Late review incoming! Played over Memorial Day weekend and the course was a bit more rough than I've seen it in the past and it has all to do with the greens. Everything else was in typical Monarch sh... Continue »

Late review incoming! Played over Memorial Day weekend and the course was a bit more rough than I've seen it in the past and it has all to do with the greens. Everything else was in typical Monarch shape: solid fairways with some meh patches, variable rough with some thin and wispy stuff as well as some thicker patches, good bunkers with heavy sand, and tee boxes with some divot damage on the par 3s but nice elsewhere. Greens were running slow and bumpy which was maddening. Still held shots well though so they had that going for them.
Teed off at 8am on Sunday 5/23 and played in... wait for it... 3 hours and 30 minutes. I was a single and was behind one of the best foursomes ever. They were MOVING!! It was great. I still think the regular rack rate is too steep for what you get but I was cashing in a gift round so it was great for that price!!

A little bit of a late review, played on 2/10, getting the $35 happy hour rate at 2PM. Played as a single behind a two-some on the front nine and went through them on the back. Course was setup to s... Continue »

A little bit of a late review, played on 2/10, getting the $35 happy hour rate at 2PM. Played as a single behind a two-some on the front nine and went through them on the back. Course was setup to start on hole 10, which I actually prefer. 10 is a tough starting hole but so is 1. Wind was steady out of the north, 10-15 mph.

Overall, this round solidifies why I love this course so much. There isn't one thing that is unbelievable about this course but everything just seems to come together here to make it one of the best courses around. Easily, this is in my top-ten I've ever played for overall course layout, scenery and course conditioning. The course has a big, open, country-club feel. There are homes around the course but they are set so far back, they aren't a concern. Course conditioning right now is superb. The only complaint I have is that the greens of the 2 uphill par 5's (8 & 15) are not receiving enough sun with the tall trees that border them and have some issues.

I played Cypress Ridge the day after and I enjoyed that course as well, but this is just a notch above to play. Can't wait for my next trip up to this area.

Played Monarch Dunes Saturday morning for $105, got around in just under 5 hours with no waiting. First time here so it was quite a challenge just to figure out some of the hole designs and landing a... Continue »

Played Monarch Dunes Saturday morning for $105, got around in just under 5 hours with no waiting. First time here so it was quite a challenge just to figure out some of the hole designs and landing areas as there are many blind fairways/greens to navigate as well as diabolical green complexes which had us shaking our head a few times. Lots of steep mounds along the fairways with small sand hazards that seems a bit strange, but we avoided them fortunately. I found MDunes to be a fun layout as I enjoy a course that meanders about the new Trilogy housing complex which includes natural settings that are pleasing to the eye. First hole is a beautiful 400+ yard split-fairway uphill par 4 with a well protected green inside a big bowl. It sets precedent for what lies ahead. There's not an easy hole on the course except maybe a couple of short par 3's. Conditions were just short of great: greens very fast, flawless, and some were extremely tricked up with undulations galore; fairways nearly immaculate; and, well thought out bunkering in nice condition. Will love to give it another shot someday now that I see what lies ahead. Good grub in the clubhouse overlooking the 10th tee box. Highly recommended.

April 13, 2014. Monarch continues to impress. No drought impact that I could see. 2 greens on the back (15 & 17) are being allowed to grow longer (spring maintenance?), they were shaggy and slow. The ... Continue »

April 13, 2014. Monarch continues to impress. No drought impact that I could see. 2 greens on the back (15 & 17) are being allowed to grow longer (spring maintenance?), they were shaggy and slow. The rest were as true and as fast as you would expect. New, expanded menu makes for great lunch options. If you are visiting SLO county and have not played Monarch you will not find a course with as much design aesthetic and challenge as Monarch. Join the rewards program and save big.

