Elmwood Golf Course

Elmwood is my home course and and has been ever since the closure of Fontenelle Park GC. It’s a good difficulty level for most average golfers… Not wickedly long, but there are a lot of mature trees as well as bunkers and hazards, so you’ve got to be accurate or you’ll pay the price. Cost is average for what you get and the course is usually in pretty good shape. If they could lengthen a couple of par 4s into 5s to make a standard par 70 – 72 course (currently 68) that would make it a 5-​star.

This is a city-​owned course but that’s no excuse for poor maintenance! Overall, it’s a pretty short course with awkward routing. There are plenty of opportunities for birdies, which makes for a fun round of skins because there’s always an opportunity to make up for bad shots. It’s so short that I drove over the green on more than one of the par 4’s. I’ll take a long par 3 over a short par 4 any day, but that’s just me.
The rough here is so embarassing that I simply will not return this year. It’s about 25% grass and that is a generous estimate. The rough is completely littered with prostrate spurge, which is inexcusable for any golf course and the groundskeeper ought to be ashamed of himself for letting it get this out of control. Finding your ball in this matted mess is near impossible, and it’s growing so wild that it comes within two yards of the fairway.
The cart paths are the roughest/​bumpiest I have ever seen! For a minute there I thought I was on the Texas Giant wooden roller coaster at Six Flags, and I am talking about before they put in the steel track. I don’t know how old people can drive through that without hurting themselves. I had a back ache from it and I am in my twenties! They’ve got a lot of work to do at Elmwood, I wouldn’t dare play here regularly.

Some friends got married at the Elmwood Grotto this weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony, held in a secluded terrace with lots of shade and a babbling series of fountains. I officiated their wedding and can attest that it was a fantastic setting for acoustics, comfort, and aesthetics. They had upwards of 200 people seated and there was enough space for about a dozen bridal party members to set up. DJ set up next to the tunnel and the handheld mic was necessary for this space. Although the sun was bright, there was shade and fountains. Plus, the grotto is surrounded by flowering shrubs, which attract shimmering white butterflies. Beautiful touch for a wedding ceremony. I heard that it was easy to reserve the space and I know that you can reserve a nearby building with indoor tables for the family and party to relax at pre-​ceremony.
Its simple, yet charming, and provides a great space for a large, laid-​back wedding ceremony.

Elmwood is my other favorite local course. The fact that it’s close to my house and I grew up going to Elmwood Park also plays a significant factor as well.
It’s a challenging course for that reason as well… there are LOTS of trees around here, lots of big, old, large trees. (Even after the windstorm last year.) Also, lots of hills. I always feel like I get a pretty good workout walking Elmwood, even for 9 holes. Which, it’s worth mentioning, isn’t recommended on a very hot day. Because, when you finish up 9, you still have to walk all the way back uphill to the clubhouse. We always say ‘next time we’ll have someone park down here who can drive us back’ and always forget… Just something to keep in mind. :)