The course has a GREAT layout. There are a few blind shots, but if you drive up and see the landing spots, you can easily land in the generous fairways. Very few holes look alike on this course. There are not a lot of forced carries which is great for us shorter hitters. The greens are undulating, but well maintained and can be fast at times. The scenery on the course is gorgeous and great care was taken to frame the golf hole to maximize beauty. Play can be slow because when you are off the fairway, it is mighty difficult to find your ball in the heather. I would recommend that course management try not to put in tough pin placements unless there is a tourney going on. Having 12-14 sucker pin placements on the day you are having an outing leads to 6 hour rounds, which is what I experienced the day I played. The ranger tried like hell to keep moving foursomes along, but it was course setup, coupled with 40+ handicappers that screwed things up. The views from the clubhouse are incredible. Post match drinks are enjoyable as you stare out at the course that inexplicably abused you. The staff was less than stellar and I will chronicle that in the next section.

Customer Service

If I were course management, I would go through the clubhouse and pro shop with a machete and leaf blower. The staff was either indifferent, cranky, poorly trained, rude, arrogant, unfriendly or clueless(this excludes bag drop staff which was competent). Poor service by the staff occurred in so many ways that I cannot list them all here. It is clear that this is not a happy workplace. Time for a spring cleaning in that area. One quick comment- please explain to the staff how to react when a golfer gets a hole in one. I did not get one, but one of my foursome did and NO ONE had a clue what to do or say to him. He is a 7-star member of the Resort and pays for hole in one insurance. In the end, he was able to wangle a free round for a guest, but not after some arm twisting. The course is so great that it should have a staff that matches it or even approximates it. I would give this a five star rating if the staff was improved and slow play was improved. Don't bother complaining about the expensive greens fees. Courses like this should be immune from such commentary.

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Twisted Dune(NJ)
Wyncote(PA)
Waterville(Ireland)

This is a typical linkstyle layout that is well conditioned and not difficult to score.
The $90 fee is over-priced, but based on the fact that this is in golf-starved NJ, Ballyowen can get away with it.
In any other part of the country, this is a $55 tract including cart.
Try for any discounts possible before going so you are not gouged.

Customer Service

helpful

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Legacy Ridge- Westminster, CO
Walden Ponds- Fairfield, OH
Windy Knoll, Springfield, OH
Walking Stick, Pueblo, CO

This is truly a beautiful public golf coarse and although I hate that you cannot drive it, I appreciate that because the fairways are mint! Besides, the staff is cool and usually allow you to tweek the carts for 30 MPH. I have a partial membership which allows me 20% off weekdays, twilight, flat rate so I have a great deal. I love every single hole on this coarse and agree with most that you most play smart golf less you will pay the price.

Customer Service

Staff great, caddies great, starter cool, bagpipes are nice

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Neshanic Valley

beautiful course, and I wouldn't say that it's overpriced. The course plays a bit short, but the greens are fast and true. The fairways on the front nine are tight,and loaded with downhill/sidehill lies; you're better rewarded for placement instead of distance. The back nine is where you can really show off your driver. Several holes on the back are reachable from the tee. You might as well walk becuase you can't take a cart 90 degrees, and the tee times are packed close together. Expect about a 5 hour round. Iron and wedge accuracy is essential on this course due to well protected greens and elevation changes.

random bagpipe music is a nice touch. Pro shop and bar/grill are decent. Food is decent.

The course was wet from some earlier rain and the drainage was terrible.

Customer Service

I didn't notice the snobbery as some other reviewers. The cart girl came by about 6 times.

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This course receives a lot of play and common landing areas were loaded with divots. Even with these blemishes, it's a great course. The elevation changes remind me of mansion ridge.

Greens are slow but very true.

Cart path only!!! Drinking water is scarce. Food and beverages are very expensive.

Wait Wait Wait Wait...Just finished a 5 1/2 hour round on a Wednesday afternoon!!! Shouldn't have taken a cart because the assinine "cart-path only" rule causes you to walk miles across the fairways. Way, way over priced at $100 on a weekday.

Customer Service

Polite in general, but there is an aire of snobbery.

Ambiance, Course Layout and Condition, Friendly Staff, Beautiful Clubhouse, Excellent Food

It is expensive. It is a treat to play though.

