Cedar Glen

[Andy4Par]

Anybody golf Cedar Glen today? If so how were the conditions, and any idea if both nines will open soon?

[BullDog]

I'm sorry in advance for having to post this and I hope it doesn't get me in trouble with the moderator, but there is no way Cedar Glen should be open yet. MAYBE, maybe it was OKish on Thursday before the rain came on Friday and yesterday, but the back 9 that is open is so waterlogged it was a struggle to enjoy today's round at all.

On the bright side, the greens all seem to be OK and roll well, but getting to them is a challenge, especially given that it's a monster 9 to begin with (3268 yds from the whites and 3478 from the blues).

I don't know. Is this course similar to Casselview and built on clay? It in no way resembles how Prescott played on Thursday or even yesterday after (and during!) the rain. Give it a week or two to dry - but with the rain in the long term forecast, I don't know. It's tough.

I must have been royally spoiled at Prescott - I'm unhappy that I'm unhappy with an outdoor golf experience on April 2, but there's a reason why very many courses are still delaying their opening dates.

I love the layout and I'll be back in late May when we can play the two very different, yet greatly enjoyable nines.

Mike

[el tigre]

I don't know. Is this course similar to Casselview and built on clay? It in no way resembles how Prescott played on Thursday or even yesterday after (and during!) the rain. Give it a week or two to dry - but with the rain in the long term forecast, I don't know. It's tough.
Mike

Yes, I believe it does have a clay base. The back nine drains much better than the front (mostly because it is newer and was designed with better drainage), but it still takes a while. If we don't have too much rain this spring, the back nine will come around quickly. But the fact that the back nine is so long (whereas the front nine is so short) makes for a tough day.

How were the greens at Prescott? I've played Iroquois in the spring, and it seems like Prescott is built on similar terrain in the St. Lawrence Valley. Yet Iroquois is usually soaking wet in the early spring - but with the best early-season greens I've found anywhere. Just wondering how Prescott compares at this time of year.

[BullDog]

Prescott greens were still a bit bumpy after the fall aeration, I guess. They run slow but are all OK to play on - I didn't miss any putts due to conditions. Some greens felt a bit on the firm side but other than #1 that seemed a bit slow compared to all the others, they seemed to be quite consistent. 9 out of 10 for opening week!

I thought Prescott was in exceptional shape for the time of year when I played on Thursday. With the rain in the forecast 3 out of the next 6 days though, it'll be interesting to see what it will be like. Sogginess wasn't an issue Thursday but sort of was on Saturday. Having said that, it must be the same case for every course out there unless their drainage is exceptional.

[SIMMER]

don't worry mmason, I was actually going to post the same thing this morning.

I went to Cedar glen Sunday and had the most unsatisfying experience.
I will first rant about the service I received there before I get to the course.

Our tee time was scheduled at 12:07pm and there was an hour delay due to the frost delay in the morning which couldn't be averted. However, when we were putting around waiting, I realized I had my cell phone on me so I put it in my car and saw a group pulling into the parking lot at 12:25. Well, this group was put on the tee box 3 groups ahead of us not to mention 3 other groups that finished their first 9 were also placed before us as well. So this teed off golfer teed off 1.5 hours late. Finished our round at 6:45pm.

I won't bother to go over the negative experience with the server when I ordered my hotdog either. I was trying to be nice and she was very unfriendly and that's all I'm gonna say....

As far as the course goes, it should not be open. 11th hole, it is impossible to get to the green without getting your shoes completely soaked up to your ankles. Our foursome lost at least 4 balls each in the fairway from being plugged. water all over the course. Only thing positive to say about the golf course was the greens were in good shape for this time of year but you have to get soaked to get there first. bring your rainboots if you go there (honestly).

Needless to say, I will not go back there based on the experience with the starter and server and the fact that the course is even open is absurd. Not even another free round can persuade me to go back there again.

[ClubFoot]

Based on our Sunday round at Cedar Glen, I agree with most that has been written about Cedar Glen.

Although we were told there was a frost delay we did get off slightly ahead of our scheduled tee time. However, we had to wait around 30 minutes for our second 9. Our experience with the starter was he was friendly and accommodating but squeezed in too many foursomes in the early afternoon. Hence, the wait and slow play.

