Played 12/26/13. After playing Elkhorn a few days before, I have to say this course is keeping up nicely.

Greens: excellent condition, completely smooth, a little soft but quick! No ball mark da... Continue »

Played 12/26/13. After playing Elkhorn a few days before, I have to say this course is keeping up nicely.

Greens: excellent condition, completely smooth, a little soft but quick! No ball mark damage like the last time I played here. Overall just how I like them, challenging but not so fast they are unfair.

Fairways: excellent. For winter they were not soggy at all, ball rolled great. No divot damage at all.

Tees and sand: tee boxes in excellent to great shape. Only a few par 3s had some divots but nothing crazy or out of the ordinary. Tee boxes were level. Sand was good on most holes, a little thin and wet but overall no complaints.

I said Elkhorn was better a few days ago, but after this visit they are equally great. I'd play whichever is less busy for the day.

Played on Saturday early afternoon. Perfect weather conditions. Course was in great condition. Pace of play was perfect. Starter was very accomodating allowing us to play earlier than scheduled time. ... Continue »

Played on Saturday early afternoon. Perfect weather conditions. Course was in great condition. Pace of play was perfect. Starter was very accomodating allowing us to play earlier than scheduled time. Fairways were in pristine condition. Punched greens made putting somewhat of a challenge. Beautiful layout with water on several holes. Interesting grass bunkers on several holes making it a new challenge. Very peaceful out in the San Joaquin Valley. Could use some yardage markers on the course. Overall a very pleasant experience. Will definitely come back to this links style course.

Just a quick update on the course. Surprisingly the condition of this course has survived the heat of summer for the most part. While a few fairways are rock hard, they are still green in most places ... Continue »

Just a quick update on the course. Surprisingly the condition of this course has survived the heat of summer for the most part. While a few fairways are rock hard, they are still green in most places and only a few areas that are a bit thin and/or brown (expected when near the greens/fairways in the 'common' landing zones). Maintenance has begun on a few of the fairways with the tell-tale irrigation pellets that remind me of giant moose droppings ... The greens are still in good shape but once the final large group tourney's end for this season, they will recovery to their normally smooth speedy selves. The Traps - there are a few that can use some added sand and the rain from about a week ago, didn't help their condition any ... but most are still playable. The Wind - this is what makes this course so fun (for me anyway) ... it adds a lot to the course personality. When it is a dead-calm day, the course is easily manageable. but let the fury of the Delta Breeze blow, and you can expect a two club swing in distance at times ... like a 120 yard 8 iron!, instead of a PW!!! on the short Par 3, 13th hole ... And yet, reward you with a mammoth drive on the 14th hole! (Providing you hit it in the Fairway) I like a round that makes every shot a 'second guess' and requires good course management... And with the amount of water that comes into play ... you would be wise to err on the side of caution ....

I love this course, a little pricey, but worth every bit of the cost. The value for the dollar is worth the fun. Pace of play can be slow for some, but the pace was never more than 15 minutes for th... Continue »

I love this course, a little pricey, but worth every bit of the cost. The value for the dollar is worth the fun. Pace of play can be slow for some, but the pace was never more than 15 minutes for the play on any one hole ... the round still was less than 4 hours, which is fine for a Saturday afternoon. The course was in really nice shape compared to most of the other courses I have seen this time of year (for Stockton area). The course has plenty of water and sand to keep you from going too wild. It is a Links style course and the Delta breeze can be counted on to make club selection interesting. It is easier to name the holes that doesn't have water in play. They are as follows: #1, #4, #5, #6, #8, #12 (providing you don't fly the green LONG!), and #15. The last 3 holes are my favorite, the 16th is a 490yd par 5, the tee shot demands you place a good shot in the fairway or you find "beach front property" on the right and the left. The approach shot to the green, demands that you keep it straight, or to the right, else your can guarantee a lost ball. The 17th, water is in play all along the right (not good for those of us that fade the ball that direction as a norm). The same goes for the 18th hole. Water is in play, all the way to the green along the right hand side, and bunkers to protect the left side of the green. This makes coming out of the trap, a scary ordeal to stick the green or risk losing the ball in the "Long Pond" which is shared with the 9th hole ... This same scenario exists on the par 3, 13th ... the bunker on the left side of the green, is not one you want to hit the ball thin, or come out HOT! ... The course is also home to several species of wildlife ... Hawks, Coyotes and Geese ... and I saw a snake the other day ... so keep an open eye when looking for your ball in some of the "OB" areas ... I would not hesitate to play this course again!

