Where to begin…. Yes, I still thoroughly enjoy the layout of this course. However, conditions are dwindling fast. Not sure if the course is in a state of transition due to the housing construction and turf transition or if they are focusing in on the bigger money (the housing development) instead of the course.

Greens are still firm and fast and roll true for the most part. There are some greens that have some disease on the edges but for the most part they kept the pins away from those areas.

Fairways aren’t too bad. It’s just there isn’t much of them (fairways) They have ripped up half of the course both the fairways and the immediate areas surrounding the fairways. There is about 10’ of rough which is thick enough to stop the ball if hits it. However if you miss the rough your ball will sail off to no mans land.

Most tee boxes were ok but 1 or 2 were dirt. Construction for the housing is in full force. Bottom line is this place is changing at rapid pace. The question is will it be for the better….

Played Del Monte this morning with a 9:30 tee time. Course is in excellent shape all around right now. They are getting ready for the Monterey City amateur tournament in a week or two so they have the course in prime condition. Greens were fantastic all around. As mentioned before, the greens are smaller in size with most being single tier with a traditional back for from slope. Greens remain slick downhill and manageable uphill. The greens rolled super smooth all day long.

Fairways rivaled that of the the big three in PB! They were that good. Very lush, extremely green and offered a perfect hitting surface as well as some roll out. As I mentioned in Feb. there is actually some rough at Del Monte now. Not too penal but definitely enough to get your attention and to stop extra roll out. Not sure if it was my imagination but the actual fairways seem to have been grown in on a few holes. Might be for the upcoming tournament or it could have been my imagination.

Tee boxes were great as well. All were level with very little divot damage. Sand boxes were good quality with a couple being a bit thin. There was a women’s group tournament out early so POP seemed slow as we waited on every shot but it was actually just over 4 hours so not too bad in reality. It was actually a bit of relief as I was walking and the other three were riding in carts so it allowed me to casually stroll to my ball.

Customer service is more of a home cooked meal feel than a stuffy high end restaurant, in that it’s casual, relaxed and you’re made to feel welcomed.

The diner next to the pro shop is now open again after being closed for the remodel for some time. The course does have a few peeks at the ocean (if the fog clears) but you come to this place for the conditions and the old school parkland style layout.

You wouldn’t fly across the country to come play here but you want a course with great all around conditions to open up your peninsula golf outing then Del Monte fits the bill.

The last stop of the San Diego leg of my So Cal trip landed me at Twin Oaks. This was my first time playing here. I had a bit of heads up on the layout and conditions from Long4Par. It was a fun layout with decent enough conditions. The layout sets on a hillside so there are some elevation changes throughout but nothing severe. Just enough to keep it from being flat and boring. There are a few water hazards on the course to add to the aesthetics and challenge. I liked the placement of the water in the fairways on 15. It’s a shirt Par 4 with the water in the preferred landing area so it makes you choose your club off the tee wisely

As far as the greens go they were in real nice shape. In fact they may have been the best of the trip. Greens rolls smooth at a faster pace than the other courses played. Greens were also soft and receptive to hold approach shots. Half the greens were single tiered with little slope and the others were double tiered making it crucial to be below the hole or at least on the correct level

Fairways were very soggy. There were also som GUR on the fairways throughout the course. Overall the fairways were average to a bit below average muni shape.

Tee boxes were level with good coverage Grass was a bit shaggy on the tee boxes but not an issue at all on holes with driver and really didn’t interfere with iron shots.

Overall it was a pleasant experience that I wouldn’t hesitate to play again.

Played Aviara today with a 7am tee time. I love the layout of this tough scenic course. The course has everything you want from a great track. Elevation changes, water hazards (and awesome water features) unique hole designs, generous fairways yet severe penalty if you spray it too wide and one of the best clubhouses around. Add in the best staff in the business and you have a winning formula.

Greens are huge at Aviara with numerous undulations so you can easily three putt if not close. Greens rolled smooth and if I had a complaint, I’d say they were inconsistent speed wise with some rolling slower (medium pace) than others (medium fast +).

Fairways were lush and presented and excellent hitting surface. There was a lot of light brown color to the fairways throughout the course but they still offered a great hitting surface.

I was only in one bunker and hit had excellent fluffy sand. Most tee boxes have all recently been redone so they were all level with ample coverage.

