Golf Course Review: Chiefland Golf Course – Chiefland Florida
Chiefland Golf and Country Club, an 18 hole course located 4 miles west of Chiefland, Florida and about 1 mile east of Manatee Springs State Park. Its location close to the state park is ideal for RVers and campers who also like to golf and is one reason we chose the Manatee Campground.
What to Like about the Chiefland Golf Course
We golfed there in late February and were pleasantly surprised how much “green” was in the fairways and greens themselves compared to other courses we’ve played in Northern Florida and the Panhandle. We later found out it was because of the Rye grass mix they use compared to Bermuda grass commonly used throughout Florida. Bermuda is great for withstanding hot and dry weather but it dies back in the winter and is slow to come back in the spring.
Another feature we liked about the course were the five sets of tee boxes, a tee for every level of golfer. And my wife particularly liked that the ladies Red Tees come in at under 5000 yards (4843). Too often we see the ladies tees set up for around 5400 yards, which can be too long for the average lady golfer. As my wife Jo is a fairly new golfer she appreciated having a chance of reaching most greens with only one more shot above regulation. But if you are a lower handicap player, the Blue Tees run out over 6500 yards and there are three more choices between the extremes of the Red and the Blue tees.
I also liked that mature trees line most of the fairways – providing good definition of each hole, particularly helpful if you a new to the course. As during our stay we experienced unseasonably warm weather, the shade the trees provided was also a plus.
The tee boxes were in good shape and the sand in the bunkers was firm but it wasn’t caked up like we’ve found at some of the places we’ve played.
The green and cart fees are very reasonable and the pro shop staff (as well as members) were very hospitable. We loved the course and the people and look forward to spending more time there in the future. Note to Rvers, nearby Manatee Springs State Park (see our review) has decent campsites: level with nice trees and shrub screening and/or spacing between the sites.
What not to like
Rough Texture of the Greens. It is not the smooth bentgrass or bermuda grass carpet you may be used to playing on. But I found them adequate for the time of the year.
Modest Course Challenge (a negative for some, but for others this is a positive). There isn’t much elevation change over the course nor many water hazards. Most of the fairways are wide enough to give you some latitude on your drives. Except for the perimeter around the course itself, the “rough” adjacent to the fairways were light cover; we didn’t lose many balls that missed the fairway.
The driving range is quite basic, a large open field with no targets. The condition of the range balls is poor to average.
Bottom Line
Chiefland Country Club is an attractive and friendly golf course for mid to high handicap golfers. It is also a very walkable course. The layout of the holes provided easy navigation from the green to the tees for the next hole.
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