Booked a 12:30 hot deal as the first round of my current Norcal trip. I ended up getting off a little after noon, paired with a threesome. However, they were very slow players (one first time playing,... Continue »

Booked a 12:30 hot deal as the first round of my current Norcal trip. I ended up getting off a little after noon, paired with a threesome. However, they were very slow players (one first time playing, another novice at best, and no understanding of etiquette). A twosome caught up to us on the 3rd tee, and in the process of letting them play through I ended up joining the twosome and jumping ahead of those other guys. It was a big move because it probably shaved at least 1.5-2 hours off my round! Overall, it ended up being about 4 hours. The course definitely has a very run-down feel as others have noted. It's too bad because it has such a rich history and the layout/setting has a ton of character. The tee boxes were adequate. The fairways were mostly okay, with plenty of weak spots and inconsistencies to be found. The rough is really just dirt and debris. You definitely want to stay away from the outer edges because you will likely lose a ball or have a terrible lie at best. The greens were pretty good. Very soft and rolling on the slow side, but not too beat up. Some bunkers look like they haven't been maintained in years, while others appeared okay with at least enough sand to get by. Best to avoid them when you can. I was drawn to this course as they claim to be the oldest course west of the Mississippi, though there are others that claim the same thing or some other version of being the "oldest" (Gearhart and Del Monte come to mind). At some point, they flipped the nines. What is currently the front nine is very interesting and hilly. Kind of canyon/links hybrid. The back nine is a totally different animal with more trees in play, less elevation changes and a lusher overall look. I like the old school vibe, but this place needs a ton of TLC. Lots of potential that it will not reach anytime soon.