Lives
Bay Area, CA
Handicap
5-9
Age
35-44
Gender
Female
Skill
Intermediate
Plays
Once a week

Review Statistics

Average Rating

3.5
3.5
Total 13 Reviews

Rating Breakdown

13 Reviews
5 Stars
3
4 Stars
4
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
1
Recommended Courses
9
Not Recommended Courses
4
Helpful Votes Count
0
Not Helpful Votes Count
1
First Review
06/24/2013
Last Review
06/23/2016

Reviews Map

Reviews

3.5
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Course Difficulty
First time playing this course
Recommended
Review has

Skywest Golf Course

Played On 06/12/2016
2.0
Previously Played
Good weather
Walked

Fivesomes at 7am on a Sunday?

Yes, that is correct. We got stuck behind a fivesome on an early morning weekend round. We were a twosome, that joined up with another twosome who were stuck behind the fivesome from the get go.

We rang the pro shop on 7, they came out and played nice. So instead of telling this group that was 2 holes behind, to take a break between 9 & 10 and let our foursome through, and really the next twosome and threesome stacked up behind us as well, they told the fivesome to skip 10 and head to 11. Awesome! They did that, which meant we weren't waiting on every shot again until the 13th tee. I can appreciate being a marshal at a public course is thankless, but the golf course absolutely has the authority to make really slow groups let others through or make them skip ALL the holes required to get back on time, not just one.

The course itself is OK at best. The only real defense is placing the pins where the slope on the green is its most severe. The greens don't have a lot of undulation, just one pronounced slope one way or the other and this can lead to some tricky putts. Otherwise the course is right in front of you, with only a couple holes (3, 11, 13) requiring a committed drive off the tee. The fairways and rough were typical Bay Area, lower-end public, which means there's a bit too much crab grass in with the real grass.

All the staff were really pleasant though; however, because of the basicness of the course and that silly experience, I won't be back.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Fairly Easy

Green Valley Ranch Golf Club

Played On 05/30/2016
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Fantastic course. Great location for the airport on getaway day!

We played this course on an early morning after playing 7 rounds over the previous 3 days in Nebraska and GVR, while lacking the isolation and scenery of the sandhills, was not out of place with those courses.

As we played it only a week or two after the NCAAA Div II tourney, the greens were still in great shape and were the best greens either of us have putted on this year. They were true and pacey. Smooth and quick for a public course.

The routing itself is solid, with only one overly quirky/silly hole; the short par 4 16th. Otherwise it was a very good mix of long/short holes, that changed orientation enough to effectively mix up the wind direction for the holes.

Would absolutely recommend this course. I am sure if you are a Denver resident you already know it's a top notch track, but for other out-of-towners like ourselves also note it's proximity to the airport. It really is only 15 mins to the car rental return and terminal.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 02/09/2017

This description is probably for the championship 18 course, since there is no 16th hole on the 9 hole par 3.

Paradise Valley Golf Course

Played On 04/24/2016
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Good weather
Walked

Quality Course in good shape

With the winter rains, Paradise Valley is in as good a shape as I have seen it the past 3 years. Fairways are green. The rough is actually rough made of grass, instead of dead patches, and the greens are rolling as true as a mid-tier public course's greens can roll.

From the whites it can mean a lot of short irons and wedges into greens, conversely the blues can push the better part of 6800yds which can be a bit much if the wind is blowing, but regardless of which of the two sets you pick, it's a fun and largely interesting course.

The greenskeeper can definitely pick some nasty pin positions when he likes, but all in all they are normally in spots that add enough interest, but don't get you cursing.

I prefer it to Rancho because it's more set up to walk.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate

Roddy Ranch Golf Club

Played On 09/07/2014
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Excellent greens, even with the drought.

This is one of the best value courses in the Bay Area, based on the quality of the course routing, quality of the greens, and the challenge it provides.

The greens were in very good shape and only a few spots didn't roll true. Unfortunately while they are keeping the most important part in good shape, the fairways have suffered tremendously.

There is a lot of GUR circles around and in fairness sometimes it's difficult to see why they circled some spots when other spots on the same fairway were in worse shape. Fortunatly I am used to and happy to play it down so I didn't mind. Just be forwarned they are beat up.

That said. the conditions cannot take away from what is a fun course and I still recommend it to golfers who genuinely appreciate playing the game.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

The Club at Crazy Horse Ranch

Played On 08/03/2014
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Tiny, tiny greens

Smallest greens on any par 70 or higher course I've played in recent memory. There isn't so much front | middle | back pin placements, as there are various shades of middle. Definitely the largest part of the defense of this golf course throughout the 18 holes is those greens.

