Golf Course Review: Oak Harbor Golf Club

It had been a while since I visited Oak Harbor Golf Club. I knew they had been working on some things out on the golf course and just completed some minor renovations. Also, with the strange pattern of weather we've had this past year I wanted to give the golf course some time before I visited again.

I will admit if you watch the review video, that golf course does not look that good. It plays much better than it looks right now. For one, things were still damp from recent rains earlier in the week. Two, Oak Harbor is still in the process of some improvements. Fixing some sinkholes and repairing irrigation is one thing they appear to be working on as well as areas where grass had been lost due to the dry summer.

The most recent renovations Oak Harbor did were on their bunkers, which I will say are in really great condition. It was a much-needed renovation and the first steps the property took last year towards bringing Oak Harbor back to a pristine, premier golf course in the area.

The staff is wonderful. One thing I love that Oak Harbor is excellent at is when you call for a tee time. No matter who answers the phone that person Identifies themselves. One this is just very professional so you know who you are speaking with and two this makes the call a little more personal. The grill staff and the starter are also very friendly and welcoming.

As for the golf course itself let's start with the practice facilities. This is where you get a first impression of what you may expect on the golf course. The range itself was in decent condition but you could see lower-lying areas that were still wet. None of those affected the tee area. It was mostly the lower areas around the chipping green. Still dry enough to walk through. The practice green was immaculate. Perhaps the best condition I have seen it in a long time. A good look at what was to come out on the golf course.

Overall: 3.5 out of 5

Tee Boxes: 2.75 out of 5

Although the majority of the tee boxes were good and playable there were a few that the weather has not helped. Two were kind of damp to borderline muddy and a few of them the grass had all but died from drought. Even with this, the tee boxes were playable. Most are level and had plenty of areas to find a good spot to tee it up. However, I will add some of the forward tee boxes appeared to be very dry and have less grass on them. They still looked very playable.

Fairways: 2.75 out of 5

The fairways are what will look the worst in the video. There are plenty of areas where there are some sinkholes and areas where some irrigation work appears to be in progress. Some areas also were damp still from rain a few days ago. However, if you avoid those areas the fairways are great. When you found fairway grass the cut was the right height giving you a good lie. This is where some of the improvements are being made. The fairways also have areas where the dry summer killed grass and where there is a high amount of cart traffic. The fairways are the area that would most benefit from a few days of rain and temperatures above 80° to let the grass grow and let the root system thicken up.

Greens: 4.5 out of 5

The greens are the best I have seen them in a very long time. The speed was great, they rolled smooth, and even though most of the golf course was soft the greens had a good firmness to them. They were firm enough that pith marks were shallow but they were receptive allowing shots to stop quickly. This allowed options on short game shots around the greens as well. You could play something low and let it roll or you could try and fly something closer to the hole and try and stop it fast. Not only were the greens playing well they looked great too. I expect they will look even better in a month or so when it warms up more consistently and they become greener in color.

Oak Harbor has one of the best layouts of any golf course within 100 miles. It is a great design and something you'd more likely find in Florida than Louisiana. Oak Harbor knows, they still have some work to do but they are making progress in the right direction. I know If they had the budget some other courses had they would be one of the best in the state. I look forward to the next time I can play Oak Harbor and checking back in on the progress as they keep improving.