5/5 using clickit voucher $42 plus $3 fee for 2some from the blacks seemed to play harder as I had some near misses that ran out into bad trouble--very important to miss on the correct side as margin ... Continue »

5/5 using clickit voucher $42 plus $3 fee for 2some from the blacks seemed to play harder as I had some near misses that ran out into bad trouble--very important to miss on the correct side as margin for error is compounded and the already narrow landing area becomes almost nil--take time to look at the slope of the fairway and try for the high side.
Fairways are generally in good condition but are showing some wear and had quite a few unfilled divots--just a few bare spots but pretty good overall. Rough is definitely a factor about 2 inches in places a little shorter near the greens but thick leaving some challenge to get out and control distance.
Most tees ok--some thin and a couple had lots of divots--small boxes so not much room to move markers. Found 2 green side bunkers which had ample sand well groomed and playable.
Greens were medium speed a little bumpy due to being on the softer side. Had some interesting pin placements which highlighted the contours which I had not noticed before.
#17 looks to be a newer green and is showing signs of some distress as there are multiple small bare spots that look like ball marks but there are far too many for that to be the case.
Staff is very friendly and the starter got us out early--POP 3 1/2 with some waiting and some searching for those missed shots.

I can’t believe I am this late in posting a review, but better late than never.

Fun time out at Boulder Oaks Golf Club for our GK Plays 4/23. Thank you to everyone that came out!

It was my first... Continue »

I can’t believe I am this late in posting a review, but better late than never.

Fun time out at Boulder Oaks Golf Club for our GK Plays 4/23. Thank you to everyone that came out!

It was my first time playing the course and it beat me up. I was not as accurate as I needed to be and consequently was looking for many shots. Plus being there were so many blind shots, I had a hard time having any confidence off the tee. I missed most fairways and suffered the consequences of being on hard dirt or lost. However when I hit the fairways they provided very nice lies and were lush. On the greens, very good condition, firm, mostly smooth, moderate speed and very tricky. Again, wishing I had some course knowledge because some of breaks on those greens are very deceiving. As for the bunkers, they unfortunately were predominately depleted of sand due to the massive storms that rolled through there in late March that not only washed out almost every bunker but caused some erosion damage. As far as the tee boxes, good shape with mostly level lies. Overall, the course was in good shape and fun to experience.

As far as running the outing, they really hustled around to make us happy. I was hustling too but in the end, they got it all set up and ready to go. I was disappointed because there is no driving range to warm up on but I’ve been told in 3 months there should be as they do a little re-routing of the course to make some room for it. Afterwards for our prizes and grub, they nailed it. Delicious Cheeseburger (best I ever had at a golf course) combo deal, large room, big tables, bar, affordable prices, good times!

GK event 4/23/17 - Paired with dconnally, rstang06, and my son mdkaplan90. I've not much more to add that others haven't alread stated; or in addition to my prior reviews of this course, other than en... Continue »

GK event 4/23/17 - Paired with dconnally, rstang06, and my son mdkaplan90. I've not much more to add that others haven't alread stated; or in addition to my prior reviews of this course, other than enjoying the wonderful comraderie of fellow GKers familiar and Newbies. :) Having played here twice before, it made this round my best ever. I certainly want to add the AMAZING BOULDER BURGER & FRIES. OMG!!! BEST Burger I've had by far (thinking this will be our new go to for a burger fix)...and what a Great GKer deal they gave us all. Wonderful Staff. Apparently the plan is for a practice area to warm up being in place within the next 90 days (much needed). Nice to see the GPS watch worked now with the course layout as well as driving guidance directions to the course. Don't let the size fool you...its no easy feat from the tips.

Had a great time at Boulder Oaks on a sunny, warm and windy day on Sunday afternoon, 4/23/17 – a GK Plays outing and I was lucky to be paired with dcricket and rstang06, and their son mdkaplan90 - alw... Continue »

Had a great time at Boulder Oaks on a sunny, warm and windy day on Sunday afternoon, 4/23/17 – a GK Plays outing and I was lucky to be paired with dcricket and rstang06, and their son mdkaplan90 - always a pleasure to see those guys. This course had recently undergone a significant renovation and rerouting, and I had never played the old layout. I’d seen some iffy reviews from other GKers on the quirky new setup, and the renovated yardage (<5,800 yards) was a little below what I’d normally go for, but the opportunity to get with other GKers was too good to pass up.