That said, on the front 9 the up and down and around nature also contributed. It makes for some quirky, short golf holes, but there is a modicum of interest in most of them. The reaaaaaaaally down hill par 3 being the best | worst example of that. Funnily enough we were all on or around the green after guessing on club selection.

The back 9 is more traditional and contains better golf holes than the fron because of it.

Now that I have played the course I have no desire to return, but that does not mean it was a back course. If you are a local I can see it being a regular stop, but for someone coming from further away, you will likely find just as good value near home.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
2.0
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Decent local course, not really worth the drive.

Played the East Course.

This is an average public course in ok-ish condition, that I can see people living nearby would play regularly; however, if you have to drive any kind of distance to get there you've likely passed courses closer to you of equal or better quality.

The course plays up and down and around a few hills and on more shots that not you are hitting both your tee ball and approach to a target above or below you.

There was some crab grass, the tee boxes had some weeds, but most importantly the greens were actually in pretty good shape. They ran true and the flags were in spots to maximize the amount of break you would need to play.

All in all, an ok track, but one that I won't return to as there are simply better courses out there which can be had for the same price or less and without the 30 mile drive.

Difficulty Moderate

Pacific Grove Golf Links

Played On 12/25/2013
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Simply Fun Golf

If I lived down in Monterey I would play this course regularly. If you want to experience 'proper' seaside links golf, come to Pacific Grove.

Holes 11 to 16 is the way the game is meant to be played. Bump and run, blind shots, tee it up high downwind, keep it low into it, greens sighted between the low dunes, it is all here.

The start is odd, with the 2 3's, 2 4's, 2 5's routing, but you may get to see some deer and the par 5's have the required length to keep your attention. Along with the par 5's, the par 3's on the front are actually pretty long and it is really the par 4's where the course pays short. The front on its own is probably a 3/5.

After you cross the street and play the short 10th, the real fun begins on the 11th tee. 11 provides a wide open introduction to the dunes, where you can play a driver, 3 wood, hybrid, or long iron and be safe off the tee. Along with the 13th, they are the two shorter holes along the sea, the others are more grownup holes. The par 5 12th plays along Sunset Drive and is one of my favorite par 5's around.

Once you complete 16, where you drive up and over a hill straight down to the Pacific, 17 and 18 play around the driving range and lead you back to the clubhouse.

As others have pointed out, it is a reasonably priced muni, so it does get some inexperienced golfers who can be seen to hack it about the place and take their time. If you get a lot of them out there at once, it will be a slow round.

That said, if you live here you should have played it already. If you are visiting the famous 17 Mile Drive courses, you should play it while you are here. It is not a serious challenge like those courses, but it makes for a cracking few hours along the bay.

Difficulty Fairly Easy
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

An equal of its sibling

This review is for Black Horse.

Much as you'd expect, Black Horse's holes meanders up, down, and around in the same manner as on Bayonet. The greens are equally tricky, and with the pin placements today, shots into the green either ended up 10 feet or less or 30 feet or more from the hole. They were pacey, but not obscenely so. Only some interestingly placed holes, made some putts border on the extreme side.

About the only place where Black Horse isn't as difficult as Bayonet is off the tee. There are less trees lining the fairway, so punching out or having to shape a shot around a tree when you're offline won't occur much. To make up for the lack of trees, it seems they used extensive... maybe excessive even, bunkering. It makes for some great visuals, but if you know your yardages the fairway bunkers can be avoided pretty easily by mixing up the driver and 3W off the tee.

This is another 4.5/5 golfing experience and while I still think Bayonet is the better of the two, there isn't much in it.

Difficulty Extremely Challenging

Stone Tree Golf Club

Played On 12/09/2012
3.0
First Time Playing

Nice, but not at their price

The holes in what must be largely a filled in marshland, have about as much interest as the terrain allows. The doglegs and bunkering add the need to have a think or two before hitting your shot and there are a few holes where a meandering creek must be considered. The remainder of the water features seem to be there for show more than anything else.

The holes routed through the hills are a lot more interesting. The elevation changes and trees make a nice change from the ho-humness of the flat part of the course. The holes themselves are not nearly as difficult as they may seem to be from the tee. Being placed between the hills actually makes it fairly easy to keep the ball in/near the fairway as you can play your regular shot shape, but err of the side that will see a miss it roll down the hill and end up in good shape. #13-15 makes for a particularly entertaining stretch.

