Just played the course in a NCGA Net Tour. Saturday April 9th. Had not played it for some time. Was in good shape. Like all most every course in the Bay Area they had plugged some of the greens and ar... Continue »

Just played the course in a NCGA Net Tour. Saturday April 9th. Had not played it for some time. Was in good shape. Like all most every course in the Bay Area they had plugged some of the greens and are do to finish Monday April 11th. The reason I know this is they posted it at the front door. The staff was very helpful on what greens that had been done (6) and the rest were running slow do to the up coming plugging. The greens looked good and putted slower then I'm use to. I have played some golf in my day and respect the Course Maint. Dept. on the jobs they do and need to do! It's just so funny to read peoples comments about plugged greens when we all know they do it twice a year. It's part of Maint. I'll be back!

Played 3/19/22
$71 plus $40 for a shared cart ($91 per person). Not even close to being worth it.
Played with a party of eight and all agreed that greens were in very poor shape, and we will not be ... Continue »

Played 3/19/22
$71 plus $40 for a shared cart ($91 per person). Not even close to being worth it.
Played with a party of eight and all agreed that greens were in very poor shape, and we will not be going back.

First round of three today. They don't open until 7:00, but we were first off and we cruised around with nothing to slow us down (other than a failed attempt to ride the little elevator/funicular on t... Continue »

First round of three today. They don't open until 7:00, but we were first off and we cruised around with nothing to slow us down (other than a failed attempt to ride the little elevator/funicular on the back nine that apparently wasn't turned on yet by the time we were there). This was another GolfMoose twosome voucher with a GK gift card, so a sweet deal. The course was in pretty nice shape considering the wet winter and the super hilly/difficult terrain here. It was cart path only and a lot of walking. Things were wet, but plenty playable for the most part. Tee boxes good. Fairways lush and soft with a lot of grass clippings. Rough pretty challenging. Bunkers decent. The greens were also in pretty solid shape, rolling well at medium speeds. If they did punch less than a month ago, they are completely healed. It makes me think they didn't aerate (yet), so I'll have to follow up. I really enjoyed the layout. This is a fun, funky and unique course. It's extremely hilly, but plenty of regulars seem to walk it. Beautiful secluded setting through the canyons and overlooking the watershed which is basically a huge lake right now. Big greens with plenty of undulation. Lots of old trees in play. Probably not for everyone, but the kind of layout I like because it's interesting all the way through.

Indian Valley is a very unique track: Extremely beautiful with no houses within view (except for the working horse ranch along 3 & 17), an abundance of wildlife on & around the course, and Amazing vi... Continue »

Indian Valley is a very unique track: Extremely beautiful with no houses within view (except for the working horse ranch along 3 & 17), an abundance of wildlife on & around the course, and Amazing views of of Stafford Lake & the surrounding hillsides.


Played Monday 9/17 & tee'd off around 11:30. PoP was decent atabout 4-hours. Beautiful day, but the wind was definitely a factor. The course is in decent shape, with the greens being the best part. They were mostly smooth, soft & medium/fast. Some bare areas. Tee Boxes are in decent shape with many not being level & definite divot damage. The fairways are mostly okay, with some wild variations between wet/lush & dry/thin. The rough was like the fairways, with lots of variation. The sand traps were in good shape, with good firm sand & were well cared for. Overall, I would describe the course as "Scruffy", as many courses are around here in late Summer.

If you are ever in the area, I would recommend playing Indian Valley as it is a very unique & visually stunning course. Elevation changes are extreme & the majority of holes are funky & quirky. There's an actual working elevator that takes walkers from 14 up to the tee on 15, however this is a very tough course to walk.

Price $45 Fridays $65 Sat & Sun, cheaper on weekdays. The course is playing the best it ever has for such a long stretch, mainly becuase the greens have been kept a bit slower and this has made them m... Continue »

Price $45 Fridays $65 Sat & Sun, cheaper on weekdays. The course is playing the best it ever has for such a long stretch, mainly becuase the greens have been kept a bit slower and this has made them more consistent speed wise from green to green and is more in line with how much slope they have. THe course, over all, is very green and well watered, a surprise with the current drought conditions. I do make one concession to play here and that is to only take their tee boxes as suggestions because they will have you launching uphill to steeply downhill holes or sidehill lies into tree lined fairways and occasionally you will find your swing interferred with by untrimmed plants and fences.

