I have always enjoyed this course. I find it interesting, fun to play, and just enough of a challenge to keep your focus. Staff was great and got me out right away as a single to avoid the rush of ea... Continue »

I have always enjoyed this course. I find it interesting, fun to play, and just enough of a challenge to keep your focus. Staff was great and got me out right away as a single to avoid the rush of early morning golfers.

Some of the fairways had areas which were very thin, while most had plenty of grass, Greens were very nice, rolled true, and reasonable speed. (Those which were mowed) In two bunkers and both were soaked. But I looked at others and they appeared OK.

Was able to play on Wednesday mid day. Starter was very friendly and paired me up with a twosome that happen to be from orange county. Pace was a little slow as we waited a minute or so on every shot... Continue »

Was able to play on Wednesday mid day. Starter was very friendly and paired me up with a twosome that happen to be from orange county. Pace was a little slow as we waited a minute or so on every shot it seemed. The guys dropped off after nine though and I jumped ahead one group of another twosome. They were kids (18-19) that worked the cart barn at the course. They were beginner golfers and must have lost two dozen balls on the back nine. They kept hitting extra tee shots and most likely added to the wait time. The front nine two guys probably lost one dozen.
I really enjoyed the course and lay out. I did lose three balls myself although I was hitting the ball pretty welll. Most of the holes were straight forward wysiwyg, except for one short dog leg left, thet I thought ok cut the corner a touch. Wrong... lost ball.
The greens were very receptive and were good rolling, although I found them to be a little slower than the practice green.
Traps were nice , the rough was not too penalizing but anything errant was in the tall stuff or reeds and not much of a chance of finding the ball.
The weather was really great , even though it was somewhat inland from the coast, and a little warm at times. The coast which was perfect weather as we were staying in Carslbad for the week.
There was no beverage cart out on the course, but a nice small snack/sandwich/drink station at the clubhouse, which also is very small.
But the friendly staff and quick service was welcomed.

I would definitely play this course often if I lived close by. As we vacation yearly in Carlsbad, I will make it a priority to get back out here. Maybe even sooner.

Played with the Guru group 5/18. Agree with everything said except I found the bunker sand to be fairly good and quite playable (however they do need a good raking on most)..

The course is in very... Continue »

Played with the Guru group 5/18. Agree with everything said except I found the bunker sand to be fairly good and quite playable (however they do need a good raking on most)..

The course is in very good conditions and the greens were excellent - well struck shots stopped quickly and putts rolled very true. Beware the pin placements, there were several that ranged from difficult to "oh my god" tough. You need to play here a few times to figure out some of the breaks and the speed.

Fairways were very good and first cut if rough isn't too penal - however, do NOT go outside that first cut, it's 50/50 at best you'll find your ball and it's about 9-1 you won't like it if you do!

As noted in prior reviews, there is a HUGE difference between the front and back nines. Both are solid tests but completely different feel.

Service was great, very nice and pleasant staff.

Definitely recommended and a good value as well. Hope it's not another 18 months before I get down here again.

My first time playing Woods Valley Golf Club. Not sure why it took a GK Review Guru round to get me out there given all the positive reviews I’ve read over the years. But none-the-less, its reputation... Continue »

My first time playing Woods Valley Golf Club. Not sure why it took a GK Review Guru round to get me out there given all the positive reviews I’ve read over the years. But none-the-less, its reputation stood true. This is a very enjoyable, tale of two 9’s layout with plenty of fantastic golf holes and great playing conditions to go along with it. On the back nine I discovered why it’s called “woods” valley. Had my share of lost balls into the trees. Which are predominately beautiful large and small oak trees. 10 – 16 is a special stretch of golf holes carved into a natural secluded landscape featuring position golf and challenging green complexes. Took many photos, check them out.

I thought the playing conditions were great with the highlight the greens. Smooth, medium fast and held shots very well. With exception to some patches of thin areas on the front nine fairways, they were predominately lush and groomed. The rough was cut low being thick in many places and thin in few. The secondary rough on the back nine was long and wild. Hole #13 comes to mind (what a beautiful par 3). The tee boxes were in good shape, lush and level. The only negative was the sand quality in the bunkers. Pretty thin in most and in some rather wet. They could use a good turning IMO. Overall very happy with the playing condition I experienced.

The staff I encountered were all friendly and professional. There is a good vibe at this place. They have a good driving range hitting off grass and excellent practice putting green. A couple years ago Woods Valley Golf Club won Greenskeeper.org's award for “Most Worth The Green Fee” San Diego County. I now see why. Highly Recommended.

