The Resort at Squaw Creek GC is - as the name implies - part of the larger resort grounds and conference/hotel complex of the same name. The majority of the course is laid across the flat Olympic Valley and is very reminisent of a Links style layout, though the first 4 holes are carved into an adjacent hillside. Still, even these four holes generally play flat though narrow due to the trees which line the fairway. Also the greens were pretty flat, no major undilations but instead very gentle contours. There are no real structures built along the course, water does factor on 4 holes though the primary hazard is the dense valley grass should a ball be delivered with an overbearing hook/slice or top.

The tee boxes were level and pretty clean, good attention to these boxes even on the par 3s. The rough and fairways were at times lacking on certain holes, I can distinctly recall large areas of exposed dirt and exceptionally thin fairway/rough, though this issue was not rampant through the entire course, only in select areas. The sand was playable as it was possible to get under the ball and deliver the ball cleanly, no issues with being too damp. The greens were not a high point of the course - bumpy, with uneven grass growth made for an untrue putting experience.

To sum up, the conditions of this course would be reviewed as average to below average if this course was situated at a lower elevation. Considering the climate/conditions though, this wasn't too bad of a course especially in consideration of other courses in the area. I genuinely enjoyed playing this course as the setting was wonderful, and with the elevation of the course at 6300 feet the ball really flies; the starter advised clubbing up one but I would recommend clubbing up two, normally I'm 150-160 with my 8 iron but on this day my pitch (normally 125) was just fine.

The Resort at Squaw Creek Golf Course Review
Lake Tahoe Golf Course Reviews

Dublin Ranch is a short par 63 course laid through a housing development of the same name in the hills above East Dublin. There is light/moderate elevation interplay on several of the holes, and with no water or environmental hazards this is a pretty straight forward course to play.

This course can be defined by the quality of maintenance from beginning to end. For being mid August there was nary a brown spot to be witnessed, yet the course offered no indicated of being over watered save for several sticky traps. The tee boxes were level and in good condition, remarkable considering there are 11 par-3 holes as part of this layout. Both the fairways and rough were consistently green and lush throughout, no thin spots that I'm able to recall. Other than one or two being muddy, the sand seemed decent and my playing partner seemed to be getting out of them fine without any issue of being too thin. The greens were tricky to read and judge the speed of (then again, this was hardly my finest putting day), but then again that's a player's issue and not of the course. The ball rolled true, and were pretty clean of ball markings which is notable again considering the amount of par-3s through the round.

Overall it's a bit pricy for par 63, but this is a quality development to which I would be glad to play again.

Dublin Ranch Golf Course Review
Northern California Golf Course Reviews

Saddle Creek Golf Club is part of a larger resort/housing development situated in the rolling Sierra foothills outside of Copperopolis. This course is nicely laid out across the rolling foothill topography and thus the majority of the course plays according to the undulations, only one or two holes might be coined as being flat. The course plays on the narrower side with water in play on six holes; in addition there are numerous environmental OB areas in conjunction with the surrounding foothill grasslands and oak growth alongside. There are no parallel fairways, homes border most of the back nine though the front nine is mostly void of established structures as the front nine winds through the back hills of the development.

Conditions of the course are excellent and well managed. The tee boxes were all level and pretty clean of broken tees, even the divoting on the par 3's was at a minimum due to the attentive groundscrew and players filling divots with sand. There were a few boxes that felt a bit mushy yet not wet enough to have water percolate from under your shoes when standing on them, this was the only minor imperfection which registered. The fairways for August are in great shape, again there were a rare handful of areas that were overwatered but again nothing to be up in arms about. I didn't really notice any browning or dead areas in the fairways or even within the rough which played thick. The sand traps were in good playing condition, I only noted one that was too wet to play at the low spot yet every other box appeared to be dry and in good playing order. The sand is of the nicer quality though it's distribution seemed to be a pinch thin, still it's playable. The greens were real fast, ball rolled very true. I haven't had the enjoyment of playing on greens this fast in a while, so it was nice to be reminded of what its like to play on quality greens.