We had a noon shotgun start and I was lucky to get paired with veterans of the revised layout (for tips on play lines and green slopes) and to start on some of the less-tricky holes (we started on the short par 5 #3, followed by the flat par-3 #4) – starting in the wrong place here could quickly put a dent in your score and your enthusiasm. The course is very slopy and the wind is a significant factor, as many fairways and hitting lanes are narrow, wind can quickly blow you offline and affect distances, and seemingly good shots can quickly catch slopes into trouble. There are blind tee shots on several holes - repeated plays are definitely necessary to get the correct hitting lines and where to position your ball in fairways and on greens.

Some of the greens remain from the earlier course configuration, and others are newly constructed. As far as I could tell, most of the older greens had better turf coverage and held shots, while some newer greens were thinner, firmer, and didn’t hold as well. All the greens are very slopy, with significant runouts on downhill downgrain putts, and position is key to being able to comfortably putt to the hole, as most greens have a lot of subtle movement. Separate from the new/old situation, green speeds seemed to be inconsistent through the course, and none of our group had a good putting day. [The practice green was very smooth and consistent, resulting in a lot of jarring confusion once we got out on the course greens.] All greens had a lot of unrepaired ballmarks, with the front of green #18 being especially bad.

Fairways were in generally good condition and lies were good. But most of the fairways are pretty narrow, and players need to be aware of danger areas as they go along. In many cases adjacent holes are very close, and there’s some danger involved with balls flying offline into other playing areas. Lots of unfilled divots and we were very busy with the sand bottles. Most of the tees are fairly new and level, well-turfed, and playable. Par-3 tees were pretty torn up, especially the black and blue boxes on #13. Traps were generally pretty firm with only a thin playing layer.

Generally enough water available on the course, although the water jug on #5 tee was empty at 1230pm. Cart paths are in need of some serious work to repair damage and simplify the cart routing – many newer gravel paths need some grading and dust suppression. Areas beyond the rough/mulch areas are primarily hardpan/crushed granite, with lots of new plantings trying to take hold. These granite areas need additional cover and routing protection from rogue cart traffic to mature and improve appearance. The effect of recent heavy rains is evident from widespread runoff damage/erosion in these areas. No cart girl or ranger today. There is no driving range.

The clubhouse is older, left over from the country club, but with a friendly vibe from the staff. The grounds surrounding the clubhouse, and scattered areas of the course interior and surrounds, need a cash infusion and lots of TLC for a cleaner more appealing look.

The course is pretty unique and challenging in its conditions. I don’t think I would travel down to Escondido again just to play here. Unless Donna and Willie called again!

Played yesterday in the GK outing. This was my second time at this course and overall I still like the course as much as the first time. Having even just a bit of course knowledge is extremely helpfu... Continue »

Played yesterday in the GK outing. This was my second time at this course and overall I still like the course as much as the first time. Having even just a bit of course knowledge is extremely helpful here with the sloping fairways and many blind shots. It may be short yardage-wise, but short doesn’t always mean easy! The fairways are in very good shape. The greens were rather inconsistent from hole to hole. The tee boxes had even footing, but many seemed slightly tilted although sometimes I couldn’t tell if they really were or if it was just an optical illusion. I was disappointed that they still don’t have logo balls but hopefully they will get them soon. When they do, I’ll be back for another round.

Well what a unique experience. There is much to write about. This review may be the longest one I type. This course was once Meadow Lake. In order to conserve water they have shortened the layout, rer... Continue »

Well what a unique experience. There is much to write about. This review may be the longest one I type. This course was once Meadow Lake. In order to conserve water they have shortened the layout, rerouted some holes, even eliminating holes and reduced the rough by a large amount. I have mixed feelings about this. I appreciate courses trying to conserve water and reduce costs in this challenging golf economy right now but I think they over did it. There are some very difficult, if unfair holes out here. Number 6 has no fairway to hit. The fairway is tiny, slopes left to right and there is a bunker in the ideal spot to be. From the tee you must aim at the trees on the left and hope for the best. Number 14 is very similar only with OB. From the blacks on number 17 is simply diabolical. It is a huge carry to the fairway where anything right is trees and anything left is hardpan desert or a hole or a bush or water. Speaking of which if not on grass you will see crazy bounces and rikashays. I hit a tree(about 160 yards from tee) on 8 and with no grass to slow it down it bounced back towards me about 100 yards. What would have been a 250+ yard drive ended up being 60 yards. It was funny. The par 5 5th and 18th have no space for your second shot in the fairway. I had 8 penalty strokes. My ball trickled forever into the OB abyss twice, I lost a ball in ice plant just off the fairway, and I lost my swing.
On a positive side, I do appreciate the difficulty out here. To navigate this course requires patience, decent ball striking and lots of course knowledge.
As far as conditions go they were ok. Some greens where soft while others firm. The nicest part other than the great hamburgers and beer!! here was the putting green. It is immaculate. Hopefully the rest of the course can like the putting green. The tiny fairways are in nice shape.
The SCGA raters did a horrible job giving this a 116 from the blacks. The 67.3 rating is about right. Its a short course. But 116?? no way. It should be 126.
Unless you are very straight, it is best to play more forward tees or to leave the Driver at home. But what about 17th tee?? OK bring the driver.....

