Played this past week at Rancho Park again in a men's club event. Not sure why I was put on the blue tees as my game has... » More

Played this past week at Rancho Park again in a men's club event. Not sure why I was put on the blue tees as my game has been pretty poor of late and it's showing in my handicap, but I don't make the rules. The show must go on.

Had a 12:10pm tee time on what turned out to be one gorgeous afternoon ... spring felt sprung. POP first and foremost was quite good for RP as we finished both nines in around 4:15 - can't get much better than that at this place.

Conditions very solid at the moment ... really good greens right now running very fast, very true and very tricky. Fairways are mostly good but there were some remnants of GUR from the recent rains. Rough was fun, tee boxes were decent and the bunkers appeared to be in serviceable to good shape.

Also using just about every club in your bag here so it's a great test and nice conditions most certainly enhance the experience. I would give it a peppy thumbs-up right now at Rancho.
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Out first on a really beautiful, but still cool spring morning. Course is showing some improvement with the addition of ... » More

Out first on a really beautiful, but still cool spring morning. Course is showing some improvement with the addition of a new superintendent. Green speeds have increased a bit as has the firmness of them, which makes for some additional challenge. Also, some improvement in the fairways. With the South course closed for aerification, course is busier than normal. Incredible that there are still a couple additional holes which are cart path only due to the rains we had many days ago???
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This course has been run down due to bad management. They chopped up a Ted Robinson design thinking they can develop it ... » More

This course has been run down due to bad management. They chopped up a Ted Robinson design thinking they can develop it into housing. The GM tries to create putting greens by laying down strips of turf on compacted dirt. There is no practice green.

As of March 2025 all greens are in horrible condition. The bunkers remain all dirt hard pan.

Avoid this place.
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I played Coyote Creek Thursday morning teeing off at. 6:45 AM in the semi-dark. Coyote always has consistent condition... » More

I played Coyote Creek Thursday morning teeing off at. 6:45 AM in the semi-dark. Coyote always has consistent conditions. Regardless of time of year, this place remains a rock when it comes to conditions. Greens are firm but roll true. Due to the super early morning start, the greens were a tad slower than usual but still rolled at a medium-fast pace. Fairways were pretty identical to Poppy Hills in that they were nice and lush throughout the entire course.
Tee boxes were level with good coverage and only a few divots. Sand traps were the weak link. Some were nice but a handful were in need of some sand as they had thin coverage.

The Tournament course at Coyote is pretty much cart only as there are some long transfers. The Valley course if completely flat and very walkable. I’ve mentioned it before, this is a good course to stop at during a trip up/down Hwy 101 and you need to get out and stretch your legs.
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Played Poppy Hills a couple of times in the last two weeks. Both times were excellent weather with the sun shining and... » More

Played Poppy Hills a couple of times in the last two weeks. Both times were excellent weather with the sun shining and hardly a breeze. I first played the day after they aerated the greens. That aside, the rest of the course was in fantastic condition with everything at an 8-9 on the rating scale.

Played on 3/18 with Deepsea14 and a couple of friends. Greens were still healing which surprised me a bit. Most were rolling fairly true at a medium pace but most were still showing signs of the recent aeration. Greens at Poppy Hills are firm so, it takes a great approach shot to get it to stick.

Fairways were easily rated at an 8 and good even be considered in the 9 range. Very lush and a pleasure to hit from. Due to recent rains, the fairways were a little soft and I would occasionally get a stuck ball or minimal rollout of a foot or so. this was about the only thing keeping the ratings from being a 9-10. Tee boxes, rough and stand traps were all of high quality. Nothing to complain about. This is a fun and challenging course with a number of peaks of the ocean when it’s clear. I really need to play here more often.
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Palyed 3/21. Course is in very good shape right now. Greens are smooth and fairly fast. Fairways have good coverage and... » More

Palyed 3/21. Course is in very good shape right now. Greens are smooth and fairly fast. Fairways have good coverage and rough is better than it used to be. Sand traps were good but mostly compacted sand. The price has been going up here, it is no longer a cheap option. Weekend round with cart and range balls will run you $120. They have upped their game though. The have some marshalls out there, cart girls was around a few times and they seem to working on bettering conditions.
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Aeration Alert March 24th and 25th 2025

Mid morning round in slightly over four hours. The staff is always great and friendly. The carts are great and have pr... » More

Mid morning round in slightly over four hours. The staff is always great and friendly. The carts are great and have pretty accurate GPS. The driving range is closed on Thursday mornings for those who don't know. The tee boxes were all level with real good coverage and level. The lush green rough was cut in the morning at the perfect height to keep shots in play and allow for a decent swing if you found it. The fairways all have total coverage with the warmer weather starting to make the Bermuda come alive. Good lies from start to finish and good roll if you found the middle of them. The traps all have enough sand but a few I found had small to large size pebbles and small rocks. There are many traps on the course and often very deep. The greens had just been punched within the last two days and rates discounted for those playing today. The greens are usually really quick with a lot of break and today they were surprisingly quick even with the sand and holes. I would give it a couple of weeks and the entire course should be in prime condition. The course has a nice layout and water comes into play on a few holes. The rates are reasonable during the week but a little high on weekends. Always easy to recommend
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Played in the Vivid Golf/GK outing on Wednesday, March 19. It was a fun group with John, Ron and Andrew. My family is fr... » More

Played in the Vivid Golf/GK outing on Wednesday, March 19. It was a fun group with John, Ron and Andrew. My family is from the area but I have never played in the city. Santa Maria Country Club is a nice facility. Smallish driving range and practice green. Nice snack bar near the 7th tee with a good selection of grilled items and sundry. The day was gorgeous but the wind kicked up mid-round and it was an added layer of difficulty.

