Played Blacklake this morning. I had a Groupgolfer voucher to use up before the end of this month, so I made a little mini trip of it, as you can tell. The deal was awesome...$39 for unlimited play (a... Continue »

Played Blacklake this morning. I had a Groupgolfer voucher to use up before the end of this month, so I made a little mini trip of it, as you can tell. The deal was awesome...$39 for unlimited play (any day/time) and also included free food (one menu item and a drink). Good excuse to finally check this course out, especially since I at least wanted to sample all 27 holes here.

I got there around 6:00am and there were a few golfers milling around. The pro shop didn't open up until closer to 6:30 and then they started letting people out immediately. I went out first by myself on the Canyon nine and then played Oaks right after that. Didn't run into a soul on either nine, so I zipped right through. I enjoyed both of these nines. Much more secluded and "natural" than expected, though there are plenty of houses surrounding most of the holes. The conditions were pretty good. The greens were nice and consistent. They were soggy in the morning, so that helped on approaches. The fairways were decent. The rough was hit and miss with a lot of bare patches and little dirt piles. A lot of oak trees and eucalyptus trees create a nice Central Coast vibe.

Then I got to the Lakes nine. This side was packed, so I joined up with a twosome. The pace was still OK (probably about 2 hours). This nine was mostly in awful shape. The greens were OK (though much firmer after drying out), but the fairways looked and played like garbage. Very thin and mostly dead with a lot of bare hardpan areas. The rough wasn't anything too spectacular either. The 9th hole fairway was actually in pretty good shape, though (more like the other nines), so it at least finished on a decent note. The Lakes nine was also the least interesting layout of the three, if you ask me.

I ended up playing the Canyon nine again, to make it a nice even 36 holes. I was finished with all 36 by 12:45, so that was pretty awesome and I could have played a lot more if I wanted to.

The guys I was playing with said that the owner is purposely putting more time and money into Avila Beach right now than Blacklake (same ownership) and the addition of Monarch Dunes/Cypress Ridge has definitely hurt Blacklake, so it's been falling into a state of disarray the past few years. I'd love to see it restored to excellent shape someday because I thought the layout was enjoyable (especially on the Canyon and Oaks nines). It seems they do have a lot of great unlimited play deals going on here, so it can definitely be a great value compared to the nearby tracks if you are just looking to get out and play while in the area.

Blacklake Golf Resort Review
Central California Golf Course Reviews

Played 09/19/2011, 4some on their two month special which ends 09/30/2011. $45 unlimited golf w/cart plus lunch w/soda or beer. Played 18 in the AM and 18 in the afternoon. The greens were very inco... Continue »

Played 09/19/2011, 4some on their two month special which ends 09/30/2011. $45 unlimited golf w/cart plus lunch w/soda or beer. Played 18 in the AM and 18 in the afternoon. The greens were very inconsistent and as a previous reviewer stated looked like 'cauliflower'. The bunkers are in need of sand. I was only in one bunker but there was no 'fluff' whatsoever. Playing partners also complained about lack of sand in bunkers. Good course layout, pace of play was 4 hours as a 4some and never had to wait. Lots of elevation changes and a few blind drives. Course was busy with players. The included lunch was good.

Enjoyed playing there for the $ on the special but would be disappointed if I played at the posted rates. Other ongoing specials include $11 for 18 holes; add a cart for an additional $11. Sign up on e-mail list to receive specials.

The after golf steak dinner at Jocko's in Nipomo was excellent.

Played at 1 today with best friend. Pace of play was wide open and done in 3 1/2 hrs. The Lakes course was in solid shape but the "Lake" around #8 & 9 had no water in it...and the greens on the Cany... Continue »

Played at 1 today with best friend. Pace of play was wide open and done in 3 1/2 hrs. The Lakes course was in solid shape but the "Lake" around #8 & 9 had no water in it...and the greens on the Canyons course were punch/aerated/sanded. Overall a good experience...onto Monarch Dunes tomorrow.

Played Blacklake today 10:30am tee time. We played Canyon and Lake. Of all the courses that we played in Central Coast, this course right now is probably in the worst shape, especially the burned o... Continue »

Played Blacklake today 10:30am tee time. We played Canyon and Lake. Of all the courses that we played in Central Coast, this course right now is probably in the worst shape, especially the burned out fairways and all the greens that look like giant cauliflower. Local regular told us that they lost one of the water pumps recently and had real problem getting enough water for the course. I'm also told that with all the focus on getting enough water, they kinda let the greens go for a while. All of the many lakes on the course had minimal or almost no water. Fairways did not bother us too much but it was truly hard to get any kind of consistent roll on the greens. In spite of the bad, the course itself sits on a truly great piece of property. Visual for the course was much better than the Monarch Dunes or Cypress Ridge nearby. many of the holes were shaped with towering Oak(?) trees that seemed 80 - 100ft high. I can only imagine what it would look like once they can get it back to shape. Since we enjoyed playing different courses, we were ok in spite of the conditions. However, would not recommend to others until they get the greens back at least.

Played 10/12 Sund with coupon to play Avila and Blacklake for $99. We got lost using goggle map. Better call the pro shop for direction before trusting the goggle map. Good customer service. This ... Continue »

Played 10/12 Sund with coupon to play Avila and Blacklake for $99. We got lost using goggle map. Better call the pro shop for direction before trusting the goggle map. Good customer service. This is three nine hole courses. They have been aerating the greens few weeks ago. We played Lake / Canyon courses. Greens are healing very well. Fairways are in good condition. Greens are bit slow due to aeration. Bunkers are just OK. There are few holes with water hazards. Very enjoyable courses.

This course has three nine holes Canyon, lakes and Oaks very good lay out some holes if your not down the middle your in trouble well worth the money.

This course has three nine holes Canyon, lakes and Oaks very good lay out some holes if your not down the middle your in trouble well worth the money.

Blacklake Golf Resort has three 9 hole courses, our choice at the time was Lakes/Oaks. Would like to return and play Oaks/Canyon. The Oaks has some interesting holes that that made it fun to play ther... Continue »

Blacklake Golf Resort has three 9 hole courses, our choice at the time was Lakes/Oaks. Would like to return and play Oaks/Canyon. The Oaks has some interesting holes that that made it fun to play there. We had a great time and the service was excellent.

This course was in good shape, especially since they had just plugged the greens. The greens were sanded, and soft which made it nice cause you could go right at the flag. Was a little disappointed ... Continue »

This course was in good shape, especially since they had just plugged the greens. The greens were sanded, and soft which made it nice cause you could go right at the flag. Was a little disappointed in the greens cause when I played the course in January, the greens were amazingly nice!! Overall a good course to play in you are in the area, and would recommend to my friends.

27 great holes. Fun residential layout. Not long but, challenging. Remeber where ocean is on the greens.

27 great holes. Fun residential layout. Not long but, challenging. Remeber where ocean is on the greens.