I played on Friday the 12th, teeing off around 2 pm and finished around 5:15. We actually had to wait a bit but it's one of the benefits of having a shorter course in that you can really get around qu... Continue »

I played on Friday the 12th, teeing off around 2 pm and finished around 5:15. We actually had to wait a bit but it's one of the benefits of having a shorter course in that you can really get around quickly, which is nice. It's a tough course to walk but I definitely recommend it. The carts are all new, but some of the hills and cart paths make for a wild ride!

It's been about a week and a half since Goat Hill Park re-opened after some major renovations, and the place looks great! I will definitely say that there's some growing in that needs to happen, and the last crazy rain storm did some damage that still needs fixing, but it's absolutely night and day to where this course was even 6 months ago.

Goat Hill Park is now a par 65 track (hole #6 was changed from the worst golf hole in history to arguably the best par 3 on the course) but presents quite the challenge. There are now great oceanviews from a lot of holes as quite a few trees were removed as was lots of old overgrowth. If you look at the yardage and course rating and think this is going to be an easy round, you're sorely mistaken. The greens are really small and the elevation changes throughout (and nearby ocean breezes) can make it tricky.

As for the conditions of the course, I was really pleased. The fairways still need some time, but were more than playable. I don't think I ever got a bad lie, but I did see some GUR and some areas where time and rain will help.

The greens are in fantastic shape. They are rolling very true, hold shots and are super tricky to read (something has to provide some defense to par here). There are a couple greens that are either entirely new or had major renovations done and you can still see remnants of that (#6, #12, #13 and the practice green come to mind) but it's hardly and issue.

Most of the tees are either entirely new or had a lot of work done and were in great shape. Loved the surfaces. There's very little rough at Goat Hill as the fairways are pretty narrow and the turf reduction program replaced old, tattered rough with decomposed granite and over-seeded native grasses (love the look of this but in all honesty,it comes into play a bit too much on a few holes and you basically have no chance to find your ball...kind of a bummer).

The one area that absolutely needs more time and work are the bunkers. A few were added, in great spots (keep your ball from rolling down hills and stuff) but there is a TON of sand in them and people don't rake them at all. I can count the number of bunkers on the course on one hand, but know that as intended, these bunkers are definitely a hazard.

As for the rest of the facilities, the pro shop/clubhouse is small but really charming. With ocean views, a cool vibe and great patio it's an awesome place to hang out and have a beer after the round. There isn't a restaurant but you can get some snacks and on the weekends local grocery store Frazier Farms and restauarant Local Tap House supply pretty good sandwiches you can buy. The driving range has been completely re-done with quality turf on an all-grass range, new balls and target greens (and surf boards!) installed.

Goat Hill Park is my home course and I'm excited to see how far it's come. With all these courses closing down in North County San Diego, I'm glad the Goat is still open for business and providing such a cool place to play and learn the game.

Mr. Ashworth and the community have really turned this place around. Night and day difference in conditions. Still needs a little growing in, but generally speaking, it was solid. Great value and some... Continue »

Mr. Ashworth and the community have really turned this place around. Night and day difference in conditions. Still needs a little growing in, but generally speaking, it was solid. Great value and some of the toughest par 3's you'll ever see. Play it!

I played today. I left after 5 holes due to the condition. This place has never been in good condition and to say otherwise is dishonest. Now they are rebuilding it. I would not recommend this course ... Continue »

I played today. I left after 5 holes due to the condition. This place has never been in good condition and to say otherwise is dishonest. Now they are rebuilding it. I would not recommend this course right now as it is a dirt lot. I sure hope all this re-do isn't all talk. Stay away until it's completed. I sure hope the course comes out well in a year or so.

Played with AndrewZ28 in an unexpected round…but I always pack my clubs in the trunk so I was ready! First have to say what a great time it always is to tee it up with AndrewZ28. Don't ever pass on an... Continue »

