Springdale at Cold Mountain

I was blown away by Springdale this morning. It is a great mountain course. It is in fantastic shape and the layout is great if you want something different. The staff is doing a great job. The tee boxes were in great shape. The fairways looked great and were mown. And the greens were really smooth. Firm. And fast. Some of the best I’ve ever played on. I can’t say enough about the greens! There are a couple of drawbacks. First the course is pretty remote and pretty far out in the middle of nowhere. Second, they are doing some new construction and as a result holes 6 and 10 have temporary greens that keeps you from getting the full experience. The course is also not very well marked. So you need a GPS, range finder, or local knowledge. The front 9 basically plays down in a valley. And the second 9 is built up, down, and along a mountain. The fairways are pretty wide, and the approaches relatively tight. Most greens are pretty big. There are several blind shots. There are several doglegs. And a good bit of elevation change. The course and the surroundings are stunningly beautiful. The course is pretty long from the white tees. Over 6400 yards. There is a hybrid set of gold/white I was going to play. But then ended up playing the white which is pretty long for me.

The first hole is a hard long dogleg right. The tee shot is downhill and you can’t see most of the fairway from the tee. You either need a fade or cut the corner shot over the tees.

2 is a long par 4. Pretty much straight away. 3 is a medium length uphill par 3. With a huge two tiered green. You have to be on the right tier to have a chance. 4 is a shorter par 4. Downhill. But a pond takes up about 1/2 of the fairway right in the landing zone. 5 is a shorter par 5. With a really wide landing area. And a really tight approach. 6 is a long dogleg left par 4. With the approach up a steep hill. But due to construction was playing as a short uphill par 4 with the tees at a funky angle to the hole. 7 is a shorter par 4. But plays longer Bc it is steeply uphill. 8 is a really hard long par 3. Almost 200 yards through a narrow shoot of trees. 9 is a shorter par 5. It’s a great hole. The landing zone gets tighter the further you hit it. Then drops completely off. You can see the green. But not the layup area from the landing zone. Be careful there is a creek you can’t see about 75 yards from the green. I layed up and almost went in it. 10 is supposed to be a par 5. But due to construction was an uphill short par 4. 11 is a medium length par 4 that moves to the right. 12 is a medium length par 3. Slightly downhill. 13 “the Springdale spasm”is a tough hole. It’s a long par 4 dogleg right. There is no room on the right. There is plenty left but that makes the approach really long the further left you go. The long uphill approach is through a really tight shoot of trees. 14 is a long dogleg left par 4. As it doglegs it’s drops steeply downhill. 15 is a medium length par 4. 15 is a long uphill par 4. 16 is a really long par 4. But plays steeply down the hill. With an approach over a creek. 17 is a medium length par 3. 18 is a shorter par 5 with a downhill drive and an approach over a creek. All in all a great course that I wish I could play more often!

Greens smooth and fast, fairways plush. Love this course.

Course is in excellent condition, greens are firm. Pace of play is fast. Construction on néw clubhouse facilities has you teeing off from where a good tee shot would land on 10. Currently you can’t get a beverage mid-round so factor that in your planning. Enjoy.

Very nice course with beautiful views , going to be even more of a destination when the facilities are finished! Very impressed can't wait to see the new clubhouse and facilities will definitely be back..

Nice variety of holes and a good layout. It will be great when the clubhouse is done. This is a good test of golf and I recommend playing here if you are in the area.

Absolutely fabulous time and impeccable conditions top to bottom will give 5 stars across the board when new clubhouse is complete.

My wife and I have played and stayed at Springdale many times over the last 20 years, and we have always felt it was a special place. Several years ago, the conditions began to deteriorate, and we were delighted to learn a couple of years ago that it was purchased by a new owner with plans to restore and improve. There is no doubt that much money and attention have been dedicated to that mission, and it was very enjoyable to play it today. I will be anxious to see all the construction of new buildings completed and additional touches added to a great layout.

Our only complaint today was that we arrived at 11:20 for a noon tee time and discovered that due to complete demolition of all existing buildings in the area of restaurant, pro shop, reception,etc, there was no food available except crackers, candy, and chips. If we had known, we could have easily bought sandwiches on our way, but it was too late to go back to the nearest food venue. We survived on junk food and had a great day, but it would be nice to give out this information beforehand.

This course is under new management and they are building a new clubhouse which is going to be beautiful because of the view. You drive in and don’t see this, just a small trailer where the GM works out of. The first few holes were straight forward but the more you play, the harder it gets. Beautiful mountain homes on the back and a very challenging side! I look forward to playing it again. The only downside was the uneven spotty fairways but I think all the mountain courses are dealing with that because of the spring.

One of the best mountain courses I’ve played living here my whole life. Worth the trip if your looking for a great course to play.

Springdale GC is a joy to play; period. The new owners are going all out to really enhance the golf experience, and they're building new clubhouse, restaurant & fitness facility to complete a fabulous destination oasis, in the shadow of Cold Mountain. Greens are large and firm, but only have subtle undulations to help accomplish that long putt birdie. The scorecard has added a "Hybrid" set of tees, that make the really tough "Springdale Spasm" holes, a lot more realistic to conquer. Well done! New sand & added sod around greens all add to the enjoyment of playing this course. Plus a rare driving range to warm up; all adds up to me playing this course again, as soon as possible!

The greens and entire course are in great shape. The staff are friendly (including some staff previously from Pinehurst). We were on vacation in the area and played the course twice. We will play it again in the future.

Great course in really good condition. They are in the process of building a new clubhouse that looks like it is going to be fabulous.