It’s been a while since I’ve played the valley course. Conditions are pretty nice all around No issues at all with the greens. They rolled smooth at a medium fast pace. Most greens are double tier... Continue »

It’s been a while since I’ve played the valley course. Conditions are pretty nice all around No issues at all with the greens. They rolled smooth at a medium fast pace. Most greens are double tiered making it key to be on the right level, otherwise a three putt comes into play

Tee boxes and fairways all had good lush grass and were divot free.

Pace of play in the afternoon is always slow here and yesterday was no exception. Luckily I was waiting for traffic to clear up so no big deal I opted for a cart even though the course is walkable. There are some longer transfers but the entire track is flat

Overall, the Valley course is a good option when in the area.

Coyote Creek has two 18 hole courses on site. The premier “Tournament” course and the original “Valley” course. In the past the conditions between the two have been night and day but I had heard th... Continue »

Coyote Creek has two 18 hole courses on site. The premier “Tournament” course and the original “Valley” course. In the past the conditions between the two have been night and day but I had heard they have changed that in the last year and brought the conditions of the valley course up close to the excellent conditions of its big brother track.

We played the Valley course with a 1:30 tee time. This place is always packed on the weekends so I was prepared for the 5 hour journey that awaited. Because of Covid single rider cart restrictions, all power carts are being used for the hilly tournament course and the Valley is walking only. Easily a walking course as it’s completely flat though there are some longish transfers. The routing really is odd, but I suppose with a cart it’s not noticeable.

A couple of COVID things. Masks in public areas, outdoor dining available at restaurant, pro shop closed off except for check in counter and then the biggest thing. Coyote Creek invested in the neat little pin contraptions that have a lever about 12-18” up the flagstick that you can pull with your putter and it lifts the ball out of the cup. Except they DON’T work. I’m sure in the lab it’s a great design. But in the elements with golfers banging them around and dirt being blown into them. They just didn’t work. At best they would come up but you would have to force the plate back down. Unfortunately most golfers just left them up so they were in the way. Also, half would get stuck halfway up when pulling up on the lever and the entire flagstick would pull out often times damaging the hole. We stopped using them before the halfway point.

As far as conditions go, I was pleased with the overall state of the track. Greens were in really nice shape, holding well struck approach shots and rolling true at a medium fast pace. Greens are average size with a decent amount of undulations. Actually the perfect amount. Enough undulations that you could easily read the break, but not so much it was a rollercoaster. Only one green had some disease on the edges. There were a number of unrepaired ball marks but after 12 hours of play by the end of the day that’s not a surprise.

Fairways had good coverage throughout. A few brown areas here and there but with the 90+ degree heat of the summer that this area gets, that’s to be expected. Tee boxes ranged from 2-3 that were ok, most were nice, and 2-3 were excellent. Again, I played from the red tee’s so they aren’t seeing as much action.

The layout of the Valley course is nothing to write home about. Most holes are “been there, done that”. Only one (slight) dog leg par 4 and one nice dog leg par 5. The rest of the holes are dead straight. Two lakes on the course. One in play in front and left of the green on a par 3 the other way off to the side and out of play. Why? I don’t get that.

Fun factor: 4-5 out of 10. The overall nice conditions are worth the admissions price but don’t expect to be wowed by the layout. Side note: The course is directly next to Highway 101 so access is easy if traveling from afar.

Played Coyote - Valley on 1/26. A very solid track, parkland setting. Nothing amazing in the design, but a very enjoyable course.

Conditions were outstanding. Greens were firm, smooth, medium fast.... Continue »

Played Coyote - Valley on 1/26. A very solid track, parkland setting. Nothing amazing in the design, but a very enjoyable course.

Conditions were outstanding. Greens were firm, smooth, medium fast. Fairways were very good. Rough was some of the thickest stuff I've seen in a while. Bunkers had a good amount of soft sand.

I've heard the other 18 here is more of a challenging course. To me, that would make Coyote Creek a perfect home course. One challenging track, one track easier but still a good test. Thumbs up.

Last stop on my trip was on the Valley course at Coyote Creek. The Tournament course is currently closed for some renovations. Luckily, things went well enough in the morning at Cinnabar, I was able t... Continue »

Last stop on my trip was on the Valley course at Coyote Creek. The Tournament course is currently closed for some renovations. Luckily, things went well enough in the morning at Cinnabar, I was able to lock in a hot deal time at Coyote for $58 at 12:25. Still not super cheap, but about as good a deal as you'll get mid-day on a Saturday here. The place wasn't super busy at that time, so I teed off early by myself. I caught the groups ahead after a few holes and then another single caught up to join me. He was a regular who knew the routing well, so we kind of jumped around a couple times to get around slow groups. In the end, I still played all 18 holes (and a few extra) in about 3.5 hours.

