We were looking for a new place to eat, and we read that there was a restaurant here. When we got…read morethere, we were informed the restaurant had closed 3 years ago, but the former president of the country club, Al Harker, gave us suggestions of other nearby restaurants. Then, he chatted us up and suggested we try a free 18 holes of golf and think about joining the country club. Mr. Harker is a great pitchman. We took him up on his offer and came the next weekend and played 18 holes. We were sold by the 5th hole. The first few holes are gorgeous, as they are on a peninsula surrounded by Lake Shafer and expensive homes. The last 9 holes are long, across the street and also fun to play.
This is the nicest golf course in Monticello, and I imagine in and around this area. The membership for people under 40 is only $450.00. When you play, it's only $8 for 9 holes or $16.00 for 18 holes with a golf cart. When the kids at the clubhouse see your car approach, they bring a golf cart to you. Now that's service. The PGA pro, Jim, runs the golf shop and gives lessons. He's also very, very nice. The bartender, Angel, is friendly and will tell you lots of interesting things going on in and around town. We've had our vacation home for 3.5 years, and sadly, we've found the locals in Monticello to be less than friendly, and our neighbors have got to be the most suspicious, unfriendly folks around, but the members at this country club are very welcoming and wave when they see you.
The minus one star is for the fact that the country club has no permanent restaurant. The Riverside Restaurant grills from Wednesday to Saturday from 11:00 am to 2:00 p.m, and the country clubs offers hot dogs, brats and some fried appetizers. The shop sells soda, candy bars, jerky and potato chips. My biggest gripe though is how gross the bathrooms on the course are. No one has ever cleaned them in years so they are completely unusable, especially for women.