Hillcrest Golf Club Review

Kathy and I were able to get in one last round of golf in 2020. It has been a tough year to play as much golf as we planned. Of course it has been a tough year for everything. But, we count our blessings as the year ends and we are lucky enough to play golf.

It was a cool sunny day. We took advantage of the break in the weather and found the closest course to where we were staying. We are visiting my brother in South Carolina and Hillcrest Golf Club is 20 minutes from his house.

That means in all probability we will play this course again over the next several years. 

The first thing that stood out to me was the price. It only cost us 24 bucks per person! And that included a cart! No discounts or promotions. I was happy about that and a little worried that the course would reflect the price. 

I must say that Hillcrest Golf Club was a solid, straight forward course. Nothing special, tricky or iconic. The layout lends to a good score and easy play. I would consider this a good practice course. What I mean is you can take chances and try different shots with your play without being in trouble or hurting your score. I like that in some courses because I don’t really like going to the driving range to practice. I would rather be out on the course and see what is actually happening with my shots. I enjoy playing courses like this so I can get my practice in and play at the same time. I usually try different clubs and shots that I may need to get me out of trouble – like a low 5 iron for say 150 yards. That gives me practice for getting under a branch. I try flop shots, long pitch and roll shots and whatever I think will work.

For sure I do things that are not normal shots so I can see what they will do for me on the course!

Because we played in December, the greens were a little longer than normal. They were in good shape. The ball rolled slow but true. I am sure that Hillcrest Golf Club will cut the greens a little closer come spring. This will make the greens great for a low score. Again, there is nothing special about the greens. There are no upper or lower parts, false fronts or tricky undulations. 

The fairways at Hillcrest Golf Club were in good shape, just a little more brown than green. You can see that the grounds crew do take care of them. I didn’t have to worry if my ball rolled into a divot or came to rest in a bare spot. 

I did not like the bunkers. Luckily, I was not in any bunkers. However, I did take the time to check them out to test the sand – or in this case the cement. The sand was very hard and compacted. I would not be able to properly play a sand shot from around the greens. The fairway bunkers were the same. Making it easier to hit a solid shot to the green from any distance. No skill required.

There were several different tee boxes. The forward tees were placed good enough to make higher handicapped players feel at ease when playing. But where they dropped the ball here was the condition. Most of the forward tees felt like an afterthought. They were not close to level. Some had the ball below your feet or the box looked like it was a little hill with a crest in the middle of it. They were weren’t as cared for as the rest of the tee boxes either – leaving divots and bare spots. I did not envy Kathy when she would tee her ball. What should have been an advantage was at times a disadvantage. 

The staff was friendly and willing to get you on the course to play. There was a group of six in front of us with kids. I liked seeing that because the next generation was being introduced to golf. I just wish there was a Marshal on the course to make sure they didn’t hold anyone up.

We ended up joining a single player (Nick) to help with our pace of play. We also got to play thru the large group after waiting for a few holes.

Nick was a local player that spoke well of Hillcrest Golf Club.
However, he spoke of other courses in the area that we have to play.
Kathy and I are looking forward to meeting up with Nick again on the other courses in the area. 

Hillcrest Golf Club was priced right and you certainly get what you pay for. A fair course for a fair price. Nothing flashy or iconic. For sure a good practice course. I would play Hillcrest Golf Club again but not before playing the other courses in the area – and I will use Hillcrest Golf Club to work on my game in the future.

Overall I rate this course a par. Don’t go out of your way to play here and don’t avoid it either. You will be satisfied with what you get for what you pay.

Fairways and Greens Everyone! – We are 18 Holes and Counting.

Written by Marc Festa

COURSE: Hillcrest Golf Club – Orangeburg, South Carolina		TYPE: Municipal	DATE: 29 Dec 2019
HOLE	PAR	SCORE	COMMENTS
1 – Tee Time Availability	4	4	We walked on. Tee time was not a problem.
2 – Cost of Green Fees	4	4	At 24 dollars, you got what you paid for.
3 – Condition of Tee Boxes	5	6	The forward tee boxes need attention. The others were ok.
4 – Condition of Fairways	5	5	The fairways are in good shape.
5 – Condition of Greens	4	4	The greens are also in good shape. Will be better in the spring.
6 – Length of Course	4	4	Nothing special about the length or layout of this course.
7 – Hazards	4	5	Sand was hard and needs to be freshened.
8 – Starter/Marshal	3	4	No starter or Marshal.
9 – Women Friendly	3	3	There are four different tee boxes for the all skill levels. Enough bathrooms on the course.
OUT	36	39
10 – Practice Area	5	5	There is a driving range, practice area and putting green.
11 – Locker Rooms	3	3	Everything is clean.
12 – Pro Shop	4	3	Nice shop. Everything you need to play golf.
13 – Location	4	4	The location of this course is very easy to get to.
14 – Rental Equipment	4	4	We were unable to confirm if there were rental clubs.
15 – Resturant/Food Cart	4	4	We didn’t eat. Nick said the food was good. There was no food cart.
16 – Club House	4	3	Fantastic staff.
17 – Parking	3	3	Parking lot right in front of clubhouse.
18 – Customer Service	5	4	Friendly staff that will get you on the course.
IN	36	33
TOTAL	72	72	PLAYER: Marc F.                       ATTESTED BY:   Kathy F.