Played with AndrewZ28 in an unexpected round…but I always pack my clubs in the trunk so I was ready! First have to say what a great time it always is to tee it up with AndrewZ28. Don't ever pass on an opportunity to play golf with him. Regarding the golf course, it is in the middle of a renovation, a work in progress but still a fun go around in my opinion. I met John Ashworth before round, actually if you play the course, the man is there every afternoon working on the renovation with his crew. This is his baby. He’s has ownership in the course and has a big vision with it. Having met and talked with John, the guy is an artistic perfectionist. I’m optimistic and excited about the coming improvements which are already taking place. They have already cleared out ALL the messy brush and excess trees. The results are some beautiful views of the surrounding Oceanside area that were previously shielded. You can even catch some glimpses of the ocean. I posted a photo to show. btw – notice the super nice country club pin. That’s a prelude of how they are not going to cut corners with the renovation. In addition they are going to be installing a brand new irrigation system soon. They are moving around a lot of land to make the course more player friendly. They are using Pinehurst in ways as an inspiration by adding native grasses to the areas they have cleared out. Give the course a sort of Scottish feel. The green complexes will remain but there will be improvements made to some of them. They have already redone the proshop/patio, looks great with an easy going vibe to it. Is the course rough shape right now?...you bet it is and will be in rough shape for some time. But I will say the greens are in great shape, tee boxes are fine, pace of play is fast, to me the layout is interesting/challenging and it’s a bargain to play.

I got nothing against this place and I was hoping it would be decent so after a buddy had come to me saying have you seen goat hill it has grass all over it, I agreed to play it. When I arrived the hi... Continue »

I got nothing against this place and I was hoping it would be decent so after a buddy had come to me saying have you seen goat hill it has grass all over it, I agreed to play it. When I arrived the hippy chick running the place was trying to screw my buddy out of an extra ten bucks per player and her assistant, some guy about 30 was telling someone other dude about all the ways they had of screwing non locals out of cash. We did end up getting our 25 dollar golf now rate and we did tee off on time and that's about the most positive thing I can say. The greens have ebola and are horrible the fairways do have grass but it's uneven and the ground is so hard your ball can kick anyplace and since the whole course is cart path only finding your ball and having the correct club is a rare treat.the traps are terrible shallow and hard the rough areas don't resemble a golf course at all. Now I know somebody out there is saying" what do u out expect for 25 bucks" so I will tell you .I expect the place to be closed until it's in a condition to be played. I don't mind a scrappy little golf course here and there but the layout here is silly and the condition is below playable and the scga Should be ashamed of its self for allowing this dirt lot to stay open. In fact the only thing funnier than this place telling us that the rates are going up are the 170.00 Sunday bags with a goat hill logo they are trying to sell with a straight face. If this is your spot and you want to defend it I feel sorry for you. Some things are wrong, drunk driving, hitting girls and playing here. If you go here now you have been warned you only have yourself to blame . Golf now should have standards and not deal with is place and if your reading this and are with the scga do your job in golf we are supposed to police our selves and have standards, this place is below any Standard I can imagine

Played as a solo walker around 10 AM on Monday for $15. I completed 18 holes in about 2 hours and 15 minutes but decided to play the front nine twice since a local community college had their team pla... Continue »

Played as a solo walker around 10 AM on Monday for $15. I completed 18 holes in about 2 hours and 15 minutes but decided to play the front nine twice since a local community college had their team playing and I caught their four groups on 10 (didn't really want to wait).

The course is definitely coming along nicely and the recent rains absolutely helped. There were some pretty wet areas since it rained all day Sunday, but the course actually drained surprisingly well.

The biggest area of improvement I'm seeing is the greens. They were always the best part of the course anyway, but you could see that they had been let go and suffered from some disease or something, but they are getting them in shape and I had nothing but smooth, true rolls all day.

I actually took some pics this time around since all that's on here are some shots from about 6-7 months ago from sixpez. Unfortunately I only have one that was taken from the same spot he took one, but I think the improvements show up.

Again, the people in the shop were awesome, and I was happy to see so many maintenance guys out working on a little bit of everything. It's still a work in progress but it's coming along and for $15 I got a great workout (this thing is HARD to walk), some sunshine and really got to work on my game (smallest greens I've ever played so when you get a GIR you know you're doing something right).

So, I was looking forward to writing this review because of how atrocious the previous reviews were :) For those of you who don't know, Goat Hill Park is the course formerly known as Center City Golf ... Continue »

So, I was looking forward to writing this review because of how atrocious the previous reviews were :) For those of you who don't know, Goat Hill Park is the course formerly known as Center City Golf Course (aka The Worst Golf Course Ever). Earlier this year a group headed up by John Ashworth (the golf clothes designer who now owns Linksoul) and other members of the local community took over operations of the Goat with the plans to clean it up and improve it to make it a place for members of the community to come together and enjoy the game (see link here: http://linksoul.com/linksoul-blog.aspx). I had played here a couple years ago and it was absolutely terrible. I can say however that in the short amount of time this group has been in charge, the improvements are fantastic.