As I was about one of ten people on the course for a Tuesday afternoon, the pace was unreal as I was able to play 27 holes of golf (with permission) in about 3hr 15min. I really enjoyed this course and would highly recommend it for most everyone to play; there is an air pretentiousness around this course so Joe sixpack might want to clean up a bit before coming out to play this fun design. Oh yeah...all the par 5s are reachable in 2, so warm the putter up and shoot for some feathers.

Saddle Creek Golf Club Review
Copperopolis California Golf Course Reviews

The Reserve at Spanos Park is a newer links style course laid out on the flat terrain north of Stockton. The course is surrounded by open fields due east of the Delta, during afternoons the course can become quite windswept if the delta breeze is blowing. Water plays as a prominent feature on 8 holes and is the main hazard on what is otherwise an open and forgiving course that is fun for experienced golfers but a good place to start for beginners.

The conditions of the course were satisfactory, the tee boxes were level and clean of broken tees. Both the fairways and rough were in agreeable shape, every now and then there might be an area that was pocked/washboarded and therefore thin, but for late July the fairways and roughs are in good condition. There were no areas of browning that I can recall, the course remains green throughout. The sand traps are deceiving, they look thin and feel sort of thin when stepping into the bunkers, yet the ball was cleanly played out on multiple shots I had out. For the greens it looked as though they had been punched within the last month, though recovering there were a few greens that carried the obvious punching in the ground. Greens that were not punch marked were ball marked; yet the areas that were void of heavy ball marks and punch marks rolled quite true and well, they played on the faster side and held the lines nicely. Basically the greens were a mixed bag, some great, some OK, no major browning areas either.

For our Saturday afternoon we started at 4 and were off by 7 as the pro shop staff advised us to start off the back 9 first to avoid a number of groups which had just teed off, we never once had to wait. We really enjoyed the day at Spanos and will certainly play this course again.

The Reserve at Spanos Park Golf Course Review
Stockton California Golf Course Reviews

Teal Bend Golf Course is located off the east bank of the Sacramento River dead west of Sacramento Intl. airport. With it's location being so close to a water source, the entire course is laid out through a wooded track with adjacent ponds which suggest this location might routinely flood if it weren't for the levy between the course and the river. This same floodplain location provides for a completely flat layout, but because the wooded areas effectively block out nearby landmarks, each hole feels independent and isolated from the rest of the course which gives this course an intimate feel. Water comes into play on three holes, the rest of the course is pretty forgiving due to it's wide layout and carefully crafted undulations along the fairway assures not every single approach shot will be hit off of 100% flat ground. There is also a pretty good application of sand traps distributed along the course requiring consideration for many approach shots onto the green.

Speaking to the conditions of the course, the tee boxes were generally level though a couple were uneven or bowl shaped. The par three boxes were in reasonable shape, and all tee boxes were kept clean of broken tees and various other clutter. The fairways were all green and lush to hit off of, no thin spots to really note though I did note some brown area of grass on the first fairway. The rough on several of the back nine holes had areas of dirt, but overall the amount of bare ground doesn't warrant any massive backlash to the course's condition. The sand traps were a mixed bag of being either too wet to sort of decent playing, there's plenty of sand to hit into along the course but the permeating thought is that the sand is too moist to feel comfortable hitting good clean shots out of. The greens were slow to begin, a pinch bumpy but also quite wet, I plugged my ball into the green on the par 3 12th hole. It didn't help that we were following a groundsman who was watering the greens ahead of us at 12:30 in the afternoon, even on our second play through in the later part of the day the greens were still quite slow.

Though the above might come off as a bit of a nit-picky review, the overall conditions of the course were very favorable for quality golf play. With no homes located along any of the fairways and the closed in feel provided by the woodlands, only the sounds of planes taking off or arriving into Sac Intl. provide distraction for what is otherwise a really nice course to play. Bring your buddies out for a fun day of golf, the layout is accommodating for novice players with enough sand to keep skilled shooters entertained.

