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 bum... Continue »

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.

Played the Blues (6557/72.5/133) with Alex326, Dale and Darren in 4H, 15M midday. The weather was around 60, sunny and windy. 2-3 club wind a good portion of the round. The customer service was good f... Continue »

Played the Blues (6557/72.5/133) with Alex326, Dale and Darren in 4H, 15M midday. The weather was around 60, sunny and windy. 2-3 club wind a good portion of the round. The customer service was good from all encountered. The tees were a mixed bag. A few were good, most were mediocre and a couple were bad. Adequate coverage, but numerous tees were either cut pretty high and/or could use leveling. The fairways had good coverage and were winter thin. The rough was mostly mowed down and also had good coverage, winter thin. I was not in any traps but they looked poor. Not well maintained and the sand quality was poor. The greens were very good however. Firm and medium fast, they rolled nice. Downhill putts were treacherous. There were a couple of pins on crests that if you missed even a tap in downhill, you were going to have 15' coming back. I played here once over a decade ago and remembered most of the holes when I saw them. The tree lined layout is up/down rolling hills and sits down in a valley, no ocean views even though you are less than a mile from the ocean. Demanding layout from the Blues, especially in the wind. 40-60 yard difference in the Blues/Whites on numerous holes. Examples of the extremes included playing 234B instead of 174W on the par 3 15th. On #16, 422B/376W, a dogleg left par 4, my best drive could not even reach the dogleg from the Blues playing into a 20 mph wind. Decent amount of doglegs and water, course knowledge would be worth a few strokes on where to aim and how the hills affect the ball once it lands. Above average layout in average playing condition, recommended.

Played here Sunday morning, second out as a single following a single. It was my first time here and I think this course could be in better shape. In order to give that other single some space and to ... Continue »

Played here Sunday morning, second out as a single following a single. It was my first time here and I think this course could be in better shape. In order to give that other single some space and to warm up, I played two balls on most holes. The course seems to need some more maintenance than it is receiving currently. The golfer ahead of me was a local who said many of the maintenance people are no longer there. First tee time was at 7:30 a.m., right after the kid on the greens mower. I saw one other maintenance person who was watering a couple of greens by hand. Other than that, there was only the cart barn guy and the starter at check in.

The course:

The greens were fast; maybe around 10 and definitely faster toward the ocean.

Fairways were somewhat inconsistent: some were a bit shaggy and needed mowing. It wasn't terrible, but you could tell. Also, there were several areas that were either too dry or too wet.

Rough was also inconsistent. Some areas of thick grass or really thin and dry. Also, areas that were too dry or too wet. If it was wet, then that did not get mowed and was roped off. The left side of 10 looked like a water hazard, but it was just mucky, wet, and roped off.

Bunkers were also inconsistent and a little crappy. Most had a thin layer of dark, fine sand. Some were wet or had rocks. They had not been raked and some had footprints from a day or two ago. A fairway bunker on the back side of 10 had piles of debris and grass that covered the entire bunker; you could not tell that the bunker was there until you were on top of it. It seemed to be a major part of the design of the hole and now it was totally neglected. Too bad.

Overall, I liked the course. There is a lot of character to it. Many forced carries on the back nine. Maybe a little tight in places, but if you can hit a straight shot you will be okay. You don't even have to be long. As part of a resort, there could be some more love put into the course to attract more people. There are deals out there, so if you are in the area check it out.

I left Avila Beach Resort GC with so many bizarre notions on Friday afternoon. It was fantastic. It was bizarre. It was in great shape. It needed work. The views are great. The layout is nuts. The qui... Continue »