Carts seem new as they had plush seats and GPS. Range was on mats in

Always a treat to play this track. Highly recommended.

Day 2 of the San Diego trip landed me at Torrey Pines North course. This is the second time playing here and it’s a nice course but other than the ocean views nothing spectacular. Again the views or great so this review is more about the actual course itself. The layout is pretty ho hum with a number of been there done that holes. They change up the length of the holes which are all pretty much straight. There’s no real danger if you spray the ball of the tee sans a couple of holes. In fact you are often rewarded with an open shot if you spray it “too” far off line.

Condition wise it was decent. Fairway’s are narrow. Let me clarify that. They are hosting a top amateur tournament in a month or so so the actual thin fairway is narrow. However the landing area with the rough which isn’t too penal is fairly generous. As mentioned before, if you go outside of that, you often land in the adjacent fairway. there are only a few trees on the course to get in you way.

Coverage on both the fairways and rough were fine. The last time I was here, the greens were very slow. They were faster today but still only rolled at a medium pace. The greens don’t have too much undulation. Just enough to challenge you but still very fair. The greens were riddled with pitch marks. Both repaired and not fixed. We tee’d off at 7am so my guess is most of the pitch marks were from the previous day.

No issues with the tee boxes or sand traps. Both were of sufficient quality.

Combining the price and conditions to that of Spanish Bay, I’ll take Spanish hands down. However, when in San Diego, Torrey isn’t a bad option. Especially if you can get the resident rate.

Day 1 of the San Diego golf outing had me at Maderas battling it out with Long4par. We tee’d off at around 11:30 under cloudy, cool and misty conditions. We encountered light rain throughout the day but it wasn’t too bad.

Course conditions were right what you’d expect for a track of this caliber. Check in was effortless and pleasant from the back drop where they load up your bag on a cart to the pro shop. Range is on natural grass which is included with the green fee.

Greens were in nice shape rolling at a medium to medium fast pace. They were slower than normal for here which I imagine was due to rain yesterday and today so the probably haven’t mowed and rolled them in a couple of days.

Fairways were lush with great coverage throughout the entire course. The rough was non existent. In fact the “rough” was thinner than the fairway at times. Tee boxes were all level with ample coverage. I was only in one green side bunker and it had excellent top not fluffy sand. I was in a couple of fairway bunkers and they too had high quality sand.

I thoroughly enjoy this hilly layout with some unique holes. It has some scorable holes and some tough ones. But the main objective is to keep it between the lines as even a slight miss hit can run off into the penalty area.

I Highly recommend Maderas. Even if I did drive 7 hours just go hand over the TBC to Long4par!

I thought I’d throw in a few reminders about Spanish Bay especially for the first timers. I was out last week in the afternoon with Long4par and then a morning round with SDF on Wednesday. Course remains in fantastic shape. I had to give the fairways a 10 as I haven’t found a blemish anywhere in multiple rounds over the last month and half. SDF and I played after the rain (yes it rained in June) and the course was dry throughout.

Greens are rolling fast these days. I was in my share of bunkers and then some and most were great with a few being decent. Probably would think they were fine if not compared to the others which are near perfect.

Anyway, as a reminder. Spanish Bay does not have a driving range. You can use the range at either Spyglass Hill or Pebble Beach. Give yourself about 10 minutes drive time from the range to the course. It’s only about 5 minutes way but you can catch tourist traffic and get stuck behind someone driving super slow so give yourself time. Especially if you are taking the shuttle.

Also, Spanish Bay does not loop back to the clubhouse. Once you tee off on #1 you don’t see it again until after you finish 18 (and even then you have a walk/ride back). The beverage cart is usually out and about making several passes (I’ve even seen it out in the rain). However the cart mainly has drinks and light snacks, no real food. This is one of the reasons they want to do a course makeover.

All flags are red at Spanish Bay. Pin placement (they have a “pin sheet” at the starter desk) is broken down to Position 1 and 2 (front and back).

Customer service is always superb at Spanish Bay. They have a lot of new employees that aren’t quite as top notch as the OG’s but still a welcoming place

Weather has been all over the place in the Monterey Peninsula lately. Jim and I had perfect sunny condition with light wind in the afternoon yet Sal and I never saw the sun all day and had heavy wind for the last 5-6 holes. Tuesday it rained and Thursday was perfect sun and warm. So, be prepared with multiple layers of clothing. It’s “summer” in Nor Cal after all, so definitely have a jacket available!

