***THIS COURSE WAS AERATED ON MARCH 5-6***

Morgan Creek is a surprisingly challenging golf course due in large part to interesting man made shelfs and fairway contouring in combination with a layout which requires a bit of thought as to how one might hit off the tee or an approach shot. Built within a housing development of the same name, Morgan Creek has some nice charactoristics built in, namely the hearty oak trees on the property which make this course feel older than it really is. Approx. half of the fairways are paralleled by homes, there are several areas of environmental out of bounds, and a few holes feature water as the primary hazard in play.

As the greens were recently aerated, I was able to get a Sunday afternoon rate of $20. Our group of 3 teed off around 3:30 and concluded at sundown, the pace of play was generally good though we did have to wait a bit on the back nine on a couple holes, but nothing out of the realm of unreasonable. The tee boxes were in good shape, fairly level and pretty clean in appearance. The fairways and roughs were a bit patchy, areas of thin grass followed by sections of deeper growth. As the greens were aerated, no comment, though the sand seemed a pinch on the thin side but still playable. I greatly enjoyed the round and would look forward to playing it again should an opportunity come up.

Morgan Creek Golf Club Golf Course Review
Sacramento Golf Course Reviews

At an elevation of 3,100 feet this beautiful course is laid out through a hearty forest of pine and cedar trees and is unlike any other course found in the area. With no parallel fairways and multiple creek/ravine hazards this semi-narrow course favors more strategic golf shots as the doglegs are well guarded by +100ft trees, longer hitters may only call upon their drivers 4-5 times during the round. As the course is laid over steep terrain, this course is likely to be Sacramento's most severe in regards to elevation change from tee box to fairways/greens, stand on the 2nd, 8th, 9th, 10th or 18th tee box and you'll understand.

Before reviewing I should note it had rained at the course within 24 hours of my visit. Played twice on Feb 19th, the course maintains a seasonal cart path rule in the winter which appeared to be generally adhered to by patrons. The tee boxes were OK, there was some leveling issues but the surfaces themselves were in good condition, notable as a perhaps up to 2/3 of the holes are better suited for irons off the box. Both the fairways and rough were quite lush, there were no areas of hibernation or bare spots though unfortunately the conditions were generally too wet. I don't know how many times my ball plugged into the mud - yes mud. As great as this course is, the mud factor should be regarded as a detriment, though interestingly enough the mud didn't grab and suck your club into the ground as it was possible to swing through and get a little deep without as much of an affect on ball flight as you'd expect. The few times I visited the sand, which there isn't much of on the course layout, it was thin. Again, I'm not sure if this might be a cause/effect from the recent rain. The greens were in good shape but slower than anything played on in a long time, again the dampness I'm sure had an effect but it was tough sledding across the surface. No issues with ball marks or green coverage itself, though I did note one green that was pocked due to uneven grass growth.

The grounds crew has done a great job at removing low limbs and ground cover brush off the fairways, I probably found 20 balls. Also, because of the immense trees, each hole has the feeling of being removed from the rest of the golf course. The distinct soundwave of a golfball hitting a tree carries a good distance through the growth, other than that it's pretty quiet. I love this course and would absolutely play it again, but things have got to dry out before any such venture is made again.

Apple Mountain Golf Resort Review
Camino California Golf Course Reviews

Darkhorse Golf Club is one of the more dramatic layouts in the Sacramento area with a course defined by it's rolling profile and ever present environmental hazards. Among the enjoyable features of the course is the mature growth oak trees - buyer beware if you happen to try to punch a ball through the bare branches of solid oak. Homes are spread along the fairways of over half the course, though no property is close enough to warrent special consideration unless you truly hit a shot that sucks beyond belief.

The tee boxes were level though chewed up, especially on the par threes. The rough and fairways are in their winter slumber though still are both green enough and thick enough to not hinder enjoyment and game play. Of note along the majority of fairway/rough are the environmental/water hazards which force players to consider the profile of the course in order to maintain ownership of their balls. Fortunately the rough is not thin to where balls "trickle" into mentioned hazards, but any drive off the tee that bleeds one way or another might find itself unplayable. The sand is satisfactory with enough stock and depth to play honestly. Speaking to the greens, they were in very good shape with a minimum of ball marks though were a bit tempermental in regards to speed, some rolled slow whereas others let the ball run wild downgrade (most played fast). Overall, with the balls holding their lines and no bouncing action, they play very well.

As our group of three was the first morning group onto the course, we were able to enjoy the open course in four hours. Of special notation was the proshop who offered a complimentary bucket of balls while I waited for the other group to arrive. Darkhorse certainly qualifies as a challenging course, and while it might be fun to bring your buddies out and let the loudest talker slice their way into the environmental hazards, serious golfers can take heart knowing this course is not a gimmie.

Darkhorse Golf Club Review
Auburn California Golf Course Reviews

The Ridge Golf Course is a well developed course laid out through the oak and rock formations common to the Sierra foothills. As this course is laid out on a hillside, the designers were not shy about taking advantage of continual elevation changes, from this I believe only the fittest walkers could walk this course. There are no homes on this course, the primary hazards are water and topographic disturbances such as rocks and shallow ravines. This course plays on the narrow side with no parallel fairway interplay and the greens are endeared with heavy contours which makes this a challenging course.

