Had the pleasure of playing Marine Memorial on Friday 7/10, teeing off just after 10 AM.

It had been about a decade since I last played here ... » More

Had the pleasure of playing Marine Memorial on Friday 7/10, teeing off just after 10 AM.

It had been about a decade since I last played here and I really have no idea what took me so long. They have made quite a few improvements, to the course and the facilities since I was last year and I was really impressed by everything.

The course itself is a traditional layout, really straight forward with everything in front of you. There are some slight elevation changes on the back nine but for the most part it's a relatively flat course, working it's way through a valley with the holes bordered by big trees. The green complexes and bunkering here are nothing too extravagent but just really solid and require good shotmaking. There are enough doglegs and angles that need to be taken (due to trees) to keep you thinking. It's really a great layout that would play well for all handicaps depending on what tees you play.

The conditions of the course were really, really good. Right now I think that all coastal courses with kikuyu are playing about as lush as I can remember. This course was no exception. The lies in the fairways were fantastic but you could end up with some pretty juicy shots from the rough, especially around the greens.

The greens were absolutely perfect. I would say the speed was probably a 9.5-10 on the stimp, picking up speed as the day went on and the breeze kicked up, drying them out a bit, but they were super healthy and rolled really true. I feel like players do a good job of fixing ball bruises out here because when you hit the greens you left some big marks but I never had any issues with them or even saw many outside of my own.

The staff was awesome as well. They had re-done the restaurant and patio and it sucked seeing it not able to be enjoyed. Its just a good space and all the ladies in the snack bar were super friendly. Definitely see it as a great place to hang out.

On top of all that I think this place might have the best practice facility around. A really pure all grass range, big chipping and putting green with practice bunkers and even a par 3 course back behind the range. Seems like you could spend a couple hours there working on the game and have a great time.

We walked as a 4 ball in just under 4 hours so the POP was awesome! The crazy thing is the course was pretty packed but people just moved. Golf at it's best!!

I would highly recommend Marine Memorial right now. It's such a good layout and in excellent shape.
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Played my second round today, teeing off at about 12:30.

I played yesterday morning and the rough, fairways and green surrounds were kind of ... » More

Played my second round today, teeing off at about 12:30.

I played yesterday morning and the rough, fairways and green surrounds were kind of long, super lush and spongy. Apparently Wednesday is a mow day because after a good trim the place was looking pure!

Two things for up to date reporting.

1) Small tine punch today. We played right after and not much of an effect, but it did. Member-Member tourney 27-28th which is kind of a "major" for the Goat club so that's the goal to make the greens as pure as possible. I'd say they were rolling about 8-8.5 and pretty true. Held great.

2) #15, new mow job. They've cut down the area between the bunker in front of the green and the green to fairway length. I'm a huge fan of shaved areas around greens for run up shots and when you used to hit a good shot there and end up in long kikuyua rough it pissed me off. Love the change.

We played 18 holes in 2 1/2 hours. Pretty rad.

I think there's a big disc golf tourney there this weekend, so if you go to play call and check on that. Otherwise, the conditions are great, its a good value and POP is always pretty stellar.
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Me and a buddy went out around 6:45 AM this morning as a two-ball walking. $28 city resident rate.

WOW! That's all I can say after playing Mu... » More

Me and a buddy went out around 6:45 AM this morning as a two-ball walking. $28 city resident rate.

WOW! That's all I can say after playing Muni for the first time in about a decade (?). Wednesday seems to be one of the "mow" days as we were more or less behind the guys tending the greens, fairways, and tees (most we were there before they had a chance to put the markers back. We just played at the marker). Whoever the Super is here deserves a raise. No joke. Fairways were exceptional. Like high end country club for the most part. There's a few patches of weird stuff but mostly it was off the charts. The crazy thing is once you get off the fairway, literally BY INCHES, it was about 57 different kinds of grass and weeds and stuff. Kind of crazy but in a weird way, pretty cool.

The greens were AMAZING. It was a misty-ish morning so there's some moisture there, but I'd say they were running about 10.5 and PURE. Held perfectly. Probably the best greens I've played this summer.