If you want to learn how to hit all the shots in golf this is your course: uphill, downhill, sidehill, into the wind or against the wind, this course has variety. In fact the the first hole which is t... Continue »

If you want to learn how to hit all the shots in golf this is your course: uphill, downhill, sidehill, into the wind or against the wind, this course has variety. In fact the the first hole which is the hardest first hole I have played wiil give you all these shots on a long difficult par 5 measured at 528 yds. from the back tees, but playing more like 560 yds. You won't find a prettier course with big views of hills and dairy farms, turkeys running around, bobcats, deer, caspian terns, egrets and the usual horses and cows. The greens are somewhat small and there are plenty of bunkers around the course to protect them. Since the area is hilly you will find the greens very hilly and challenging to putt. This course has fairly generous fairways and tends to overuse out of bounds stakes since there is a lot of in course out of bounds, If you play 18 holes here and don't lose a ball or more you have done well as there is a lot of tall grass off behind many holes and off the fairway rough. Just the same short hitters seem to like the course even though it tends to pick on them a little as there are at least five holes that present obstacles that only hinder short hitters. This course will drive you nuts but you will still have fun playing, oh and if you can walk because there is a funicular on the back nine that is a highlight feature of the golf course with a slow ride up a large hill looking out over the lake.

This is a very well-designed course. There is something for everyone. Many elevated tee shots, many flat ones. Uphill holes, downhill holes. Very nice greens of medium speed, medium hardness, various ... Continue »

This is a very well-designed course. There is something for everyone. Many elevated tee shots, many flat ones. Uphill holes, downhill holes. Very nice greens of medium speed, medium hardness, various sizes and undulation. Conditions vary from perfect to very good, depending on time of year. My only complaint is that some of the tee boxes are not flat, but they have been continuously rebuilding the worst ones, so they will eventually all be flat again. A little pricey on the weekend, but weekday rates and the weekend twilight rate are very fair. Twilight always starts at a very generous 12:30.

Indian Valley Golf Club Review
Novato California Golf Course Reviews

Played on a warm summer day. Course is in a beautiful location adjacent to a reservoir in Marin County, although the reservoir only comes into play (barely) on one hole. Fairways and rough were in ve... Continue »

Played on a warm summer day. Course is in a beautiful location adjacent to a reservoir in Marin County, although the reservoir only comes into play (barely) on one hole. Fairways and rough were in very good condition. Greens were very slow and some were bumpy as well. Some tee boxes were at little uneven, though others were fine. The course has a great variety of holes, a fact that has kept me coming back since I played here as a kid in the mid-60's. The course is much improved from then, though the layout is the same. Trees figure prominently with stately oaks in the middle of several fairways. The back nine is particularly hilly, with the World War 2 army elevator taking you from the 13th green to the 14th tee if you walk. Despite the other comments, I didn't find the pin positions especially troubling. Also, I have never known wind to be a significant factor, even when using the elevated tees.
Two things bothered me, although I may be quibbling. First, a maintenance man was watering the around third green as we made our approach shots. My playing companion hit a nice shot which rolled on the green with enough speed to get to the back of the green, where the pin was. When we reached the green we discovered the ball about a foot on the other side of a hose that was stretched across the green, about 30 feet from the hole. It seems like it hit the hose and stopped. the guy saw us coming but kept on watering with the hose strung across the green.
Second, we played the first nine holes behind a very slow threesome that quit after 10 holes (??) We were a foursome of bogey golfers with two of us walking and two riding. A few holes later the marshall started following us and later told us that the back nine was backed up behind us. We finished in a little over 4 hours, so I don't understand what the problem was.
Again, these are quibbles that are fresh in my mind. The course will make you think, even though it is on the short side. It will also reward your eyes.

Indian Valley Golf Club Review
Novato California Golf Course Reviews

This is a relatively short course that tries to compensate by setting pins in tough positions and even unfair positions. Greens are small and heavily protected. The rough is too tall and thick very n... Continue »

This is a relatively short course that tries to compensate by setting pins in tough positions and even unfair positions. Greens are small and heavily protected. The rough is too tall and thick very near the hole and you will lose your ball in many areas near the hole. I just don't think you should have a blind shot that results in a lost ball five feet from a green. Despite this the course is fun to play with interesting shots from fairways, uphill downhill and sidehill. It does get frustrating, though, after you find yourself three putting greens because of non recommended pin placement and variation in green speeds. Less than a handful of times have I seen decent pins, one of those was because the USGA set the pins for a small tournament.

Indian Valley Golf Club Review
Novato California Golf Course Reviews