I really liked the course. The layout was interesting. It had a good mix of short and long par fours and varied par 3 distance. Half the course on the other side of the railroad tracks to the northwest of the clubhouse. I preferred the layout of the part of the course on the clubhouse side but the conditioning was equally superb on both sides so it was a matter of personal preference. The fairways were lush with some runout. The rough was also lush and we had to look hard for balls several times. We lost a couple even though we knew the general area they ended up. Great shining white sand. The greens were lush and had decent speed but were not what I would term fast. They were firm but my ball was generally near the divot after good contact from the fairway. The greens were contoured enough that there was runout on some aggressive putts. They were challenging.

I would play this course again any time. It was a long drive but I got a good rate at the local historic hotel (my parent's wedding reception was held there). If I lived in the area, I would consider joining the club. I can't wait to get back.
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Played this morning. Course is in great shape at the moment. All clean and repaired tee boxes. Traps all raked and ready... » More

Played this morning. Course is in great shape at the moment. All clean and repaired tee boxes. Traps all raked and ready for play. Fairways have good coverage after the rains and good roll out. Rough is not thick but it is sticky in the early AM but playable. Greens are in terrific shape and chip/putt with good speed. As always great customer service in the shop (thx Mateo and Christian) and from all other staff members. Restaurant opened Wed - Friday and the menu is good, prices are great as well as the service from Dolores and her staff.
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Made it up to Santa Maria for the Vivid Golf/GK Outing.... Thank you Mr. GK, this was a real treat. Not only was the wea... » More

Made it up to Santa Maria for the Vivid Golf/GK Outing.... Thank you Mr. GK, this was a real treat. Not only was the weather ideal the traffic was not bad at all. Santa Maria CC is a sneaky private course that really should be on your bucket list. The course is not particularly long, just under 6500 yards from the tips. It looks open but provides many challenges throughout. The sand is new, the rough was cut but lets be honest it was still sticky and tough. If these keepers wanted to they could make this course really a lot more challenging. The putting greens are in excellent condition as are the tee boxes. The greens are Poa Annua and if you don't putt a lot on those, it can provide an extra challenge.

As I always do I snuck around the clubhouse and pro shop. The locker room was great but parts where being renovated. Their was a restaurant that looked good and a good sized bar that had both indoor and outdoor seating. The pro-shop was small, but had some good items on sale. I got the sense that if you lived up this way and where interested in joining a private club, this would definitely be on the list. If Moose/GK run it back, you should go, I really would like another crack at this place.
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9:30 tee time moved back to 9:50 Tuesday (my "day" to play 14+ years of league play) with perfect conditions weather wis... » More

9:30 tee time moved back to 9:50 Tuesday (my "day" to play 14+ years of league play) with perfect conditions weather wise, maybe add 5 degrees to the 55 and sunny light breeze, and 40 yards to my drives!?

Have been wanting to get back here again since reading RDD's review in January. Lots of hint$ there good info.
Alex326 invited me 3 weeks ago and joined by a couple friends Justin and Bob for a scratch bogey or better team play friendly match. Was watching the weather since the long range ten day was forecast and it held with a great day for golf.
Monday a different story but wouldn't know it now. The course was cleaned of any debris through the green, the waste areas with runoff trenches packed sand the only indication of day before storm. Don't go there. I took a few GUR's from these obstructions.
The greens punched earlier 3-4th are healed fully but rolling slowly for here, less break than the normal slick pool table surfaces. Make the adjustment and roll 'em in.
Fairways great as good as I get to play and a treat offering roll out for my ground game. Again not as tight lie as usual but 8/10 rated.
Bunkers fluffy from the fairway and green side.
Lot's to like here and at the NCGA rate $90 walking (20% off proshop goodies) at the home of the best golf association in NorCal!
The course appears ready to go for a great season of play.
Played it down and caught one bad fairway lie in a small divot.
Hit ok hybrid knuckle ball straight and short followed by a 5 wood from LS rough 190 to front of green. PW left 8' straight in par to finish the round.
Fun had by all and if we didn't get all we wanted from it, we got what we needed.
Finished smiling wider than when we started.
Recommend 4.5 POP not pushed ideal
**Add sunrise arrival at Carmel Beach, and checking out Hays Place @ PB and the 9 hole course (not play) on the way out made the 15 1/2 hour 440 mile day trip a winner for me.
Not the match dominated by the opponent especially on the front side.
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