As with many area courses, the costs have been non inclusive for the normal Americans who are not…read moremembers of the elite social class. There really are not any places to play anymore in this area due to the exorbitant fees due to the ridiculous increases in recent years.

I have both golfed and eaten here. The course is lovely to view, pretty challenging and overall a…read moregreat experience. The bar/restaurant is very good too. I recently had a black bean burger wrap. It was loaded with fresh veggies and a nice meal in itself. My wife had a salad that was very fresh and included ham and turkey in ample proportions. Service was very good as well. (We ate a late lunch, around 2:30 midweek). Indoor and patio seating is nice, comfortable and can easily accommodate small groups I would think Certainly will return if only for a meal.

-- A Hidden Gem in Mid-Michigan…read more The Emerald in Maple Rapids is an absolute treat to play. The greens are phenomenal -- smooth, consistent, and running about a 14.5 on the stimp the day I played. The entire course is lush and green, with an interesting layout that keeps you engaged from the first tee to the 18th green. Pace of play was spot on, and the value is outstanding. My round cost $50 walking or $74.99 with a cart -- easily one of the best deals for a course of this quality in the Lower Lansing / St. Johns area. Service was just as impressive. The cart girl came by at least seven times during my round, always friendly, helpful, and accommodating. The staff clearly knows how to run a golf course right. Bottom line -- fantastic conditions, excellent pace, great value, and a welcoming atmosphere. I'd call The Emerald one of the best courses -- and best bargains -- you can find in mid Michigan

I don't know why some of the reviews are lower than expected for this golf course. We're very…read morefortunate in Michigan, to have such amazing golf courses to choose from. We don't have to drive far to get that 'up north feeling' on any of the courses around us including The Emerald Golf Course. I'm excited to have played this course a couple weeks ago and we're heading back today for another round. If for some reason, our experience isn't as great as it was last time, I'll update my review but I don't think there's any reason to expect anything different than our last visit in terms of amazing experiences. People were very friendly at this course and the course maintenance was excellent given that it's not an exorbinantly expensive place to play. Will also post pics from today's visit when we're finished.

As someone who is just starting/learning golf, I really like how they have a 3-hole course (that…read moreyou walk) for those who want to play with limited time or those who are learning. We come here with our nephews (and I played here while I'm learning). I didn't feel stressed or rushed. My husband (who is good at golf) also can enjoy doing this with us. We had to park across the street since the main lot was full but it was no problem. Prices were fair (and we did a promo for driving range + 3 hole course). You can also get a bag cart to roll your bag on the three hole course if it's heavy (and they have golf carts for the regular holes). Definitely would recommend checking this place out!

Fall golf here is great. Well maintained, not too far outside of Grand Rapids. Three 9s offer a lot…read moreof variation to your round. Will be back!

Awesome layout. If this course was manicured like a country club, it would be a must visit…read moredestination. A perfect venue for an outing. Well managed, nice carts, great out building for receptions.

This is one of the nicest courses in the Kent county area. Great staff, great maintenance team and…read moregreat price. That being said, this is the slowest playing course in the greater Grand Rapids area. We were waiting 3 groups on a tee.There is a "starter" but he didn't really make sure groups played to pace. There were also crew driving around to check the pace but nothing changed. In 1 hour and 30 minutes we only played 3 holes. We ended up having to go to the clubhouse and getting a rain check. I don't recommend this course to people that like rhythm from tee to green. You will be waiting. We didn't know if this was a random thing but other groups behind us said "yeah, this is a normal thing here." If you're from the Grand Rapids area, play Glenkerry, Cedar Chase or Candlestone instead. Better pace of play. But if you don't have anything to do from sun up to sun down this is the place for you.

The ranger will hurry you when have a huge group. We were there to have fun and the people behind…read moreus was not even close to us. The entire 9 holes he was up our *ss telling us to hurry.

A really decent course in the middle of nowhere. Pretty much wide open- yet still challenging. $25…read morefor 18 holes. Since we didn't properly time how long the ride would take, ranger was nice enough to let us start about 15 minutes early! I'd golf here again?

I will be back. Prices are reasonable and come with a cart. Lots of diversity for a 9 hole course…read more Primarily hills and a few water hazards. Perfect course for new, casual and players getting back into the game. Good pricing on used sets and balls too.

It is not a fancy course, but it is fairly well maintained and a bargain buy. It is fun to play!read more

Went for bowling. Friendly staff, great food/pizza and atmosphere. Will definitely be going back…read more Would like to check out the golf next.