The ancillaries that are missing at Stonetree though really knock its rating down. No driving range, no water jugs on course, no toilets on course, mediocre food. These are pretty inexcusable for the rates they charge. The rates themselves are also a serious negative. I don't actually know who would regularly return here, based on these issues. Near-ish, Hiddenbrooke or San Geronimo are just as good or better golfing wise and are cheaper.

This is actually a pretty decent golf course, but with the number of golf courses that are better than decent in the Bay Area, I cannot see myself returning here.

Conditions Average
Value Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
1.0
First Time Playing

Target Golf at its most Annoying

Apart from the par 3's which were solid, this is just an annoying course for the traveling golfer. Way too many gimmicky holes. Lots of irons off the tee and not in an interesting way, but in a contrived way, by simply cutting off fairways whenever the designer felt like it.

Maybe if you were a local you could play it a few times and it might grow on you... might. But for me, no way I won't return and I wouldn't recommend it for any other out of towners. Drive out to Paiute if you want some awesome desert golf.

Paid next to nothing for the round and still felt it wasn't worth it.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

One of the best around!

Fancy getting the tar kicked out of you and pay for the pleasure? Well then Bayonet is the course for you. 6600+ yds with a good mix of long par 4's and 5's and par 3's with elevation changes (large and subtle) affecting club selection. The view from the teebox of the hole laid out in front of you, is that of a serious, top notch track. You don't just step up and hit, you actually need to think about where you'd ideally like to end up for your approach. Definitely felt like sitting at the 'grown ups' table of golf courses.

The course overall meanders up and down, left and right, with the majority of the fairways being treelined. I haven't shot such a high score without losing a ball in... well a long long time. The greens can be very pacey on downhill putts and ran true, but the overall pace was not unreasonable. Faster than your local muni? Absolutely. Unfair? No. There was some wind but nothing that seriously affected the ball flight.

I couldn't make a putt, which eventually filtered down to the rest of my 'game' and I played poorly - as did our entire foursome for the most part - but it doesn't diminish how much I liked the course. You get a free bottle of water with the cart, but otherwise there was no water jugs on the course, which was annoying for someone who drinks loads. It is walkable, but if you typically don't walk anything that isn't flat, it might be a bit much. The pace of play was decent and the staff were good.

Just a full-blown, big, top notch course. Won't ever get tired of playing here.
It is a solid 4.5/5, but I'll round it up to 5 stars instead of down to 4. Will definitely return a number of times a year to play.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging

DarkHorse Golf Club

Played On 08/02/2012
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Bit of a drive, but well worth it

There is great variety to all of the holes and you will have the opportunity to play all the clubs in your bag. The trees, brush, and bunkering help frame the holes beautifully. The hilly terrain is used well to carve out a natural feeling layout.

We played as a twosome at 12:30 Thursday and a threesome had teed off 30 mins ahead of us and a twosome was booked 30 mins behind us (according to the starter) and we only saw the threesome on 18 and never noticed the twosome. I doubt there were more than 25 people on the course when we played. It made for a great atmosphere, especially compared to the 5 hr rounds we play in the Bay Area.

Some of the teeboxes were soggy and a bit beaten up. Also some of the greens had portions of them that had been punched recently, but fortunately I didn't have any lines that went over them. There were also a few areas, such as the apron of the 3rd green, where they were doing work. It is also a course where you need a cart.

Those negatives knock it back to a 4/5, but this is still a great track and one that is worth the drive to experience. It would also make an excellent pitstop on the way up to play the courses around Truckee.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging

San Geronimo Golf Club

Played On 04/15/2012
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing

Quality track in amongst the trees and hills

This is a nice change of pace course from where I regularly play. Instead of seeing the ball go into the blue/gray sky, here the back drop on a lot of the course is actually green trees. The front nice is like being in the Pacific Northwest.

Like that part of the world, the course seems to be a bit wet and shaggy. The shoes and trousers definitely get wet. It is an easily walkable course, although there is a bit of a hike from 9 to 10, but since golfnow deals typically include carts, for those who prefer that option it's still good value.

Most of the routing is laid out plainly infront of you, but there are some tricky local knowledge holes, with shots over gullies that require some forethought. The 18th finishes up with a nice crescent hole and overall the greens have been in decent shape, even while the course might have been a bit mucky.

This is a solid 3/3.5 level course and is worth a round or two a year for those that have a bit of a hike out to it and could be a quality local for those in the neighbourhood.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Now Reading