Teal Bend Golf Club Review
Sacramento California Golf Course Reviews

Canyon Lakes Golf Club is perched on the Eastern ridge of San Ramon Valley, because of this location there are only a handfull of flat fairways with most balls lying either above or below your feet. Water comes into prominent play on the 4th and 5th holes, and is sort of a minor concern for two other holes on the front 9, after that you have a couple environmental areas to clear over but nothing major. The entire track is lined by homes and tree foliage plays prominently in creating a quazi-narrow layout on a number of fairways, the last two holes play on top of a wind swept ridge (I've played here 5-6 times and wind has always been a factor on these last two holes except today). This is the type of track that can turn into a challenge quick if tee shots go errant, there are only two parallel fairways with the rest of the fairways notched into the hillsides.

The course conditions = WET! We played at 9:30am, stepping onto the first tee box was a mushy experience that was continually repeated through most of the round. The sand traps were essentially unplayable as we were playing in raked mud with standing water identified in a couple different traps. To review on more general terms, the tee boxes, while some were soggy, all were level and decently cared for. The fairways were OK and have yet to turn summer brown but you can see it coming the coloration starting to appear in patches, the ball played fine off them though. The rough is decent, however there seems to be a pretty extreme concentration of burrowing squirrels or similar varmint which like to bur row and create holes/mounds adjacent to the rough. As earlier mentioned, the sand traps were complete garbage, we decided to pick up our balls out of the sand as it wasn't worth the effort to hit out. The greens were a bit soggy and soft, but the ball rolled decently albeit slower than most courses.

Considering it's location, there isn't a tremendous interplay of elevation change between tee box and green - there's some but not as much as one might expect. There are a couple memorable holes on this course, the design is an interesting challenge and despite it's oversaturated condition, it's a fun track to play.

Canyon Lakes Golf Club Review
San Ramon California Golf Course Reviews

The Bridges Golf Club is an exceptional challenge to play due in large part to the narrow width of many fairways combined with unplayable hazards in the form of thick brush. It's possible to lose golfballs on every hole here, thus my suggestion is to not play here if you're going through a funk with your swing as this course will eat you alive. Even if you are swinging well, be open minded to losing a few balls along the way. Not only does this course feature narrow and unforgiving passages, the greens are also exceptionally fast. Shoot for areas below the cup and you'll be in much better standing.

Regarding the actual conditions of the course, the tee boxes were superb with no leveling issues and immaculate surfaces. The par threes are well maintained with divots filled in. The fairways were overall satisfactory, there were a few areas that might be regarded as thin though the majority of the fairways otherwise perfect. The rough, featuring nice bent grass, was deep and nary a bare spot to be found. The sand, I dunno how it was as I never ventured in to make sand castles, it looked like the ball was coming out fine, a nice splash could be seen from time to time upon impact. The greens suffered from basic golfer etiquette as a couple were ballmarked to death. They rolled fast, and pretty true, but there was way more ballmarking left behind by fellow players not doing their due diligence, this course deserves better treatment from it's patrons.

The staff was very professional and the facilities to be regarded as the upper echelon. Hit your fairways and you'll be fine, don't miss too bad or it'll be a long day unless you're like me who enjoys a good Easter Egg hunt. If you're game is up for it, play this course, it's fun as you need to hit your shots, target golf I guess it's called...

The Bridges Golf Club Course Review
San Ramon California Golf Course Reviews

Tilden Park Golf Course is part of the greater Tilden Regional Park/East Bay Regional Park District system. Located straight up and over the hill from UC Berkeley, this course is laid out over some of the hilliest terrain possible for a golf course to be situated (Apple Mountain outside of Placerville is the only course more topographically extreme that I've played before). At Tilden there are areas of dense woods, and areas of fairly open golfplay, thus it can be punishing on some holes yet forgiving on others, a nice mix. The course does not feature any standing water hazards, yet there are several creek lined fairways and other environmental hazards that can claim balls should a shot malfunction. Thanks to the hillside topography, the front nine plays more extreme than the back nine, the back nine plays as a more traditional tree lined fairway layout with a more tempered interplay with the elevation changes from tee box to green.