I will say however that the course is very rough still. If you had played here recently you know how bad it was and the long road ahead. But when you meet the people behind the course you immediately get the sense of care and passion they hold for the place and the game and you want to be a part of it.

As for the course, it's the craziest 18 holes I've ever played. It's the hardest short course BY FAR and I walked it which is no easy task. There are some pretty incredible plans for the entire facility and if anything I hope that other GKers at least get out there, talk to the people, play a round or grab a beer and hit a bucket or even volunteer.

I walked on and paid $15 to walk on Sunday morning. I laughed at some of the shots I had to hit and smiled at some of the views I got to enjoy and just really enjoyed the day. Talked a bit with the maintenance guys as they worked on the course and you could tell how excited they were to actually get to do the work they wanted on the course and to bring it back.

The previous reviews on here were spot on, but Goat Hill Park is on it's way back and what it represents is important for all of the people who really love the soul of the game. Get out there and support this place because as golf enthusiasts, it's important to keep places like this alive.

Part 1 of today's disappointing triple play in Oceanside. Short review for Center City...The course can be summed up in two words: "turd sandwich." Extended review, because I can't help it...I book... Continue »

Part 1 of today's disappointing triple play in Oceanside. Short review for Center City...The course can be summed up in two words: "turd sandwich." Extended review, because I can't help it...I booked a 6:00 tee time. I know the course is terrible, but I've never played it myself and figured it would be a quick and easy early AM round. At 6:00, the rickety entry gate was still locked. Finally a guy showed up around 6:05, but he was just a maintenance worker. He told me they usually don't open the pro shop until 6:30(?!?!). Finally, a burnout-looking kid shows up around 6:30 to open the pro shop and here's our exact exchange... Me: "I actually had a 6:00 tee time." Him: "We don't open until 6:30." Me: "So, you probably shouldn't make 6:00 tee times available." Him: "I agree." That was it. I threw my $20 at him (which is at least $25 too much), grabbed my cart key and went out on the course to get it over with, just because I'm compelled to complete what I came for even if I know it's going to suck. And suck it did. The tee boxes are okay enough. The areas on and around the greens are reasonably covered with grass, but still not particularly exciting. Greens soft, slow and pretty bumpy. Everything in between is nothing but dirt and weeds. Look at the satellite views of the course on Google maps and you'll see all you need to see. The course itself is not a good design, made worse by the awful conditions. The routing is a twisted, confusing mess. There are a lot of tight doglegs and the terrain is very hilly, so all those dirt "fairways" make it impossible to hit and stay where you want to aim. That is, if you even know where to aim on some of these holes. Worst. Course. Ever. Unless you are flawed like me and feel the strange compulsion to play as many local courses as you can, avoid this course. Leave it to the goats, though it seems they wisely got the hell away from "Goat Hill" a long time ago, as well!

Thank God for a Thunderstorm that rolled in so we could quit by hole 10!! You couldn't pay me to play this course EVER again! Not worth the paper I printed the Groupon on. This course made me want t... Continue »

Thank God for a Thunderstorm that rolled in so we could quit by hole 10!! You couldn't pay me to play this course EVER again! Not worth the paper I printed the Groupon on. This course made me want to pack my clubs away and never play again. The most pathetic excuse for a golf course (if you can even call it that) I've ever (and hope never again) had the nightmarish experience of playing. Nick-named "Goat Hill" (Yup, they should turn it into a pasture). One "Positive"...staff were friendly. We had a group of 3 in flip flops, cut offs, and tank tops (that had already played a round earlier), jump in front of us. We were a twosome. Took them over 20 minutes to finish the 1st hole! Between them taking 6 practice swings per errant shot, standing around texting, I was ready to quit and go home (probably should've) on the 1st Hole!. We asked to pass by Hole 2 and started the rest of the nightmare on Hole 3. Yikes...folks throwing frisbees just pop out of the bushes. How do you play disc golf without worrying about getting nailed in the head by a golf ball? No thanks. Fairways were non-existent. Hubby kept telling me to move my ball on grass...WHAT GRASS!? 2nd 'Positive' - Greens weren't too bad. Golf cart we were in was a death trap...brakes? Ummmm right. Cart paths - ??? Markings to next tee??? This place was a nightmare!!!! I'm sorry...never take pleasure in expressing such displeasure toward an establishment; but please...do yourself a favor....read the reviews (wish I had before I bought the Groupon), and save your money and wear and tear on your clubs. Leave it to the "Goats" baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!

Center City Golf Course Reviews
Oceanside California Golf Course Reviews