DeLaveaga Golf Course & Lodge

Course and golfnow failed to mention green aeration

The greens at the course were in good condition and ran relatively fast and true.
Staff was friendly upon check in and helpful. It was a very busy day but the pace of play was actually quite good for the number of people on the course.

Tee blocks in need of repair and many were not level or with little turf. You really need to know where to hit your driver on this course as even a perfect drive down the center can run out left or right into hazard areas. Often better to lay back with a hybrid rather than a driver as once you're out of position it can be big trouble. Fairways aren't the most manicured and aren't cut every day.

Can certainly see why it's such a popular course with local Santa Cruz folks as it's only about 1.5 miles to the center of town. Still if you're visiting for golf you may want to drive the extra distance to play a more refined, and manicured run. While we got what GOLFNOW considered to be a hot deal I wouldn't pay more than $40 to play it again. Certainly is a great track for local young people to hone their skills on and the staff were helpful with course playing tips.

Course has gotten greedy. Not worth anything north of $85.

Best course to test your short game . No need to bring driver

Playing the course for my fourth decade. The condition if the agronomy has been cyclical. This time there were several greens with a serious pock mark problem, tough putting. Many spots in the fairway were bald, use Rule 16.1.

I should have warmed up before heading out to play this course. It's harder than it looks but still a fun course to play. Staff was outstanding as well as the weather.

This is a great layout. Requires precision. Greens are hard. Lots of little undulations.

Highly recommend for the price.

It was a perfect sunny day when we played here on Sunday 1/23/2022. It is a pretty challenging course - most fairway is pretty narrow, and tilted, some of them have trees in the middle. Greens are in pretty good shape, bit difficult to read. Overall condition is pretty good, except I wish there were bit more sand in bunkers. The pace of play was excellent - we finished in 3 hours and 40 minutes on a Sunday. Not sure this is normal or we just lucky. All in all we had good time playing here.

Number 10 is unfair can't see the sharp left dogleg. Lots of fairway that slope into hazards. Still very challenging and my wife had fun so that was a plus. Cart return area was hard to find. Driving range was closed.

Sure there were patches in the fairway. Of course, the bunkers weren’t Augusta quality. But the layout is exceptional. Every hole plays different and you really do use every club in your bag. Usually a little slow paced to start with 2 par 3’s on the first 5 holes, but you’re in Santa Cruz where it is usually beautiful out. Enjoy the day!

I was able to book this course with a “fire deal”. I was able to play till about the 13th hole before it was too dark. The staff and people are great. Course is beautiful with great views. However, 2 things to note.

1. This is a course on the more challenging side. Narrow fairways with A LOT of hills. Most of your second shots will be above or below your feet. This is not a drawback, just something to note for beginner golfers.

2. The fairways and scoring areas were extremely hard. Myself and the gentleman I was playing with had a very hard time with our wedges due to the conditions within 100 yards of the greens. The ground seemed hard (no give) with inconsistent grass/dirt. Maybe it was the time of year but other coursed I’ve played the last two weeks did not suffer from this.

They sanded the greens earlier in the week , couldn’t tell if the bunkers were greens or greens were bunkers !