Played River Oaks for the first time yesterday afternoon. Fox & Otter 9's. The place has 27 holes. The Bear is the other 9. Overall, pleasantly surprised. It's not bad. Pace of play was around 4 hours. The place was busy. There were lots of groups in front of us and more behind us. I was paired up with another lefty from Canada (that's for you Lefty!). He was a retired Ontario Provincial Police officer. Nice guy and a pretty decent player. Tee shots are pretty flat but each green is elevated and there's some interesting bunkering/mounding around many of them. I thought the course design was a little better than what I had anticipated. The place was still a little wet & soft. I had to clean the ball regularly.
Tees - OK. Not great. Some issues but we found enough grass to hit off of.
Fairways - Good. A little soft, but good grass coverage. Reasonable grass height.
Rough - Inconsistent. Some spots were pretty bare. For the most part, the grass is dormant and wasn't really a factor.
Bunkers - Several were OK. A few were still a bit soft or wet in the center. A few also were raked dirt and could use a refill of sand.
Greens - Better than expected. The Fox 9 was punched (little holes) somewhat recently but didn't really affect putting. I would put them around 8.5 to 9 for speed. The Otter 9 was better, except the last hole, which had some coverage problems and a few sand spots. They were a solid 9.
The price was right, so I was fine with the conditions and the greens were decent.
Thanks for this update. If i remember well, the Fox and Otter course begins with the shortest of the three nines and finishes with the longest. How have you like the last hole on the front nine? It is a good risk-reward hole.
Hoping to read you again during your trip.
''It's just golf, let's have fun''
Thanks for the update on River Oaks.
Let the Big Dawg Bark!!!
David, thanks for your take on River Oaks, only played it once many years ago, as you say decent for the price.
Thanks for the heads up!! GDZ
GolfdqawgZ
Not the best course in town but OK to play. Has some good holes on each of the three nines. Good owners and the price is always right.
Golf is just an excuse to drink whiskey and smoke cigars
Fox + Otter are the 2 nines that were renovated a few years ago, with tree
removal, etc. The Bear nine was going to get developed, but that seems on hold
or canceled.
Thanks for reporting!
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Thanks for this topo about a course we don't read often about!
Denis Gilbert
Quebec City, Canada
''It's just golf, let's have fun''
This one is still on my bucket list.
I grew up playing a golf course called River Oaks in Illinois.
I need to play the River Oaks in Myrtle for that reason.
Polekat, thanks for reporting and it's good to see you are starting to golf nearer your home. I know you are partial to the North courses
JW
"King Of The Mid-tiers"
