Blackhawk Golf Club

Blackhawk is in the process of becoming a really nice course again. I played 8/28/13 and was impressed at the amount of noticeable improvements all around the course since my last visit.

The greens are usually in great shape and this was true on my most recent visit.

The sand traps were redone and actually had nice sand in them. Some had been changed and some were removed.

Fairways have a good cover of grass. In the past there have been a few fairways that were patchy, it looks like new sod.

New carts! They have all new carts and these new ones seem like a Cadillac in comparison to the old wrecks.

There seems to be a genuine commitment to improving this course. Well worth it to see the change from my last visit. There is still some work being done, but if they keep up the good work this will be part of my regular rotation.

I got a great deal online for an afternoon tee time, so my expectations weren't that high, but the experience was an even bigger disappointment. After showing up for my pre-paid tee time, I discovered that I had to pay for a few balls to hit to warm up. It's not about the money, but most courses I play give you a small bucket of balls with your paid tee time, and I found this to be unnecessary.

The condition of the course is abysmal in every way. The fairways are littered with weeds, along with patches of dirt and gravel. I can tolerate unkept OB areas, but the middle of the fairway is inexcusable. Many of the holes feature filled-in former bunkers, and the current bunkers contain hardened dirt/mud, and in one case the rubber irrigation tubing was sticking out right in the middle of the trap. The first few holes in particular are exceptionally bad, and it put me in a foul mood for the entire round unfortunately.

To make things worse, around hole #7 my cart's battery began to die and I could barely move. Up ahead at the 7th green another golfer was stranded because his battery had died as well, and his playing partner had moved on a couple of holes ahead. This is apparently a pretty common problem at Black Hawk. I found out later that the carts (which are quite old) are long overdue for new batteries and apparently the owner(s) have little interest in doing anything to improve the course or the golfer's experience.

The staff did eventually drive another cart out for me and the other player, and they were friendly enough, but I don't think the Marshall was as interested in regulating play as much as just enjoying the scenery, and trash cans, water buckets, and broken tee boxes were few and far between.

I hate to say it, but I don't think I'll play here again unless I hear of new management and significant improvements.