in absolutely terrible condition. It was not fun. Fairways are brown, t-boxes poor, and one of the greens was a mud flat. I have included three photos- hope they load OK.

Elk Horn has long been one of my favorites. I love the lay out, some of the unique holes and the wild life. The current condition of the course is a bit rough. The fairways have quite a bit of brown grass. Some of the greens are in poor shape. It needs some TLC and H2O.

I was just up at Elkhorn Golf Course last week. I must say that I was distraught at the condition of the course and grounds.

First, let me say that I have been playing the course during the first week of August for the most part of the last forty years. It was the first sign of my vacation. I would usually play 18 holes either on the way up to Detroit Lake or during the first couple of days while camping. Our family would usually have a couple foursomes (until the kids all started working) play during the week.

The front nine is in TERRIBLE shape. It should not even be played on. Dry cracked tee boxes, failing greens, dusty fairways and dried up ponds. Broken hole yardage signs and benches are a sign of neglect and of not caring about the course or its golfers. There is no water on the front nine. The once beautiful 8th hole is now a dried up mess.

The back nine is better, well, the greens are better and there is water in the ponds. The traps on both sides had not been raked in months.

The guy inside (owner? Operator?) said that there was a generator problem for the pump. Maybe so, but the condition of the course in general tells me that there is absolutely minimal labor going into the course.

I love(d) this golf course. I am devastated to the pint where I may call on some of my wealthier friends to see if the course could be put into better hands. We'll see.

I hope that the course survives until the rains come. I could write a list of everything that needs to be done, per hole and including general maintenance, the list would be very long.

If you must play it, ask to play the back nine. The front doesn't need any more traffic.

Sad. Distraught at the condition of the course.

Hopefully it can be saved.

I don't play golf so I can't elaborate much on how the course is from that aspect. However, I can tell you that it is just BEAUTIFUL up here!! The course is in an amazing location that is quiet and has natural beauty! There are several families of deer wandering through the course and they are just content to watch people pass by while they eat the fruit and leaves from the trees. I think the maintenance team up here is doing a great job, especially dealing with the aging irrigation system that has needed quite a bit of repair this summer. They are really working hard on getting things done, so to those of you who are angry about course conditions, I'm sorry it doesn't look the same as when it did 10 years ago, BUT WHAT DOES?? I have seen these guys busting their butts here and they are doing great!! For people that haven't been here I recommend coming to see what a beautiful place it is!

I like this coarse, good pace and very peaceful. good course to use every club on. I here many complaints about dry greens, fairways and tee boxes. We have went the past 3 weekends and the folks there have been busting their butts to fix the aging/ breaking sprinkler lines. I would recommend trying this course and to the regulars, not giving up on the course. I see the future being brighter. Also if you are a beginner golfer, bring many balls, it is fairway or lost. That is the great challenge of this course.

Unbelievable customer service at the club house! Guy said 5 players were welcome when called on phone week prior to playing. Upon arrival, same guy said "if I get any complaints about pace of play, I will come remove you from my the course". Not friendly staff and very unprofessional. Course was in horrible condition, especially for the rate charged. Power cart ran out of battery on 16th hole. Never ever will play this course again or recommend it to anyone.

I was deeply disappointed when I saw the condition of the course. Over the last few years it has suffered gross decline. Sand traps full of mud, weeds, leaves and twigs. Greens showed signs of neglect and disease. Several tee boxes did not have markers and had more weeds than grass. Furthermore they refused to accept a gift card that had been issued in my name, saying they had never received payment. Question; why would they issue a gift card BEFORE receiving payment. That's just stupid. I agree they should sell and let some one who cares take over.

Broke my heart to see the course in such disrepair. I hope the current owners sell it before people lose faith in it altogether. The traps were atrocious, the greens bad, the tee boxes even worse. They say they are "working on getting it in shape" but I saw no evidence of work being done in the last month. How hard is it to put out teebox markers? To wash the benches? The traps have growth in them that's clearly from the spring and there is no usable sand left in them. The clubhouse has roofing tiles falling off, and the only food selection was a couple candy bars, one of which was half eaten by a rat and still on the shelf. PLEASE SELL this course to someone who will restore it to it's former glory. Even the owners personal yard is overgrown... and the staff said they simply stopped caring... and just vacation all the time now. I should have read reviews before making the 1.5hr drive. I won't be coming back until I see more positive reviews.

Unfortunately the course was in major disrepair. It's been a few years since I've played it, and it was in great condition then. I think the wet winter took its toll.

Much to our regret the course was in real need of water, lots of water. A lot of the course was broken up because of the lack of water. Also when it was a 9 hole course it was always really nice but the lay out of the back nine is not a good one..

Course was barely playable. So dry the ground was a rock I would guess they had not watered in weeks I was extremely disappointed

This was not the first time for me playing this course. I have always looked forward to going back. However management has lneglected the course, it doesn't look like it has been watered all summer except the greens. The rest of the course was dry including the tees and the ground was cracking a lot. The fairways were dry and a high percentage of the grass looks dead. I will not be going back to this course until I hear reports that it has been taken care of.

Heard a rumor the course was closing at the end of this season, and knew I had to play it... (found out the rumor was completely untrue, course is NOT closing). LOVED the layout. Reminded me of Ocean Dunes in Florence Oregon, short, but VERY tight. I will be back! Yes, there were many very dry places on the course (tee boxes (who needs a preferred lie on a tee box... your teeing it up!), fairways) but for me that ADDED to the experience. The greens were spectacular and held every shot that I hit at them. I'm a 10 handicap (and was delighted to shot a 90) and hit plenty of "thin" shots that were received by the greens very well The course was a VALUE. I never played the course until this week so I cannot comment on what is was back in the day, but I had a blast playing this course. The staff we encountered were all very pleasant! As I said, will be back.

This has always been my wife's and my favorite. Tough tight holes in a wonderful setting. But I agree with what the last reviewers have said. The course is not being maintained, no water except for the greens, no maintenence on equipment or any part of the course. We always hit this course once or twice a year but probably won't go back unless someone begins to maintain it.

Having golfed at Elkhorn several times in the past I was really looking forward to this golf outing. What a shock to see how extremely bad this course is now. Solid, hard dirt tee boxes (hard to get tee set), barely watered fairways, nothing on the course is being maintained -- pretty good greens (at least they have been watered). I question if this course can return. Very sad.