Of all the courses I played this week, Coyote was probably the greenest and lushest of them all. I might argue the fairways were a bit too shaggy for my tastes. Approach lies sat up beautifully, but limited roll-out on drives, which made a pretty long course play even longer. The tee boxes were good. The rough was pretty consistent and lush. The greens were soft and receptive, but smooth and quick on putts. The bunkers here had just been renovated (significantly reshaped and many reduced in size, according to my playing partner), so they had super fluffy white resort sand that was excellent. They are doing similar renovations to the bunkers on Tournament, but that is set to reopen soon I'm told.

After three straight days of pretty dramatic designs on extremely hilly courses, Coyote Creek was a somewhat welcome change of pace for me. At the same time, after all those, it definitely felt a bit bland and uninteresting. It's a pretty traditional parkland kind of course that lays out right in front of you and as a Nicklaus signature design, it didn't seem like his team's more inspired effort. By all accounts, I know the Tournament course is supposed to be the star here, so Valley is clearly the secondary option. The prices here are pretty high, but that's common throughout this region. The conditions were very good and green, though, and Tournament looks to be in nice shape, too, so that is worth something these days.

Played here on 12/7 as part of my trip to Monterey area. Course is companion to the Tournament course and I can see why everyone suggests you play the other instead. The Valley course is a nice option... Continue »

Played here on 12/7 as part of my trip to Monterey area. Course is companion to the Tournament course and I can see why everyone suggests you play the other instead. The Valley course is a nice option but there was nothing spectacular about it. On to the review:

Tee-boxes: Good shape. A little chewed up but still had enough area to hit from.

Fairway: In good shape but just a little brown. Lies were true and roll was fair.

Rough: Not too punishing and condition was good. No more challenging than the average municipal course.

Greens: Pretty good and roll was true. They are a bit below the condition of Tournament in every aspect.

Overall this course is a nice option if you can find a deal. Layout is rather bland with only one or two standout holes. Its tough to look good when you share a property with the Tournament course but I'm sure locals enjoy playing here.

Played here on 6/24 in a light drizzle, not many golfer so I ended up playing alone. The course was in good condition except for the traps, little to no sand. This Nicklaus Design was very boring, the... Continue »

Played here on 6/24 in a light drizzle, not many golfer so I ended up playing alone. The course was in good condition except for the traps, little to no sand. This Nicklaus Design was very boring, the only challenge was the tree line fairways. The Valley course is very flat. I got the Senior weekday rate of $60, way too much, $40 would be a good price. Would NEVER pay the $100 fee. Playing the Tournament course on Thursday, 6/27. Report to follow....

Yes, this course is supposed to be "easier" than the Tournament course, but played from the tips in the afternoon wind, this course is no pushover. Over 7,000 yards and it feels much longer! A few m... Continue »

Yes, this course is supposed to be "easier" than the Tournament course, but played from the tips in the afternoon wind, this course is no pushover. Over 7,000 yards and it feels much longer! A few memorable holes but the majority felt like a nice muni. Open fairways with few hazards/OB. When I played 8/14/11, a few of the greens were spotty with brown patches. Super twilight discount is a great deal!

For the $38 walking rate that I played this course I would consider it an incredible deal. I'd pay upwards around $55 for this course and not bat an eye at it. I think anything over $60 would be a str... Continue »

For the $38 walking rate that I played this course I would consider it an incredible deal. I'd pay upwards around $55 for this course and not bat an eye at it. I think anything over $60 would be a stretch. While I love this course because it provides a very fun and enjoyable round of golf it is in considerably worse shape than the Championship course, though still in good shape. This course is basically a glorified Muni course and I would never recommend paying the full rate. You can definitely get a better deal. If you are looking for an enjoyable round of golf to have some fun this is a great course. If you are looking for a challenge go play the championship course.

Side note, they need to send out a cart girl. It's pretty brutal that they never have one out there in the heat to get some cold refreshments. I will give them a plus for have water stations every couple holes though.

Shot my best round today of 75 so this course will be special to me until I shoot something lower ;-)

Don't pay the normal rates for this course, it's not worth that much green fees. They usually have specials going on for a much more reasonable rate. Course is in really good shape, greens are rolli... Continue »

Don't pay the normal rates for this course, it's not worth that much green fees. They usually have specials going on for a much more reasonable rate. Course is in really good shape, greens are rolling very well. The wind always blows here, so be prepared. Also, freeway noise is less of a distraction on Valley than it is on Tournament.

My biggest gripe about this place is the customer service. They give a vibe that you're lucky to be playing there. There's this one guy in the pro shop that I just cannot stand, I think his name is Mike. For instance, they have a web special going on atm, Mon-Wed $38 walk / $55 ride. I get there today with my dad to check in and the guy asks me if I have the coupon. I tell him my buddy has already checked in with the coupon and that it's good for the foursome. He proceeds to tell me very rudely that we need a coupon for every member, which is complete BS, then acts like he's doing me a favor by giving me the coupon rate. Our 4th checked in after we left, and the lady working there told him one coupon for the foursome, go figure. Only reason I played here was to prep for an upcoming tournament.

I'll spend my time at Cinnabar Hills. Better course, better people.