Tee boxes were completely fine. There's a short downhill par 3 on the back where it's a bit chewed, but that's it. Otherwise, level and great.

I was in 5 bunkers and I loved them. Good soft sand on top but a bit firm below. Best thing to play out of. Had to place out of one foot print but that's the world we live in.

This is a pretty fun layout. Tons of doglegs, some long par 4s on the back with some teeth, lots of big mature trees and this overwhelming sense that you should have scored better but for some reason didn't. Kind of like that.

If there's one thing I would say as a negative is that early in the morning, before the marine layer burns off and there's any breeze, there's a lot of stagnant water on the course in creeks and stuff and that kind of freaks me out a bit (couple funky smells too). But I'm splitting hairs here.

All in all, Oceanside is pretty much killing it with golf right now. This place is in such great shape and the layout is fun, challenging but a great spot for all handicappers. If you go out and play here right now it's going to be well worth your money.
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Played Friday 6/12 with the GK crew teeing off around 12:30. Arrowood is one of my favorite courses in San Diego county and it seems like they are jus... » More

Played Friday 6/12 with the GK crew teeing off around 12:30. Arrowood is one of my favorite courses in San Diego county and it seems like they are just getting better and better. The course is probably in the best condition I have ever seen it, and that's saying something since they always have pretty high standards when it comes to conditioning.

I'll piggyback a bit on Johnny's review regarding what the team at Arrowood is doing to create a fun, relaxed and engaging atmosphere. Even in these interesting times they've gone ahead and re-did the snack bar into a really cool restaurant/bar area (will be great when it's fully operational again). They have some music playing around the clubhouse and practice areas which I always like and the staff is always super welcoming. After the round they had a farmers market-type thing going on, which I've never seen before and thought was really awesome. They've kind of realized that the whole community around there was lacking a main hub and they've created that at Arrowood. It's really a fun place to hang out.

As for the course itself, you get a really diverse variety of holes at Arrowood. I think the one knock I've always had is that the par 3s tend to be a bit similar to each other, but what they do (or at least did on Friday) is space out the tee markers across the entire tee box, literally giving about 20-30 yards width on some holes, which was kind of fun. You could really change the angles of attack and I think that's beneficial to all golfers, offering them perspective that can fit their eye a bit better.

The sign at the front said the greens were stimping at 10 and that seemed right. Definitely really healthy greens that held great but still rolled smooth. Fairways are tight and firm but no problem at all taking nice divots. Absolutely LOVE fairways like this. I actually don't know what the rough was like as I either hit my drives in the fairway or out of bounds :) But it looked pretty good.

All in all I can't say enough good things about Arrowood. They have some good loyalty programs and it seems every time I go out there they keep getting better and better at what they're doing. Highly recommend anytime! Go play!
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Played about 12 holes late afternoon yesterday. Still walking only at Goat Hill so it's really, REALLY important you know what you're getting into. It... » More

Played about 12 holes late afternoon yesterday. Still walking only at Goat Hill so it's really, REALLY important you know what you're getting into. It's definitely not just a leisurely stroll. They do have a couple signs up stating that and giving some tips like bring water and to lighten the bag (take clubs out...which I did and is key here when walking). Honestly, it's the perfect course to play with only a handful of clubs and get creative.

There is a cool sign up stating that six feet is about the length of an extended arm and a driver. Nice visual :). All the rest of the covid guidelines are in place and it's running very smoothly. I'm pretty impressed at how well people are respecting them. It does make me sad to see all the tables and chairs removed from the deck and fire pit. That's my favorite part of the course :)

As for the conditions themselves, I've never seen the Goat better. Tee to green things look and play fantastic. The greens rolled smooth but were a bit on the slow side still as they were punched about a week after shutdown. They are going to continue to cut and roll so in a week or so it's going to be perfect!

There were a few projects done while it was closed down and you can tell. The 12th green is looking great, there's some new landscaping and cart paths and overall it just looks great.

Definitely a great time to get out there and the staff is always super helpful and fun. Just prepared for a bit of a workout when walking 18.
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