Well Ive played Hiddenbrooke a handful more times since my last post.and the problems are the same. I cant really recommend playing here.the main reason,the pro shop makes the tee time reservations a... Continue »

Well Ive played Hiddenbrooke a handful more times since my last post.and the problems are the same. I cant really recommend playing here.the main reason,the pro shop makes the tee time reservations all bunched up from late morning to 1 pm....all bunched together ,it seems ultra slow 4 somes,on every hole ,with no marshals to speed play, you wait 8 minutes to hit every shot,if youre playing there from 11 am thru 2 pm,it will be a drag the pace of play. as a singleton or in a 2-some, you'll be frustrated waiting and waiting to hit one shot. Dont bother trying to play through, theres nothing but slow 3-somes and 4-somes on every hole .not at 10 am .not at 4 pm. but at the prime time of day,theyve jammed everybody into a 3 hour slot from 11 to 2 pm.
The last 2 times I went there at 1 pm. I made it through the front nine ok,and then found the back nine so jammed with 4-somes and 5-somes!! that I couldnt play it at all. Why? because there was a men's club tournament that day !! a wednesday afternoon in november?! give me a break.
the other day I played there.same problem.I got through the front nine and then found the back nine all jammed with slow 4-somes who must have started around 11 am. The idea of standing at the tee box or in the middle of the fairway Waiting and waiting for 4 hackers to hack their ball, waiting for 10 minutes in order to hit my next shot,is so repulsive that I cant play on this course anymore if this is how its going to be. my only advise to you is Dont EVER play there as a singleton in the late morning or early afternoon,any weekday, ever.
unless you like to stand behind an endless stream of 4-some hackers who are oblivious to the aging process.
I ended up playing the front nine twice. it was a meager consolation to me. the back noine is the nicest part of the golf course. I pay 13 dollars in gas and tolls to drive to this place ,plus the online deal at $29.... but in the end, I cant say its worth it anymore.
and thats a shame because the golf course itself is a lovely well maintained,pretty landscape, with nature,and vistas,and a nice layout, a quality golf course that is ruined by poor course management. This course desperately needs marshals who speed up play.and it needs to schedual tee times 15 minutes apart ,throughout the longer day, not bunch them all together tight ,from 11 to 130(winter) or from 2 to 330 (summer)

Is there ANY nice golf course in the bay area that is not over crowded with ultra slow 4-somes on every hole???

The conditions at Hiddenbrooke last week were the best I have played all year. Greens were in great shape,ditto the fairways. I have played a dozen Sac area courses, 6 in Palm Springs and a couple in ... Continue »

The conditions at Hiddenbrooke last week were the best I have played all year. Greens were in great shape,ditto the fairways. I have played a dozen Sac area courses, 6 in Palm Springs and a couple in the Bay Area. This is in the best shape.

I got back into golf in a big way last year,practiced a lot, didnt play on courses much until this year. the first two courses that caught my fancy were San Geronimo in san rafael and Hiddenbrooke in... Continue »

I got back into golf in a big way last year,practiced a lot, didnt play on courses much until this year. the first two courses that caught my fancy were San Geronimo in san rafael and Hiddenbrooke in Vallejo. I am never willing to pay full price(50 to 80) (or higher??!) for any golf course. I still believe 18 holes should cost 20 bucks. period. you go play coyote moon for 175 and have a great time. I'll keep trying to find some place alot like it with a web discount for 25.
So with the online special, sometimes I've found hiddenbrooke at 29. but theres a problem. sometimes, youve found the same special, and we end up having to play together and you are not much fun to play with. I'm a great guy. but you,you and your buddy, are a bunch of idiots who dont have a clue about golf ettiquette and good sportsmanship. and now,Ive got to play with you for 4 hours. .....lol... well, unfortunately I'm only half kidding here. It seems the online discount gods of fate almost always put me together with fellows you would never be friends with,to put it politely. and thats a problem for me, I come from a golfing family, my dad ,my uncles, my best friends in high school, etc, I grew up playing with friends and thats a big part of what golf means to me. now I have to play with you and your rotten buddy who didnt even say "nice par" when I sank a 20 footer.whats wrong with him. This is the world of online golf discounts.

In the beginning ,this spring when I first started playing Hiddenbrooke, I was often lucky to play alone. and I discovered that the whole course...let me say that again, thewhole freakin beautiful golf course was almost empty. The whole day,I would see maybe one 3-some 4 holes away over there and another 2-some later in the day...and me...that was it . Talk about having the whole course to yourself. it was really great to play this course like that. but now, since you discovered the online discount,I have to play with your sorry ass if I go back there. and here's why. in the beginning, they would also let me tee off the 10 th to start. what a great idea. why? because there were 2 3-somes on the first 2 holes and the rest of the whole course was open. why not allow that? well, it seems the starter/asst.pro(whoever) decided that they wont let anyone start on the 10 th. so now, I have to start on the 1 st...and guess who's there on the 1 st tee.... You and your rotten buddy . thanks for spoiling my fun.

