Francis Byrne Golf Course

This course is beautiful and very fun to play, great conditions and greens.

I like this course as my go to home course. I live in Essex county and have played here for 20 plus years. I was very pleased with the face-lift. I have a couple of criticisms to mention. Backg: I played @ noon yesterday. Temperatures in low 80s, very overcast with a threat of thunderstorms, in fact it drizzled in the middle of my round. I also played a week ago, Friday July 28 in 90 + heat.
On the 28th the greens appeared to be in great shape, challenging. Yesterday, 1 week later, the greens were heavily sanded....as if ready for fall winter golf. Never seen this, particularly a course that has been closed for a year under massive renovation. Why is this?
While approaching the green and then while. putting, (it was drizzling) the sprinklers came on making for a different distraction. Why?
On three other holes, while teeing off inexplicably the sprinklers were on as well. Cannot fathom why, on a weekend afternoon, that this was necessary.
The cart upgrades are great, though the GPS was occasionally off quite a bit regarding distances.
The course is very challenging, the fescue needs cutting back, as an errant shot or two can cause broken wrists.
That said there are many, many great points of the course that I am grateful for.
Sorry to be less than a rave review, just thought you would want to know, what needs attentions. Look forwardto snack bar opening and maybe a possibilityof a bar cart?

This is a course that doesn't get credit for level of difficulty. There are many holes where the ball is below or beneath your feet despite being in the middle of the fairway. The prior layout was fine - I sometimes wish they took the money for the renovation and just put it into maintenance of the old layout. Still the redesign makes it feel new and fun. The one complaint I have is the greens. On every hole, the greens are massive. I mean massively massive. You could be 20+ yards from the pin on every hole and still be on the green. I think it is more skillful and enjoyable to pitch on to the green. The exaggerated green undulations seem gimmicky to me and bring more luck than skill into the putting game here. Smaller greens require more skillful wedge and iron play than this course calls for. You can still have difficult greens despite being smaller in size than these gigantic putting surfaces. I rate this course as an A-/B+ and think this is a fun course to play, although this is a missed opportunity to really create something special.

My friend and I really were impressed by the improvements made on this course. We'll definitely comeback. Very scenic and challenging course.

they took a really good course and made it a great one

Course was in very good shape for this time of year. Was nice to see the renovations that they did. Greens rolling very fast and true. The round was a bit slow but we called the Ranger and they sped up the slow group.

*** AERATION ALERT! Greens were punched this morning and are heavily sanded. ***

LAYOUT: It was already a good layout and the addition of 27 fairway and green-side bunkers throughout the course means you must plot your way around thoughtfully. Except for hole 9 that has a huge cross bunker guarding the green, there aren’t any forced carries on all other greens. Some trees seem to have been removed to clear up sight lines and improve turf health, which are welcomed changes.

Greens are now massive with bold undulations. Many green collars have been shaved to allow for forgiving banked shots or easier chipping/putting, which really makes these greens fun and interesting, especially for the regulars who can now enjoy a greater variety of pin locations for weekly play.

The new blue/white tee combo is a nice addition that offers more interest/variety for those who play here often.

I like how they lengthened hole 18 into a par 5 (by shortening hole 17 into a par 3). It used to be an underwhelming finishing hole. Now this new S-shaped hole brings the burn on the left into play, and many more options for the remaining strokes.

CONDITIONING: It’s in amazing shape! Fairway grass looks healthy and run firm (good drives are rolling off on the slanted fairways, which is most of them), fescue is long and golden brown, and the rough varies from medium to very thick (so balls are sometimes hard to find). Bunkers are filled with soft, pearly white sand. All together the visual contrast is stunning and a joy to play! Too bad I couldn’t judge how well the greens were rolling due to aeration, but I’ll definitely come back when they heal.

PACE OF PLAY: Our foursome consisting of two walkers and two riders were able to finish under 4 hours with a near noon tee time on a Tuesday. Maybe people weren’t taking their putts seriously with these aerated greens so it moved faster. However, the fescue and thick rough does make it hard to find balls, hence slow play.

BOTTOM LINE: If you enjoy classic courses with great scenery and conditioning accessible to the public, this is a must play!

Course looks amazing with the facelift! Played for the first time since they redid everything. The pace of play was very good even though I have to assume they are really busy since opening up. The staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about some of the changes to look for. Greens were probably the most challenging part of the course and really made you think about your approach strategy.

I can only imagine how it will be after the renovations. Great course!

Only 9 holes open due to renovations however the course was in great shape and maintained beautifully. Had an overall great experience and will go back !

I had a family emergency and tried to reschedule my tee time. They never answered the phone.