John9862163

Ted Robinson designed course with short holes but water in play on several. It’s a wedge course but the greens have undulation and if you leave with a score of 60 or under you’re a strong wedge player or a good putter (or both). Par is 54, Fred Couples reportedly shot 11 under, back in the day. One of the best Par 3’s in the valley.

Enjoyable, scenic, engaging and fair layout with multiple tee boxes, greens roll fast and true. Gets windy as it is open and exposed for the most part, bunkers well maintained, I’d play it again in a heartbeat. Could use more cart signage, also be aware GPS yardage is to the center of the green and not the pins.

Directions (or lack thereof) to the next hole are confusing for first timers, more signage would help. No refreshment cart the day we played and getting drinks or food at the turn also not as easy as it could be. That said it’s a fun unpretentious venue, a good course layout, wide fairways, greens are in good shape and run true. At $79 for afternoon tee times it’s a great deal for the desert this time of year, and the bar/restaurant atmosphere is hard to beat, a great place to take guests; the pub burger was outstanding.

Afternoon starting times were subject to a lengthy delay due to a men’s club but the staff handled it well. Course is in great shape and it’s a fun track in the woods though with a few quirky holes and greens. Level grass range and good practice bunkers and chipping green. Nice clubhouse facilities yet it hasn’t had a full service restaurant for many years for some reason, don’t know what that’s about. All in all my favorite public course for reasonable green fees in the Bend area.

Good fair layout, fast greens with minimal undulation and the ball rolls true. Fairways/tees in very good condition but bunker only fair. Rate on GolfNow was reasonable for late April, included range balls, only 3 or 4 groups were out as snowbirds are leaving and it was windy. GPS was off a bit, also some greens are very deep so figure yardage according.

Beautiful alpine setting, Muir Graves course, excellent condition, great practice range/area. Some severe greens and a few awkward holes (it takes a couple of rounds and some course knowledge to know how to play them) but all-in-all one of my favorite courses in Bend. Great staff, lame bar/grill scene though nice patio/deck.

Course was in good shape as always; greens were aerated a few weeks ago but still rolled well. Today's pin placements bordered on unfair though, many on steep slopes. It's a relatively short course but an engaging layout, and driver is not always the best choice given the shorter distances. I'd like to see more signage on tees as to yardage for laying up as water/hazards come into play on several holes. Also I've never understood why on almost every course the distance from tee to pin isn't shown on all par threes for that day. I mean how hard would that be? More signage/yardage markers will speed up play - just sayin'. Having said that it's one of my favorite tracks and practice facilities in greater Sacramento area.

Classic Parkland style course, lots of trees but OB rarely comes into play, gentle greens without undulation yet with subtle breaks. Good condition especially after the rains though the greens were slow and a little bumpy but very playable. Range and practice bunker are scraggly but the course is still one of my favorites in the greater Sacramento area, always an enjoyable round.. Good staff, regular guys.

Good Parkland style course, well maintained (particularly following the recent rains), an engaging layout, one of my favorites in the area. I’d showed up at the wrong tee time but staff just rolled with it and I got right out, much appreciated. Fun finishing hole, a 200-yard Par 3 that is a steep drop off the elevated tee boxes. Enjoy!

Enjoy playing here, and while the driver may not always be the best choice off the tee, the layout never takes the driver "out of your hands". Greens roll true and are deceptively fast, and without severe undulation; bunkers and tees are generally well maintained. Long par 3 from a very high elevation is a fun finishing hole. One of my favorite area tracks.

Have to hit it straight as there's trouble on both sides of most every hole. With the exception of the par 3's the greens have a lot of undulation, some are severe depending on pin placement. All in all a tough track but very pretty and with good facilities, carts have GPS, good staff, just bring your A game.

Straight-ahead old school layout, it plays right in front of you with no gimmicks or houses to worry about yet wooded with plenty of trees that make it a challenge. Greens are very gentle with subtle breaks, no goofy roller coaster undulations, in good condition and speed is moderate-to-fast. The pace of play is often slow and the range is tired, but otherwise it is one of my favorite tracks in area.

Bayonet is lined with tall cypress trees on many fairways so accuracy is a premium, play the proper tees for your game. Greens were firm and fast with subtle breaks, and nowhere near as severely sloping as the greens on Black House, the easier course off the tee. One warning: the practice bunker has very little sand in it and was nothing like the bunkers on the course which were fluffy. Two very enjoyable tracks in a beautiful setting with no houses to deal with.

Great layout by Fred Couples, be sure to play the proper tees, it's fair but tough (check the slope ratings). Caveats: bunkers are inconsistent and somewhat neglected. Like many courses these days you are not announced to the tee, and the starter is nowhere near the first tee (turns out the group in front of me went out 30 minutes before their reservation time); don't know why this has become so common at public courses. It can get windy on the back nine, the more difficult and strategic side, they might consider reversing the nines (plus the ninth would be a way more interesting finishing hole than the ho-hum 18th). That said it's a fun track, tees and greens are in excellent shape, very interesting layout, great practice facilities and bar, I've played it many times.

Two great tracks, great ground crew and staff. Looking forward to full time grass range (not into mats) but a very good practice facility. Would like to have them announce start times, like most courses it's not a habit (or even done) anymore. Best deal on the peninsula by far, thanks lads.

Good layout in good shape, not tricked up, what you see is what you get though driver is not a good pick on some of the short par 4's. It backed up and pace of play slowed dramatically on the back nine. No bar cart (it was a Monday) and typical of most courses today there is minimal yardage markers (almost need a range finder to play the game anymore). And my pet peeve: why on Par 3's do golf courses not have a small yardage sign next to that day's tee markers?? Let's look around for a distance monument buried on the far side of the tee box and when we eventually find it realize we've grabbed the wrong club, go back to the cart, re-figure the shot, then pull another club. Is speed of play not a concern in the game of golf, I mean WTF? Sorry, needed to rant. Empire Ranch is a good course, the long Par 3 finishing hole is elevated high above the green and is fun and challenging, go play it!

Not a great layout but affordable, best to keep the driver in the bag on several holes, gets better the more you play it and figure out the right strategy. Take a cart unless you're a youngster, lots of elevation change.

Affordable golf on the Monterey peninsula, some odd holes (a par 5 that you have to lay up on - with your tee shot??). It takes a little local knowledge on the back nine but the course is usually In good shape, good staff, and a good driving range (though practice bunker was concrete, unlike the bunkers on the course which are decent). Glad it's there, especially now that both Rancho Canada courses have been taken from us :(

Bayonet is more demanding off the tee (longer and tighter), Blackhorse is more demanding on the greens (severe, multi-tier). Bayonet tee boxes were being renovated but still reasonable. I'm old school and would like to see more easily identifiable yardage markers in fairways and on tees (why do courses bury dark-colored yardage monuments so you have to walk all around the tee box to find it, then see how they relates to where the tee markers are placed on a given day?) Wouldn't it speed up golf to pull up and see the tee markers have the exact yardage to the pin for that day?? That said I love these courses, always a good experience and affordable for Monterey.

Bayonet and Blackhorse are great courses and clearly the best values on the Pennisula. Bayonet is the tougher driving course, Blackhorse is the (much) tougher putting course. The only drawback is that the practice putting green is nothing like the severe undulations you'll see on the greens at Blackhorse so it's difficult to prepare. Just have your wedge or approach game dialed in, as depending on the pin placements you're either on the right tier or you're looking at a difficult two-putts and three-putt bogeys all day long.