Excellent January weather, no wind and warm temp made this the perfect conditions to try out this course. Arrived about an hour early to take advantage of the free range balls, and mandatory (if you w... Continue »

Excellent January weather, no wind and warm temp made this the perfect conditions to try out this course. Arrived about an hour early to take advantage of the free range balls, and mandatory (if you want to have a chance on the greens) 30 min putting warmup session. Staff was super friendly, let us borrow a cart to take to the range since we walked the course. Overall I’d say this course is walkable and I would encourage you to do it.

Conditions- as I would expect/demand for $325 walking greens fee. Greens were fast, but not tabletops, so that was a relief. Putting was tricky due to the severe setup and design of the greens, but I would still say Black Horse has the most tricked out greens in the Monterey area. Approach shots were always stressful since there were many areas of the green that could leave you completely helpless if you miss the placement. Bunker visuals and elevation change also messed with the depth perception on many approach shots. Fairways, tees, rough all immaculate, no complaints at all on the conditions.

Layout- a little disappointing for the cost. Great setup for walking, tees next to greens was nice, but also makes the course feel a little cramped. Constantly felt like I was approaching greens with the next players teeing off, and teeing off while the people behind you miss their approaches onto your tee box. Interesting par 70, tough par 3s, and a great final par 3 for hole 18. Really great bunker visuals, not so fun trying to avoid them.

Finally, one unexpected note- semi private means we were paired with 2 grumpy members. Nothing worse than paying $325 to have some members annoyed they have to play with outsiders, halfway playing holes because they’ll be back tomorrow afternoon and the round doesn’t really matter to them. I wouldn’t be surprised if their goal was to scare off the public so they can have the course feel more private. I’ll check this one off the bucket list, but I could name at least 10 courses in NorCal that are a lot more fun and in some cases more challenging without the annoying membership factor. Staff fantastic, members terrible.

Without a doubt this course is a must play if you are in the area. Course was in fabulous shape and the staff was top notch. Its not for the faint of heart so if you are a high handicapper you may str... Continue »

Without a doubt this course is a must play if you are in the area. Course was in fabulous shape and the staff was top notch. Its not for the faint of heart so if you are a high handicapper you may struggle but the views and course itself may just make it worth your while. The tee boxes, fairways, rough, and greens were all in great shape. Can't wait to go back even if the town of Santa Cruz is like a 3rd world country.

Played May 26, 2021 and I really don't understand what the huge green fee is for. There is nothing special about this course at all. The greens all slope a lot and can be tough when they are in good s... Continue »

Played May 26, 2021 and I really don't understand what the huge green fee is for. There is nothing special about this course at all. The greens all slope a lot and can be tough when they are in good shape. I got on for just over $200 and the greens were terrible! instead of punching the greens, they were scraped and looked like 6-10" scratches in the green where there was no grass on 4/9 holes played and 3 others that were sketchy. For the price, I was not happy. Called before and they said greens were fine...they lied. Not ONE spectacular hole it was just an average course...wish I could get my $200 back...what a waste. Save your time and money!

Played here today as “day 2” of a three day visit to the Monterey area, getting to play alongside GK member Kassper7 and two Pasatiempo members. Heard a lot of amazing things about this course and it ... Continue »

Played here today as “day 2” of a three day visit to the Monterey area, getting to play alongside GK member Kassper7 and two Pasatiempo members. Heard a lot of amazing things about this course and it exceeded them in just about every way. Pasatiempo recently held a statewide amateur championship and conditions were essentially perfect. The greens here are wicked; be warned they will humble even the best player. Tee boxes: Only three real tee options (did see a “juniors” tee option mostly about 100 yards forward of the whites in most fairways) and we played the middle tees. They were in good shape considering most members seem to play here and most normal golfers should too. Don’t let the yardage fool you, it still plays long so don’t just head to the tips to feel like a stud. Conditions on 90% of tee boxes were near perfect. Fairways: Another case of lush, forest green carpet on every single hole. Members do a great job of replacing/filling divots. Roll was more than fair. Lies were everything you could ask for. Another 9.5 rating. Rough: Apt name because it was rough! Torrey-like and it was everywhere, under trees, next to the greens, miss a fairway and ye shall be punished. Bunkers: Other courses take note, this is how bunkers are done. There’s enough sand on this course to make a man made island, but every bunker allowed you to try for a sand save. Amazingly saw a member bring his own rake! Greens: The single greatest, most frustrating, deceptive, insane, mesmerizing, baffling, and pure greens I have ever seen. At times downhill putts were slow, other times you’d tap the ball and it would run forever. Held shots well, that is until you chipped from just off the green and it would end up under the hole 15 feet past. Big shout out to the greens on the back 9, specifically 16 and 18. ETC: Course offered everything you could need; ample pro shop open for your needs, small but good range, great chipping area, food to go at the turn, good power carts with color GPS. Staff was friendly and helpful. At least one if not two marshals out and about. Course layout is fantastic, though holes often flank each other so accuracy is at a premium. This course really should get more love than it does, it’s comparable to every Monterey-area course and is only 45 minutes north. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a challenge.