Played 3-27-14. Went out at 1:00 and joined 2 gentlemen that were walking. We played the front 9 with them and went ahead on our own at the turn. Got to our car at 4:30 so played in just under 3 1/2 h... Continue »

Played 3-27-14. Went out at 1:00 and joined 2 gentlemen that were walking. We played the front 9 with them and went ahead on our own at the turn. Got to our car at 4:30 so played in just under 3 1/2 hrs. Pretty amazing on such a tough course. Always thought I struggled here because we always played it at outings. It played tough and I was playing well. The wind added to the challenge. The course is in good shape with our drought conditions. Greens were moderately fast but it seems every one has 2 tiers. If you are on the wrong one it makes for a tough putt. The bunkers I was in played nice. Firm in the fairway and soft around the greens. This is not a course for a relaxing round though. Every hole challenges you. To often for me it chews me up etc. Bring your A-game or take your medicine.

Second round of the day and trip was at the Old Course. Tee time was 12:40 and having joined the Royal Rewards club earlier in the year I had a free twilight round voucher so my total cost for the day... Continue »

Second round of the day and trip was at the Old Course. Tee time was 12:40 and having joined the Royal Rewards club earlier in the year I had a free twilight round voucher so my total cost for the day for 2 rounds of golf was $10!

Course was in outstanding condition all around. Greens had been micro-punched yet they did not affect the roll at all. #'s 15 and 17 were sanded as they seem to be having issues with these two that don't receive much sunlight. But other than that the greens were awesome and rolling true and fast. About 10.5-11 on the stimp. All other facets of the course were immaculate. Fairways, rough, and tees were lush and well manicured. Was not in any bunkers but they seem to be good as usual. Wind was up for the afternoon as it always is. Only bummer today was POP which 5 hours due to a large tourney directly in front of us. But they left plenty of snacks and drinks for us which was nice of them. Oh and acing #2 will make up for any negatives there may have been ;)

Once again another great time at Monarch Dunes for our group. Last Saturday was the 4 straight year we’ve had a GK Event at the course and it’s likely we’ll be back again next year. This course is per... Continue »

Once again another great time at Monarch Dunes for our group. Last Saturday was the 4 straight year we’ve had a GK Event at the course and it’s likely we’ll be back again next year. This course is perfect for outings small to medium sized with an excellent staging area out front, practice facilitates, accommodating clubhouse, restaurant, helpful staff and superb golf course. It’s a fair, unique, challenging, beautiful course that everyone enjoys. This year the course was again in great shape as many of the reviews from the event convey. Being that I was running the event I only got to play 12 holes but really enjoyed them with my fellow GK’ers. We had excellent weather and a wonderful time. Thanks again to everyone that came!

Played in the GK event. What a great experience playing at Monarch Dunes with GK. The course is fun never disappoints. The greens were fast and running true, fairways and tee boxes are great to play f... Continue »

Played in the GK event. What a great experience playing at Monarch Dunes with GK. The course is fun never disappoints. The greens were fast and running true, fairways and tee boxes are great to play from. Lots of interesting holes with tons of variety. Always a good time with the GK group and an added bonus playing one of my favorite courses. Cant wait till next year.

This was my first time here so unlike many of the others who played in the GK event, I had no prior reference point for gauging the conditions. To me the course was in very nice shape. The greens were... Continue »

This was my first time here so unlike many of the others who played in the GK event, I had no prior reference point for gauging the conditions. To me the course was in very nice shape. The greens were very fast and required a lot of concentration in order to not let putts get away from you. The fairways, rough and sand traps were all quite good. A few tee boxes seemed to have an abundance of divots, but maybe that was just because we were playing in the afternoon.

There are a few quirky design elements here. I'm not sure why the architect would want to conceal the water hazard on the right side of 15 with that mound. I'd also question why the right side of the fairway on No. 3 cuts off, especially with a blind tee shot. My playing partner, kevbig, hit a beautiful drive only to get no reward for it there. Having #18 as a lay-up hole (at least from the white tees we played) also seems to not make a lot of sense.

That said, I loved the course and found it spectacularly beautiful in spots, namely the approach to 15 and the 17th hole. Both reminded me of Augusta National (from TV, I've never been there) in ways.

Huge thanks to JohnnyGK for setting everything up and running such a great event, and RobStretch, jjrauen, and kevbig for the great company on course (although I have to say kevbig FAR overestimates the difficulty of that first hole; it seemed easy to me).