Finally made it back out to the Babe for the first time in six years and it was every bit as challenging as I remembered it. That Zaharias course at Industry Hills is a target golfer's paradise, but i... Continue »

Finally made it back out to the Babe for the first time in six years and it was every bit as challenging as I remembered it. That Zaharias course at Industry Hills is a target golfer's paradise, but it's also got teeth in some areas made even more difficult by the current conditions.

There's not a short or mild par 3 on the course - you've either got crazy long or lots of trouble in the form of water and/or elevation to judge. The tee shots are very narrow on a great number of holes and being even slightly out of position leaves no shot for success. Hit good shots though and you'll be okay, except that right now the course is not in optimum shape.

The greens are fine - best part of the course. They're rolling nicely at medium-fast speeds, have lots of fun but tricky tiers to them, and require your best effort to keep the three-putts to a minimum. Fairways? They play much better than they look and it's the heart of winter so you can make excuses for them, but they're a pale, dead-looking green and there are also a fair bit of damaged or thin areas. The rough is not as thick as years past so it's quite playable.

The worst part? The bunkers. Simply terrible. No sand, hard-paneed and a little wet even. They were absolutely impossible to play proper sand shots from and weren't much better even when trying to chip out of there. I've never seen so many players hit hosel rockets out of the beach. Terrible. Tee boxes were also pretty beat up (played the blues) but acceptable.

We had cart service come around a few times which was great (they are card only though so keep that in mind), and the carts themselves are quite nice and have a good GPS system to help you judge this difficult track. No complaints there, and the staff all helpful and pleasant.

In top condition, this course is a true gem and a real test of shot accuracy, but right now it's a little less fun and more daunting than it should be based on some of the above-mentioned factors. I would still play it again though as the price ($89) was just fine for the golf experience. If I would have paid more then it would have been a lot more upsetting.