as of 1/1/23, their back 9 is underwater and debris from creek runoff is all over their back 9 greens. Currently making you play front 9 only.

as of 1/1/23, their back 9 is underwater and debris from creek runoff is all over their back 9 greens. Currently making you play front 9 only.

Third and final round today. We called ahead before we left Lone Tree. They told us it was pretty wide open and to just come on over. We paid the twilight rate of $30 with cart and we were able to tee... Continue »

Third and final round today. We called ahead before we left Lone Tree. They told us it was pretty wide open and to just come on over. We paid the twilight rate of $30 with cart and we were able to tee off a little before 2:00. There were some scattered groups on the course. We skipped around a little on the front nine and then another player let us through on the back nine, so we had very little waiting and were finished a little after 4:00. Diablo Creek was by far the best-conditioned course of the day. It was pretty lush and green throughout. Tee boxes were nice and fairways were great with really good coverage and consistent fluffy lies. Rough was also pretty nice all around, getting a little sketchier the further you strayed from fairways. Bunkers were decent (I was only in one and it was good enough). Greens were also nice. A lot of unrepaired ball marks, but the surfaces were soft/receptive and rolling well at medium speeds. Though it was in much better shape than either Deer Ridge or Lone Tree, it was the least interesting layout of the three. Very flat and a pretty mundane back and forth routing. A few water hazards in play on the front nine and then a creek (Diablo Creek, I presume) that comes into play on some of the back nine holes. The greens have some undulation and character, but not much else stands out. Surprisingly good winter conditions still make this a solid choice at the right price.

From the freeway this course looks like a typical muni course but it has a lot of positives. I played early morning on the weekend.

The ho-hum: The course gets a lot of players. The driving range ... Continue »

From the freeway this course looks like a typical muni course but it has a lot of positives. I played early morning on the weekend.

The ho-hum: The course gets a lot of players. The driving range needs new mats. The design is pedestrian: a very flat layout and most holes are basically straight.

The positives: This course is in great shape. It has its own water supply and the fairways haven't suffered as much as other courses. The greens are in excellent condition. They are firm but true and present the main challenge. The course seemed to me to play longer than it looks. The 7th and 17th holes are short par 3s that are fun to play because of the severe tiering. If the pin is up, you can hit wedge behind the pin and watch it roll back down to the hole. The Legends grill is excellent, but during football season it gets packed as it's home to fantasy leagues.

The course is easy to walk but it can get very hot here and when I play in the morning you can really feel the mugginess due to the watering.

Played Diablo Creek on Saturday morning 5/23. Tee box's are getting beat up a bit with consistent daily play and poor course manners... 17th tee box looked like a war zone... Fairway's and greens in ... Continue »

Played Diablo Creek on Saturday morning 5/23. Tee box's are getting beat up a bit with consistent daily play and poor course manners... 17th tee box looked like a war zone... Fairway's and greens in good shape overall. Some mush in the fairways in the low spots... Greens we're smooth, rolled pretty well... Pace of play was bad but due to two groups ahead of us...

Diablo Creek Golf Club
Concord, CA
By Cit
Saturday 26th July 2013
Sunny 90* morning fog cleared
10:30
White tees @ 6441 yards (71.0/118)
Pace of Play: 5 hrs 15 minutes

The 18-hole "Diab... Continue »

Diablo Creek Golf Club
Concord, CA
By Cit
Saturday 26th July 2013
Sunny 90* morning fog cleared
10:30
White tees @ 6441 yards (71.0/118)
Pace of Play: 5 hrs 15 minutes

The 18-hole "Diablo Creek" course at the Diablo Creek Golf Course facility in Concord, California features 6,896 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. The course rating is 70.5 and it has a slope rating of 118 on Rye grass. Designed by Robert Muir Graves, ASGCA, the golf course was opened in 1963. Sandy Day manages the course as the Operations Manager of this quaint municipal course which boasts 5 lakes, flat good layout with wide fairways and large, slow greens. Bob Baldock was responsible for the course redevelopment, and whilst the flat open fairways look like a "grip-it-and-rip-it" kind of course you could just as easily find yourself in the first cut tight against a large and established tree, with no option but to play safely back into the fairway.

We played in the regular fortnightly tournament with the North Bay Golf Club (NCGA Associate Club) and I was pleased to find the facility has a well stocked Pro-Shop - I mean from floor to ceiling - and carries everything you will need. There are no rental clubs, but there was a large rack of 'reduced price' clubs. The staff have one speed, but on looking around, so do most of the customers. So the visit to the pro-shop to collect my cart key was an indication on how the day may well evolve at Diablo Creek. I was told to get cart #74 and to take it out of the line. I did, went to the bathroom and found that when I returned someone had taken my #74 cart. I returned to the shop and he asked me "did someone take your cart?" I think there is a system, but it seems locals do not pay attention to the numbering. Hilarious.

