Alex326

Blackhorse is always a favorite track of mine. They recently aerated the greens and tee boxes. Currently the conditions are a bit under their normal great conditions. Pace of play was fantastic as the aerated greens and super high winds kept most golfers away. Customer service is always top notch. They even called me a couple of days after I made my online tee reservations to make sure I knew the greens had been recently aerated.

In another couple of weeks I’m sure conditions will be back to their high standards.

Great track with some excellent water features on the flat section and 6 holes that go up
Into the mountianside for some elevation changes. Overall course conditions are great. Fairways are still a little wet and soft from all the recent rain.

The last couple times out I haven't been able to complete the full course due to various reasons. I always enjoy the layout here at Laguna Seca. With all the elevations changes its a blast to play.

Right now the Greens are in the best condition I've ever seen them. Extremely smooth and void of pitch marks. They're rolling at a medium-slow speed which is average for this track. The greens at Laguna Seca are sneaky. They don't look very intimidating but can bite you in a hurry if you're not careful.

Fairways were average. Decent coverage throughout but certainly a notch or two below the last few (high end) courses I played. Tee boxes were in nice shape as well. I was only on one sand trap and it was ok. I was right at the bottom flat spot of the bunker so it was a bit damp and hardback from all the recent rain. Still, it was it was playable.

As for POP I'll post a separate thread on that topic. Once I broke free of the people I was paired with, I zipped around the back 9 in an hour and some change.

Overall, Laguna Seca is an absolute blast of a track. Conditions are as good as ever right now, but still, it's on par with muni courses. Full rack rates are steep but the online rates aren't too bad.

I can't believe it's been 6 months since I've played here. SJO is always a blast to play and the conditions never disappoint. The wind was up this afternoon making club selection a challenge on the already difficult (but fun) back 9. Greens rolled true and as I've said before seem to be the perfect blend between manageable yet challenging. They were rolling a little slower than usual (especially the front 9). I only encountered one un-repaired pitch mark.

Fairways were near perfect An easy 9/10. Just a perfect dark green lush playing surface that always presented a great lie. There were a couple of small areas that the wild boars had dug up. This course runs into that every so often. The two fairways that had been hit by the pigs were already under repair. The only dry thin area I found on the entire course was a patch on the 18th fairway near the dogleg bend, and it was about the size of a dining room table.

Tee boxes were excellent as well. Most were super lush and all were level. A couple of the par 3's had some divots but still no issues finding a clean hitting surface.

I avoided sand traps all day so I can't really comment, but usually they are the weak link of the track. Service is always friendly. I walked up without a reservation and the gal at the pro shop told me if I didn't want to hit any range balls, I could quickly get out before a foursome was going to tee off in about 5 minutes. Talk about having your wits about you! It was nice to see that she was aware that the course was wide open and encouraged me to "rush" out to get in front of a foursome.

I had clear sailing with a wide open course until I ran into a twosome on the 16th.

With so many great courses only 20-30 minutes away SJO is easily overlooked, but absent views of the ocean, it is right up there with the best of them.

With so many great Monterey Peninsula Courses being on the water, this one heads up onto the top of the hill between hwy 68 and Carmel Valley Rd. The entire course is built on the mountain with not a flat hole to be found. If you like elevation changes like I do then you'll love Tehama. The course has wonderful views of the Monterey peninsula and the bay. Additionally the track is set in a deep wooded area with spectacular forest and canyon views.

Plenty of wildlife in the form of turkeys, deer and Hawks.

Course conditions are excellent as you'd expect for a high end private course. Tee boxes were like velvet and fairways were super lush. Rough was thick and penal. Greens were lightening fast but held well struck approach shots. Clubhouse is as spectacular as they come with underground parking and views of the golf course and peninsula

Ridge Creek is always an enjoyable Central Valley track. What is usually a strong point of the course, the greens are in serious need of attention. Numerous pitch marks on almost every hole. A few holes still had obvious rings from prior pin placements. On one green I was able to count 5 previous hole locations just on the same half of the green as the current pin location. Speed of the greens was lighting fast and pin locations were tough but challenging in a fun sort of way.

Fairways were a mix of green and light brown grass but offered decent lies throughout for the most part. Some of the skirt areas around the greens were thin with tight lies making getting up and down a challenge with the fast greens.

Sand traps have improved greatly. Once the Achilles heel of Ridge Creek, the green side bunkers are now a plerasure to play out of (if you're into that sort of thing). The fairway bunkers are a different story. the dirt is ok but they have very steep lips to get up and over. It's almost always a guaranteed lob wedge lay up coming out.