ok, enough joking. here's what hiddenbrooke is like. I know the course very well. pay close attention to the advise of the other poster about the wet conditions in winter and early spring. I believe him.
when the course is playable... the afternoon tee times are going to give you alot of wind to deal with. the wind is a Big factor. Thats the reason other posters said the yardage is off the mark. its the wind. and it starts right at the first hole. blowing at you and across at the same time. the hole plays 30 to 40 yards longer. the hard slope sidehill of the first fairway along with the wind will take your ball and pull it down left and roll on into the swamp out of bounds left. welcome to hiddenbrooke.
but its a very pretty hole. so just enjoy the view and hit another ball right into the same swamp again.
the second shot to the green will need an extra club to get there. WIND.
ok, now the fun begins even worse at the second hole. rated hardest hole and it is,for one reason....WIND. the par 5 says on the card (if memory serves me) something like 520 yards,or 499, something short like that) ok? NO. the wind will make it write this down....670 yards. it will take a great drive slam,a great 2 wood slam, and with 80 to 100 Still to go , dont take out a wedge.... you'll need maybe an 8 iron,and it might get there. and when you get there the green is sloping and undulating all over the place. and your rotten buddie doesnt have the sportsmanship to say"nice par" to me !!!??? ok, well, you get the idea.

the first 3 holes are the toughest starting holes Anywhere in the bay area.
the whole course has to deal with wind in the afternoon(like alot of bay area courses) but the layout is very nice, lots of scenic beauty, well designed, as someone posted, you can tell this course used to host a womens tour event. you can still see some of the very far back tee boxes they dont use anymore.
this course was becoming my favorite place to play until it became too unpredictable for me. I'd rather play alone than with a poor sport. and I'd rather start on the 10 th. and they dont have a casual approach at the starter pro shop it seems like they first did. some courses will have a more casual user friendly approach to your tee time. if there is a bottleneck on the first waiting.... you might be allowed to start on the 10 th if youre not jumping in front of players finishin on 9. thats a good friendly way for a course to make golf fun. I wont say which courses will do that because I'll end up playing with you and your rotten buddy.

The back nine at hiddenbrooke is the prettiest...all 9 holes are nice. some are very windy and thats a problem, too much wind,a little is ok, but too much gets a bit riduculous. So as other posters mentioned about the yardage cards etc... its not so much about the markers , although the card is very useful for depicting traps and streams, etc... this course is all about the wind and how strong it is. and it definitely helps to have course knowledge. play it a few times and you'll score better. I wish I still had this course to myself. . The management does this other thing too that is strange. they schedual tee times for the public (it seems) between 1 and 3 pm. prior to that the course is virtually empty except for a few resident/members. or golfers who payed the full price to play at 11 am. so what happens when you go to play at 230.... you get bunched into a log jam,while the rest of the course is empty. this seems strange and unnecessary to me....and frankly, it spoils the golf experience at hiddenbrooke. too bad because for any discount price around 30 or even 40 dollars, this is a nice golf course. now let me help you....go like this...."nice par".... you can do it. nice drive. good up and down... you'll get it.

I have heard a lot of hype about this course and have been anxious to play it for a couple of years. I unfortuneately was a little disappointed with the layout.

The complex wasn't what I felt as '... Continue »

I have heard a lot of hype about this course and have been anxious to play it for a couple of years. I unfortuneately was a little disappointed with the layout.

The complex wasn't what I felt as 'user friendly'. The bag drop off area, the parking lot and the driving range were spread out and not easily accessible.

The course was tight and had some hidden hazards that isn't well defined in their complimentary yardage book or anywhere else. The greens were medium fast and undulating. It seems to our group that the yardages seemed longer than that was marked. We all had to club up from what we normally played. We were wondering why the 132 slope from the whites when the yardage was only 5769 yards, so now we know.

I would play it again, but I will put it on the 'someday' list and play other places first.

1 of top 2 courses in immediate east bay- along with Metro Links. Can always tell there was a pro tourney here (LPGA). Only negative- less than ideal drainage on days following rain in winter. Also... Continue »

1 of top 2 courses in immediate east bay- along with Metro Links. Can always tell there was a pro tourney here (LPGA). Only negative- less than ideal drainage on days following rain in winter. Also, a little long between some tees to walk. Overall, a must play- great service, value- very underplayed compared to some close by- have had mult rounds where groups fore and aft were non existent!!!

Arny wouldnt like whats happened to this once upon a time jewel of a course.. but it still a challenge and worth the once inna while offered discounted rate.. maintance drainage problems thoughout the... Continue »

Arny wouldnt like whats happened to this once upon a time jewel of a course.. but it still a challenge and worth the once inna while offered discounted rate.. maintance drainage problems thoughout the 18

NEEDS ADDITIONAL WATERING HOLES-ESPECIALLY ON 100+ DEGREE DAYS!

NEEDS ADDITIONAL WATERING HOLES-ESPECIALLY ON 100+ DEGREE DAYS!

Played a double round on Monday June 19th. Great course for the money. We paid $65 for the first round and then #32 for the replay. The course was in great shape. Greens were fast and smooth with ... Continue »

Played a double round on Monday June 19th. Great course for the money. We paid $65 for the first round and then #32 for the replay. The course was in great shape. Greens were fast and smooth with lots of breaks. The fairways were great as well. The sand traps were spotty, but I think that is partly due to the gardners watering them down. Overall, the course is tough. There are a lot of creeks and carries, but there are also bail out areas as well. Course knowledge is key because off the tee you can carry some of the trees and bushes, if you knew what was on the other side. Bring a lot of balls if you are playing it for the first time because you will lose at least one ball. The houses around the course don't come into play at all, so don't worry about them. I usually hate playing course with houses because I might hit one and then if I do it gets into my head. So, don't worry. The customer service was good, except for this cranky old starter. Again, a great course to play. This one is going on my favorites list.

Played on 4/16/06 course is extremely wet, fairways are bad. The course haven't been maintain because of wet condition. Save your money and play somewhere else.

Played on 4/16/06 course is extremely wet, fairways are bad. The course haven't been maintain because of wet condition. Save your money and play somewhere else.