My impression was it was too early for this course to be open. Perhaps next weekend would have been more appropriate. Number 10 and 11 were completely soaked with lots of water making it very unpleasant and remember to get in 18 you had to play these twice. At times we found it difficult to find dry land for a drop given that there was so much causal water. The greens were okay although they were punched.

Comparing this with my Friday experience at Nation, Nation wins hands down. Although, number 1 at Nation (dogleg right) still had snow on the upper boundary and number 15 was very soggy, the remainder of the course for this time of year was very good particularly the back 9. Some fairways were green and so were most of the greens.

…..and to say to my Myrtle Beach and Florida friends that I golfed in Canada driving into the snow from tee box 1 on March 31 just adds to the mystique of Canadian spring golf.

Hopefully, we have seen the last of the snow for this year and this past weekend signals the start of a wonderful golf season

[hazzy25]

I have a few things to add to what others have said. I was a little disappointed as were a few others as I can see on Sunday. I just wanted to add that, around one O’clock when most golf courses are packed. They decided to holed a meeting in the dinning room. Making it really uncomfortable for us to grab some lunch, they were debating things and setting rules that should have been set up before the year started.

[bazooka Don]

It's too bad you guys all had that kind of experince. I remember playing there when it opened for the first time last year. The only difference was that i was expecting it to be very wet. So i dug up some crap balls and headed out. I was just looking to get some whacks in and was expecting to get a little bit wet. Just to get out was good enough for me. I guess i would rather work my way around a wet course than hit balls at a driving range. As for the service i played there around six times last year and never had a problem. If i was you i would give it another chance once the summer comes. The greens do get quite fast compared to a lot of the other courses i have played except Eagle Creek and Stonebridge but now your into a totally different class of a course. Anyway in about four weeks i'm sure i will be making the trek. It is especially good if you have the Red Book. That back nine is a lot harder than the front nine though.

[LongHitta]

You guys do know this course isn't Loch March or Camelot? it isn't that level of course and facility, and should never be critiqued with that level, especially not on April 1st, I'm sure most courses that open this early shouldn't be. It is what it is, and people like it, and they cater to a certain clientale, who like it. as for the service, i know some of the employees and they are very nice, I would be bitter if I was out there working on April 1st also...basically all I'm saying is (like bazooka says) give them another chance later this spring...you'll be very satisfied. I hope this is the last of the these early spring rants i see here, when I golf this early in the year, I don't expect much from the course...I just hope to relieve my itch and get a few hacks in

[SIMMER]

I'm sure any course you go to, some will have great experiences at a course and other will get shafted like myself on the weekend. I'll have to pass on giving them another try though. Letting 6 groups ahead of us not acceptable and neither were the conditions.

There are many other courses I will go to around the Ottawa region first. On that note, if you want to go to a dry course right now, I went to Mapleview last Friday and it was dry enough to allow powercarts on the cart paths.

[BullDog]

You guys do know this course isn't Loch March or Camelot? it isn't that level of course and facility, and should never be critiqued with that level, especially not on April 1st, I'm sure most courses that open this early shouldn't be. [...] I hope this is the last of the these early spring rants i see here, when I golf this early in the year, I don't expect much from the course...I just hope to relieve my itch and get a few hacks in

While I have no beef with the service I got on Sunday, I have a major beef with the conditions. You can't compare Cedar Glen with Camelot but you can - to a point - compare it to Prescott. Playability-wise, if you had played Prescott on Thursday or Friday and then landed at Cedar Glen on Sunday like I did, you would know exactly what I referred to in my earlier posts.

I've played Calabogie on opening day. I've played Oaks of Cobden on opening day. I've been the first player to tee off for the season at Pakenham. Was I surprised that Prescott was as dry as it was? Yes. Was I shocked that they were letting power carts out? Absolutely! FEET shouldn't have been allowed out at Cedar Glen, and that's all I was saying. I'm almost certain that to have an essentially very crowded course while each footstep results in sinking in a couple of inches 90% of the time cannot be good for the turf.

Will I go back? Of course - it's a neat course and the distinctive nature of the two nines makes it even more interesting to play. But I won't go back for at least a couple of weeks of sun. I don't want to be responsible for further damaging the place along with everyone who slogs their way around.

[el tigre]

Well, one thing that many people seem to forget is that many courses like Cedar Glen cater to their members as much as the green-fee player. Some of these members want to be out golfing in April just as badly as you or I, and are willing to put up with a wet course to do so.