Not wanting to have a 5 hr round at Coyote Creek, I opted for a new course and decided on Spring Valley. Being my first time here, I came with an open mind. In short it was slightly above average muni conditions. Track layout was fun with a wide variety of hole designs. The total yardage on appearance seems on the shorter side but it’s only a par 70 so in fact it’s a “full distance” course. In fact all of the par 3’s are on the longer side (170-200+ yards).

Greens for the most part are single tier with modest slope. Greens rolled smooth but we’re on the slow side. The odd part was they were slightly on the slow side.

Whereas the fairways didn’t have the wow factor on appearance, they presented a great hitting surface with ample coverage throughout. Rough was also lush with good coverage throughout. Rough was manageable and not too penal

Tee boxes were level and divot free. Course is walkable (as I did) but not for the faint of heart. Course is set on a hillside, so there is a lot of elevation changes. Most transfers are reasonable.
The one major design flaw that kills pace of play is the 9th hole. A fun design with a forces carry over water off the tee. Problem is there’s no bridge across the water so you have to go all the way around the 18th hole (which also has a forced carry over the water). It’s not too bad if you are in a cart but put a few walking groups in and it gets backed up bad as it takes extra time to both go around the lake and wait for people on 18 to tee off before crossing in front of their landing area.

Customer services was excellent. All in all a fun experience and I’m sure I’ll play it again

It’s been a while since I’ve played the valley course. Conditions are pretty nice all around No issues at all with the greens. They rolled smooth at a medium fast pace. Most greens are double tiered making it key to be on the right level, otherwise a three putt comes into play

Tee boxes and fairways all had good lush grass and were divot free.

Pace of play in the afternoon is always slow here and yesterday was no exception. Luckily I was waiting for traffic to clear up so no big deal I opted for a cart even though the course is walkable. There are some longer transfers but the entire track is flat

Overall, the Valley course is a good option when in the area.

In short the course is in fantastic shape. Honestly, I’m not sure why I didn’t give it all 10’s. I played on Tuesday 5/16 and the greens were lightning fast. Probably the fastest I’ve ever seen them here. I played with my caddie here a couple weeks ago and the greens rolled much much slower (to the point where they were almost disappointingly slow). But this week the greens were fast and true as always. There were also some tough pin placements making putting a challenge.

Fairways were near perfect. Very lush and green throughout. Maintenance crew were also out filling in divots with sand. This last 18+ months has seen some of the best fairway conditions at Spanish Bay and the trend looks to continue. Again, I rated the fairways at a 9 and not sure why I didn’t give them a 10.

Tee boxes were the same. They have a few tee boxes closed off for reseeding so a couple of the white and gold tee boxes are combined right now as they get ready to head into “prime” season. Sand traps all have high quality fluffy sand and the rough was lush throughout. Rough at Spanish Bay is manageable. Don’t mistake that for easy, but compared to Spyglass Hill it’s survivable.

They are finally getting serious about rerouting the course and per my caddie a couple of weeks ago, PB Corp has narrowed it down to three architects (Tiger Woods Co being one).

Not sure when they will pull the trigger on the makeover but if you are a fan of the current layout get out and play it while you can.

In my bid to play Poppy more this year, I went out last Wednesday with SDF on a perfect mid afternoon day. Conditions are pretty much the same as they were in April with the exception the greens have firmed up and are back to normal for here. They still roll true at a nice fast pace but getting an approach shot is more difficult (especially compared to the greens at Spanish Bay). Middle and back pins aren’t much of an issue but front pins can be challenging.

Definitely a recommended peninsula

I took my “little” (he’s 6’4”) cousin out to Monterey Pines and this course just doesn’t get the accolades it deserves. Yes it’s a shorter distance Par 70 course, but the conditions are awesome. The greens are still healing from recent aeration and though they rolled fairly smooth, they still need about 10-14 days before being fully healed.

Fairways on the other hand were just short of perfection. Super lush and a deep
Emerald Green throughout. Tee boxes and bunkers are also of high quality. Pop was a bit of an issue as we got stuck behind a super slow foursome who ended up being 5 holes behind the group in front of them. Once we got around them it was clear sailing the rest of the round

Monterey Pines is an easy walk and a fun course to test your short game