I was in Modesto on Thursday for business, but got out for a round at Creekside in the afternoon. Originally had a 2:30 tee time, but I got there a bit early and they let me go off by myself a little ... Continue »

I was in Modesto on Thursday for business, but got out for a round at Creekside in the afternoon. Originally had a 2:30 tee time, but I got there a bit early and they let me go off by myself a little before 2:00. It was very busy out there on a picture perfect day, so groups were stacked ahead of me. A twosome caught up and joined me on the 3rd hole and then we gained another single at the turn. Overall, though, the pace was still just a little over 4 hours. The course was in good shape all around. It is green and looks to be coming into its best part of the season. The tee boxes were fine. The fairways were generally good with just a few weak areas scattered throughout. The rough was pretty good, but a bit inconsistent with some thin spots and some really thick/deep spots, and everything in between. I was in one bunker and it had good sand. The greens were very nice, soft and receptive on approaches and rolling smooth at medium speeds on putts. I did fix up my share of ballparks, though, from discourteous players ahead. This is a solid muni course. The last reviewer noted it was a good "confidence course" and I concur. It is a really forgiving layout with wide fairways and not too much trouble to get into. The greens are big and can be tricky to read, so that's the course's biggest element of defense. Otherwise, you can grip it and rip it on most holes and good scores are there for the taking. The front nine has a cool stretch of holes in the middle and more doglegs in play, but it is also much more open from tee to green. The back nine tightens up some more, but plays straighter back and forth. The 18th is a fun finisher.