If you play well, it is worth the price, play poorly and you will wish you kept your money. A harder than average course for mid to high handicappers, but if you can get off the tee well and play sma... Continue »

If you play well, it is worth the price, play poorly and you will wish you kept your money. A harder than average course for mid to high handicappers, but if you can get off the tee well and play smart course management, it is well worth the $80. Sprinkler heads are well marked with yardage and they are very close to true distances. Friendly staff and a good driving range. Be sure to book an early tee time and arrive even earlier, you can get off early and keep the round under/near 4 hours. Mid-day tee times will play at/over 5 hours. Be sure to either bring your own water or buy it at/on the course as there are only 4 water jugs on the course and it can get HOT!

Played 6/15/08. I'm sorry to say but I was disappointed. Carlton use to be one of the finest tracks in SD. Not any more. Greens were bumpy, tees were hacked up, & the fairways had little thatch. ... Continue »

Played 6/15/08. I'm sorry to say but I was disappointed. Carlton use to be one of the finest tracks in SD. Not any more. Greens were bumpy, tees were hacked up, & the fairways had little thatch. Its too bad. The course is way over priced ($80 on the weekends). Hopefully someone buys the course & gets it back into the kinda shape it use to be in. If you're looking for a nice course try Salt Creek. Great greens!

Played as a twosome on Saturday, May 17, with a 1:45pm start time. Due to a shotgun tournament beginning on the front nine at 2:00pm, we were dispatched to #13 in order to avoid any delay in teeing o... Continue »

Played as a twosome on Saturday, May 17, with a 1:45pm start time. Due to a shotgun tournament beginning on the front nine at 2:00pm, we were dispatched to #13 in order to avoid any delay in teeing off on time. Great move...in spite of the tournament, we finished our round in 4 hours and 10 minutes. Excellent planning by those responsible for maintaining comfortable pace-of-play.

Course was in decent shape but somewhat disappointing. Greens had been punched about a month ago but haven't recovered yet; they were bumpy and speed was on the slow side. Some shots held well while others did not. There was a noticeable difference in the softness/hardness of the greens; very inconsistent and unpredictable.

Standing water in the waste bunker on #10 up by the green. The sand that wasn't under water was as hard as concrete; simply impossible to do anything but blade the ball out of there. Someone definitely overdid it while watering that area. Sand quality in the conventional traps, on the other hand, was much more consistent and playable.

For the most part, tee boxes were in very good shape while the fairways, except for a few thin areas, were acceptable. Not very lush yet, however, so the ball wasn't always sitting up on the turf.

Playing conditions at Carlton Oaks always seem to be quite unpredictable so I really wasn't surprised by what I saw this time. That being said, the layout will always test your game and challenge your shot-making abilities. It's a great place to play at a reduced rate or during twilight time but I would be somewhat disappointed if I had to pay the full rack rate.

The best thing was the pace of play--our foursome finished in 4 hours and rarely had to wait on the group ahead of us.

The greens were good and the layout is above average. But the overall course ... Continue »

The best thing was the pace of play--our foursome finished in 4 hours and rarely had to wait on the group ahead of us.

The greens were good and the layout is above average. But the overall course conditioning was poor (given the price). Some of the bunkers were hard-pan. Weeds and bare patches constituted the "rough." And the course seemed very dry--even though it is the middle of spring.

Also, all four of us had our bags fall off the carts during different times. One guy's bag fell off three times. I've never seen that happen before--but the "latches" that are supposed to hold the bags secure do not work properly.

Overall, the green fees don't match the condition of the course, which is unfortunate because the layout is interesting.

Played @ 1:00. Course is in good shape! I've seen the greens in better shape but all in all they were good (a lot of ball marks though). Fairways & tees were good. Rough was thick in some spots. ... Continue »

Played @ 1:00. Course is in good shape! I've seen the greens in better shape but all in all they were good (a lot of ball marks though). Fairways & tees were good. Rough was thick in some spots. Waste bunkers are easy to hit out of. The greens are vey tricky if you haven't played them before (a lot of unseen break). One of my favorite layouts in SD.

Played on Wednesday, 2/13, at noon. Not very busy yet no open spaces ahead of our group. In spite of a five some that was six holes ahead of us, we still managed to finish in 4 hours and 10 minutes.... Continue »

Played on Wednesday, 2/13, at noon. Not very busy yet no open spaces ahead of our group. In spite of a five some that was six holes ahead of us, we still managed to finish in 4 hours and 10 minutes. This included a slight delay on #12 after the group in front of ours was allowed to play through by the group ahead. I was very pleased with the pace of play and would definitely list this as one of the main reasons to book a time at Carlton Oaks during the week. Pro shop personnal were friendly and pleasant to deal with.

Course is in fairly decent shape; nothing to rave about yet no major problem areas either. Fairways are in good shape and the greens, although not particularly quick, putted fairly true. Because of the lack of speed, you could be aggressive on the greens. Occasionally the ball might jump a bit and wander off line but, for the most part, they warrant a positive review. Approach shots held well and I was able to get the ball to sit down and bite very quickly with wedge shots from the fringe.

The current "Two for $80" promotion is a good deal if you tee off before noon since the rate after that time is $45 each. The course always presents a bona fide challenge and some of the pin positions we encountered were quite demanding. Throw in a steady wind and you will be tested. There are three or four holes out there that easily hold their own when stacked up against other difficult holes in San Diego County.

Driving range was in nice shape with plenty of maintained turf to hit from. Tee markers were up so it was recommended that only irons be used on the range. The course is a little on the stingy side when it comes to practice balls (about 30 balls for $5) so it might not be an economical choice to do any entended practicing. Cart service was available throughout our round.

By taking advantage of the February special, I found the $40 rate to be a very fair price to play a good golf course that will force you to hit just about every club in the bag. I know from past experience that the course's condition can be somewhat unpredictable but now would be a good time to pay Carlton Oaks a visit.

Pete Dye design with alot of potential. The greens were in pretty good condition and very tough to score on. The rst of the course was pretty dingy though.

Pete Dye design with alot of potential. The greens were in pretty good condition and very tough to score on. The rst of the course was pretty dingy though.

Staff were friendly and courteous. However, this course is definitely not worth the green fee.

Staff were friendly and courteous. However, this course is definitely not worth the green fee.

Played today, found staff fairly friendly, since we booked online, they offerred us free small bucket before we started. Must agree with prior review, fairways hard, weeds abound, bunkers are inconsis... Continue »

Played today, found staff fairly friendly, since we booked online, they offerred us free small bucket before we started. Must agree with prior review, fairways hard, weeds abound, bunkers are inconsistent. Greens are on the small side, in fair condition, but inconsistent. Course is a nice layout, but does need better maintenance to shine. Shame to see a fine track in disrepair.