While living in Virginia, I normally made the drive to/from Florida once or twice a year. Usually, I’d stop for some golf along the way and that is what I did this trip, on my way back to Texas!

Blackstone is a course that came recommended from someone on Instagram, who lives in the area. I wasn’t sure what to expect for the $16 discounted tee time (plus taxes) I found on Golfnow, but gave Blackstone a try because of its convenient location.

It was a cold and blustery day, which helped from a pace of play perspective. I trailed a threesome for much of the round and they played in 3.5 hours. That type of round always helps on a travel day.

As it turns out, the course is worthy of its $60 rack rate! For the price I paid I doubt you’ll find a better deal, given the great conditioning. Everything was in top-notch shape.

The fairways and tees had a lush overseed and provided for that desired “green” look in the winter. Even though it was cold and windy the sun was out all day which had the ryegrass sparkling! The turf had the ball sitting up nicely. The greens looked to be overseeded as well and they rolled smoothly, at a medium speed.

Besides the conditioning, the next best thing about Blackstone was the A+ piece of property on which the course lies. The course is cut from a pine forest (think no homes) and plays across some rolling terrain. All the pines added to that “green” winter look I mentioned previously! In many ways, Blackstone reminded me of a course you’d find in the Pinehurst area.

I played the blue tees which are 71.5/130/6624 and most of Blackstone’s difficulty comes from the tight feel here. The terrain leads to a decent number of elevated tees and you’ll have to add or subtract a club on many shots, which is a challenging element, as well. Blackstone was designed by Bill Amick, someone who’s work with which I am not very familiar.

The course isn’t long by modern standards, but if you get it going crooked then be prepared to just chip it back to the fairway. Generally speaking, the driving areas are narrow with many 15 to 20 yard wide fairways and a small strip of rough before you get into the forest. I think plenty could be gained by making the course more playable through a tree removal project.

While I don’t think there is a signature hole at Blackstone, my favorite holes were the 6th and the 11th. The 6th is a driveable par-4 (286 yards) with a narrow fairway that slopes from left to right. If you hit driver you’ll want to turn the drive into the slope or fly it down the left tree line. If you layup then the green has a false front, demanding a precise wedge.

The 11th is a 412 yard par-4 that I enjoyed greatly because of its look! The hole is more open than most and slopes from left to right, which is the natural contour of the hillside. If you can land your drive on the left edge of the fairway then the ball will bound right.

I’m glad I stopped to check out Blackstone and it is certainly worth playing if you are traveling along the I-10. My only hesitation about the course is that it is tight, a bit too tight for my personal tastes, at least for consistent play. However, I wouldn’t let some lost balls keep you from a round here.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):