Last round of 2017 was Saturday 12/30 at MD with an early AM tee time. Was originally supposed to be paired with a threesome at 750am but I got there early and starter said I could go if I was ready. ... Continue »

Last round of 2017 was Saturday 12/30 at MD with an early AM tee time. Was originally supposed to be paired with a threesome at 750am but I got there early and starter said I could go if I was ready. So with that I was off the first tee at 730am sharp. It was cold but thankfully not cold enough for any frost delays. Playing through a couple of groups on the front and then having the rest of the course to myself, I was able to cruise around in 2 hours and still had time to spare for the breakfast menu at the Butterfly Grill (highly recommended!). I'm happy to report that the course is back to its usual great conditions. All aspects were good to great with the highlight being the greens which have fully recovered and are winter fast! Beware anything from above the hole. They held full shots quite well but chips and pitches tended to run out a bit. Fairways aren't quite as firm as you'd expect but still provide some roll out while providing a nice soft cushion underneath to hit from. Wasn't in any bunkers but they looked fine. Rough was lush and consistent but not very penal. Not much else to add compared to previous reviews. Service at all levels was great. Not sure if there was a beverage cart today since I was done by 930 lol. Always recommended if you're in the area!

Great Track even with course being punched last Monday.

Great Track even with course being punched last Monday.

Late review. Played last Thursday while spending the weekend on the Central Coast. Monarch Dunes aerated their greens for the first time ever last month and while the majority of greens have recovered... Continue »

Late review. Played last Thursday while spending the weekend on the Central Coast. Monarch Dunes aerated their greens for the first time ever last month and while the majority of greens have recovered nicely, there were a couple on the back 9 that still needed some time. They were noticeably slower and bumpier than usual as well as compared to other greens on the course that have recovered quicker. The good news is that the problem childs (#15 & #17) seem to have taken nicely to the punching and are better than I've seen them in a couple years. Fairways had some small areas of distress but they were being tended to by maintenance and should be back to 100% in short manner. Tees, rough, and bunkers are very good as always and the customer service here is always great. No snack cart today but that's ok. Weather was perfect but my game was not. Always recommended when in the area even in it's less than lofty current state. It's still better than the majority of courses around.

Played 4/22 as a twosome before a shotgun tourney. Teed off at 7:50 and got stuck behind a foursome that just didn't seem to mind playing slow and having us wait for most of the day. What should have ... Continue »

Played 4/22 as a twosome before a shotgun tourney. Teed off at 7:50 and got stuck behind a foursome that just didn't seem to mind playing slow and having us wait for most of the day. What should have taken us 3 hours or less took up about 4.5 hours. It's a great course, though, and the weather was perfect all day.

I played from the tips and the tee boxes were in excellent condition. Minimal divot damage and plenty of coverage. The fairways were in great condition as well. Semi-soft but still got some roll out on some of my drives. The rough was thick around the greens but less penalizing around the fairways. The bunkers had great sand and were a pleasure to hit out of. The greens were as always hard and not very receptive unless you hit it high and pure. I had multiple well hit longer irons that just didn't get the check up that I usually get. The greens had recently been verticut and also had a light dusting of sand as well. It didn't affect the speed of the putts too much, as they were rolling quite fast, but getting the breaks read correctly was a challenge. I talked to the starter after the round about the greens and he said that because of how much rain they've received they have been having some trouble keeping the greens at their regular condition, so the verticut and sanding was basically their way of punching without losing the greens for a month. Still, a very enjoyable round and I'm sure in a few weeks once the greens have recovered completely it will be even more so.

Been a while since I've played at my home away from home course. Had some expiring vouchers that I needed to use and I was prepared to play in the rain but to my pleasant surprise, it was one of the n... Continue »

Been a while since I've played at my home away from home course. Had some expiring vouchers that I needed to use and I was prepared to play in the rain but to my pleasant surprise, it was one of the nicest days I can ever remember while playing up here. Close to 70 degrees and not a breath of wind, which for those of you that have played here before, you'll know how rare that is! Threat of rain caused many cancellations and I was able to cruise around solo in 3 hours while only having to wait a handful of times on a few foursomes ahead or else 2-2.5hrs would have been doable even taking my time.

As I've come to expect course conditions are darn near impeccable. I was expecting some soggy conditions after last night's rain but found the course drains extremely well. Only minor issues was the placement of the (gold) tees today. A few could use leveling but all had a great coverage and minimal damage. Fairways were completely lush and healthy and not a thin spot to be found. Rough was the same however, if you find yourself further offline in the mounds then it's a crapshoot as always. Bunkers are same as ever and possibly the most consistent out of any course around. Different type of sand than other courses but all the traps at MD play exactly the same which is nice. Greens are great right now! Rolling medium-fast and pure. #15 & 17 being the exceptions as they still have issues with thin spots and bumps which I assume is due to the lack of sunlight they receive because of the huge Eucalyptus groves surrounding them.

