AbeFroman2

As many of the pictures show, this place is AWFUL. They should buy a giant can of white paint and spray a line around the perimeter of the entire course because the whole course should be considered Ground Under Repair. Except it doesn't seem like its being repaired. Bare dirt in the middle of greens, tee boxes where you can't find any grass, the list goes on and on. Eight of us were on a tournament scouting trip and played this course. We all quit early and all agreed we have never played a course in worse condition. Horrible, pathetic, nasty playing conditions. Avoid at all costs!

Second time playing it and will return every time I am nearby. The first 11 holes are very good golf holes but you have no idea what's in store until you drop in on 11. The holes carved along, over and through the edges of the bluffs are an amazing experience. A group of us played all the top courses in the area as a scouting trip for a large tournament. Sand Hollow was by far the best in the area!

A nearly $200 round just needs more than this! The track is good, not great. The greens are in very good shape and roll true and fast. The views - especially on the back nine are world class! 11 is a special par 3. 12-14 are just spectacular along the coastline! But I still came away sorta disappointed. I mean the course must have been shut down for 2-3 months this year and its still this beat up? Take some of the green fees and hire a real grounds crew!!

What a fun course to play! (except for the non-stop annoyance of the GPS system in the carts) The track is spectacular! There are quite a few homes on the course but they are set back far enough that they shouldn't be in play. The greens are the only defense the course has. At nearly 5,000 feet elevation the ball goes forever so none of the holes felt long to me. Many of the greens have 3 or 4 sections with dramatic slopes separating them so if you miss on your approach, a three putt quickly comes into play. There is one par five on the front and three on the back. All but one are easily reachable and allow for some birdies! I thought the green on the one front nine par five was silly. The drop between the upper and lower tier is easily 6-8 feet which is more suited to a putt putt course. The course really needs a marshal. The back nine was easily a 2.5+ hour pace.
My only serious complaint is the incessant ads coming from the GPS system. It was nonstop!! At least one ad per hole - often two - that were difficult to skip. Just charge me an extra $10!! The last thing I need on a perfect day for golf is 10+ ads from the local real estate agents. Enough already!!!!

I hope its just early in their season, but the course conditions are slipping here. I've played this 5 or more times and the conditions for last two are noticeably worse.
The course layout and scenery are awesome. The staff is extremely good. Food at the clubhouse restaurant is above average (which is good because there is nothing else nearby).
The bunkers (and its well bunkered) are awful. They either have drainage issues in the bunkers or need to adjust sprinklers because even late in the afternoon there is mud and standing water in the mostly dirt bunkers. The greens played much slower than I recall them previously playing. The tee boxes were in good but not great shape.
I'm hoping they can staff up and address what are easily fixable issues because the track is awesome.

I would love this course except holes 12-14 are just bad golf holes. The front 9 is spectacular and the finishing holes are 3 of the hardest holes in NorCal. The food at the cafe and restaurant are very good.

I have played this course about 10 times now. In general every hole seems to play longer than I think. If I take an extra club on most shots I end up scoring way better. The scenery through the vineyards makes this a very unique and memorable round.

But I just can't get over 12-14. 12 is an absurd par 5. An uphill drive that's nearly always into a very strong headwind leaves you with a completely blind second shot through a gap in the hills. With no yardage book, you have to guess at the proper line but the prevailing wind and slope of the fairway usually punish anything but a perfect shot. 13 is an over-gimmicky downhill par 4. If you want to carry the vineyard with a 280 blast, you can drive the green which means way too many people wait on the tee box slowing the pace of play way down. The smart shot into the fat part of the fairway usually results in a very uneven lie into an undulating green. This is easily my least favorite hole on the course. 14 is a very boring par 3 that is so out of place with the other very good 3's on the course.

Its a good course overall but the 3 bad holes in a row knock it way down my list.

Chambers is back in great shape and is an extremely hard but wicked fun golf course. I get so tired of people whining about this course. I can promise that the people that complain about uneven speeds on the greens have only played the course once and made the huge mistake of not getting a caddie. (hint - if the putt is headed back into the hillside its slow - even if it seems downhill. its just the way the course plays) I am a 6 handicap and have played it 10+ times and I always rely on a 4-caddie at least. I am still learning the many subtle nuances of this course. I missed a green last round and was 15ft away and below the hole. I aimed 30 degrees away from the hole, hit it 90 feet across the green, wrapped it around a mound, and let the slope of the green take my ball to 12 feet. It was a circus shot that was way higher probability than chipping strait at it and only a caddie that had seen hundreds of shots fail taking the direct route would recommend it!
The putting on Broccoli comments are flat wrong. Its fescue grass. They will never be gorgeous greens that look good on TV but they play fast, true, and kick my butt every time.
And bring Advil - its walking only and with all the hills - its a loooong walk.

This is one of the best private courses in the East Bay. Its challenging and has enough subtlety that playing it regularly is still fun. Everyone that has ever played it hates the 12th hole - its long overdue for a design change to make it a legit par 4. The rest of the course is fun, scenic, and the members and staff are great.