Just spent 4 nights and 5 days here for a golf stay and play with almost 30 guys. We stayed in…read moretheir onsite villas and those were pretty great. Large, fit four persons per, with your own bed, own bathroom per bedroom, full kitchen and even a fireplace and deck. Very comfortable lodgings. My only hang up I experienced was some missing items and cleanliness. The first night I found what looked like blood on two of the four pillowcases of my provided pillows. I quickly tossed those outside and they were replaced by the cleaning girls the next day with apologies. I did try to reach someone at night but this place has NO ONE on staff after 10 or 11 so if you need something, you're on your own. We also didn't have any facial tissues and only 1.5 rolls of TP but that was remedied the next day. The showers aren't anything special; heads are very low and water is sparse but it gets the job done. The entryway to "check in" is their golf cart barn, which is weird. No real front desk. We had to walk into the bowling alley/ bar to get our keys, which were electronic. Bowling alley is nice! Good bar, good drink selection, private event room towards the back (which we had booked each night for meeting and food). Even bowled two nights of our stay which was fun. Now the best parts of this place are the employees; they're simply wonderful people. They make this place. Nicole, Ali, Olivia, & all the servers and desk peeps are awesome. And the food here is pretty effing good! Large portions of steak and chicken parm; just impressive kitchen they have here. Very happy with the food options. The worst part about this place is working with the owner. She is so scatter- brained and unhelpful. Do not deal with her if you can. 1. She threatened to release my tee times unless I paid at least half of the total bill of my group within a day IN ADVANCE of our arrival. 2. She wanted me to pick everyone's dinner for the first night by noon; she PDF'd me a menu to my email at 11:52, expecting me to get everyone's choices by then... 3. Supposed to have shuttles to THEIR courses; they didn't and couldn't get one so she and her husband took their personal vehicles and picked up a few of our guys. 4. Supposed to have shotgun starts on all THEIR courses. 1 out of 3 rounds we did. 5. Never booked our tee times when I signed our agreement back in DECEMBER; it took them 7 months to start discussing tee times and I had to personally call another golf club's owner to get us back on their tee sheet. 6. She is not good at working/ dealing with people. She talks over you in a rude, condescending manner. 7. She was onsite for 1 hour during our stay, when she had to make up for the shuttle debacle (of which she told her workers that I was supposed to set up). Now the golf here and at their other course, the Pines. Its not resort golfing, its not even county course golfing. Its rough around the edges. I will say the Pines course has a GREAT bar and facilities but the rest is very old maybe? The courses themselves are nothing to brag about. If I had to guess normal tee time costs during weekend rounds, I wouldn't pay more than maybe $30 a round at either one. Thats really what those courses are worth at best, to play, paying straight up. I would stay here again, but I'd limit my golf at their courses and play the other courses around town that we did enjoy. The villas, food, and employees were great. The owner sucks but limited interactions with her and you forget she exists.

I have played a lot of golf all over the State of Michigan and the country. This course ranks up…read morethere with the best of them. The course is kept in immaculate conditions, the greens roll well, and the service is excellent. The course provides great views and is fun to play in the summer and equally as nice in the Fall when the leaves start to turn. In addition to the nice golf, they have a great facility for dining and a very good pro shop. The venue can host large groups and over looks the 18th green an a large lake providing a great backdrop. All around, a great place to play golf and entertain.

I recently attended a function at Bucks Run, and we had a buffet-style meal. The meal consisted of…read morea garden salad, 2 different noodle salads, bread, mixed vegetables, potatoes, chicken legs and thighs, and roast beef. Dessert was a variety of cheesecakes and cakes. Cons: 1. They ran out of food. No cheese or cucumbers for the salad. No veggies, no potatoes, and no meat-chicken or beef. 2. Once they replenished the food, which took about 10 minutes, the veggies (now sliced carrots) were raw, the chicken was undercooked-still pink, and the roast beef was replaced by what I can only assume was some form of industrial grade rubber, in that it was tough, overcooked, and left an odd taste in the mouth. The potatoes were cooked well, though they were cold. The gravy that accompanied the "meat" was decent. 3. The texture and flavor of the desserts were...odd. The texture was just dry....like swishing sand around in your mouth dry. It was obvious that the desserts were bought not made, so I expected lower quality to begin with, but the texture made the desserts inedible. The flavor was hard to put a finger on. Seriously, chocolate cheesecake and layered chocolate cake are pretty straight forward, but the aftertaste left by both was almost mildewie and both left an almost oily film on the tongue. Given my dinner experience, I was excitedly hopeful for dessert, but, unfortunately, that was a let down as well. 4. Where was management? The poor kids running the buffet were not equipped to handle upset customers. Management needed to step up and handle the situation. We were not offered any compensation for our inconvenience let alone have that inconvenience acknowledged in the first place. 5. The waitresses seemed completely overwhelmed. Too few servers for the number of people in attendance. My drink was completely empty, and I had to flag one of them done to get it refilled. Not once did I see a smile or welcoming demeanor from any of them. Pros: 1. The grounds are beautiful. 2. They carry Coke products. Overall, I would not return to this establishment outside of having to attend because of a function. Having almost 20 years in the restaurant industry, I know too well the various factors that go into operating a restaurant and what needs to be done to guarantee happy, return customers. Based on my experience, I would suggest that Bucks Run reevaluates their management, wait staff, and kitchen crew to maximize efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Playing golf here is an experience...a really good experience!! Everyone from the people who took…read moreour golf bags, to the people in the pro shop to the starter to the on course marshals were friendly and helpful. The course is beautiful and in great condition. We look forward to playing this course again one day. If you haven't played here, what are you waiting for??

Friends and I used to play this course all the time and enjoyed it very much. However, we haven't…read morebeen able to play it with the new management since they stopped offering deals and raised the cost. I gave it 1 star but I have hopes that they will start running it like Jeff did when he was in charge. Otherwise, I don't know anyone who can afford to play it since we are normal people and not upper classed elites. I am open to raising the score if they become more inclusive.

Pretty dry, basic, unkept course. Good price but lacking on the upkeep. Don't expect much but a…read moregood deal.

Pretty nice, and cheap place to play! Staff is nice, course is pretty well maintained, but the…read moreprice really makes it worthwhile. Never had an issue with anyone or anything on the course. Just don't expect Augusta or anything in hiding, the cheaper price does reflect the lack of "picturesque" places on the course. Great place, gone there at least 20 times while at Central Michigan Univ.