Reviews written by Rodney Berwanger

I played Providence for the second time September 25. The rough has grown in somewhat and makes it a little difficult should you get off the fairway. The greens and fairways are really nice. The problem is, as I stated in the earlier assessment, there are very few rakes in the bunkers. What happens is that people cannot rake their footprints. The course has told me more rakes are on the way, but I would not count on it. the sand is extremely soft and makes it difficult to get out clean.

I played Halifax Plantation on my way to TPC Sawgrass September 13, 2009, and found it to be a lot of fun (I did have an eagle on the par 5 ninth hole…). I played this course maybe 15 years ago and did not remember one hole. It had rained considerably the night before and for the first nine holes of the round, so obviously the fairways were wet and the sand traps were pretty hard. However, I found the course quite acceptable and in good shape. You can usually tell by the attention you get in and around the clubhouse relative how they treat the course, I can tell you that everyone was very nice and treated me like I was a member. The course was wide open, nice scenery, not a lot of houses bordering the course. Very few hazards to cross, I remember only one. The other 2 persons playing with me also said they enjoyed the course and felt it was worth playing again, especially given the cost which was $30.00.

I played the Valley course October 12, 2009. To me the Valley course is much more beautiful than the Stadium course. While not easy, it is more fair than the Stadium (also a Pete Dye layout). The greens are extremely fast, but as is normal with fast greens they are true. While the greens were hard, if you spin the ball it would hold pretty good. I was surprised that the course was as dry as it was give the rain we normally get in Florida. Drives went a lot further as a result. The fairways are lush and the sand traps are well taken care of. The most fabulous clubhouse you will see, Great happy hour in the clubhouse, half off all drinks and appetizers. It is not uncommon see Pros at the course, I have played the TPC courses 4 times and have always seen a couple of pros.

I played the LPGA Legends course September 12, 2009. The course was outstanding! Perfect greens, lush fairways, manicured traps. The rough while not high, it was pretty “thick” and the ball sits down in it very easily. Easy to lose a ball in the rough. The Legends has some long carries to hit the fairway, so if you are a short hitter, it can be difficult, it is much tighter and more difficult than the original "Champions" course even though the slope ratings are the same

I played the LPGA Champions course October 18, 2009. The course was outstanding! Perfect greens, lush fairways, manicured traps. The rough while not high, it was pretty “thick” and the ball sits down in it very easily. One thing I thought was strange, the course was re-rated by the Florida Golf Association and the put the slope from the white tees up to a 137? Extremely high in my estimation, the course is no where near that difficult. I contacted the FGA to see how they came up with that rating, they did not come up with a good answer

I played Providence September 4, 2009 and found the course to be outstanding. The course is not quite 2 years old but you would not know it by the course condition. The traps are perfect but there seemed to be only one rake in each bunker which made it very difficult to rake them. The greens were neither slow or fast, very receptive to a shot with a little spin. Most of the par 4’s are long, 7 out of 10 are 380 yards or more. Not a lot of trouble, most holes are pretty wide open. Good clubhouse with good food. Very large range and a very attentive staff. It is one of those courses you will say is really nice.