Tee boxes were a mixed bag. The ones on the par 3's were horrible in that they were full of divots. The par 4 & 5 tee boxes pretty decent.

Pace of play was good and actually considering it was a weekend it was borderline excellent.

My only complaint was that the restaurant was closed down at 4pm when we finished. Ridge creek is a wonderful facility with a nice pro shop and adjacent restaurant overlooking the ninth green. I always enjoy sticking around for a bite to eat when I have the time (which I did today).

A quick update on course conditions. Course is in real nice shape right now. Greens are rolling smooth as always at a medium pace and are holding approach shot very well. Sand traps are excellent and tee boxes are level and lush. Fairways are lush for the most part with a few thin areas here and there. Skirt areas around the green are very lush offering great lies for the chance to get up and down.

Paso Robles GC is always a favorite track that offers good use of all clubs. See my previous review of the track for more details on the layout.

I had to drop some money off to my contractor, who's office is 2 blocks from this course so I made him come out and play. We used the Golf Moose coupon so it was only $40 for the two of us with a cart. I've never played here but I've heard from others it has decent greens.

First the layout. As Sixpez mentioned, it's a yawner. Front nine has one little lake in front of a par 3 green that makes things interesting otherwise the front 9 is just a parkland setting with some trees to try and keep you honest. The back nine is WIDE open with the only excitement being a long par 4 with a pond in front of the green to make things interesting. And really that was only a challenge because of a strong headwind.

Conditions wise, greens were decent. They rolled smooth at a medium pace and held approach shots very well. There's nothing to the greens as they are all single tiered with just a traditional back to front minimal slope (for drainage).

Skirt area around the greens was lush offering a good lie 90% of the time. Sand traps were surprisingly nice. I was in two and both had great soft sand. Not the pure white pristine sand found at high end courses but definitely soft fluffy sand and very playable.

Fairways were ok. Green for the most part and offered a good hitting surface with a few thin areas here and there.

Most tee boxes were lush. The par 3 tee boxes were ok with a couple of them having excessive divot damage.

No sand in the carts for divots which I thought was odd. Clubhouse is an old rectangle shoe box building with no aesthetic appeal. Check in was super quick and easy. For $20 it makes a decent little "kill some time" course. Actually, layout aside, the course conditions are definitely worth the $20

Was "forced" to play Carmel Valley Ranch today. We practically had the course to ourselves all day. No one behind us for 4-5 holes and we never caught up to anyone until the 17th and I'm still not sure where that foursome came from! Greens were rolling the perfect speed at a medium fast pace. Greens were still firm with approach shots rarely leaving a divot.

Fairways are green and lush. First cut of rough is very playable with the second cut being "good luck" territory. As in good luck finding your ball and good luck getting a club on it if you do.

Wildlife is plentiful with an abundance of deer and turkeys on the back nine. The front nine is easily walkable but the back nine would be extremely difficult to walk due to the severe elevation changes and long transfers between holes.

Definitely a recommended "go to" course in the peninsula.

Greens were punched a week or so ago and have not been mowed in probably 3-4 weeks. Fairways still have a number of winter thin areas. Tee boxes are in good shape as is the area (skirt) around the green. Range balls need replacing as 1/2 are severely weathered and cracked. I'm not a fan of the gas powered carts.

PG is always an enjoyable track. Course starts out out with two par 3's then a driveable par 4 on the 4th hole. Front nine is set in a tight wooded scene with several looks at the ocean from a few blocks above. Hole 9 is a 220 yard par three that plays directly into the wind.

The back 9 is set right on the ocean and winds around the lighthouse. Gone are the tree lined fairways of the front with sand dunes guarding the edges of the fairway. The beauty of being right on the ocean comes with a price, as the wind will now be a factor in almost every shot on the back nine.

Hole 17 is a short iron par 3 with the ocean directly on your left and a forced carry over a pond in front of the green. It doesn't get any more beautiful and fun than that!

Greens are small but roll smooth and are soft, easily holding approach shots. Fairways are in very nice shape as well. Tee boxes were a little thin on a couple of the par 3's but were divot free.

Customer service is great in the pro shop. Course does have a range and carts have a USB port for charging electronics but do not have GPS. Probably because GPS devices frequently don't work at this course. I believe it has something to do with interference from the lighthouse. Be prepared for your electronic device distance device not to work here.

Restaurant has a great view but that's the extent of it. Food is way overpriced and garbage.

Overall, PG is a super fun course at a very reasonable price.

