Glenlakes Golf Club - Lakes Nine Review

Glenlakes Golf Club - Lakes Nine Review

Glenlakes Golf Club with 27 holes of great golf is widely regarded as one of the Gulf Coast's premier golf facilities and best values. Each of the three nine hole courses is unique and different from it's sister courses:

• Vista makes for an enjoyable and relaxing warm up round as it plays through the trees with wide open let-er-rip fairways but watch out for water on six holes, raised greens, and some strategically white sand bunkers - here is a link to our review of the Vista Nine at Glenlakes Golf Club
• Dunes has a Scottish links feel and is a spectacular layout and a true test of all of your golf skills thanks to strategic dramatic mounding, extensive bunkers, ups and downs, and undulating fairways and greens -- read our review of the Dunes Nine at Glenlakes Golf Club
• Lakes is a resort style nine and at 3019 yards from the tips is the shortest and most golfer friendly of the three nines with generous fairways but water on nine holes and 29 bunkers that can come into play

With a par of 35 and five sets of tee boxes with yardages ranging from 1875 to 3019 yards, the Glenlakes Course is the shortest and easiest of the three nines at Glenlakes Golf Club.  The fairways are flat and ample, the rough is wide and playable, the greens have minor slope, and the water and bunkers seemed easy to avoid.  Most of the fairways are traditional and straightforward and you can see the pin from the tee box and know what you’re up against.  The approach shots can be demanding because most of the greens are raised and well guarded.  Other than that, the Lakes Course gives you an opportunity to have a relaxing and well scoring round and is suitable for play for all skill levels.    

There are some holes that are fun and somewhat challenging, for example:

• The two par 3s (189 and 183 yards from the tips) require you to carry a lake and on #7 stuff it on a raised green guarded by 2 big bunkers
• #5 is only 357 yards from the tips but it plays through a fairly tight tree lined fairway, past a couple big fairway bunkers that pinch the fairway, and a two tier green with some significant slope that is surrounded by 4 good sized bunkers
• #6 will tempt you with a good risk reward opportunity to try and fly the lake and trees or to thread a small gap in the trees to try and shorten the approach to this dog leg right green
• The #1 handicap 9^thhole is only 370 yards but the raised green with 4 bunkers set off to the right requires a precise shot and trees could block your approach shot if you’re not far enough left

The fairways are flat with trees and a scattering of mounds lining them plus homes set well back but in play if you spray the ball.  The fairways and rough were in very good condition when we played in mid February. 

The Lakes Course greens were also in very good condition, held the ball well, and ran true, but a tad slow around an 8 or so.  Most of the greens are relatively flat with minor slope and little to no contour.  They range from average to large and putting was pretty straightforward.  A lot of the greens are raised preventing a bump and run and requiring you to hold the green or you’re on a pretty wide puttable fringe or back in the fairway.  All of the Lakes’ greens are guarded by at least one bunker.

The bunkers range from average to large and most had a manageable lip of 6 inches or so.  The sand varied from soft and light to thick and thin.  And some of the bunkers needed some maintenance and TLC to remove the weeds and grass.  Although there are 29 bunkers, we didn’t have any trouble avoiding them and it wasn’t because we were playing well. 

Bottom line – a straightforward and easy nine and a good warm-up for the Dunes Course which is fantastic!

The above Rating and Slope are based on playing Dunes and Lakes Nine together.