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.

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.

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!

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!

Not wanting to have a 5 hr round at Coyote Creek, I opted for a new course and decided on Spring Valley. Being my first time here, I came with an open mind. In short it was slightly above average muni conditions. Track layout was fun with a wide variety of hole designs. The total yardage on appearance seems on the shorter side but it’s only a par 70 so in fact it’s a “full distance” course. In fact all of the par 3’s are on the longer side (170-200+ yards).

Greens for the most part are single tier with modest slope. Greens rolled smooth but we’re on the slow side. The odd part was they were slightly on the slow side.

Whereas the fairways didn’t have the wow factor on appearance, they presented a great hitting surface with ample coverage throughout. Rough was also lush with good coverage throughout. Rough was manageable and not too penal

Tee boxes were level and divot free. Course is walkable (as I did) but not for the faint of heart. Course is set on a hillside, so there is a lot of elevation changes. Most transfers are reasonable.
The one major design flaw that kills pace of play is the 9th hole. A fun design with a forces carry over water off the tee. Problem is there’s no bridge across the water so you have to go all the way around the 18th hole (which also has a forced carry over the water). It’s not too bad if you are in a cart but put a few walking groups in and it gets backed up bad as it takes extra time to both go around the lake and wait for people on 18 to tee off before crossing in front of their landing area.

Customer services was excellent. All in all a fun experience and I’m sure I’ll play it again

It’s been a while since I’ve played the valley course. Conditions are pretty nice all around No issues at all with the greens. They rolled smooth at a medium fast pace. Most greens are double tiered making it key to be on the right level, otherwise a three putt comes into play

Tee boxes and fairways all had good lush grass and were divot free.

Pace of play in the afternoon is always slow here and yesterday was no exception. Luckily I was waiting for traffic to clear up so no big deal I opted for a cart even though the course is walkable. There are some longer transfers but the entire track is flat

Overall, the Valley course is a good option when in the area.

In short the course is in fantastic shape. Honestly, I’m not sure why I didn’t give it all 10’s. I played on Tuesday 5/16 and the greens were lightning fast. Probably the fastest I’ve ever seen them here. I played with my caddie here a couple weeks ago and the greens rolled much much slower (to the point where they were almost disappointingly slow). But this week the greens were fast and true as always. There were also some tough pin placements making putting a challenge.

Fairways were near perfect. Very lush and green throughout. Maintenance crew were also out filling in divots with sand. This last 18+ months has seen some of the best fairway conditions at Spanish Bay and the trend looks to continue. Again, I rated the fairways at a 9 and not sure why I didn’t give them a 10.

Tee boxes were the same. They have a few tee boxes closed off for reseeding so a couple of the white and gold tee boxes are combined right now as they get ready to head into “prime” season. Sand traps all have high quality fluffy sand and the rough was lush throughout. Rough at Spanish Bay is manageable. Don’t mistake that for easy, but compared to Spyglass Hill it’s survivable.

They are finally getting serious about rerouting the course and per my caddie a couple of weeks ago, PB Corp has narrowed it down to three architects (Tiger Woods Co being one).

Not sure when they will pull the trigger on the makeover but if you are a fan of the current layout get out and play it while you can.

In my bid to play Poppy more this year, I went out last Wednesday with SDF on a perfect mid afternoon day. Conditions are pretty much the same as they were in April with the exception the greens have firmed up and are back to normal for here. They still roll true at a nice fast pace but getting an approach shot is more difficult (especially compared to the greens at Spanish Bay). Middle and back pins aren’t much of an issue but front pins can be challenging.

Definitely a recommended peninsula

I took my “little” (he’s 6’4”) cousin out to Monterey Pines and this course just doesn’t get the accolades it deserves. Yes it’s a shorter distance Par 70 course, but the conditions are awesome. The greens are still healing from recent aeration and though they rolled fairly smooth, they still need about 10-14 days before being fully healed.

Fairways on the other hand were just short of perfection. Super lush and a deep
Emerald Green throughout. Tee boxes and bunkers are also of high quality. Pop was a bit of an issue as we got stuck behind a super slow foursome who ended up being 5 holes behind the group in front of them. Once we got around them it was clear sailing the rest of the round

Monterey Pines is an easy walk and a fun course to test your short game

Trying to get caught up on reviews. Played Dragonfly on Monday 5/8 as well as back in March. The course is improved quite a bit from the horrible March condition but it isn’t quite back to normal Dragonfly above average shape.

Greens weren’t bad as most were fairly smooth and rolling at a nice medium fast pace. Fairways in March were really beat up. They have improved significantly and though they might not look pristine, they prevent a very decent hitting surface. Tee boxes were ok. Nothing to complain about and nothing to brag about. Bunkers are so much better now than in last years. No issues at all.

POP was a bit slow but then my buddy struggled on the back nine so we lost pace as it was.

Not worth a trip but worth playing if in the area

Finally made it back out to Ridge Creek after about a 6-7 month hiatus. I almost forgot how much fun (and tough) this course is. We got it on a perfect sunny 72 degree day that made it a pleasant walk. The course is still transitioning from winter dormant to its lush summer green so the fairways still have a lot of brown to them but they present a great lush hitting surface as well as offer plenty of roll out.

Greens were receptive to approach shots and rolled true at a medium pace. RC usually aerates their greens in June so the greens are starting to show signs of heavy use in regards to pitch marks. Greens at Ridge Creek are nice and large and at first appearance appear docile but they present plenty of challenges in regards to breaks.

It looks like they have completed all of the bunker restoration. The sand is a very grainy almost small pebbles, but it’s deep enough to easily get a club under and it’s consistent.

Tee boxes were fine. RC has some very wide tee markers so you can usually find a good level spot that’s divot free.

Many of us have mentioned it before and I’ll say it an again. Keep it between the lines off the tee and the course is for the taking (2 birdies on the back nine) Stray off line and you will be adding those OnCores’s to auto ship! Theirs is a “first cut” of rough which is only about an inch tall. After that it 2’ tall weeds. I shot 11 strokes better on the back just by finding fairways.

Bottom line good track, good conditions and good times Restaurant is also worth eating at.

Played in the GolfMoose outing on Monday 4/17/23, teeing it up with JohnnyGK and RGM2525
This was my first time playing this course and I enjoyed the layout a lot. As the name suggests, it sits on a hill and just about every shot has some sort of elevation gain/loss to it. Some fun and creative dog legs in conjunction with the elevation changes makes for an exciting and challenging experience. Not only are all 18 holes different and unique but they are different and unique to every other course anywhere. Yet, They didn’t seem gimmicky

Conditions wise I’ll admit that whereas they were certainly acceptable, they were a tad below country club level. No issues with the greens as they rolled fast and true. Greens were a tad firm but nothing major. Fairways were average. A bit thin with some sporty coverage here and there. Again, nothing that hindered play and shots but not the carpet fairways of elite CC’s.
Tee boxes were level with good coverage Sand traps were ok. Some were thin to little dirt others very playable. It was a shotgun outing and POP was the usual 5 hours.

Weather was overcast and chilly. We never did see the sun. Course was certainly worth the price of admission and I’d play it again for sure.