Ballyowen is truly a beautiful course. It rewards a fairway shot and punishes anything beyond the first cut. Greens are fast and true. I feel fortunate not to have lost any balls.

Customer Service

Friendly Staff. The girls driving the refreshment carts were very courteous and would not drive by until after everyone hit.

Great layout, caddies, and course conditions.

The 10th hole really should be a par 4. It is a terrible par 5. They should move the tee up, it would be a great par 4.

How any buddy rates this golf course under a 4 is beyond me. The lay out is excellent. If you play from the back tees, every club in your bag is played. Try taking a caddie in the summer and truly experience the golf course as it is meant to be played.

Customer Service

the customer service was excellent. Except for a ranger asking me why I did not replace a divot taken the rough.

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I do not know why people make such a big deal about the driving range. The range is just a place to warm up and get ready for your round. A player does not keep score on the range!

Conditioning is superior to most public AND private courses. Varied layout-- doesn't favor a draw or fade. Great views, challenging but playable.

Expensive-- try to get the specials Range-- you're hitting off the side of a steep hill, so very limited use. However, this isn't such a drawback since you shouldn't be doing anything more in a pre-round warm-up than getting a feel for the swing you brought to the course that day and getting loose. It's a grass range and balls are free, so I don't complain.

I'm surprised at the consensus here that the course is overrated. There is no doubt that Ballyowen is quite expensive, but it's one of the few high fee public courses that I feel are worth the money. $125 is a bit expensive, but they run specials all the time once you're on their e-mail list, and you end up paying $85-$100 a round if you catch the timing right. In the New York Metro Area, I think Bally tops Centennial, New Jersey National and Mansion Ridge very easily, and those courses charge around the same price. While Richter Park, Hominy Hill/Howell Park and Bethpage Black are better courses for much less money, the hassle of getting on those courses and the interminable rounds have their own cost other than cash. While the cart path only rule does slow play, it keeps the course better conditioned than any public course you'll play, and most private courses too. I also think the routing has a good combination of uphill and downhill holes, long and short, and it's a very playable course with good yardages spread among the different tees-- I have when you have to choose between playing from 6300 and 7200 yards. The rangers aren't really that oppressive-- I'd much prefer having someone on top of things than the typical hands-off approach that leads to 5 hour rounds. I always find the staff courteous and the facilities (especially the Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Tomato at the turn) are exceptional. The best of the Crystal Springs courses by far, although for a less expensive and still enjoyable round, I'd try Black Bear, which also has the advantage of being closer to NYC, if only by 10 minutes or so. It is true that three of the par threes are similar one-shotters over water, but I think there's a great variation in the other holes. Links designs tend to be more subtle than parkland or desert courses-- they don't impress a lot of folks. There are also enough tees to keep anyone interested. The wind usually blows to spice things up. I can understand that the atmosphere is a little hokey-- staff members wear plus fours, plaid stockings and hogan caps. There is even a bagpiper during the gloaming. It's a little goofy, but it doesn't put me off-- it's always nice to be able to chuckle when you're on the course.

Customer Service

Very attentive

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The practice green is usually faster than the course's greens.

well-maintained due to the high price

see above (summary)

Not long, overpriced, well-maintained, boring

Customer Service

average

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none

1) Well maintained. 2) Friendly staff. 3) Nice clubhouse, bar, and restaurant. 4) Greens were fast and in good shape.

1)Too expensive. 2)Boring layout. 3)Range is for loosening up and ball flight direction only (no distance and you hit off a cliff). 4) Cart paths only was a killer. I was totally exhausted by the end of the round.

Not the best; not the worst. Staff was nice enough. The starter was cool. He was informative and let you know you could play from any set of tees (not like most of the other new high end layouts that want you arrested for playing anything but the whites). The course is nice enough, but not terribly interesting. Boring par 3s. I hit the same club on each one. It would be much more interesting if there was a steady wind. It's wide open with big elevation changes. No trees. Only saw 1 ranger and he really didn't bother us (the usual 'pick it up a little'). Way too expensive ($125). And finally, when is everyone going to realize that 'cart paths only' is one of the biggest contributers to slow play? It should be 90 degrees and in the rough