Part of the GK Guru Play on 5/18, with fine playing partners, zgolfinman, gary00 and larryq2001. Woods Valley Golf Club is a 18-Holes, 6500 yard daily fee championship course featuring tree lined fair... Continue »

Part of the GK Guru Play on 5/18, with fine playing partners, zgolfinman, gary00 and larryq2001. Woods Valley Golf Club is a 18-Holes, 6500 yard daily fee championship course featuring tree lined fairways along a beautiful rolling terrain and various elevation scenery. The two 9 holes are very different in looks, temperament and playability. Slope 72.5/131 Men's, Slope 78.5/141 (Women). Though short by today's standards, this track puts a premium on shot placement and accuracy regardless of which tees are played. This course favors those who fade rather than draw the ball. Long but inconsistent players will not score well. This is target golf at its finest! Use the Greenskeeper's tips about this course to save +5 stokes! Opened in 2004, this Dave Ginkel's design offers 5 sets of tee options bolstering 37 sand traps (not raked on this day) and 10 holes with water hazards, either directly in sight or off to the sides. Three of the four Par 3's played directly over water. It makes sense that our Pace of Play was 4 hrs and 20 minutes. We spent 30 minutes total looking for errant balls. Expect longer play if your handicap is greater than +13. Well stock supply of golf balls are a prerequisite. Irrigated areas (Fwys/Tees/Roughs) were tight knit Bermuda playing to large Bent/Poa slightly elevated greens, which held shots, nicely. The greens rolled true and were stimping to about 8.8 on this day. (Note: The practice green speed seems to putt quicker). Pin placements on Green #11, can be diabolical as it has very few flat spots on a severely undulated green. Two putts are NOT a given regardless of where you are on this green. The course utilizes the 3 colored flag system (Red, White, Blue) for pin placements. The far, non-irrigated rough has 16" of tall grass and environmentally protected areas with large overgrowth which makes searching/finding balls a challenge. Rattlesnakes Warning signage will warn you about thinking/venturing into these areas. With all of the slopes and terrain variations, a GPS device is needed. Even better if you have the slope version but remember, not legal for tournament play. Metal yardage discs are located on tee boxes and fairway sprinkler heads though difficult to spot sometimes. Other Info: Woods Valley GC is a daily fee golf course professionally managed by JC Golf. Located in Valley Center, CA, just 4 miles from the Valley Center Casino. From Interstate 5 it is about 35 minutes, using Route 78. From Interstate 15, it is 25 minutes, depending if you are coming from the North or South. Prime time traffic will add to your commute. The signage to the facility can be a little difficult to see. I spotted the large grayish fabric cart storage doom roof before I noticed the sign. Parking lot can handle +130 vehicles with about 10 handicap designations. The clubhouse is a functional modular structure housing a moderate stocked Clubhouse, full service Restaurant (w/ Beer/Liquor), along with 2 giant LCD TV screens. His/Hers restrooms with multiple toilets. Someone was waiting in the hallway of what I assumed to be an occupied restroom only to find out differently. I only recalled seeing 2 Port-a-Johns on the Back 9, Hole #14. Clean electric E-Z GO golf carts but without GPS or USB outlets. Carts had 1 small cooler filled with ice on one side while the other side offer a combination of ball/club washer. Two sand bottles for divots attached were being fully utilized. Driving range had 25 hitting stations with sturdy bag racks. The tees area is one of the largest and nicely naturally grassed (Bermuda) range I ever seen. High strategically placed poles offer visually targets though the range was covered with 68% turf. Very functional just not visually pleasing with bare dirt. Certainly, not a good first impression for those visiting for the first time. One could wrongly assume the rest of the course would be in similar condition. Clean range Balls were disperse thru a automated machine with a code from the Pro Shop. $4.00/30 balls or $7/$60 balls. The range is closed for maintenance on Mondays, from 2 PM until Tuesday, 9AM. The customer service experience is one of the best I've ever encountered as a whole, from the Pro Shop, Starter and Restaurant. The Starter is knowledgeable about the course. This course needs to be played multiple times at different tee designations to gain the ultimate appreciation/perspective of the course many challenges and its scenic beauty. Highly recommend!

