Black Bridge Country Club Review

Date of Play – May 1, 2019

Black Bridge starts your day off with smiling faces and a staff that is happy and eager to help you and get you on the course. I have always loved great customer service. I find when you feel welcome it makes the rest of the day go smooth. I would rather go to an average course with great people running it than go to a great course with average people running it. I feel that Black Bridge has great people and is a very good course. So Black Bridge is an easy pick when it comes time to choose the course I am going to play.

The first three holes are a little walk from the club house. They wrap around the practice area. At first glance you may think that it is a poor design. However, it works well. The practice area has plenty of space and it is right next to the first hole. Of course that means that two of the holes are next to the left and right side of the driving range and you may end up OB. The course overcomes the driving range placement by good hole design. It takes poor strategy and a bad hit to put your ball out of play. Then you cross a bridge to a par five. You need a good drive over a gully. A well placed drive can make it easy to be on the green in regulation and a great drive makes a long iron shot to the green possible. The next set of holes you will need a well placed shot to have a chance at par. The par threes at Black Bridge are fun to play as well. There are a couple of short ones that give the illusion of an easy par. And a long down hiller that will make you shake in your boots. The par fives offer risk and reward. Going for a long drive can leave you in a good spot for a long iron to the green. Or it can put you in an area with no other choice than to punch it out. And each of them makes getting on in three an option worth considering.

There are just two holes that are a little funny in the layout. I am not sure if it was because of space or design. If you are not familiar with the course you will play the wrong green. Black Bridge does the best it can to direct you to the right hole with signage, but since you can’t see that there are two greens, you end up going to the wrong green the first time you play these two holes.

Walking this course is not hard. It does have small hills from beginning to end,  giving you a bit of a workout. The undulating fairway lends to uphill and downhill shots, making club selection a key ingredient to a good round.

At the end of the round there is a great gear cleaning area. There are two sinks with brushes and scrapers to clean your clubs as good as new. There are a few shoe blowers to get all of the dirt out of your cleats, and there is an area to leave your bag while you go into the club house for a bite to eat.

The restaurant has a good variety of food. From a quick burger and beer to a full on dinner entree. The food always tastes good and the presentation is clean and appetizing.

Giving this course a birdie is easy. Black Bridge has a lot of things going for it. Being close to the city, great grass management, nice course layout and a great staff. When you can put all these things together it is hard to beat. By no means is this the best course I have ever played. I am not even sure I would put it in the top ten. But, it is a solid course that I will play again. You can’t go wrong if Black Bridge is one of your choices.

Fairways and Greens, we are 18 Holes and Counting.  Written by: Marc Festa

COURSE: Black Bridge              Course Rating: This is a birdie course                                                               DATE: May 1, 2019 

HOLE	PAR	SCORE	COMMENTS
1 – Tee Time Availability	4	3	We were able to get the tee time  we wanted and are usually able to get the time we want within a 30 minute window.
2 – Cost of Green Fees	4	4	The green fees are the same as the other courses in the area.
3 – Starter/Marshal	3	3	There is a starter and a marshal on the course.
4 – Condition of Tee Boxes	4	4	The tee boxes were in good condition and were placed apart with compatibility of handicap, age and women tees.
5 – Condition of Fairways	5	4	The fairways are in great condition with a nice first and second cut.
6 – Condition of Greens	4	3	The greens are in great shape. They have a nice layout that are readable and a challenge to putt.
7 – Length of Course	5	5	The course layout is good for all level of players. Not too long that it is impossible to take chances on some of the holes.
8 – Hazards	4	4	There are a variety of hazards that are well placed. No gimmicks that are placed to make a hole harder.
9 – Women Friendly	3	3	The course design puts women in good tee positions without insulting their ability to play.
OUT	36	33
10 – Practice Area	5	4	There is ample practice area. Driving range, chipping area and putting greens are all in good shape. There is also plenty of room for people that want to show up for practice and people that are warming up for the upcoming round of golf.
11 – Locker Rooms	3	2	Locker rooms, bathrooms and changing areas are always clean and stocked.
12 – Pro Shop	4	5	There is no pro shop to speak of. They have a few things for sale next to the check in counter.
13 – Location	4	4	Back Bridge is easy to get to from anywhere in the city.
14 – Rental Equipment	4	4	They have clubs, bags, carts and buggies.
15 – Resturant/Food Cart	4	4	The restaurant serves a nice variety of good quality food. No cart on the course.
16 – Club House	4	4	Nothing special here. Clean and open area.
17 – Parking	3	2	There is plenty of parking. Both in the clubhouse area and the driving range area. Easy to get in and out.
18 – Customer Service	5	4	Great customer service. Friendly staff and willing to help get you out on the course.
IN	36	33
TOTAL	72	66	Rated By: Marc and Kathy Festa