Barefoot Resort - The Dye Club Review

Barefoot Resort - The Dye Club Review

The Dye Course is one of four courses at Barefoot Resort and like most Dye courses it penalizes any wayward shots and par may be difficult thanks to over 175 waste and sand bunkers, water on 5 holes, uneven lies, some tricky holes, and challenging small undulating greens.  The Dye Course at Barefoot Resort is a true players course and each hole is very different and unique with some type of new challenge to keep you on your game.  But don't let that discourage you from playing this fantastic and fun course. 

The first hole gives you a good feel for what you'll be up against on the next 17 - a 425 yard dog leg left par 4 (#6 handicap) requiring a good drive to avoid the 5 huge natural sand areas that line the small roller coaster and contoured fairway all the way to the green which is surrounded by berms, sand bunkers, and  grass mounds. 

Most of the course plays like a links style course - open and few trees - and along the way back to the club house you'll need to manage surprising elevation changes, forced carries, steep and deep bunkers, some strong winds, and uneven lies.   

The front nine is fantastic with several outstanding holes like:

• #5 with over 20 bunkers and mounds, a generous rolling and contoured fairway with an open landing zone off the tee box but a tough approach to an elevated and sloping light bulb shaped green
• #6 which is a tough 195 yard par 3 with water from the tee box to the well guarded green with little to no room for error
• the fantastic 543 yard par 5 #8 with a forced carry (a great risk reward opportunity) over a natural area and  a couple of long skinny sand bunkers and than an approach to a sharp dog left green protected by  5 pot bunkers in the middle of the fairway followed by a lake and sand bunkers on the left 

The fairways vary from open to tight, all require accurate shots to avoid the water, bunkers, berms, waste areas, and grass and sand bunkers.  Most of the fairways are rolling and contoured and you'll need to manage a lot of uneven lies.  When we played in June they were in excellent condition.

Dye must have a loving relationship with bunkers and natural sand areas - the Dye Course is loaded with them!  You'll find small pot bunkers, lots of grass bunkers, and plenty of huge natural sand bunkers of all shapes and sizes.  Some of the bunkers are very steep and deep and if you land in them par will be tough.  You can drive in the natural sand areas and on some holes the sand areas were so huge that it felt like we were on a stretch of beach on the Atlantic Ocean with a small grass patch and a putting green - I was tempted to park the cart, plant an umbrella and lawn chair, pop a beer, and enjoy the scenery, but there was no surf or pretty bathing beauties and I knew I was likely to get bonged by a golf ball or driven over by a drunken resort golfer.    

The bent green complexes are medium is size and mild in undulation, but surrounding swales and collection areas make for some tricky up and downs. The greens and fairways were live velvet - soft and spongy.  The fringe was also smooth and puttable.  The greens were rolling a little slower than normal (11 to 12 is typical), held well (but don't miss), and thanks to slope, subtle breaks, and undulation two and three putts were not uncommon for us. 

This is a fantastic 18 holes of course - very challenging, very unique, and very fun.