Last round of the trip was this morning before heading back home. I was staying in Salinas, so this was the perfect place for an early morning round. I didn't know much about the course heading in oth... Continue »

Last round of the trip was this morning before heading back home. I was staying in Salinas, so this was the perfect place for an early morning round. I didn't know much about the course heading in other than it used to be Salinas Golf & Country Club (remember that when looking on Google Maps) and was private until recently. They've rebranded it with the horse theme and now allow some public play. I booked a 7:10 tee time through GN for $65. When I got there around 6:45, the first couple groups of early bird members were heading out, so they sent me out alone behind them. I ended up playing through both groups on the front nine and then had the rest of the place to myself for a quick round. Other than being super soggy this morning, the course was in exceptional shape all the way around. Amidst the rich farmland around Salinas, they surely know how to keep things lush and green. No need to go into specifics because everything was top-notch. Still feels like a well-kept private club and the secret's not quite out yet! I got the sense the members are still not quite used to the public transition, but everyone I encountered was friendly. I wouldn't quite say "welcoming," but friendly enough to me as I played through :) I really liked the layout. It was more dramatic and pretty than I was expecting. The front nine is very tight and hilly with a lot of tricky holes. The back nine flattens out, but still keeps you entertained. It's not a long course at 6,106 from the back blue tees, but it does require precision and length on a few holes to get around big doglegs and have proper angles of attack. Because it was so wet out, there was no roll-out on any shots, so it played much longer this morning than I'm sure it does later on in the day when things dry out. Parts of it reminded me of Hunter Ranch, and the elevated parts of the course offer some nice views of the valley. Great Central Coast feel with lots of trees. A real pleasant surprise and definitely worth checking out if you are rolling through Salinas. Highly recommended!