I left Avila Beach Resort GC with so many bizarre notions on Friday afternoon. It was fantastic. It was bizarre. It was in great shape. It needed work. The views are great. The layout is nuts. The quirks are the ultimate in quirkiness. No two holes are alike. See what I mean? AVRGC is a garage band with a symphony conductor trying to pull it all together. The front nine is set in a stunning little valley, first going up into the heart of it, then coming back down to level ground. The collection of holes is truly unique - some fascinating and cool, others, while still cool, bizarre and confounding. For example, the par 4 2nd hole (used to be a par 3) is the most 'screw you' tee box ever, with two tall trees like goal posts the exact width of the tee box and only 20 yards in front of you. The par 4 4th hole from an elevated tee has a clearance about 200 yards away that can't be much bigger than a Cadillac. But there's also a gorgeous par 5 3rd hole, uphill and mesmerizingly fun. And an island(ish) green? Sure, why not? The par 3 6th hole is a 190yd downhill stunner. Now the back nine is an entirely different experience. It runs along and through an estuary near ocean's edge, and, while not quite as visually stunning as the surroundings on the front nine, it provides its own beauties with aquatic wildlife, birds and some pretty interesting holes as well. The par 3s on the back? Nuts! Both long and difficult to be sure. The par 5 11th features a bombs-away tee shot and then narrows between two prominent hills to around 20 yds and runs for 100 yds before opening up again. Water comes into play on many holes on the back nine, but it's still super fun. 18 features a long carry over water that really completes the round. I walked from the blue tees and it was quite a workout. The blue tee boxes they really do their best to stretch out as long as possible. And in truth, some parts of the layout are hard to follow, especially walking for the first time. There's also a long walk from front nine to back nine, so don't feel bad taking a cart. Conditions were mostly good, but two bones to pick on that front. First off, the fairways were in generally good shape with plenty of nice lies, but there were a few dried out spots here and there, but you don't notice much because you're so enthralled with all the weird awesomeness going on around you. The greens (with the exception of some real damage on hole 10) are really nice and accept high shots incredibly well. There are some very tough slopes on the greens to navigate here, like the par 4 7th for sure. The rough is thick and penal for sure but in many places your ball will sit up on the grass just fine. The two problem areas if we're being very picky were the tee boxes and the bunkers. The tee boxes in a few areas were a bit thick and unruly, and there were large collections of dead grass around them in some places. They weren't always that easy to find, either. The real area that needs work at ABRGC are the bunkers. They were (mostly on the back nine) hardpan, almost caked on mud on the surface and even had some standing water in some of them. No need to 'take' sand if stuck in one - just play it like a thin lie. They just looked like they needed lots of love throughout. The staff here is really great. They're super personable, enthusiastic and seem to love what they do and where they do it. It's a place that has an old-time feel to it (built in 1969 I believe) but is still doing its best to stay hip in the 21st century. But in the most bizarre kind of way, I loved it. I try and think of all the weirdness that should make me not enjoy this place, but instead I just end up with a silly grin and think about playing it again someday. By the way, there was only one picture up for Avila Beach, so I took a bunch and will post them later. You'll be able to see some of those memorable quirks I discussed above.

Avila Beach is a fun track in a great location for a little escape within a couple hours drive from most places. Greens can e hit and miss from time to time. They were in nice shape yesterday. The t... Continue »

Avila Beach is a fun track in a great location for a little escape within a couple hours drive from most places. Greens can e hit and miss from time to time. They were in nice shape yesterday. The track demands accurate shot placement and use off all clubs in your bag. You'll only use driver 4 times max on the front nine. Tee boxes are a little beat up and most sand traps are in need of attention.

Think of this as more of a muni course in a great location than a high end resort course. Overall it's a solid track well worth the drive and green fee. Staff is friendly and helpful.

Played 7/30 with a 7:36 tee time getting paired with another single and a twosome.

The course was in overall decent shape. Fairways and rough had solid kikuyu coverage with some areas around the g... Continue »

Played 7/30 with a 7:36 tee time getting paired with another single and a twosome.

The course was in overall decent shape. Fairways and rough had solid kikuyu coverage with some areas around the greens being very... Kikuyu-y (Anyone playing from this grass knows what I'm talking about). Tee boxes were hit an miss, most being solid and some being unlevel with some divot damage. This was usually for the smaller tee boxes that had been shoehorned in. Bunkers were playable though several had standing water. Greens were okay. Many were good but several had burned out patches that had recently been re-turfed (Or not re-turfed at all). Hole 12 had the worst damage but I also remember it the most as I had to putt through it. I'll probably give the course another go at some point as it's in good enough shape if you find a deal. Not worth their rack rates. (I paid $35 with cart through group golfer, definitely worth that.)

Day 2 of my golf trip, teed of at 9am and according to starter there was no one on tee sheet for the next two hours. Course reminds me of a longer Fallbrook, or reminds me a little of La Purisma. Th... Continue »

Day 2 of my golf trip, teed of at 9am and according to starter there was no one on tee sheet for the next two hours. Course reminds me of a longer Fallbrook, or reminds me a little of La Purisma. The fairways were great shape and not to much rough around the course. Course reminds me of more classic style courses with lots of mature trees and fairways that are a little narrower than most public courses. I thought it was a great layout and the ocean is 100 yards from the clubhouse. The greens were the real star here, rolled perfectly about 10-10.5 quick but not so quick. Overall the course is in really nice shape, the weather is nice and I would definitely play again..

I haven't played here in awhile, and now I know why. The thought the course was in overall bad shape. It appeared that they are not spending to much time on the maintenance of the course. The carts lo... Continue »

I haven't played here in awhile, and now I know why. The thought the course was in overall bad shape. It appeared that they are not spending to much time on the maintenance of the course. The carts looked like they had not been cleaned in months. Staff however was friendly. I don't believe I'll be returning anytime soon.

Played Avila Beach for the 1st time on Friday September 28th. One word comes to mind to describe this course...."Quirky". This course requires some prior experience to navigate through many of the hol... Continue »

Played Avila Beach for the 1st time on Friday September 28th. One word comes to mind to describe this course...."Quirky". This course requires some prior experience to navigate through many of the holes. The track itself is located in a nice area and I found the tees for the most part interesting. One thing to remember PRIOR to booking here is to call the course and find out if there are any resort hosted events happening the day you are planning to play. Why? Because if there is an event happening, 2 things will happen: 1) the driving range will be closed as they use that area for parking and 2) the course has an alternative layout that you may or may not like. The staff is very friendly and the starter was especially helpful to my wife and I showing us around and directing us where to get started at.

Avila Beach Resort Golf Course
Avila Beach California Golf Course Reviews