It's hard to believe I haven't played here for 3 months. Blackhorse is one of my peninsula favorite courses. Conditions are usually above average (but not quite superior like Quail or Spyglass). Blackhorse is a challenging course. Every green has multiple tiers and breaks making the preferred landing area very small. In addition to that the greens are firm so holding approach shots can be difficult at times.

The layout is fun with several elevation changes throughout the course. Numerous views of the Monterey Bay help ease the pain of the difficult greens.

Greens are in decent shape but are in need of the upcoming maintainance next week. They are rolling a little slow (medium speed) right now. More than likely they haven't been mowed in a couple days due to the rain we've had this week.

Fairways weren't bad. A few thin areas but very playable throughout. Fairways were super soft due to the recent rain so roll out on drives was non-existent.

First cut of rough was lush throughout.

This course sits in a cooler foggy area of the peninsula. It's not uncommon for temps to be 10 degrees cooler at Blackhorse than at surrounding neighborhoods just a few miles down the road. It may be sunny and warm at your hotel but it can be cool and damp at Bayonet/Blackhorse. Come prepared with extra layers.

Also, unlike Bayonet, you will not go back by the clubhouse at the turn (or at anytime during the round). The beverage cart is regularly out during prime time and there is a cooler with bottled waters on the 10th tee box. Other than that make sure you are stocked up with food and drinks.

Dragonfly is finally doing some major maintainance on the sand traps! It looks like they are following suit with other courses in the valley and overhauling the bunkers. I can't wait! Not that it will help my pathetic sand play but that's another story. I was in 6 bunkers today which ranged from poor to ok at best. The good news is that within a few weeks the bunkers should all be very nice.

As for the rest of the course, it's still in great shape. Greens roll smooth and true. I will say that I'm curious about their mowing procedure. The speeds were all over the place on the front nine. They were consistently on the medium/slow side on the back nine.

Fairways are still dormant but very playable. Beverage cart was out making the rounds as well.

Quail is always a great course with superb conditions. Greens are spacious with nothing too drastic regarding undulations. They were rolling super fast today. Well struck balls would hold but anything coming out of the rough would run like crazy.

Fairways are about as close to perfect as you'll get. Fairways are also pretty wide making it easy to rack up the FIR stat. It also helps pace of play. Tee boxes are level, lush and divot free. Sand traps have excellent sand in them.

Course was packed today and was cart path only making the POP slower than normal.

Track is slightly above average with top notch conditions all around. The restaurant
/bar has outdoor seating that looks onto the driving range and 9th green. A local secret is the Thursday night prime rib! Staff at the resort and course are always super friendly.

Course is 90% flat so it's easy to walk as most transfers are pretty short.

If I had a complaint it would be the need for more restrooms on the course and a beverage/snack cart.

A quick update on course conditions since my January review . Greens are fast and smooth as usual but are starting to show signs of needing aeration. Still, they remain a strong suit of the course. Fairways are dormant but very playable. Sand traps actually have SAND!!!

The Maintenance crew was out today dumping sand in a few of the bunkers so it looks like they are in the process of upgrading the bunkers to quality sand. Sweeeeet!!

After that the only thing the course needs is a lake or two. Clubhouse is the best in the valley with Pheasant Run being a close second. Nothing else even comes close. Staff is always super.

Dragonfly is always a go to course while in the valley. Fairways and tee boxes are completely dormant but offer great hitting surfaces. The color of the grass may be brown but the lies are great. The fairways feel like your walking in a soft sponge. That softness did kill any rollout from the driver but offered a very nice hitting surface on approach shots.

Greens were a little firmer than normal but still rolled nicely when putting. This is only my 3rd time walking the track. Whereas it is a completely flat course there are some long transfers between a few of the holes.

The 18th has now gone from a long par 4 to a short par 5. That is unless you're playing it in the summer afternoon headwind. Then it's a bonafide par 5.

There was no beverage cart out but being a weekday with expected rain, I can totally understand that.

Pace of play is always average here. I was stuck behind a five some who wouldn't let me through for 8 holes then I blasted through the remainder of the course.

All told this is a solid track with very nice playing conditions.

It's been a while since I've played here. This is usually my go to course for a quick inexpensive mid week round when I'm feeling lazy (or it's too cold) to go for a bike ride. Unfortunately, I was stuck behind the last group of a high school tournament so it was much slower today. Usually mid week I can finish in well under 3 hours.

Conditions have deteriorated since the last I time I was here in September or October.
Greens were about the same as usual which is slightly under what you would expect for a muni course. Though they were rolling much faster today which was nice.