For early February, this course is in springtime condition - absolutely stunning bent green grass everywhere, not a sign of winter hibernation and no bare spots, everything was green and lush to an extreme. The physical maintenence is to be applauded, the tee boxes were almost perfectly level, the fairways were good with no bare spots, the rough was perfect and the greens were fast and true. The only two encounters with sand were OK, average sand with average depth so it should play pretty true.

Our threesome started at 1pm and concluded at 5:25, we moved well through the front nine but had to wait at each tee on virtually all holes back nine. We saw the cart girl twice, I think she quit around 3-3:30pm. I wouldn't rate this the most forgiving course, especially around the greens as the earlier mentioned contours in combination with the liberal application of sand traps make approach shots challenging. I can't say how much I enjoyed this course thanks to the conditions and challenge of the layout, I wish I knew how good this course was because this is easily a course worth playing regularly.

The Ridge Golf Course Review
Sacramento California Golf Course Reviews

I played Ridge Creek on 1/11/12 and one thought came to mind - WHO TURNED THE WATER OFF? This course, save for the tee boxes and greens, is brown dead grass. As a result, the fairways are extremely thin and the rough is very choppy and uneven. This course is not worth playing in consideration of current green fees. Once we get rains back in the Central Valley and this course starts growing and turning green again, I would expect this to again be in prime shape.

On the plus side, the greens were in excellent condition, the tee boxes were exceptionally well taken care of (even on the par 3s) and the bunkers were modestly to generously stocked with fluffy sand.

Ridge Creek Dinuba Golf Course Review
Fresno California Golf Course Reviews

Woodcreek Golf Club features a generally flat yet winding layout through old growth oak trees, approximately half the course is bordered by homes. There are several environmental out of bound areas, on some holes a truly bad shot may end up difficult to locate if lost in the native grass/brush; there is a water hazard running along the 9th and 18th hole.

Overall the condition of the course is not very impressive, though the saving grace are the greens which play on the faster side and generally run smooth. Unfortunately the overall conditions of the tee boxes are poor as they are chewed up and uneven, both the fairway and rough suffer through thin spots in large patches. Aesthetically it's a nice course to be on with the large oak trees dominating the majority of the view, though once your ball finds the thin fairway or rough areas, it's not as fun to play as one might have hoped for.

Do note as of 1/6/12 it appeared the par 3 8th hole had recently been punched and sanded. The pace of play was excellent as I was able to rocket through the course in about 2.5 hours owing to minimal patronage and late tee time start on this day.

Woodcreek Golf Course Review
Roseville California Golf Course Reviews

Have played this course and genuinely enjoyed it both times - it's fast become one of my favorites. This is a true links style course, generous fairways and tons of fescue grass as the dominant hazard, lots of balls can get lost in this thick foliage. There are no water/topographical hazards , the traps are in good shape and the greens are a challenging task in good condition. For some reason it's difficult to judge distances, everything looks farther than actuality.

Do not associate this course as a common municipal course, this is a step up in regards to physical quality.

Did have one incident which was handled to satisfaction - we were the first tee time following a tournament, because the tournament went long we were delayed by 45 min. The general manager provided us vouchers for a free round of weekend golf w/ cart, an extra sleeve of Pro Vs and an explanation as to why the tournament was lagging. Though irritated by the delay, the overture was nice.

Ridge Creek Dinuba Golf Club Course Review
Frenso California Golf Course Reviews

How to describe this course is...tough. Tough to describe because the course itself is very tough with it's various elevation changes and ample opportunities to lose balls, not to mention the greens are electric fast. The roughs are lush, there are multiple hazards and the course is narrower than most. This course is unforgiving. I shot a 104 (with the liberty of two mulligans) and felt GREAT about the day, the conditions are pristine and the layout an exceptional challenge. Bring only your serious golfing buddies to play (Joe six-pack need not play here) and bring plenty of balls too.

I know some who don't like this course because it's too unforgiving, they see it as no fun - this is a serious golf course with a well developed layout and excellent conditions from tee box to greens and bunkers and roughs in between.

The Bridges Golf Club Course Review
San Ramon California Golf Course Reviews

Enjoyed the elevation changes of this challenging course, some holes can be unforgiving with deep foliage lining one or both sides of the fairways. The sandtraps were above average, though a handful were muddy w/ standing water. The greens rolled truer than most courses, the rough was lush. Enjoyable course to play, though if your game isn't on this course will own many of your balls at the end of the day.

Talega Golf Club Course Review
San Clemente California Golf Course Reviews

Have played this course twice and have enjoyed both times. Average conditions for an average layout, though the course does feature nice old growth Oak Trees on several holes. The entire layout is flat, only a handful of hazards but the pace is brisk and would regard this course as a nice place to play as a 'tune up' round or something to do with your casual golf buddies while drinking beer. This is not a challenging course but is worth the value of the greenfee.

Cherry Island Golf Course Review
Sacramento California Golf Course Reviews