I really wasn't very impressed with this golf course. The conditions were very much muni-like. I understand that they just reopened. The restaurant was closed. Although it was walking distance from th... Continue »

I really wasn't very impressed with this golf course. The conditions were very much muni-like. I understand that they just reopened. The restaurant was closed. Although it was walking distance from the hotel where we stayed, that's the only saving grace. The greens were small and super super fast. The fairways were full of unfilled divots because well, they didn't put any sand bottles on the carts. I don't even know what to say about the rough. There was no grass .... only tuftsof weeds growing up from sandy soil. Not impressed at all. I would never play this course again unless they spent about 5 million dollars fixing it.

So I'm not sure why I don't play here more often. I know the conditions in the past were hit and mis with the water issues. Well, I'm happy to say that conditions are great right now. We tee'd off ... Continue »

So I'm not sure why I don't play here more often. I know the conditions in the past were hit and mis with the water issues. Well, I'm happy to say that conditions are great right now. We tee'd off at 8:30 am as part of a 2 man scramble tournament. Gone are last year's dirt areas from the tee to about 175 yards out. Back is nice lush fairway grass throughout the entire course.

Greens are small as previous reviews have stated. They may be small but they have enough subtle breaks to keep you on your toes. Greens rolled smooth at a medium-fast pace.

Course has a few peeks at the monterey bay and with the mid 70's temperatures and no wind whatsoever, it was a very enjoyable day.

Was staying at the Hyatt next door and decided to hop on over and play Del Monte. What a pleasant surprise. Not the high profile of other courses in the area but a tremendous value. Super friendly sta... Continue »

Was staying at the Hyatt next door and decided to hop on over and play Del Monte. What a pleasant surprise. Not the high profile of other courses in the area but a tremendous value. Super friendly staff and an extremely fun course. Fairways were in great shape and the greens were a little fast. I was warned that the course was a bit dry by the staff but compared to some of the courses here in Southern California it was downright lush. If you are looking to play a Monterey course without the hassle of some of the other properties I would highly recommend this one.

Played 10/26 second round of the day walking this one. Finishing half hour before sun setting into the Pacific.
Have been on the course before for Mecum car auctions in August and was looking forwa... Continue »

Played 10/26 second round of the day walking this one. Finishing half hour before sun setting into the Pacific.
Have been on the course before for Mecum car auctions in August and was looking forward to playing the classic design. The Hyatt Regency is right on the course if you need close quarters.
Prior two reviews properly describe playing conditions. The greens are small and on the faster side of medium speed. Held shots well. Lush and green like the fairways.
Recommend

Second round of the day was at Del Monte Golf Course and what a treat. It’s not every day you play a golf course for the first time that was designed in 1897 (not a typo!). On top of that it’s very fu... Continue »

Second round of the day was at Del Monte Golf Course and what a treat. It’s not every day you play a golf course for the first time that was designed in 1897 (not a typo!). On top of that it’s very fun.

Again teed it up with Alex326, Deepsea14 and rgm2525 this time not a GK Cup Match but a battle for the BCB birdie chain.

Outside of the large areas of dried out turf due to water conservation about 150 to 200 yards in front of the fairways and adjacent to the rough on the majority of holes, the playing conditions were great. Small pure medium/fast rolling greens. Lush fairways and rough. Bunkers had nice white sand and well groomed. Tee boxes were level and lush. Mature layout with big trees and strategic bunkering. Greenside rough was longer than the fairway rough and it made a difference because of the small greens with tricky pitch shots. I hope you have a lob wedge you’re very comfortable with because there's no bump and run going on here.

We teed off at 2:40 and finished just in time before dark around 6:25. I thoroughly enjoyed the new experience especially the 6-12 stretch of holes. Absolutely love hole #9 par 5 that doglegs right around some mutual trees. This golf course is a great option to play especially if you know someone that is a member of their Dukes Club ;)

I only wish they had a driving range but understand how primo that real-estate is.

Check out the photos I posted – Recommended!

Was trying to decide between an afternoon bike ride or a walk around the course. Since there has been talk of making Del Monte part of an upcoming GK team match, I decided to go check out the course ... Continue »

Was trying to decide between an afternoon bike ride or a walk around the course. Since there has been talk of making Del Monte part of an upcoming GK team match, I decided to go check out the course being I haven’t played it since the covid restart.

First, a little background on why Del Monte was so late to the party after getting the ok to re-open. When golf courses got the green light in Monterey County to re-open in May, Del Monte waited until October before deciding to open. This was due to increase water charges from the City of Monterey. Management decided to wait until fall when temperatures are cooler (apparently those 4 degrees make a difference?) and the course would use less water.

As I’ve mentioned in my Spanish Bay reviews, they have cut back some of the fairway to conserve water. Del Monte has done the same but in an extreme way. Whereas at Spanish Bay they just let the first 50-75 yards of grass go brown (in a Palm Springs dormant style), At Del Monte it’s quite a different story. The fairway’s don’t start until about 200 yards off the tee box. The dirt area between the tee box and new fairway beginning, is chewed up gopher hole ridden lumpy dirt. Very unappealing to both the eye and the safety of walkers. I frequently chose to walk on the cart path in order to avoid twisting and ankle, knee or breaking a hip (I’m at that stage of life where that’s a concern now).