We teed off a little after 9am in another gk guru fun fest. The weather was perfect, with blue sky everywhere serving as a backdrop to the tree lined hills. The golf course was lush and green, with sm... Continue »

We teed off a little after 9am in another gk guru fun fest. The weather was perfect, with blue sky everywhere serving as a backdrop to the tree lined hills. The golf course was lush and green, with smooth, flat tee boxes and good grass coverage from tee to green.
The greens themselves were very good, with decent speed. They held almost any type of approach shots, with many wedge shots backing up significantly. I found the greens very hard to read. There must be a prevailing grain direction, but I couldn't figure it out.
The layout is lots of fun, with the front side being pretty straight forward. The back side is more tricky, and probably requires a couple rounds to figure out club selection off a few of the tees.
All in all, a very good course in a beautiful setting.

Yet another of the GK Guru meet reviews here! Played on 5/18/17 and I have to say this is a really interesting course. The front starts out somewhat inviting, and then the teeth begin to show a bit. B... Continue »

Yet another of the GK Guru meet reviews here! Played on 5/18/17 and I have to say this is a really interesting course. The front starts out somewhat inviting, and then the teeth begin to show a bit. By the time you get to the back 9 you are almost on a different course with very tight holes and some evil greens. Those who played with me will remember the 3 iron at 215 (pin) home where it hit the narrow (and severely contoured) green and jumped sideways and forward! After that it was a comedy of errors turning a delicate eagle pitch from maybe 15 yards into a bogey. *Insert a sad trombone here*

In general, the course is in really amazing condition. It has been 7+ months since I last played, so I might be biased against pre-winter rain conditions in SoCal, but the fairways were in great condition. I don't think I saw much damage anywhere from old divots, however there were a few reminders the course was flooded this past winter. The greens were receptive to most shots (excluding the above 3 iron) and the ability to utilize spin to keep the ball under control was evident. If there was one negative to the course, it would be the bunker conditions. Hard pan looks to be the standard, and one bunker looked as though it was overtaken by roots from an unknown source. Note this bunker was not one that anymore than 1% should ever end up in, but it did catch my eye looking down at it from a green side location (it was back down a hill).

This is a really great course and someplace I will have to make the 70 mile drive to play again this year.

Played in the GK outing on a beautiful day. I haven't played here in 3-4 years so I was looking forward to today's outing.

Friendly staff in the clubhouse. Nothing very fancy at the deli but the sa... Continue »

Played in the GK outing on a beautiful day. I haven't played here in 3-4 years so I was looking forward to today's outing.

Friendly staff in the clubhouse. Nothing very fancy at the deli but the sandwiches were very tasty!

Very nice grass driving range with good quality balls.

Fairways: didn't get a bad lie all day. Back nine was more narrow than the front, quite challenging!

Greens: holding, smooth and medium to fast speed. A little slower than the practice green.

Rough: some bare areas but playable.

Traps: looks like they haven't been raked in a week or so. Very disappointing compared to the rest of the course.

POP: just over 4 hours.

Very challenging layout, worth the drive from Oceanside, actually it wasn't bad, only 25 minutes.
Looking forward to another visit very soon!

5/18 for a guru outing on a warm ideal sc spring day. POP a leisurely 420 with only alittle waiting on 10 and 11 and the occasional search for wayward shots. Nice grass driving range and a large pra... Continue »

5/18 for a guru outing on a warm ideal sc spring day. POP a leisurely 420 with only alittle waiting on 10 and 11 and the occasional search for wayward shots. Nice grass driving range and a large practice green the speed of which was some what faster than nt on the course. Fairways overall have good cover--closely mowed but with good cushion. Yes there are some thin spots and random random bare areas which did not come into play but did detract from the aesthetics. Rough is cut down to about an inch and is very thick close to the fairway perimeter and around the greens slowing the ball but not having much effect on shot execution. Beyond the primary rough is real trouble with some large rocks dirt/sandy areas or wild thick grasses and weeds(where we did spend some time on the search trying to locate that darn scattered shot while collecting plenty of nasty foxtails and stickers) Only snake we saw was a gopher beside the 4th green. Tees are level with good cover overall. Bunkers provide mixed conditions some are groomed and raked, some were wet and hard packed and some had newer sand that is groomed but heavy requiring extra attention to planing the shot before attempting to execute. Greens overall were pretty smooth but I felt that the speed was somewhat inconsistent as a few of the greens were predominantly poaanna. Speed was between medium and medium fast--not a lot of undulation or tiers but the breaks were subtle enough to make my life on the green a puzzlement--mostly came close with a lot of lippers. Staff members are very friendly and golfer oriented. Though the location is rather remote it is well worth the drive--very scenic with the lakes full, the greenery and clear blue skies and you get a quality golf course to boot. Rates appear to be very fair for the experience provided. Time for a destination road trip!! I think the rating came out a little lowwould pick more like 7.1/7.2