I try to play here once a year. Outside of Pebble and maybe Spyglass this is the best public course in California. Conditions were pristine. Greens were perfect, I don't know what they stimped at but ... Continue »

I try to play here once a year. Outside of Pebble and maybe Spyglass this is the best public course in California. Conditions were pristine. Greens were perfect, I don't know what they stimped at but they were probably slow for Pasatiempo. Looks like someone must have stole all the white flags from the greens keeper, lotta blue flags, lotta 3 putts.
I got a deal thru golf now,not cheap but well worth it. I think they charge $300 without a cart these days. So maybe bucket list territory. Truly a must play. Highly recommend.

My reviews are starting to sound like a broken record. Played “X” course on a perfect sunny day with no wind. Today’s course was Pasatiempo and aside from a very slight ocean breeze on the back nin... Continue »

My reviews are starting to sound like a broken record. Played “X” course on a perfect sunny day with no wind. Today’s course was Pasatiempo and aside from a very slight ocean breeze on the back nine the weather was absolutely perfect. Being that it was my turn to treat, I invited a friend to come join as he had never played Pasatiempo before.

As expected for a high end course, the conditions were excellent all around. Tee boxes and fairways were both rated at 9. Very lush and green throughout. I will say that they use wooden tee markers with Tan and white designated colors for the tees. A lot of the markers were faded and it was hard to tell the difference between the white and tan markers. Yes this is a very tiny issue.

The fairways offered a perfect blend of roll out yet a plush hitting surface. One member of our foursome elected to take a cart and they actually let the cart out on the fairways about 60-75% of the time. We elected to walk and the course is built on a hill so there are a few “climbs” but nothing too extreme.

Greens are HUGE. Getting on the green is easy. Being in the right spot on the green is not so easy. All greens have severe slopes and multiple tiers. Greens rolled true at a medium-slow pace. I have to admit, I actually thought they were rolling a bit slow. No issues with unrepaired pitch marks.

Bunkers: Let’s just say that being in a bunker at Pasatiempo is an experience. Quality of sand is top notch. No issue there whatsoever. However, the bunkering is diabolical with some being 15’+ below the green. Sand traps are huge and the “bite” of the course really comes from the bunker and undulating greens combination.

As mentioned before, the layout is on a hillside to there are a few peeks of the ocean a few miles off in the distance. There’s no water hazards/features on the course but there are some forced carries over gully’s and gulch’s.

Customer service is great and we had time to grab a snack on the outdoor patio overlooking the 9th green.

One quick note: The driving range is temporarily closed. A few of the poles and net on the range came down in last weeks high winds. The range is expected to be back up and running by the end of this week.

Played 8/24. Went up to Santa Cruz to meet up with some old friends and play some golf. We were all members years ago (one still is) so it was great to play the course again with old friends. Funny ho... Continue »

Played 8/24. Went up to Santa Cruz to meet up with some old friends and play some golf. We were all members years ago (one still is) so it was great to play the course again with old friends. Funny how you really never forget how to play courses you have played many times? Local knowledge here, goes a long long way. Nothing has changed here, except the course may have gotten even better, if that is possible. Greens were spectacular and they chipped/putted great all day. Tee boxes were excellent. Never had a bad lie in the fairway. I was unable to find any bunkers (lol) and those that did, never complained. Customer service was excellent at all levels and the food is still wonderful. IMO this is a must play golf course, when in the area. A beautiful Alister MacKenzie design (Augusta and Cypress Point as well). Monterey gets all the press, but this course will provide one with great memories and it is a short drive up Hwy 1 to get here. Must play recommendation.

Played 8/9 Friday, 1:20 tee time. Walked with a caddy as a 4 some. What a great course. For you SoCal'ers, think Pelican Hill, but way better. Put this course on the ocean, and it would be a top 10... Continue »

Played 8/9 Friday, 1:20 tee time. Walked with a caddy as a 4 some. What a great course. For you SoCal'ers, think Pelican Hill, but way better. Put this course on the ocean, and it would be a top 10 course. It's tough. 18 quality holes. Big greens, rolled true. We played the Gold/White combo, for about 6300 yds, and it felt much longer. I hit good drives all day, and I felt like I had 6 or 7 shots that required a 180-200 yd shot. Fortunately, my 200 yd game was strong all day. The par 3s are challenging and beautiful. The caddies were great. I would recommend a caddy or forecaddy if you've never played, because course knowledge will save you a few strokes here. I would've misclubbed all day long without him. This is now one of my favorite courses. It's expensive, and I don't know if I'm going out of my way to pay rack rate plus a caddy... but I do want to play again.

What a joy to play. Everything was perfect. Mr Mackenzie was a d%#k at times but that is the appeal of pasatiempo. Out of the billion bunkers, one was a little thin. A must play, easy walk a coupl... Continue »

What a joy to play. Everything was perfect. Mr Mackenzie was a d%#k at times but that is the appeal of pasatiempo. Out of the billion bunkers, one was a little thin. A must play, easy walk a couple hills but if you walk while playing not a problem. Look on web site for deals.