Fairways were thin and patchy. 1/2 the lies were decent, 1/4 were bad but playable and 1/4 were foot wedges to a decent hitting surface. Areas around the green were the worst. Very hard to get any type of decent lie.

The rough was actually pretty nice. Thick but lush in most places. Tee boxes were the same as the fairways with even worse conditions on the par 3's. Part of that may have been because I was behind a tournament.

Customer service is good unless James is working then it's great! He makes everyone feel welcomed and comfortable whether you're a first time beginner or scratch golfer. Also, the gals in the kitchen are very friendly with great customer service skills

I've detailed the course layout in other posts so I won't go into much detail here. Its basically a flat muni style layout tight front 9 that's very walkable and a more open back 9.

I've never seen a beverage cart here but then, I always play mid day midweek.

Whereas course conditions have slipped a bit over the last few months, I know they are working hard at getting it back into shape.

I've played Avila a half dozen times or so and conditions seem to come and go like the tide. Greens were in decent shape. Firm and fast. They had a few pitch marks here and there that caused some bumps and lumps, but weren't too bad overall.

Fairways were ok. Tee boxes were absolutely atrocious.

As for the layout, it's a blast. Avila is a shot makers course with a few wide open holes to blast away in between. The track has hills to negotiate like the par 5 #3 you have to go up and over to get to the small green, a few lakes/ponds surrounding par 3 greens and three forced carries over the ocean inlet.

Hole #11 also has a small cutout in the middle if a hill that you have to negotiate. Other tee shots require place kicker accuracy to split the uprights between trees planted on both sides of the tee boxes. Fun times!!

You will use every club in your bag and every shot in your arsenal. Fun factor meter on this course is pegged, with conditions .... Good enough to let you post a good score but bad enough to give you an excuse if you don't.

I kept hearing a bunch of hoopla about some course called Rams Hill. Seeing some great reviews on GK I told myself I need to play it and see what it's all about. One slight problem. The course is waaaaay out in the middle of nowhere. It's about halfway between San Diego and Palm Springs. Not a bad drive if you live in either of those places but a heck of a haul from Northern Califirnia. With so many great options at both locations, Rams Hill just never made the list on any of the So Cal golf trips.

Johnny GK gave me an invite and when the MAN himself invites you, you make the trip.

And let me tell you it Was worth every minute of the drive!!

The course had everything that I like in a track: elevation changes, multiple water hazards, great playing conditions, and excellent customer service.

Per my intel this used to be two private courses that is now one "resort" style course. Greens were spacious that offered some fun challenges but gentle enough to give up a handful of birdies to the group (sadly none to me).

Fairways are wide enough that errant shots can usually be found in the first cut of rough which was thick but manageable.

The water hazards are off to the side with hole 11 having a river/stream flowing down the entire left side. It's probably my favorite hole on the course. There are no forced carries over any of the water hazards which takes a couple points off the design For me but not that big of a deal breaker.

The views are amazing and all in all the layout is awesome with a number of fun holes. Most holes are fairly straight with only a couple of severe dog leg holes.

There have been some recent articles about Rams Hill being the third best resort course behind Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. Whereas I can't say that I agree with that statement (there are just so many great courses in California) I can say that Rams Hill is Definitely, definitely worth the drive and a fun track.

I did have several issues with the website, but that may have been a compatibility issue with my iPad.

Pheasant Run is one of my favorite courses in the valley. Unfortunately the conditions are below standard right now.

Pheasant run is a fun track full of water hazards. 13 of the holes have water in play(ish) with an island green on the par 5 18th. The greens had recently been sanded (maybe a couple weeks ago). No big deal. If you want excellent conditions then you have to be willing to deal with some maintenance from time to time. The greens are usually the strong point of the course. They are fairly large and most are two tiered but nothing too drastic. they are known to roll smooth and fast.

Pheasant Run is all about taking advantage of the Par 3's & 5's and surviving the par 4's which are all very long.

Sand traps are Much Much improved. I was in 4 bunkers today and all were excellent to play out of. Fairways were a dissapointment. A mix of thin; dormant, dead, and dirt. Worst I've ever seen here.

Tee boxes were below average but tolerable. Rough is non existent. After the fairway you get hard backed dirt with a few trees here and there. Usually pretty easy to play out of and it makes the driving distance look good when you get an extra 40+ yards of roll. Like my 298 yd drive. (Carry 230 & roll 68) Lol.

Hopefully they get the conditions under control soon to make this a solid go to track when in the valley or traveling up/down Hwy 99