Up in the area again, so slowly working my way through the various courses. Had a 6:00 tee time at Van Buskirk this morning. Got there a little early and the gate was still locked. Was almost 6:00 by ... Continue »

Up in the area again, so slowly working my way through the various courses. Had a 6:00 tee time at Van Buskirk this morning. Got there a little early and the gate was still locked. Was almost 6:00 by the time someone came to unlock it and the pro shop guy showed up. No worries because I was the only early bird. Price was $22 booked directly on their site (cart included). I teed off around 6:10 and zipped around. Only thing slowing me down was maintenance. I had to wait on the guy to cut each hole and put the flag out. He didn't want to let me through at any point and no flags were out on the holes ahead, so I had to just sit back. He worked quickly, though, and I felt bad pushing him. I still finished in a little over 2 hours.

Conditions were pretty decent. The front nine was in better shape overall than the back. Fairly good, lush coverage throughout tee boxes, fairways and rough. Maybe a tad on the shaggy side for fairways and tee boxes. Though the grass was mostly good, the ground underneath was bumpy and inconsistent, so not every lie was good and it was a bumpy cart ride. On the back nine, it looks like they are working on a turf reduction as a majority of the rough areas are all dormant and scalped right now. It has a different, more narrow feel than the front because of this. The greens were soft and rolling at medium/slow speeds. Mostly okay surfaces, though one green on the front (#3 I think) was completely overwatered and had huge puddles of water that made putting on it impossible. There aren't many bunkers here, but they all looked horrendous. None of them have any lip at all, though, so if you were to find one, the putter may have to be the call.

The course isn't anything too exciting. I liked the front better than the back. It had more character to me with a more open look. The back nine is pretty standard Central Valley parkland kind of stuff. Overall a solid track with serviceable conditioning and affordable muni rates, so it serves its purpose fine enough for local play.

Well, I tried to have an open mind while playing this course for my first time yesterday. I will not be going back anytime soon. To be fair, the course could be made into a nice course if money was ... Continue »

Well, I tried to have an open mind while playing this course for my first time yesterday. I will not be going back anytime soon. To be fair, the course could be made into a nice course if money was no object, and I am sure it was a great course when it first opened up. The condition of the course ... thin, dry (except where the over-watered areas didn't drain off and were not staked off and I got the cart stuck - having to get out and push it out of the sludge to get it moving) and lots of poor drainage wet spots that were not staked off or even noticeable until you were right in them ... I did manage to play my fastest round ever ... actually, I couldn't believe I was off the course in just under 2 hours and thirty minutes! (on a Wednesday morning teeing off shortly after 10:00) Greens: they were the best part of the course, smooth, very few ball marks - probably due to very few golfers on this course, should have picked up on this before paying the green fee ... also they are small, medium in firmness and speed. Sand Traps: No Rakes on any of the few traps I had found, and the condition of the traps ... thin, crusty and poor. Fairways: hard, dry in some spots and spongy wet in others wit some grass. Water (ponds): Stink! if you put a ball into one, you wouldn't want to stick your hand in it to get it back ... (if you could handle getting that close to it) Rough: I didn't have any problems with it as it wasn't that thick ... nor did I find myself in it that much. This course is the Step-child course of Stockton muni courses. If your going to play a Stockton Muni course, Play Swenson Park. Much better condition, same prices, but the "Value" is worth it. Van Buskirk isn't worth the green fee, I don't think I would play here again, even if it was free ... I hate to be negative ... but I feel it's a shame a good course is allowed to get so run down.

Played Saturday 4/23 as a walk-on at 10:00 AM, $40 rack rate. Pace of play was fine, finished in under 4 hours. Course was not great, fairways and rough were both at around 3" and the bunkers were har... Continue »

Played Saturday 4/23 as a walk-on at 10:00 AM, $40 rack rate. Pace of play was fine, finished in under 4 hours. Course was not great, fairways and rough were both at around 3" and the bunkers were hard dirt. Greens were OK. If you like the possibility of losing your ball in the middle of the fairway, then this course would be fine; otherwise, don't bother. Needs some work.

i have played here for 5 yrs, probably 20 to 25 rounds a year. this was the worst conditions i have ever played in. it used to be a good course. maintenance is very poor. will now play other local cou... Continue »

i have played here for 5 yrs, probably 20 to 25 rounds a year. this was the worst conditions i have ever played in. it used to be a good course. maintenance is very poor. will now play other local courses, micky grove,lockford springs,spanos,dry creek. won't waste my money playing vanbuskirk or swensen any more.

Played on 8/13 at 3pm. Course was in decent shape for the summer time. Pretty nice day a little hot. The greens were really soft (lots of water). The fairways were a little thin but its a muni. ... Continue »

Played on 8/13 at 3pm. Course was in decent shape for the summer time. Pretty nice day a little hot. The greens were really soft (lots of water). The fairways were a little thin but its a muni. Pretty much all the fairways are wide open but there are a lot of mature trees and some water. Overall a decent afternoon.

Went to visit family for Thanksgiving and played this course on Friday. Was in pretty good shape and was able to play pretty fast. Shot 6 over for the day on a sunny day and had a blast.

Went to visit family for Thanksgiving and played this course on Friday. Was in pretty good shape and was able to play pretty fast. Shot 6 over for the day on a sunny day and had a blast.

Played there this last Saturday, 08/11. Pleasantly surprised. Very flat course, with no elevation changes. Course was in good shape. It had both left and right doglegs, water, short carries off the te... Continue »

Played there this last Saturday, 08/11. Pleasantly surprised. Very flat course, with no elevation changes. Course was in good shape. It had both left and right doglegs, water, short carries off the tee box, and lots of mature tree lined fairways. I thought the greens were very nice, not very bumpy at all. Felt like a good muni course. Played as a threesome, and we were not pushed or held up at all, round took about 4 hours. Not bad for a Saturday morning. I good place to play a practice round and work on all your shots. I'm not sure about the greens fees. I think it was $40 for a Saturday morning tee-time with cart. About average price I guess for a muni.

at times they try to mow the grass so there is a fairway and at times they mow everything. there has been a marked improvement over-all the last two years. greens are kept better(watering, mowing, act... Continue »

at times they try to mow the grass so there is a fairway and at times they mow everything. there has been a marked improvement over-all the last two years. greens are kept better(watering, mowing, actual fring). the fairways tend to be greener, they have pruned trees back, and removed a lot of low growing shrubs.

I play this course quite a bit.. Not really because I want too but, because I live 5 minutes from it. I usually play by myself and in 2 1/2 hrs. Thus, snother good reason. It's fun but, not good ... Continue »

I play this course quite a bit.. Not really because I want too but, because I live 5 minutes from it. I usually play by myself and in 2 1/2 hrs. Thus, snother good reason. It's fun but, not good or great. Just okay. GF's are in the low 30's during early morning and mid 20's late in the day. Worth it? Probably not, but still fun to get out and play. Be aware, that the course has a ton of ground squirrels and so you can lose quite a few balls in their holes. Wind can be deadly in the afternoon. I constantly shoot low 80's. Hole #10 is tough with the narrow fairway and at a 475 yard Par 4.. Can be tough.