In 2015 I got to play Black Mountain Golf Course, and am finally going to post my review. My first impression of this course is that it felt very tucked away and exclusive. You drive up the side of the hill/mountain to get to the clubhouse. You do pass some residential buildings along the way, but as you get closer to the course the houses seem to get more luxurious… the first signs of an exclusive area.
The clubhouse was well kept and fairly new looking. It had a good sized pro-shop and a big restaurant. It was a Thursday morning when we went there, and, while there was other people on the course it was pretty quiet. The price was on the highest end of all the courses we played, with the round costing $95…. However, this price included a cast and a $10 food voucher for the restaurant for after the round, so relatively this wasn’t too bad. That being said the power cart is mandatory so you can’t get the round cheaper thinking you walk. Plus, this is a long course with a lot elevation changes so you wouldn’t want to walk it anyways.
The Layout
The elevation changes are one of the highlights of Black Mountain Golf Course. On some tees you drop way down to a lower green, on others you are hitting p the fairway to a blind area. These holes, while nerve racking, are a lot of fun to play. Something about not being able to watch where my golf ball lands can bring TEMPORARY peace… this is of course paired with some anxiety of hoping my ball didn’t disappear.
As mentioned the course is set on the side of a hill/mountain, so the “out of bounds” areas really come into play here. The holes have some tight fairways in areas, with not a lot of rough surrounding them. You can very easily find some tall grass, big trees, or a mountain side to lose your ball on. My recommendation is to pack a lot of extras on this course because it can gobble them up in a hurry if you aren’t hitting great.
All in all the course is set up very well. It has elevation changes, blind shots, dog-legs, and traps. It even has an island green to challenge your skills. It’s greatness is added to by its seclusion from reality in areas, it’s great views in others and its overall great design.
The Conditions
The greens and fairways of this course were in great shape, which is highlighted even further when you look around off the course. On lots of the holes you are able to look down and around the rest of the mountain. Here you will realize it has a lot of long ugly grass, some trees, and some dirt. It’s this contrast that allows you to realize how lucky you are. Black Mountain Golf Course sets itself apart from manyother golf courses because of this. It isn’t some farmer’s field that got turned into a place to hit some balls. It was designed specifically for it’s purpose and it does that well.
The Facilites
As I mentioned, we got a food voucher to use in the restaurant after. The food was great and so was the service. Obviously this can change from year to year, but it seems they tae pride in it, so I would expect some consistency here. The other nice thing we did was sit ont he patio to eat, which overlooks the 18th green. Nice and relaxing. There was a guy smoking a cigar, so we had to move, and any one who works at Black mountain is reading this, you should change your policy about smoking out there. It is a big turn off.
The only thing the course somewhat lacks is a driving range and a big practice green & chipping area to use before your round. Given its location I understand it isn’t possible to have these things. They do, however, have an area you can hit some balls into a net, you just can’t see if you are slicing the ball or anything. It does have a small practice green, but this can get congested pretty quick.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed my time on this course despite my playing partner losing 13 balls and being grumpy about it the whole time. I would definitely recommend this course to friends as it is a unique feeling course they you can’t get everywhere in the world.
== You might like our article on Approach Shots from 50 yards out ==
Black Mountain Golf Course Discounts
Black Mountain has specials on it’s website from time to time and we will talk with them about a special offer for our GolfThis Premium Members and update here with any changes!