The overall conditions of this course is quite playable, nothing sticks out as being an issue with the maintenance of this course. The tee boxes were level, and even on the par threes the divoting wasn't too extreme. The condition of the fairways were excellent, maybe a few more divots than preferred but nothing offensive, the grass was well established and no barespots encountered. The rough was likewise in good shape, with the exception of being bare to the right side of hole #2 under the Eucalyptus trees. This aside, no issues with the rough. The sand traps were rather standard, seemed like the sand was a bit on the packed side. The greens were pretty basic too, no crazy undulations aside from a few false aprons. The conditions of the greens were fine, they played slower than most other greens which was frustrating but something that could be compensated for as long as you remember they're slow to begin.

I had the opportunity to play this facility twice during the week of 6/3/12, both times at a twilight walking rate of $22, the pace was exceptionally brisk the first time (3.5 hr round), the second round was a bit slower at 4.5 hr. Overall impressions is that this is a very mature course, it plays a bit on the short side though it does have some pretty memorable holes in holes 1, 3, 10 and 12. The practice facilities are adequate though the putting green area is a pinch too small for the amount of traffic which comes through. The pro shop is adequate though it seemed the club house restaurant/bar closed pretty early. Overall I enjoyed the experience here and would certainly play at this location again.

Tilden Park Golf Course Review
Berkely California Golf Course Reviews

Skylinks is the pinnacle course of Long Beach Park and Rec's 5 public courses, thus to slot this as a 'muni' course would not be an accurate assessment at first blush. The course layout is flat with wide treelined fairways and no real environmental hazards or OB areas to consider save for bad drives fading onto city streets. Sand traps are well placed and included into the design of the course moreso than other layouts in the area, also are three holes where water hazards come into play. Because this course is adjacent to Long Beach's airport, airplane and helicopter noise is part of the soundtrack while playing here.

The conditions of the course are overall quite respectable, most salient drawback were the greens which were ballmarked to death. The teeboxes were in excellent form, a few were a pinch uneven but the conditions were otherwise excellent. Both the fairway and the rough were lush and green with no barespots encountered. The sand is in the upper echelon of quality, plenty deep allowing for nice clean hits out. The greens were playing a bit slow, one pass over with a cutter and the speed will pick up. Still, on the day I played ball seemed to roll straight yet just needed a pinch more pepper to seal the deal. Noted the locals aren't much for repairing their ballmarks.

Even the casual observer will note the pristine maintenance, exemplified best by the well maintained edging around the sand traps, along the concrete paths and the hedge trimming throughout the course. I played this course about a year ago to which the biggest knock was the slow pace of play, they've since reconfigured the holes thus I can't speak as to whether the pace of play has improved (I played Friday afternoon, we were on track for about a 4.5 hour round, I'm not 100% the same time could be achieved during the weekend).

Oh yeah. Some of the greens, with their exaggerated undulations, border on the edge of ridiculous and not very honest to traditional golfplay. Overall though, nice course to play.

Skylinks Golf Course Review
Long Beach Golf Course Reviews

Dry Creek Ranch Golf Course is a mature and well established course of older design, but thanks to many of old growth trees,this property makes for an interesting and enjoyable round. The course straddles Highway 99, with holes 11 through 16 on the west side of the freeway with the remainder on the east side, with this location comes a few holes where the road noise might be bothersome to some.

What I enjoyed most were the massive oak trees and other mature tree foliage found on the course. Because of this robust tree growth, a number of fairways would be considered on the narrow side; also there is more than one hole where a single massive oak creates a narrow bottle neck approach shot to the green. However, the course is for all intent and purpose a massive plot of grass divided by trees which boarder/separate one fairway from the other, thus there is forgiveness errant shots.

