I grew up playing here although I havent played it for a couple months since moving to Santa Barbara for college.

Although I love the course dearly, it is incredibly overpriced. NOBODY fixes ball ... Continue »

I grew up playing here although I havent played it for a couple months since moving to Santa Barbara for college.

Although I love the course dearly, it is incredibly overpriced. NOBODY fixes ball marks so the greens are usually scuffy, although thats greatly the fault of the players.

It would be nice if people would walk a little bit B/C if the course was kept cart path only it would be beautiful, playing it so often, the course looks and plays great after a month on cart path only. Sadly most are too lazy to walk a little, oh well, thin fairways shall remain.

It's a beautiful course as far as location and views go and there are a few good holes on it.

It's hit or miss on condition but if you get it good, you will come back. I have seen it in A+ condition and I have seen it and laughed. It gets a ton of play, but i Definitely think it's a course to play once at least.

Played on Saturday, November 1st with an 11:20am tee time. Unfortunately, there was a scramble tournament ahead of us which resulted in a 5 HOUR 15 MINUTE round. Was a bit perturbed by the on-course... Continue »

Played on Saturday, November 1st with an 11:20am tee time. Unfortunately, there was a scramble tournament ahead of us which resulted in a 5 HOUR 15 MINUTE round. Was a bit perturbed by the on-course player assistant's remark that play was slow because they were "real busy today". My question is, if you've properly spaced the tee times and are intent on maintaining a 4-and-a-half hour pace-of-play, what does being "real busy" have to do with anything?

I noticed that the time clocks normally positioned on selected tee boxes were absent; haven't played here in quite some time so I'm not sure if they still employ the clock system as a pace-of-play monitor. On-course staffing also seemed a bit thin; only saw the marshall on three occasions, the last time being on the 16th fairway, where we were told we were a half-hole behind. Yeah, right.

And as a previous reviewer stated, there is no drinking water to be found on the course except for what's available at the two rest room stations on Holes 8 and 14. Course management appears to have decided to place the water cooler on the marshall's golf cart and have him dispense water as he tools around the course. Thankfully it wasn't hot out there today but once I had emptied my own water bottle, I was out of luck for quite a few holes.

As we we made our way from the 13th green to the 14th tee, we encountered the marshall and asked about the water situation. He stated that the cooler he had on his cart was "bad" and that there wasn't anything he could do about it as it was the only cooler out on the course. That just about did it for me...the perceived inconsideration and total disregard towards the patrons who make it possible for a facility like this to exist was unacceptable.

Providing drinking water is one of the basics yet those responsible failed miserably in this area. It's no wonder I choose to bring my own water or Gatorade rather than risk being "hung out to dry" in a situation such as this. Get your act together guys and get some coolers on the tee boxes!

Moving to the golf course itself, playing conditions were good. The greens were in good shape with few ball marks and approach shots held well. The speed of the greens was on the moderately slow side and fairly smooth, although the 16th green appears to be overrun with some type of fungus. That green is severely pock-marked and the ball bounces all the way to the hole. Fairways were acceptable and the rough is quite long as the overseeding was completed just a few weeks ago.

The tee boxes seem to be neglected somewhat as quite a few of them are not level and some are pretty thin with regards to turf coverage. I've come to the conclusion that Encinitas Ranch will rarely be in pristine condition so I don't set my expectations very high whenever I choose to play there.

In summation, it's a fairly easy track with plenty of room off the tees on many of the holes. Therefore, if you're striking the ball well and stay below the hole on most of the greens, a good score is easily attainable. It's a good place to play when inland weather conditions are hot but there are other options available where you'll definitely get your money's worth.

Although I may have spent a little too much time dwelling on them, the issues I discussed at the beginning of this review should be considered if you're expecting a stress-free experience at Encinitas Ranch. I would have expected better attention to detail from a facility managed by JC Golf.

At the JC Member rate this is a great all around course. Ocean views and a creative back nine with elevation, carries and a blind horizon on #16.

