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Played yesterday morning with Eli1488 and my buddy Bob. We had a 7am tee time and were the 3rd group out. Course continues to impress me with the conditions of the fairways. The are over the top excellent. The greens rolled a bit slower than normal. They still rolled smooth at a medium-fast pace but they were a bit slower than at other times here. In fact, if I had one complaint about Spanish Bay (other than the severe undulating greens) would be the pace of the greens. They seem to change week in and week out from moderate to wicked fast.

I was in a few bunkers and noticed that a couple were a bit thin with the sand. On hole 14 they have a couple bunkers under repair with piles of new sand ready to go. Hopefully they are upgrading all of the bunkers so they will have perfect fluffy white sand throughout. As of now, they are all playable but not top notch Pebble Beach quality.

POP was about 4:15 which for an early morning was a bit on the slow side but the waiting wasn’t too bad. We never saw the sun the entire round which is normal for the peninsula this time of year. No wind to speak of so that was a decent trade off.
8 Likes.
Checked off another new course in the area. Played Bay View this morning with a7AM tee time to beat the heat. A buddy from San Jose joined me an it was his fist time playing as well. Check in was great as the gentleman in the pro shop was awesome. Super friendly and helpful. I grabbed a small bucket of balls (extra) and hit the range. This might have been the strangest part of the entire set up. Range is off of mats, which is no big deal. It’s irons only (not a problem for a warm up) and is super narrow (odd but ok) with a large lake running down the left side of the narrow landing area. The must teach scuba diving at in the afternoon to retrieve all the balls.

On to the layout. The entire course is on a hillside similar Callipe Preserve and Spring Valley. The difference with Bay View is that most holes traverse the hillside horizontally so the fairway has some serious slope making your landing area tiny. I will say that I didn’t lose a ball all day so it is possible to navigate around the course. The layout has a good variety of holes with less than driver off the tee and dog legs left/right. There are also a few water hazards on the course. If you told me the same person designed both Bay Hill and Callipe Preserve, I wouldn’t be surprised.

As far as conditions go, it wasn’t too bad. Greens were very nice. They rolled smooth at a medium pace initially then sped up as the sun warmed things up. Greens have some tuff slope to them but they are predictable.

Fairways were decent for the most part. Overall they had good coverage but there were a number of thin and dead areas throughout the course. Rough was consistent throughout. Only about 1’ tall and not very penal.

Most tee boxes were level, though a couple had a bit of unevenness to them. Sand traps had good quality sand in them.

Conditions weren’t as nice as Callipe Preserve but they were good enough for the $50 w/ cart early bird special. They also do a senior special (Tue, Wed, Thur) prime time for $55 with range balls and a drink.

I’m pretty sure I’ll play here again.
7 Likes.
Quick review. The Tournament Course will undergo aeration on August 7-8
The Valley Course will undergo aeration on August 21-22

Played yesterday afternoon. Wind was up which was actually nice as it kept temps down a bit. Summer heat is showing as the fairways now have a few brown areas. Not bad overall. Just a few here and there. Greens are excellent unrated them an 8 but really they could be a 9.

Sand traps have nice sand in them but sadly no one here ever takes the traps.
6 Likes.
Wanting to check out a never played before course while up in Fremont, I decided on Callippe Preserve. This course sits a couple miles off Hwy 689 between Sunol and PLeasanton. Course is tucked up in the foothills that was mainly dry hills. The two kids in the pro shop were excellent and the starter was OK. I joined to local retiree’s who guided me around this fun but tricky layout. The course has a ton of elevation changes throughout and a number of forced carries over barranca. It has a good mixture of holes that require strategy off the tee.

Greens had some serious undulations to them. They rolled true but at a slow pace. Greens also held approach shots very well. Fairways were also nice and lush for the must part. There were a few thin brown areas but not that many. Overall the fairways were very nice.

Rough wasn’t too penal. Just enough to hold up your ball from rolling into the barranca. Tee boxes and bunkers were of good quality. POP was slow (almost 5 hours) which is apparently the norm for this place. Overall it was a fun course and I’ll definitely play it again.
6 Likes.
After the weather canceled two attempts to play here in March and April, we finally got out and played Spyglass yesterday afternoon. As expected the course is in perfect condition tee to green. After watching a bit of the Women’s US Open down the road, I headed to the range. To my surprise we were hitting off the grass. This is a rarity at the Spyglass range. Due to the Pebble range being closed off the range was packed. I even ran into a GK’er who was preparing for a tournament at Spanish Bay.

Onto the course, and it played perfectly. Greens were smooth as glass (and rolled at about the same speed). Greens held approach shots well and though at first glance, they look docile, they can be wickedly tough with sneaky big breaks. My go to caddie (Mitch ) was playing with us and even he had trouble with matching up the speed to the break.