Playing as a single I was able to walk the entire track in under 4 hours. The overall conditions of the course exceeded my expectations as I thought this might fall more under the municipal category - it does not! The tee boxes were generally level, I did note a few that were a bit on the concave side and though a majority of the boxes were lightly chewed up there was nothing to be alarmed about. The fairways and rough were both cut on the longer side, the number of divots encountered were minimal which was nice. The sand was decent, it didn't seem to be hard pan though I can't give a fair assessment as it had rained earlier in the day and the sand. The two times I built sand castles with my 56, the sand was rather sticky but the ball came out fine. I was pleasantly surprised to find the greens immaculate, the ball rolled true with no weird bouncing or wobbling around, a minimum of ball markings to be concerned with. I was honestly impressed by this, a major plus to say the least.

The service was OK and the facilities are on the antiquated side. Though I visited on a Wednesday afternoon I got the feeling this place wasn't too heavily patronized by the locals, this based on the lack of significant divots on the fairway and ball marks on the greens. However, this course will treat you right and is in far better condition than the much more heavily visited Micke Grove facility in Lodi, come here instead! It might cost a bit more, but for the dollar the quality is far superior, you might come away surprised.

Dry Creek Ranch Golf Course Review
Galt California Golf Course Reviews

Micke Grove Golf Links is part of the greater Micke Grove park complex south of Lodi Calif. laid out along the Union Pacific railroad tracks. As a train watcher and avid golfer, I really appreciate the ease of watching multiple trains roll by while playing golf, however I am digressing from the mission of greenskeeper.org in providing useful information.

This course doesn't offer many features to boast about other than I get to watch trains while playing. It's flat, fairways parallel side by side, and the conditions could easily be referred to as typical muni golf. The tee boxes are poor due to detrimental grading and absolutely no tending to broken tees about the area. The fairways are OK, plenty of divots strewn about plus a few bare spots but nothing to gag over, same goes for the rough. The greens are OK, the locals don't like to repair their ball marks. The sand...honestly I forgot about the sand, I'm sure it's there but I couldn't tell you if it's hard pan or not. Honestly, one feature I do like about playing Micke Grove (I've played twice) is that it lets me practice my ball mark repair motion as I repair marks left by others, plus I get to create busted tee collections while waiting on the tee box - by this later comment I don't mean to infer this is a slow moving course (4.5 - 5hr range).

The dominant hazard is water/marshland, 9 holes have this water/marshland hazard consideration. Other that it's pretty straight forward in design, Micke Grove is a cheap course to play when you absolutely need a golf fix - OH YEAH - they do feature an all grass driving range!

Micke Grove Golf Links Review
Lodi California Golf Course Reviews

Castle Oaks Golf Course was a very enjoyable track to play thanks to it's nice variations in it's design. The front 9 plays on flat terrain that is reminiscent of oak dotted pasture land, the back nine rolls through the hills through thicker oak brush and other growth. Some holes are super wide and forgiving, a few play a bit narrow, many play alongside marshy environmental hazards. Be advised the slope on the scorecard seems to under represent the true challenge of the course as there are ample opportunities to lose golf balls while on the course.

On 4/9/12 the course was generally in good shape though I did notice some things that might irk some players. The tee boxes were in nice level shape, some of the par three boxes were chewed up but all other boxes were nice. The fairways were in fine form, not a bare spot was noticed while playing our round. Both the fairways and the rough seemed a bit on the long side even though there was plenty of grass clipping clumps about - they either don't cut very close or the grass is really growing this spring! The big !!! I noticed was that the sand traps, all of them, had pea size to inch long rocks within the sand. While the sand plays deep, when the sand splash comes onto the greens it deposits these pea sized rocks onto the putting surface, thus putters beware. The greens were OK, bumpy as all hell as the aeration has yet to fully grow back in. Though not exactly the biggest detriment, the greens are the weak spot in this otherwise fine course.

Overall impression is that this is a well taken care of course featuring some very nice holes on a fun layout. It's apparent that the land around the course had designs of becoming a housing subdivision, however this transformation hasn't taken place due to the downturn in the housing market. There are some homes along the course, mostly on the back nine, and the environmental hazards to lead me to offer my personal opinion that the slope for this course is understated, it should be higher. When my buddy comes in from Texas next month, this course is a leading candidate for our one opportunity to play a round, I'll look forward to playing this again.

Castle Oaks Golf Course Review
Ione California Golf Course Reviews