Can be slow so get out early.

At the JC Member rate this is a great all around course. Ocean views and a creative back nine with elevation, carries and a blind horizon on #16.

Can be slow so get out early.

Whenever I drive down to San diego I love to get in a round here. They are currently doing some re-seeding on the fairways, so it's complete cart path only. Kind of lame, considering the money you p... Continue »

Whenever I drive down to San diego I love to get in a round here. They are currently doing some re-seeding on the fairways, so it's complete cart path only. Kind of lame, considering the money you pay, but it will be in great shape real soon by everyone staying off. The greens are in excellent shape right now becaue they just got done being punched. The only draw back is at 70 or 80 dollars to play you would expect GPS but the carts are not equipped. Other than that it is a great course, you can even catch quite a few views of the ocean at some holes.. Love this course

Played the coarse today 7/22/08 I enjoyed myself. However they need to water the rough. Ideally I would never be anywhere but fairways and greens but.. an errant shot means playing on hard pack or ... Continue »

Played the coarse today 7/22/08 I enjoyed myself. However they need to water the rough. Ideally I would never be anywhere but fairways and greens but.. an errant shot means playing on hard pack or a bald spot.

They also need to add water (drinking) to the coarse. Their is nowhere to get a drink mid round.

For the money, the course is in poor condition - greens bumpy, bare and thin spots on fairways. Many areas under repair - two of my playing partners actually hit maintenance vehicles parked in the fa... Continue »

For the money, the course is in poor condition - greens bumpy, bare and thin spots on fairways. Many areas under repair - two of my playing partners actually hit maintenance vehicles parked in the fairways. Added to all that the immediate hard-sell attempt to get us to buy JC club memberships, and it soured me on a course I used to love to play.

I think the guy before me who posted a review on this course was a little harsh on the course. O.K. the course is not worth $90 (maybe $40-50) but its in pretty good shape. A couple of the fairways... Continue »

I think the guy before me who posted a review on this course was a little harsh on the course. O.K. the course is not worth $90 (maybe $40-50) but its in pretty good shape. A couple of the fairways need some help but the greens were pretty good (med-fast). The rough is thin in some places. People (including the marshal) NEED to be fixing some of the heavily pock-marked greens. The bunkers had a lot of sand in them but it was good sand. The tees have always been uneven. ER has some nice scenic holes on the back. The wind can really play in the afternoon. Lighten up my friend or stay at the country club were you belong!

Do yourself a favor and when you’re driving down Interstate 5, just throw your $90.00 out the window, pull over and toss your clubs onto the freeway and have your playing partner kick you in the nuts ... Continue »

Do yourself a favor and when you’re driving down Interstate 5, just throw your $90.00 out the window, pull over and toss your clubs onto the freeway and have your playing partner kick you in the nuts and then call it a day. Believe me, you will thank me later, but what ever you do PLEASE DO NOT PLAY THIS TERRIBLE “GOLF COURSE”. I don’t think there could possible be a course superintendent and if there is someone should be looking at the management of this course. I’m having trouble right now even calling this a golf course, I don’t even think cows would graze here. Question: Does anyone think I liked this “golf course”
Answer: NO

First time I've ever played the Ranch in under 4 hours. Teed off at 7:12 AM Saturday morning and finished at 11:00 with only a couple of groups in front of us. The greens are OK, but really slow - l... Continue »

First time I've ever played the Ranch in under 4 hours. Teed off at 7:12 AM Saturday morning and finished at 11:00 with only a couple of groups in front of us. The greens are OK, but really slow - looks like they aerated within the last few weeks but I'm not sure. Fairways are a little thinner than usual, rough is about the same. There's hardly any danger on this course, and that - coupled with the average conditions - make it hard to justify the $72 JC Player's rate on the weekend. Not to mention the constant sales pitch to renew the JC card at every single one of their courses. E-Ranch is convenient, and easy, but pricey - kind of like most North County courses.