As I write this review, I do so with mixed emotions. I have very fond memories as a kid playing the then named Ormond Country Club. It was the first place I took an official lesson and started junior golf. I love the layout of Cypress Lakes with its risk-reward holes, plenty of hazards, out of bounds, and it is not a course you can just rip driver on every hole. The greens are not huge but have some subtle changes in the contour that can make putts a challenge.
The staff in the golf shop was very friendly upon checking in for my tee-time. The beverage cart girl greeted me with a smile and a friendly personality. The only issue there was I saw her five times on the front nine and not once on the back nine. Not sure why but I can only assume she was sent home even though there were plenty of golfers out there playing.
Where the mixed emotions really come in are with the course conditions. I really hate to say anything bad about a golf course but I have to be honest with everyone. The conditions did not make the round worth the $50 green fee. The conditions were, for the most part, just inconsistent. They were not horrible but they were far from where they could be or where they were just over a month ago.
Let me start with the greens. You can tell they were either just verticut or aerified recently and had spots with no grass or fluffy grass. They look better on the review video (below) than they were but they played better than they looked at the same time. When putting the greens were very slow and on the majority of holes bumpy. This is something I can deal with and maintenance to the golf course is something that must be done. What I do not like is that I was not told before playing. If the conditions of the greens were not from maintenance then they are just in flat-out very poor condition. It may be time that they are about to do some work on the greens or it may be time they are completely redone, which makes the job of maintaining the greens even harder if the grass needs to be replaced. Cypress Lakes may not be able to afford that right now.
As for the rest of the course, the fairways were decent for the most part but they were not much different from the rough. A few shots I hit became fliers from the fairway. The grass was nearly the same height everywhere and there was no clear definition between the fairway and rough. This could have something to do with trying to get more grass growing and may be a factor from the weird winter we had and the amount of rain we had a few weeks ago. With the exception of how bumpy some fairways are and areas that should be filled in and smoothed out the fairways were playable.
The tee boxes were either unlevel, had tall grass, or no grass in some areas. Not a big deal in some tee boxes but a few where the ball is sitting a good two inches above your feet when teed-up is not ideal. The par 3s were the most level tee boxes and the biggest issue here is golfers not filling their divots with sand.
The bunkers may have been one of the most disappointing areas of the golf course. Although I only played out of one all day many I saw I would call unplayable or looked like ground under repair. Many had water or mud in them. The one bunker I played out of was decent but didn't have a lot of sand in it.
On the bright side of things, you can see where improvements are being made. There current work being done on some of the lakes on the golf course. It appears they were being dredged to allow for better drainage and water management. Seeing all that being done could lead this entire review to I caught Cypress Lakes at a bad time as priorities are specific areas at the moment. Who knows I could go back this weekend and the course may be cut better and the greens in better condition.
All in all, I would recommend the golf course, however, I can not condone paying more than $30 in its current conditions. Even though the staff treats you great and I'd like to have a league event there I will have to go back in a month and see if this was a fluke or if they are truly struggling.
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