Service is great on all levels but no drink cart today. As others have mentioned, the layout is just so sweet. A little bit of everything regarding length, width, elevation changes, green undulations, wind (not today!) and you'll use every club in your bag. Contemplating if I should get out there again tomorrow morning? Really hope to have a return GK Event at the Old Course again one day! Happy New Year everyone!

This course seems to have it all. A variety of holes that dogleg left and right, some elevation changes, nice looks and approachable fairways. Very tricky, elevated greens with large drop-offs and swa... Continue »

This course seems to have it all. A variety of holes that dogleg left and right, some elevation changes, nice looks and approachable fairways. Very tricky, elevated greens with large drop-offs and swales. It is by far the most unique and interesting Trilogy course I've ever set foot on. But, there are some things that don't set-up well to my eye. I have to also recognize that I played very poorly and that brought all the trouble into play. However, in keeping with it's name there are numerous "dunes" that seem like surface mounds moved into odd places throughout the course and on all fairways. It seems like they've tried so hard to make the course look like a natural dunes course that they've achieved the opposite. It looks fake and contrived. Nonetheless, still a good challenge. Hats off to the high number of seniors walking this course. It's not a walk in the park, but a good healthy exercise. The downside, though, is it really slows pace of play. Still, this is a resident's course and I think the regulars are just fine with that. I probably would be too if I lived there, and everyone seems to know one another. A very feel-good vibe and friendly group. I'd recommend going there when you have extra time to spare. If you're a fast player you may need to slow down and make a new friend on the tee box.

Played 8-28 with a foursome. Teed off right before a tournament at 9am so there was nobody in front of us all day. We knew that the tourney was a shotgun and started at 1:30pm, so we knew that we had ... Continue »

Played 8-28 with a foursome. Teed off right before a tournament at 9am so there was nobody in front of us all day. We knew that the tourney was a shotgun and started at 1:30pm, so we knew that we had to play quick but that wasn't a problem. Course is in phenomenal shape. Fairways are perfect, greens were firm but held and rolled pure. They actually look faster than what they are, but were in exceptional shape. It was 9am and my buddy played a chip shot to the first hole and the sound his ball made when it hit the green sounded like the greens had been in the sun all day. Awesome golf course and they offer a military discount which is always welcome. 100% will come play here again soon.

Played 8-22-16 early morning walking as a single in a little under 3 hours using a costco voucher for $40. Tee boxes were in good shape, level and lush. Fairways were in great shape, very green and lu... Continue »

Played 8-22-16 early morning walking as a single in a little under 3 hours using a costco voucher for $40. Tee boxes were in good shape, level and lush. Fairways were in great shape, very green and lush with minimal roll out and great lies. Rough was in good shape with some bare spots next to the fairways. Was in one bunker that had nice brown sand. Greens were in really good shape, rolling medium/fast, holding there line, and semi firm. Overall course is in really nice shape and very green.

Played Monarch Dunes this Saturday morning along with the challenge course as part my reasoning for attending the GK Outing at La Purisima. Let me first start off by saying John in clubhouse is extre... Continue »

Played Monarch Dunes this Saturday morning along with the challenge course as part my reasoning for attending the GK Outing at La Purisima. Let me first start off by saying John in clubhouse is extremely helpful and a very nice man. From the clubhouse to the starters to the girl in the restaurant, the staff is exceptional. The challenge course is in very nice shape from tee to green and tee boxes were filled in and no uneven lies or stances on tee boxes. On the greens a lot divots were repaired and they rolled a bit slow but very true. Overall a great course for anyone wanting to work on your short game or play in a little over an hour..
Next I teed it up at 11:00 with a local married couple at the Old Course. Very nice and friendly couple who live at Monarch Dunes and we had a nice conversation about Monarch Dunes and the vineyards they are building near the course. The tee boxes were like the challenge course, very well taken care of as well as the fairways. All 18 greens were smooth but a little slow but none the less they were great to play on. Joe, my playing partner called the sand in the bunkers "Mesa Sand" it looked like red dirt or a darker dirt to me, but it was fine to play from.We played the front 9 in 90 minutes and we didn't see anyone until we got to 13. We ended playing in 3:45 which was great by me. I had a great time playing both courses and they are in great shape now, but the normal price of 105.00 (riding) for the old course, might keep me away for awhile as it has for a lot of people. In my opinion the rate even though it was discounted was 85.00 which I think is a little high especially when there many other options 30 mins in either direction. I paid a total of 95.00 for both courses riding both.
Maybe twilight might be a better option at 47.00. Anyways, it was a great day to play golf and I got to meet some very nice people along the way..