From experience I have learned that Nation, Mapleview, Calabogie and a few others will generally be pretty dry in the spring when they open. Other courses that are built on clay like Cedar Glen, Casselview and Iroquois will be very wet. All of these courses have members and I don't hold it against them for opening up the course for them as soon as the snow is gone. I would have an issue if they were charging full price to the green-fee player, but that is usually not the case.

Live and learn. You now know what to expect for next spring.

[BullDog]

Live and learn. You now know what to expect for next spring.

OK, OK - UNCLE! It's my 24th spring in golf so I've been around the block a few times.

It is my belief that one or more courses may have jumped the gun to keep up with some of the Joneses who opened early. Whether that was a good thing or not is obviously up for interpretation.

I shall leave it at that.

[MrMulligan]

I would be bitter if I was out there working on April 1st also.... I hope this is the last of the these early spring rants i see here.

You can't be serious posting these comments. Bitter to be going to work? If you don't want the job I'm sure there are many others who will gladly have it. There is no reason for ANYONE with a service industry job to not be pleasant to a paying customer. I'm tired of seeing people not take a little pride in what they're doing, doing a poor job of representing their employer and not respecting customers.

And tell me what is a discussion board for? Is it not used to state your opinions whether they're bad or good?

It's pretty obvious that people are upset at playing at a course that obviously isn't ready to be played. Not only are they wasting their money but also their time. If you were going to see a movie and when you sat down to watch it there was no soundtrack and the ending was missing wouldn't you be upset? Obviously the movie wasn't ready to be released yet just like Cedar Glen isn't ready to be played.

[Kilroy]

And tell me what is a discussion board for? Is it not used to state your opinions whether they're bad or good?

I have been trying not to jump into this one, but there has been a complaint from a user about rules infractions in this thread.

Everyone read this before further comment on course conditions Facility Bashing

Bottom line. No rants. be polite and respectfull if you have to say something negative. I do not like editing threads so please do not make me do it.

3 points have been made in this thread.

• It was wet last weekend, probably too wet to really have opened.
• Staff was a bit unprepared for the early opening
• They were overwhelmed with the turnout and had a hard time accomodating everyone with only one 9 open

There I said the same thing without shouting in all caps or claiming I have been somehow abused by the good people at Cedar Glen.

[powerdriver]

Amazing post! Come on, what did you expect for this time of year? Mid summer conditions? I am just happy to be out!

Buyer beware!

[SIMMER]

Amazing post! Come on, what did you expect for this time of year? Mid summer conditions? I am just happy to be out!

Buyer beware!

No, I don't think anyone expects mid-summer conditions right now. I was not preparing for perfect lush fairways, green bent grass or true rolling greens (mind you I have already stated the greens were in great condition). Like the rest of us who golf this time of year, I just want to be outside and hit golf balls and shoot for a respectable score. All I'm saying is that if you were out there on the weekend you would understand why this is not an isolated complaint.

I want to make one thing clear for the service. Yes, they overbooked the 9 holes. Our foursome got passed over for a couple of groups and the server was having a bad day which wasn't up to the course standards. No problem. I'm sure it might be a different story if I were to go back today. I can uderstand that. I'm over it.

And I will concur - Buyer beware...

[rspear]

I wasn't surprised when it wasn't like Augusta National but I was surprised with the beautiful buffet those kind ladies prepared for the golfers.

Cheers.

[LongHitta]

I was wondering when you were going to jump in Dan..I wanted to reference the Rules Section but I figured sooner or later you would make the reference. Thanks.
I didn't want to start anything, I was just trying to slow things down, becuase when one of these posts is made, more tend to follow and soon everything is bashing the courses around the city. I'm not going to lie though, I've had my share of negative experiences, especially in early seasons like this. I feel like ranting sometimes, but most of the time I give the course the benefit of the doubt, and assume there were reasons beyond my control for the service, conditions, etc. the fact is you learn from the experience, and in most cases, the incidents rarely happen twice. I don't know the circumstances of the incidents in question here so I'm not going to speculate further, but most courses know how to treat their customers, and "personally" I've always been treated well at Cedar Glen. with regards to Prescott, I can't compare the two courses myself, Prescott is right on the River with a sand base, it drains in February probably, and is always in beautiful shape.