Etowah Valley Golf & Resort

Course was what I expected considering the weather. Enjoyed my round. My one knock would be that I was charged more that my reservation confirmed. My reservation was for $39 for the round, but I was charged $45 at the course. Not a lot of money, but not what I was expecting.

Course was in good shape. It had rained the day before so it was cart path only but it went pretty well.

I had played Etowah a few times in the past and always liked the layout. We have always been treated nicely there and enjoyed our day.

On this trip we found the course to be with mixed conditions. Greens, terrific. Fairways on the West Course, fair; fairways on North, poor to very poor. Mixed conditions of this nature tend to cause you to overstate the poor part and forget the great part. My suggestion is to play the fairways as lift, clean and place and I think you will have a good day.

The layout is a nice one. Some holes play very long and are very challenging. others demand precision approach shots.

The staff is terrific and I am sure you will enjoy your day.

Course was in good shape except for sand traps. More like gravel pits with huge hunks of stone in them. That was my only complaint with course

Not course fault, but cart path only! Very wet!

It happens!

Everyone was great!

Playing as a single and the first golfer out on the South Nine, I had no problems with pace of play on that nine. Things slowed down a bit on the North Nine as I got behind a slow foursome that struggled with the cart paths only rule that was truly necessary due to the soggy conditions. They let me play through after a couple of holes, and I finished my round in 3 hours 30 minutes. Not bad.

In my opinion, the South Nine was to wet for play. The North Nine only had one or two really wet places where water was standing above the soil. Most bunkers on both nines were water hazards, and many were severely eroded. All were unplayable. I used my ball retriever to get my ball from one particularly deep pond/bunker.

Greens were in good shape.

On-course amenities (drinking water, restrooms, etc.) are not up to par for a resort course. The restaurant and pro shop definitely are!

Watch for the white squirrels!

If I get a really good rate, I'd tee it up here again; otherwise, there are many local options.

It was cart path only due to the weather so the pace of play was a bit slow. There was a juniors tourney in front of us so that didn't help things at hole 15. We were able to go to another part of the course with a separate 9 hole section, there was not a person in sight. Fantastic... played a total of 23 holes for the price of 18. Great course:)

I love the course. The normal rack rate ($40 plus) is a bit steep but I'd play there anytime if it's around $30. Many tee box's, surely one fits your game. Each nine has a different feel, from flat to elevation changes. Need to move the ball left and right to score well. BIG greens, but they were rolling great!

Excellent greens, nice fairways, but the rough is deep and can be difficult. Don't know who designed the course but a very nice layout. Very much like a Donald Ross course for me.

The price is fair and you can see that the new owners are continuing to make it better. Played the West/South courses.

My brother and I first played at Etowah many years ago. We were on a golf vacation to NC from PA, and walked 36 holes in a day there. I remembered it as not being a particularly interesting course to play - but it was in good condition and very walkable in all respects.

Now I happen to live nearby. I was very disappointed to find out last year that Etowah was restricting walking only to certain times in the afternoon. I was told this policy was initiated by new ownership in recent years.

Then I went for the first time this year (and likely the last). My disappointment turned to disgust when told that, unless you're a member, you may NEVER walk the course. Ridiculous. I was told that this new policy was necessary for the increased revenue. I responded that I played for 20 years at a very nice course near Lynchburg, Va (London Downs) that allowed walking at ANY time... and that, somehow, they remained profitable. Heck, most people choose to ride a cart anyway... Then, consider the British Isles - where almost nobody rides a cart... they're there for the handicapped and elderly (if needed). And yet, they've survived hundreds of years without that "critical" increased revenue....

So here we have a course laid out to be played as golf was intended to be played - by walking... and it is no longer allowed. To add salt to the wound, the course does not drain very well, it rains a lot in this area, and "cart path only" rules are often in effect. What a pain THAT is.... we'd have played our round more pleasantly and quickly if we could have walked...

The course is nothing spectacular. The layout is average. It was not about the course, it was about the company, my son. We had a great day on an average course just playing golf. There was nothing more I could ask for, as the dad, than the chance to spend time with my son. It was perfect weather on a perfect day for time to just be.

Staff at the course was very friendly and accommodating. We arrived early and they allowed us to fit into an open tee time.

This was our first time here. We played the North and South courses. I think we would have had a more enjoyable round had we played the South & West Courses. Water comes into play at least once & sometimes twice on 8 of the 9 holes on the North course making for some well thought out club selections or a lot of lost balls. Water came into play at least once on 4 of the 9 holes on the South course. We didn't play the West course but looking at the score card it appears water comes into play on at least 4 of the 9 holes.

The only bad thing I have to say is the new group of owners does not allow locals to walk it was a Great business then now not so much they are trying to turn it into a resort. The starter for the day was absolute wonderful. I played by myself to get in some practice and he direct me around 2 of the 3 sides where I would not be held up to long. For the amount of rain we had the past 2 days course was better than I expected.