Golf Course Review: Cam2 Golf Club

This review is from a golf course that many of you have never heard of before. I didn't know about it until earlier this year myself. Even under the previous name, Springview Country Club, I did not know this golf course was there. Just outside of Amite, LA, off of Interstate 55, and just over an hour's drive, it felt like a place to do a Golf Course Review at Cam2 Golf Club on Monday, June 30th.

Cam2 Golf Club is a beautiful piece of property (as you will see in the video below) in the country hills of Northern, Southeast Louisiana. If you do not have GPS to get there you could possibly get lost as there is no signage off of the main roads. At least not that we saw. The winding, back-country roads you take to get there will make you feel like you crossed into another state or went back in time. Everything looks and feels like it probably did way back when things were first built. The drive itself is beautiful and worth it just to see areas of Louisiana that many of us don't get to see too often, living in a city.

You can see much of the golf course when driving into the property. This is your first impression of the conditions. the hills on the property, and the tiny size of the greens. The hills are one of the most surprising parts of where this golf course is located. Yes, there are some hills you drive over on the way but the hills on the property are more dramatic and quite the sight to see.

Once we arrived at the clubhouse you get the sense of being back in time before massive clubhouses became a thing. This is a clubhouse that screams less is more. It is basically one large room with a golf shop counter and some tables. It works however in a way many newer clubs do not. Out one door is the parking lot. Out the back door are the carts. Then out a side door is a practice putting green and the driving range. The last is something I think all golf courses should try to do when designed. Have the practice areas close enough to the clubhouse. Think about it. If you are at the club only practicing, you can take a short break without a long walk or cart ride. Need to settle a bet? The group can go to the practice green right outside the door and have a putt-off.

The people we met, from the staff to the members/regulars couldn't have been any nicer. They were genuinely happy that we were there experiencing Cam2 for the first time. They talked about the club with a sense of pride and appreciation for the home club. That kind of hospitality is not found at every golf club and is a huge reason many golfers, like myself, will return regardless of the conditions.

As for the golf course itself. The driving range was not immaculate and more like rough with some weeds, but you could hit balls and get loose without any issues. Be forewarned, the range is not as deep as it appears. It wasn't until the 12th or 13th hole that I realized the tree I was hitting at, and flying my drives to, was right next to the tee box. Knowing that golfers could be in danger, I will not hit a driver on the Cam2 range next time I visit. The rating on this is tough. I give the layout and mix of holes a 10 of 10. It wasn't in the best condition but the golf course was very playable.

Overall: 3 out of 5

Tee Boxes: 1 out of 5

This was probably the worst part of the golf course overall. Many of the tee boxes were not level and the grass was very long. The cut length could just be that they didn't cut them yet the day we played or there is a reason they let them grow out longer. The leveling needs to be done as the tee boxes themselves are not large and there were many that if you played behind them, according to the rules, you would be hitting on an upslope or the ball would be above/below your feet. Some had little to no grass on them as well but very few. Overall, they were playable, but you had to take into account the slope and aim accordingly.

Fairways: 2.5 out of 5

The fairways were decent for the most part, but the grass was long enough to consider a flier in some areas and had a good bit of weeds and crab grass. Maintenance was out cutting fairways while we were there, and that could explain why some were better than others. The ball still bounced and rolled a good way on them, and with the slopes across the property, perhaps the length is on purpose to keep balls from rolling too much and into hazards. It was some of the inconsistencies and crabgrass that you had to deal with. The fairways overall were playable, and when I say playable, I mean you can play your ball down (not bump it like winter rules), and manage your way around the golf course.

Greens: 3.5 out of 5

The greens are the best thing on the golf course. They were not fast at all, but they rolled pretty well. The size of the greens was also very enjoyable. They were so small that if you hit a green in regulation, you pretty much had no more than a 30-foot birdie chance. That may seem like an exaggeration, and it may be just a bit, but these greens are seriously small. It is fitting for the layout and requires a good short game. Only a few greens had either some bad areas around the collars or weeds growing in them. Even that was only about 3 out of all 18 greens. If these greens ever got to "tour" speeds, they would be a bit more fun but extremely difficult with the amount of slopes.

I was not in a bunker the entire day, but many of them looked borderline neglected. The good thing is that there are not many on the golf courses at all to worry about. The layout does not require a bunch of bunkers for framing greens or extra difficulty. The golf course is short, but it takes hitting the ball straight or being able to hit a draw or fade on command to play for position.

I truly enjoyed the golf course. I love older layouts that require course management, where you can't just rip the driver out on every hole. I also love the smaller greens that require both distance control and accuracy, or a great short game if you miss them. So many golf courses today have large greens with large shaved-down areas around them. You can pretty much putt from 30 yards off the green on those courses. These greens require creativity as most of the grass around them, except the approach, is rough.

This is a golf course that just needs a bit more TLC and maybe some money. If I were a billionaire, I would donate $1 million dollars to them to fix some things. I enjoyed the golf course that much. If this golf course ever gets to high-end or private club type conditions, it could be one of the best, most fun, and most challenging courses in Louisiana.

I know I seem kind of harsh with the rating to say how much I enjoyed the golf course, but I am just being honest about the conditions. We were told the golf course is usually better than what we experienced, and I hope next time I get out there, I see that. Cam2 Golf Club is a very enjoyable golf course.