I completely understand the need to save some costs in order to make a profit during these unprecedented times. But, I think they went a little too far with this new look. I posted some pictures on the GK app but they don’t do justice to how rough and unstable the ground is in the brown dirt areas.

As far as the rest of the course. The greens were awesome. Greens at Del Monte are small in nature with most having either a front to back modest slope or two tiers that are pretty manageable. Greens rolled smooth at a fast pace. I’d say they were even fast than the greens at Spanish Bay this past weekend (that could be due to the moisture/fog in the morning). The only thing keeping the greens at Del Monte from being a 10 was that they were a tad on the firm side so getting even well struck shots to stick was tough.

The parts of the fairways that were watered were green and lush. The rough was a mixed bag. Some areas were thick (only 2”-3” tall) and other areas were patchy and thin. Once off the fairway, it’s hardpan dirt with thousands of gopher holes.

Bunkers were excellent with top notch sand in them. Tee boxes were also of top quality. Level, lush and divot free.

As I’ve mentioned before, the course is very easy to walk. Except for the new bumpy dirt areas anyway.

I’m undecided on whether or not I would recommend playing Del Monte right now. For the rack rate of $110 plus cart, I’d have to say pass on it. For my rate it’s 50/50

I went out and played Del Monte mid-morning on a perfect sunny day with no wind. Even though we get free carts in February, I opted to walk to help loosen up some stiff muscles. The course is very e... Continue »

I went out and played Del Monte mid-morning on a perfect sunny day with no wind. Even though we get free carts in February, I opted to walk to help loosen up some stiff muscles. The course is very easy to walk with most transfers are within 20 yards of the last green and the entire course is fairly flat. There’s just enough elevation to make it interesting but none that are steep.

Conditions tee to green right now are fantastic. Greens were on the semi-firm side but not too bad. Well struck approach shots with wedges and short irons would easily hold. Greens rolled smooth at medium-fast pace. Greens at Del Monte are small and most are two tiered so being on the wrong side of the pin can be a tough two putt.

Fairways were excellent. They were a nice deep emerald green color and lush, offering the perfect combination of roll out yet plenty of cushion for easy ball striking with irons.

Tee boxes were also top notch. Level and lush with very few divots. I was only in one sand trap and it was decent. The sand wasn’t very deep but the top layer was nice and fluffy.

Beverage cart was out and around several times. POP was at about 3 ½ hours. The layout is what most would consider a parkland style so the inner holes have plenty of room for error as a missed shot will usually just end up in the adjoining fairway. The tall cypress trees are prevalent on most holes and remind you that you’re in the thick of the Del Monte Forest.

Customer service is always friendly. Sort of like a bed and breakfast. Yes, it’s a business but they treat you more like family.

Right now Del Monte GC is probably in the best shape I've ever seen it. Conditions are usually above average here but today the track was in excellent shape. Greens are almost (95%) healed from last... Continue »

Right now Del Monte GC is probably in the best shape I've ever seen it. Conditions are usually above average here but today the track was in excellent shape. Greens are almost (95%) healed from last months aeration. They rolled super smooth and fast. Greens at Del Monte are are on the small side with most being single tiered with back to front slope. Fairways were a solid 9. Very green and lush throughout. Tee boxes bordered on a 10. Easily a 9.5. Lush, level and divot free. Sand traps were the low point. I was in a number of bunkers and almost all of them were very thin. Course is Easily walkable with all tee boxes being within 50 yards of the previous green or closer. Some are too close. Beverage cart was out most of the day and customer service is always friendly. POP was 4 hrs 15 mins. Del Monte is another good peninsula course that can be a bit expensive at the rack rate of $110 but for my $39 w/ cart it's an excellent choice.

I was itching to get out and play, as I hadn't been out since Jan.1 and probably won't get to play again before heading down south to Aviara in about a week. Decided to chance the weather and head t... Continue »

I was itching to get out and play, as I hadn't been out since Jan.1 and probably won't get to play again before heading down south to Aviara in about a week. Decided to chance the weather and head to Del Monte which is an easily walkable course. Track has slight elevation changes on a few holes but nothing major. Just enough to keep it fun. We had light rain for the first half dozen holes or so and mist off an on the rest of the round. Given that it has rained off an on for the last 3 days, the course was naturally wet. But still in decent shape. Greens which are very small, were smooth and divot free but rolling slower than usual. Most pins were in the back, up on the high side to avoid the few puddled areas a few of the greens had on the low sides. Other than the cold water in the cups, no real issues with the greens.

Tee boxes were excellent as always. Fairways are narrow at Del Monte, but the "first cut" is like 20' wide on each side so no real penalty unless you're really wild off the tee. Some of the fairways were swamp zone's but most were in good conditions. Give it a couple days to dry out and the fairways will be excellent. An easy 9+. First cut rough was very playable and sometimes even preferred depending on how wet the fairway was. I was in 3 bunkers and all were fine. Given the rain, I was actually impressed at how good the sand was in the bunkers.

POP, was non existent as there was only one other group out on the course other than us.
For the member rate of $39 w/ a cart during the winter, this course is a steal. For the $110 walking rack rate, there are better options in the peninsula.