A huge putting green adjacent to the first tee is perfect, but the absence of a starter did not appear to be a negative, and all of our groups went off on time, and the pro-shop uses the Tannoy system well to encourage prompt starts. Tee boxes were in pretty good condition, there was some gouging, but they were, for the most part, level and pretty lush. One thing that always amazes me is that many golf clubs do not provide any garbage or sand containers on tees. I have mentioned before that one of my pet peeves is broken tees, and again at Diablo I was picking up broken tees. Sadly as I was playing in the final group, it was my own club members who were guilty of this indiscretion. But I wonder if given the appropriate receptacle and some sand if players would step up and utilize the resources.

This is a pleasant course which because of its flat and wide open fairways, and baking heat, runs and runs, and on the front nine you are definitely getting the best of it from a 15+mph tailwind. I do love a 296 yard drive :) Again the wide open feel of the course suggests little challenge, but every hole has its feature, be it large trees, light rough, a railway line or small canyon. If you hit it straight here you can score well, but there is danger in plenty of water, sand and on the back nine, wind in your face and across your line.

The fact that the weather has been hot and dry in this part of the North Bay did not seem to have caused damage to the fairways, which were lush green and well mown. The grounds staff have the course in great shape, there were not too many divot marks, but the sand in my cart was low and I ran out mid-way through the back nine. The reviews I read suggested the greens were slow, but I thought they were quite quick for a municipal course. They are quite big greens though, and mirror the flat terrain with obvious contours and many are tiered, which again means if you can get it right, this is a course you can score well on.

The design of the course has resisted the urge to place bunkers all over the estate in an attempt to challenge players. Every hole has well placed green side bunkers, and some holes also have fairway bunkers, but not the kind of sand scare that some clubs offer. The bunkers were a real surprise as even though you would expect them to be dust bowls with day time temperatures reaching 100*, they were granular, but they were quite giving and you can splash out of them with no problems.

The club house is obviously a focal point for the local community and has everything you need. There are two bars one which is a sports bar and the other, it seemed, was for those members who do not want to watch golf or NFL. There is an outdoor patio which overlooks the driving range, and it was here that we settled post our toils for a refreshing margarita (or two) and some great bar food. The service was excellent, we were really made to feel welcome and I would not hesitate to come and play here again.

To recap, the course seems to allow for nice leisurely play and as you are playing from good flat lies it provides a good feeling. My only criticism is that the fairways do run parallel on the majority of holes, but again, the tree lined fairways do provide some cover from incoming rounds of golfing artillery.You are given two holes to get yourself sorted before the handicap 1 579 yard par 5 third hole. It is a 175 yard carry over the lake to a narrow fairway which doglegs left - nice hole...
Enjoy...

Easy pace at 4 hrs with noon tee time, 2 ball on Monday 30 Aug $18 golfnow.com "Hot Deal".
Check in a breeze with knowledgeable staff in an incredibly stocked pro shop, right next door to a great gri... Continue »

Easy pace at 4 hrs with noon tee time, 2 ball on Monday 30 Aug $18 golfnow.com "Hot Deal".
Check in a breeze with knowledgeable staff in an incredibly stocked pro shop, right next door to a great grill; well setup. Carts are tired with no windshield but adequate for the extremely flat golf course. The only elevation change I encountered was stepping up the curb to enter the bar & grill. ckoyne1414 below is still correct; long course in fair to good shape with most attention paid to the greens which were Good - smooth, true and soft enough. The remainder of the course dry and running with rough cut down to not present any dramas, but stay out of the trees. Challenge was average with only a few holes presenting an attraction. Huge practice putting green and very active practice range, just in front of the grill. Good instruction facility with clubfitting as well. If living closer I may play it more often.

Good course for the money

Good course for the money

Flattest course west of the Mississippi river. Very challenging golf course from the championship tees, front nine over 3600 yards. Third hole at 630 yards dogleg left over two lakes into the wind is ... Continue »

Flattest course west of the Mississippi river. Very challenging golf course from the championship tees, front nine over 3600 yards. Third hole at 630 yards dogleg left over two lakes into the wind is one of the toughest par five's in the East Bay. Lunch special Mondays through Thursdays, golf, cart and lunch, best price around. Great Sports Bar & Grill on site

This course is relatively open, but their are some relatively long par 4s that really add to the challenge. The par 4 16th is usually into the prevailing wind and plays 464 from the blues. Same goes f... Continue »

This course is relatively open, but their are some relatively long par 4s that really add to the challenge. The par 4 16th is usually into the prevailing wind and plays 464 from the blues. Same goes for the par 5 6th that runs 559 into the wind from the blues. The course is very flat, not taxing at all for walking, and seems to get a decent amount of play. The greens were punched weeks ago, but many of them still have a really poor texture - like putting across the surface of a brain. I told the staff they need to be rolled, and they said they had been, but either they were lying, or the rolling had zero effect--they looked like they hadn't been touched. If you like immaculate greens, stay away for a while. If you just like bombing it out there and care about "putting for dough," then it's a fine round of golf.