Fairways were like carpet. A nice lush emerald green carpet. And none of that factory second junk. There wasn’t a blemish to be found on the entire course. Rough was also lush and consistent throughout. Rough seemed to be a bit more manageable than usual. But not easy by any means.

Tee boxes were level, lush and divot free. Top golf wishes they had hitting mats this good.
If I had to give the course a ding, it would be the sand traps. All were beyond good, just some were a tad thin (nitpicking here). POP was just over 5 hours yet as one of my friend (who was playing it for the first time) said, it went by too fast. At courses like this, you just don’t mind a 5 hour round. We never saw the sun all day, but it wasn’t too cold. About a 1 club wind the majority of the day was all. Expected for an afternoon round here.

An enjoyable (but strenuous) walk with some of the most magnificent golf anywhere. Obviously, highly recommended.
6 Likes.
Where to begin…. Yes, I still thoroughly enjoy the layout of this course. However, conditions are dwindling fast. Not sure if the course is in a state of transition due to the housing construction and turf transition or if they are focusing in on the bigger money (the housing development) instead of the course.

Greens are still firm and fast and roll true for the most part. There are some greens that have some disease on the edges but for the most part they kept the pins away from those areas.

Fairways aren’t too bad. It’s just there isn’t much of them (fairways) They have ripped up half of the course both the fairways and the immediate areas surrounding the fairways. There is about 10’ of rough which is thick enough to stop the ball if hits it. However if you miss the rough your ball will sail off to no mans land.

Most tee boxes were ok but 1 or 2 were dirt. Construction for the housing is in full force. Bottom line is this place is changing at rapid pace. The question is will it be for the better….
9 Likes.
Played Del Monte this morning with a 9:30 tee time. Course is in excellent shape all around right now. They are getting ready for the Monterey City amateur tournament in a week or two so they have the course in prime condition. Greens were fantastic all around. As mentioned before, the greens are smaller in size with most being single tier with a traditional back for from slope. Greens remain slick downhill and manageable uphill. The greens rolled super smooth all day long.

Fairways rivaled that of the the big three in PB! They were that good. Very lush, extremely green and offered a perfect hitting surface as well as some roll out. As I mentioned in Feb. there is actually some rough at Del Monte now. Not too penal but definitely enough to get your attention and to stop extra roll out. Not sure if it was my imagination but the actual fairways seem to have been grown in on a few holes. Might be for the upcoming tournament or it could have been my imagination.

Tee boxes were great as well. All were level with very little divot damage. Sand boxes were good quality with a couple being a bit thin. There was a women’s group tournament out early so POP seemed slow as we waited on every shot but it was actually just over 4 hours so not too bad in reality. It was actually a bit of relief as I was walking and the other three were riding in carts so it allowed me to casually stroll to my ball.

Customer service is more of a home cooked meal feel than a stuffy high end restaurant, in that it’s casual, relaxed and you’re made to feel welcomed.

The diner next to the pro shop is now open again after being closed for the remodel for some time. The course does have a few peeks at the ocean (if the fog clears) but you come to this place for the conditions and the old school parkland style layout.

You wouldn’t fly across the country to come play here but you want a course with great all around conditions to open up your peninsula golf outing then Del Monte fits the bill.
10 Likes.
The last stop of the San Diego leg of my So Cal trip landed me at Twin Oaks. This was my first time playing here. I had a bit of heads up on the layout and conditions from Long4Par. It was a fun layout with decent enough conditions. The layout sets on a hillside so there are some elevation changes throughout but nothing severe. Just enough to keep it from being flat and boring. There are a few water hazards on the course to add to the aesthetics and challenge. I liked the placement of the water in the fairways on 15. It’s a shirt Par 4 with the water in the preferred landing area so it makes you choose your club off the tee wisely

As far as the greens go they were in real nice shape. In fact they may have been the best of the trip. Greens rolls smooth at a faster pace than the other courses played. Greens were also soft and receptive to hold approach shots. Half the greens were single tiered with little slope and the others were double tiered making it crucial to be below the hole or at least on the correct level

Fairways were very soggy. There were also som GUR on the fairways throughout the course. Overall the fairways were average to a bit below average muni shape.

Tee boxes were level with good coverage Grass was a bit shaggy on the tee boxes but not an issue at all on holes with driver and really didn’t interfere with iron shots.

Overall it was a pleasant experience that I wouldn’t hesitate to play again.
6 Likes.
Played Aviara today with a 7am tee time. I love the layout of this tough scenic course. The course has everything you want from a great track. Elevation changes, water hazards (and awesome water features) unique hole designs, generous fairways yet severe penalty if you spray it too wide and one of the best clubhouses around. Add in the best staff in the business and you have a winning formula.

Greens are huge at Aviara with numerous undulations so you can easily three putt if not close. Greens rolled smooth and if I had a complaint, I’d say they were inconsistent speed wise with some rolling slower (medium pace) than others (medium fast +).

