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The tee shot on the 10th is the perfect way to start the back nine. Photo submitted by greebs on 07/20/2020
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The 11th is a TOUGH par-4 with great elevation and a false fronted green. Use enough club! Photo submitted by greebs on 07/20/2020
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Yes, the 18th is a par-3. Get over it, and enjoy yet another perfect hole to finish your round. Photo submitted by greebs on 07/20/2020
Monarch Bay Golf Club - Tony Lema Course
Played On 07/18/2020The Wind and Pace will get you
I've played Monarch a few times, and like Metropolitan in Oakland, it gets exceptionally windy in the afternoon. What makes Monarch even tougher is that the last four holes are usually directly INTO the wind, and it's hard to finish strong. The course layout is nice, and has some very interesting holes. As a muni, it's not in pristine shape and that's okay. But the pace of play, especially on weekends, is often really bad. The par-3 6th hole tends to be the biggest culprit - we had three foursomes waiting there -- it's a longer par-3 where the wind is WAY up, so most golfers are nowhere near the green off the tee, and it just takes so long for them to finish up that the pile up occurs.
That said, it's a good course with a driving range for practice, and well worth the price for the Bay Area.
Pasatiempo Golf Club
Played On 07/10/2020One of the best courses in the WORLD
Pasatiempo deserves ALL the praise it gets - it's fun for all levels of golfers, gorgeous and challenging and so creative. The back nine might just be the best back nine in golf, at least at a course that allows for (some) public play. In particular, holes 10, 11, 14, 16 and 18 are all holes that you'll be thinking about for days if not weeks afterwards.
It's a very walkable course but there IS some holes with a lot of elevation so carts are available. It's consistently ranked in the top-20 public course in the country, and I feel like this is probably rating it too low. There's not a bad hole on the course (even the BRUTALLY long par-3 3rd hole is fairly incredible even as it chews you up and spits you out) and the vibe at the course is perfect.
I can't recommend it enough.
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The tee shot on the 10th is the perfect way to start the back nine. Photo submitted by greebs on 07/20/2020
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The 11th is a TOUGH par-4 with great elevation and a false fronted green. Use enough club! Photo submitted by greebs on 07/20/2020
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Yes, the 18th is a par-3. Get over it, and enjoy yet another perfect hole to finish your round. Photo submitted by greebs on 07/20/2020
Peacock Gap Golf Club
Played On 11/26/2019Greens in great shape
With rains coming in this afternoon, I teed off early to get in a round before the winter wet starts in full. I played solo and after a twosome let me play through on hole #2, I had nobody in front of me. (FWIW, I teed off at about 7:15 AM).
I finished in TWO HOURS, which was due to it being cold and me not dilly dallying, not waiting on any shots and also shockingly playing pretty well.
I will say having played this course a lot, I did so because it tends to not drain all that great - it's an older course and the drainage is what you would expect. So this may be the last round for awhile if the winter is truly here. Peacock isn't cheap and with it being one of only two public 18-hole courses in Marin, they have a captive audience but the greens were in great shape and most of the bunkers were as well. No complaints with conditions today.
Sequoyah Country Club
Played On 08/17/2019Great value for members
I have played this course twice with a friend who is a member, and I think joining it would make sense because the club has a ton of amenities, and it's the kind of course that would be fun to play over and over as it would be different every day.
That said, I'm NOT a fan of how they set up their greens. Pin placements are often bordering on illegal (on slopes or right next to the edge) and I've repeatedly landed a ball at the front of the green only to watch it roll clear across the entire green, then off into a gulley 30 yards away. There's not nearly enough room to miss on too many holes unless you're an exceptional golfer.
It's also not a very easy walk, as it's in the Oakland hills and uses quite a bit of it.
Views from the course are often remarkably nice and the members there seem quite cool with a great lack of pretense. It's a great facility, but the course isn't really my cup of tea for repeated play.
Hiddenbrooke Golf Club
Played On 10/18/2018Beautiful day
Just finished a great round at Hiddenbrooke, which is in great shape, including the greens. One downside is there seems to be some drainage issues on a few holes, where there was huge wet and muddy spots. Note: It hasn't rained in weeks, if not longer, this is a drainage/irrigation concern. The back nine also got VERY slow due to a twosome of senior players who didn't offer to let anyone play with them or pass them, etc. That's fine -- but there was no marshals out there to help speed things up, which was an issue. That said, it was lovely out, and the course was mainly in good shape (the bunkers could use a bit more sand) and I'd happily play it again soon.
The Bridges Golf Club
Played On 04/22/2017Only for Target Golfers
The Bridges is really well maintained and a challenging course but ... it's SO narrow, that with the undulations in the fairway, it's really hard to not get into trouble off the tee on so many holes. Unless you can really control your shots, expect to lose more balls than you're used to.
The problem there, too, is that this is the layout of pretty much the entire course. Even though the holes are quite beautiful and present their own challenges, most of them feel like other holes you've just played, and that's not quite so fun.
I would recommend this to anyone who can control their woods and driving irons, as it's a good challenge. But if that's not your speciality, it's going to be a frustrating day.
Again, the course is in great shape and everyone there was super helpful and friendly, but hoo boy it was rough for an average (19-20 handicap) golfer like me.