This is on my regular rotation so I have good idea of changes in the course. First let me say that I usually always walk and it usually takes me 3 to 3.5 hrs. This day I was paired up with a great o... Continue »

This is on my regular rotation so I have good idea of changes in the course. First let me say that I usually always walk and it usually takes me 3 to 3.5 hrs. This day I was paired up with a great older gentlemen in his 70s he knew his capability and played from the forward tees. However we were behind a 3some that thought they were all TW. At one point the guy waited for the green to clear when he was about 290 out with water on the left. You guessed it he made the water. It took 4.5hrs. Way to long.
The course is starting to show summer wear from play and the heat. Some of the fairways are getting thin and overwatering is the name of the game. The greens are getting bumpy and are a great deal slower than they look. Also, there are too many unrepaired ball marks.
The tee boxes are getting the worst part of the deal they are getting thin and are getting pretty divot marked up.
I still enjoy playing here as one can truely let the driver go, and the greens are a fair size so one can take chances. The only thing I hate is rounds over 4hrs.

This is about as good as I have seen this course, including when they held a us open qualifier. The greens are great, they rolled about 10-10.5 and could be a bit faster. They roll very true and if ... Continue »

This is about as good as I have seen this course, including when they held a us open qualifier. The greens are great, they rolled about 10-10.5 and could be a bit faster. They roll very true and if you get a good read the ball goes in. Played as a single with no on in front of me 1- 9 then a foursome on ten that let me play thru on 11. It was pretty windy 10-15 with gusts to 25. I feel that these type of conditions just make you think and concentrate a bit more. The fairways are really good although a bit soft from the recent rain so there's not much roll. Lower shots are the order of the day. Played in about 3.5 hours walking. This is the time to play here.

Played on 3/2/13 at 9am. The course was booked solid until 1:30 due to the warm weather. Even though the first few holes were backed up, the course opened up and pace of play was not an issue for th... Continue »

Played on 3/2/13 at 9am. The course was booked solid until 1:30 due to the warm weather. Even though the first few holes were backed up, the course opened up and pace of play was not an issue for the rest of the round.

Greens: A lot of foot traffic/ cleat damage on the greens. Not sure why, it seems like people are careless walking around the greens, leading to huge spike marks and footprints. Greens also had a lot of ball marks. Aside from the heavy traffic, the greens were very firm, and quick. Play shots to the front of the pin and you will be fine.

Fairways and rough: Both are in excellent condition. Plenty of roll on the fairways and no divot damage at all. Rough was fine, I don't remember much about it, other than it is thick around the greens making for tricky chips onto slick greens.

Sand: Excellent also. Plenty of sand in all the bunkers. The waste bunkers are a little thin right now, but I don't expect them to be as nice as the regular bunkers.

Overall- Aside from the greens being a little worn from traffic this course was playing awesome. The quality of the course compared to others in the area was worth the green fee. If the greens recover soon the course will be perfect.

Played at 8:45 AM on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Booked the day before on Golfzing.com at discount rate of $38 per player ($11 off the rack rate). Arrived about 20 minutes before my tee time. Small line... Continue »

Played at 8:45 AM on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Booked the day before on Golfzing.com at discount rate of $38 per player ($11 off the rack rate). Arrived about 20 minutes before my tee time. Small line at the pro shop desk, as a tournament was going off behind me. Check in was smooth after waiting a couple of minutes for my turn. Loaded up, found the starter, and got out on the course on time.

The Reserve is a links-style layout with very few trees on the property. The are several bunkers, water comes into play on about 1/3 of the holes, and there are several undulations which make you forget you are in a flat area. The largest issue at this course is that it is on the San Joaquin Delta so the wind usually kicks up in the afternoon. Today the wind arrived early. Depending on direction, the difference was a good 1-2 longer or shorter.

The course itself was in pretty good shape considering it rained a bunch earlier in the week. The fairways were wet, but not near as muddy as I expected they would be. My ball didn't pick up that much mud at all. The greens were very soft and on the fast side. They were a little bumpy as the course gets a lot of play, but it wasn't too bad. All in all I enjoy playing this course and will return.

The heat is beginning to take it's toll on the course. Overall the course is still very playable but is one was to look a little deeper it appears that the heat, lack of water and players not fixing ... Continue »

The heat is beginning to take it's toll on the course. Overall the course is still very playable but is one was to look a little deeper it appears that the heat, lack of water and players not fixing their own damage is wearing on the course.
The greens are very bumpy, slow, and inconsistant. Some have been aeriated some have been sanded etc... The fairways are still in pretty good condition, but being a walker you see where the bare spots are, same with the rough.
The bunkers are also just ok. There is what I call sirt (sand & dirt ) its playable. There wasn't a lot of play today, I'm not sure if it's due to the weather, the condition, or the green fees. I will be waiting until the fall to play here again.

The Reserve at Spanos Park Golf Course Review
Stockton California Golf Course Reviews