Played on July 11th and 12th, 2011; out early (about 7:30). Monday must have been a "no mow" day, because Tuesday saw faster greens. The course is amazing. Virtually immaculate from tee to green. It w... Continue »

Played on July 11th and 12th, 2011; out early (about 7:30). Monday must have been a "no mow" day, because Tuesday saw faster greens. The course is amazing. Virtually immaculate from tee to green. It was re-made a few years ago and the millions that went into it has not gone to waste. Bentgrass fairways and greens. Elevations galore, undulating greens, and immaculate bunkering make for a wonderful and scenic challenge. Sand traps had some of the best sand I have ever seen (just like Pebble Beach) and had inticate "fingers" cut into the edges. If you were not careful to stay away, you could easily get caught on the wrong side of a lip. July weather is cool, foggy, and occasionally drizzly. There is a special rate found on the course web site right now: $65 Sunday, $49 Monday through Wednesday, and includes a cart. Good through the end of this month (it actually was a carry over from June). You may want to ride as this course is hilly, there are long distances from many of the greens to the next tee, and you will need your energy when you get to 18 because it is over 600 yards from the back tees! Customer service was great. Staff was friendly and helpful. The grounds crew, although super busy on the Bayonet 18, did a great job setting up and maintaining the Blackhorse course.

Blackhorse is in fastastic shape right now, played Thursday, June 9. Even after the rains, the greens are firm and fast. I really cannot over emphasize the importance of your approach shot on this c... Continue »

Blackhorse is in fastastic shape right now, played Thursday, June 9. Even after the rains, the greens are firm and fast. I really cannot over emphasize the importance of your approach shot on this course. It takes a few rounds to really figure it out, then you're okay, but if you can't spin the ball, well, you better have some patience. NCGA discount. Walkable. Highly recommended.

What a great surprise. A very enjoyable course in outstanding shape. They really take care of the layout. Great variety of holes. Greens were very undulating and quick. Some nice views of the bay... Continue »

What a great surprise. A very enjoyable course in outstanding shape. They really take care of the layout. Great variety of holes. Greens were very undulating and quick. Some nice views of the bay. Head Pro actually loaded our bags and gave us some tips. This will be in the rotation for all future trips to the area. Great day.

Played here last month. Great course. Quick pace of play. Drained great after a lot of rain. Challenging but fair. Very well maintained. A steal at this rate.

Played here last month. Great course. Quick pace of play. Drained great after a lot of rain. Challenging but fair. Very well maintained. A steal at this rate.

IMO, better of the 2 course here. Played 12/12 as 2nd 18 of the day. Bayonet was good but not great so we expected about the same but we got a nice surprise. The greens were in much better conditio... Continue »

IMO, better of the 2 course here. Played 12/12 as 2nd 18 of the day. Bayonet was good but not great so we expected about the same but we got a nice surprise. The greens were in much better condition and overall, course was much more interesting. Only hole I didn't like was the 2nd hole par 3. With the back pin placement, it was 230 yds from the 2ND TEE. From the BACK TEE, it was over 250yds. It plays slightly up hill and wind was in our face. I hit a cut driver to get on the middle of the green. I'm not sure how many can even get to the green with this set up. 4 guys we played through, they were on here forever. LOL. I loved the up and down layout and varying length of par 4's vs. Bayonet seemed like every hole played same. I throughly enjoyed this course and I highly recommend playing it. Take advantage of the $59 Sunday football special. Great layout, great course and great food. Nice combination. I will definitely play it again when I get back in town. 2 thumbs up.

Played the course on a cold but crisp day this week, after several days of steady storms in the area. But you wouldn't know it from the firmness of the greens, which were a joy. The course as always w... Continue »

Played the course on a cold but crisp day this week, after several days of steady storms in the area. But you wouldn't know it from the firmness of the greens, which were a joy. The course as always was in immaculate condition. My only gripe has nothing to do the conditions but rather the severity of "mounding" on the greens. These greens, not the complexes, are poorly designed and not really designed to be played at the speeds they were running. If the architect was trying to imitate St Andrews then the speeds should have been in keeping with the course conditions (generally slower), but if its meant to be Augusta (during the Masters) then why bother inviting the general public. The refurbishment of the 2 golf courses is generally positive, but it has led to a degree of sameness to the holes in that the challenge is relentlessly the same over the 18 holes, and I am not talking about water. The bunkering is predictably in the same locations on all holes vis-a-vis the sight lines, and barring a few holes does not allow for run-up shots that would be useful to counterbalance the movement and speed in the greens.

played 8/13, afternoon replay after bayonet in the am. interesting design philosophy - forgiving off the tee, but greens are heavily defended, with difficult runups, and multiple tiers with lots of m... Continue »

played 8/13, afternoon replay after bayonet in the am. interesting design philosophy - forgiving off the tee, but greens are heavily defended, with difficult runups, and multiple tiers with lots of movement that bring 3 putts into play at > 15 feet or so. has a gaudy feel to it. certainly the fingered bunkers are eye candy, must be a b***h to maintain. same comment as bayonet about the greens - didn't roll as pure as i'd expect bentgrass to roll, but i also wouldn't be surprised if they have not been able to keep poa out given how prevalent it is here. still, overall a very solid track, and replay rate of $55 makes it a good deal. afternoon brings the wind into play, but it was manageable that day (1/2 to 1 club at most).

These two courses are in simply fantastic condition right now ... the remodel has got to put them at the top of any 'Best of California' golf courses. Immacualte from tee to green. Black Horse: diff... Continue »

These two courses are in simply fantastic condition right now ... the remodel has got to put them at the top of any 'Best of California' golf courses. Immacualte from tee to green. Black Horse: difficult for sure, but a great test of golf and a wide tee selection to make it a bit manageable for the mid hcp'ers. Not a course for the novice or those faint at heart. Fast, bent grass greens and the rough can be a chalenge to get out of ... every hole a pleasure to the eye. Can't say enough good things about this gem and can't wait to get up there again.

PS: good discount to NCGA members.

Extremely tough golf course. While it is kept in phenomenal shape it can get pretty unfair. The rough is extremely tough and will cost you at least a stroke if you are in it. This wouldn't bother me e... Continue »

Extremely tough golf course. While it is kept in phenomenal shape it can get pretty unfair. The rough is extremely tough and will cost you at least a stroke if you are in it. This wouldn't bother me except for the fact that the only way you can hold a green is if you hit a full wedge into the greens. These greens are rock hard. They roll great, but consistently cost you strokes from outside 150 yards because they won't hold anything. A course can be a challenge yet rewarding with either 5"+ rough or rock hard greens. But when you put both together it just gets to be unfair. Very tough course to shoot your handicap. I'd go back, but definitely a course the requires a different plan.