4/23(blues) gk outing and 4/24(blacks) GSC $45 2some POP 4 1/2 and 3 1/2 hrs.
It is a different course from the blacks couple of long carries but otherwise in my opinion a lot more fun and challenge.... Continue »

4/23(blues) gk outing and 4/24(blacks) GSC $45 2some POP 4 1/2 and 3 1/2 hrs.
It is a different course from the blacks couple of long carries but otherwise in my opinion a lot more fun and challenge.
Fairways are excellent being nicely mowed firm but good cushion never had a bad lie. Rough is penal plays tougher than it looks and around the green gets down right difficult. In green side bunker on 13 very playable and well maintained. After the rough comes the bare decomposed granite--playable but iffy--other areas beyond rough can be wild vegetation--not playable.
Most tees i good shape-- level with a few that were beat up. Several blind shots off the tee --#5 on the score card but the new #16 has you looking dead into the face of half dome about 170-80 out is one fine example.
Playing here a few times will help to know which side is the safer miss if you cant stripe it every time.
Greens are good for the most part -- a few had some bare area around the outer portion and a couple had a lot of ball damage. Speed was a little hard to judge and was often just short. Pin placement on 14 new 7 was nuts--blue flag --10 foot up hill putt rolls 3 inches past then back 3 feet--partner had 6 foot birdie putt and took a triple.
Staff is friendly--as indicated the course has just re-numbered the holes---#8 is now #1 and so on from there.
The course presents well visually with the green grass providing a nice contrast to the granite--ample flowers to add scenery--a challenging target golf alternative and a good course to add to your rotation to work on honing your shot selection.

Played as part of the GK Plays Sunday. First time playing this course. To be fair I would need to play here again. Greens were decent. They rolled relatively true with a few bounces here and the... Continue »

Played as part of the GK Plays Sunday. First time playing this course. To be fair I would need to play here again. Greens were decent. They rolled relatively true with a few bounces here and there -- not great but a little too inconsistent. Add the greens were difficult for me to read even with the terrain being predictable and I was unfamiliar with the layout it was.... tough to say the least. Loads of win blowing will hinder or help your ball flight. Thinking back I could do a lot better with respect to putting. There are some areas on 3-4 greens where it was patched or bare. Looks like they are on it and it should be some time until they return. You do not need to be long just very accurate. The fairways have good coverage, the thinish strips of rough are designed to hold your ball and it's quite thick and sticky. Further beyond the rough is literally hard pan and will give your ball a load of roll and distance; oftentimes to your detriment. Bottom-line thinking about this course I would really stick to irons and hybrids and occasionally putting out my driver. Sand in bunkers well stocked. Not white sandy beaches but not bad and well stocked. Pace of play was tournament -- slow but finished in 4 1/2 hours. Course is a little quirky but I like the fact you really do use all your clubs. Would have liked to have passed by the clubhouse at the turn for some refreshments but they redirect you so you don't even see the clubhouse. Also restock your water jugs.

I have not played here since 1984, so way beyond a name change, I had zero recollection of this course. That coupled with the fact they have "renovated" the course, made for playing essentially a new ... Continue »

I have not played here since 1984, so way beyond a name change, I had zero recollection of this course. That coupled with the fact they have "renovated" the course, made for playing essentially a new course. The greens were not fast, but had a lot of "movement", not break so much as a total slope of the green. Many of greens had bare spots and were not the least receptive to accepting even well struck shots. I found many of the fairways displayed this same characteristic. If you missed the fairway, the ball could run out 50-100 yards and generally not where you wanted it to go. There were a couple holes where I stood on the tee (black) and had absolutely no idea where to hit the tee shot. Even if I knew, I would not have been able to see if land anyway. I thought the course had some very nice visuals, but overall, this is not a course I will reurn to anytime soon. Maybe again in another 33 years !