Fairways were lush and presented and excellent hitting surface. There was a lot of light brown color to the fairways throughout the course but they still offered a great hitting surface.

I was only in one bunker and hit had excellent fluffy sand. Most tee boxes have all recently been redone so they were all level with ample coverage.

Carts seem new as they had plush seats and GPS. Range was on mats in

Always a treat to play this track. Highly recommended.
8 Likes.
Day 2 of the San Diego trip landed me at Torrey Pines North course. This is the second time playing here and it’s a nice course but other than the ocean views nothing spectacular. Again the views or great so this review is more about the actual course itself. The layout is pretty ho hum with a number of been there done that holes. They change up the length of the holes which are all pretty much straight. There’s no real danger if you spray the ball of the tee sans a couple of holes. In fact you are often rewarded with an open shot if you spray it “too” far off line.

Condition wise it was decent. Fairway’s are narrow. Let me clarify that. They are hosting a top amateur tournament in a month or so so the actual thin fairway is narrow. However the landing area with the rough which isn’t too penal is fairly generous. As mentioned before, if you go outside of that, you often land in the adjacent fairway. there are only a few trees on the course to get in you way.

Coverage on both the fairways and rough were fine. The last time I was here, the greens were very slow. They were faster today but still only rolled at a medium pace. The greens don’t have too much undulation. Just enough to challenge you but still very fair. The greens were riddled with pitch marks. Both repaired and not fixed. We tee’d off at 7am so my guess is most of the pitch marks were from the previous day.

No issues with the tee boxes or sand traps. Both were of sufficient quality.

Combining the price and conditions to that of Spanish Bay, I’ll take Spanish hands down. However, when in San Diego, Torrey isn’t a bad option. Especially if you can get the resident rate.
8 Likes.
Day 1 of the San Diego golf outing had me at Maderas battling it out with Long4par. We tee’d off at around 11:30 under cloudy, cool and misty conditions. We encountered light rain throughout the day but it wasn’t too bad.

Course conditions were right what you’d expect for a track of this caliber. Check in was effortless and pleasant from the back drop where they load up your bag on a cart to the pro shop. Range is on natural grass which is included with the green fee.

Greens were in nice shape rolling at a medium to medium fast pace. They were slower than normal for here which I imagine was due to rain yesterday and today so the probably haven’t mowed and rolled them in a couple of days.

Fairways were lush with great coverage throughout the entire course. The rough was non existent. In fact the “rough” was thinner than the fairway at times. Tee boxes were all level with ample coverage. I was only in one green side bunker and it had excellent top not fluffy sand. I was in a couple of fairway bunkers and they too had high quality sand.

I thoroughly enjoy this hilly layout with some unique holes. It has some scorable holes and some tough ones. But the main objective is to keep it between the lines as even a slight miss hit can run off into the penalty area.

I Highly recommend Maderas. Even if I did drive 7 hours just go hand over the TBC to Long4par!
7 Likes.
I thought I’d throw in a few reminders about Spanish Bay especially for the first timers. I was out last week in the afternoon with Long4par and then a morning round with SDF on Wednesday. Course remains in fantastic shape. I had to give the fairways a 10 as I haven’t found a blemish anywhere in multiple rounds over the last month and half. SDF and I played after the rain (yes it rained in June) and the course was dry throughout.

Greens are rolling fast these days. I was in my share of bunkers and then some and most were great with a few being decent. Probably would think they were fine if not compared to the others which are near perfect.

Anyway, as a reminder. Spanish Bay does not have a driving range. You can use the range at either Spyglass Hill or Pebble Beach. Give yourself about 10 minutes drive time from the range to the course. It’s only about 5 minutes way but you can catch tourist traffic and get stuck behind someone driving super slow so give yourself time. Especially if you are taking the shuttle.

Also, Spanish Bay does not loop back to the clubhouse. Once you tee off on #1 you don’t see it again until after you finish 18 (and even then you have a walk/ride back). The beverage cart is usually out and about making several passes (I’ve even seen it out in the rain). However the cart mainly has drinks and light snacks, no real food. This is one of the reasons they want to do a course makeover.

All flags are red at Spanish Bay. Pin placement (they have a “pin sheet” at the starter desk) is broken down to Position 1 and 2 (front and back).

Customer service is always superb at Spanish Bay. They have a lot of new employees that aren’t quite as top notch as the OG’s but still a welcoming place

Weather has been all over the place in the Monterey Peninsula lately. Jim and I had perfect sunny condition with light wind in the afternoon yet Sal and I never saw the sun all day and had heavy wind for the last 5-6 holes. Tuesday it rained and Thursday was perfect sun and warm. So, be prepared with multiple layers of clothing. It’s “summer” in Nor Cal after all, so definitely have a jacket available!
9 Likes.
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