Played Thursday, teeing off about 15 minutes late, at 12:25pm. Grabbed a $36 Crossings Club rate, and happy about it for my last round of the year here. Joined by a twosome and another single. Was tol... Continue »

Played Thursday, teeing off about 15 minutes late, at 12:25pm. Grabbed a $36 Crossings Club rate, and happy about it for my last round of the year here. Joined by a twosome and another single. Was told by the other two Crossings Club members that they paid $34 'senior' rate! They hit from the blues, and the tee boxes looked good there, I teed off from the whites and they were a bit worn, but mostly level. Finished after sunset at 5:05pm, for 4hr40min round, waiting a bit on most holes.

The fairways and rough were generally light green/brown. Fairways were very firm and provided excellent roll and good lies. The extra roll helped out this short-hitter. Rough was inconsistent, with tufts of grass providing some difficult lies.

The greens were fantastic, very green, receptive and held shots well. Ball rolled nicely and managed two birdies on the day, which nearly made up for my double-bogeys.

Wasn't in any bunkers. Did notice that they were re-lining one of the bunkers by #16 green.
Saw the cart girl just on the front side, but did stop at the half-way shack and the guys were happy with their sandwiches and hot dogs and the amount of mustard that was available.

Had a 10 AM Tee time. It was great to get out from the threat/smell of the Lilac Fire.

Excellent practice areas; driving range, chipping area and large practice putting green.

Recommend you pla... Continue »

Had a 10 AM Tee time. It was great to get out from the threat/smell of the Lilac Fire.

Excellent practice areas; driving range, chipping area and large practice putting green.

Recommend you play from the tees that your game can handle as this is a very challenging layout.

Greens: smooth, medium to fast speed and firm. Very challenging contours.

Fairways: some very thin areas from cart traffic otherwise playable.

Rough: 1 -3" high, not very penal.

Traps: raked and very playable.

Good GPS system in the carts.

Marshall visited us twice on each nine.

POP: just over 4 1/2 hours.

I am beginning to like this course the more I play it. Recommend.

Played here, first time, on Sunday November 5th, 1100am, at a So Cal Senior rate of $79. Perfect weather conditions ( sunny 70, slight breeze ) except for the constant thunder from private jets takin... Continue »

Played here, first time, on Sunday November 5th, 1100am, at a So Cal Senior rate of $79. Perfect weather conditions ( sunny 70, slight breeze ) except for the constant thunder from private jets taking off from Palomar Airport. I'm guessing the jet traffic was higher than normal, with The Breeders Cup Championships in town (Del Mar). Racing wrapped up Saturday, so just a hunch a lot of the billionaire owners were heading home around noon on Sunday. Entertaining, for a little while, to see jets come roaring off the runway right above the 6th tee box, but after 30-40 jets, very few minutes, it made for a very distracting front 9. Nothing to do with the golf course, but I'm certain it was the noisiest couple of hours on any golf course I've ever played. On to conditions: Overall, excellent, from fairway to green, but a few tees (as mentioned in previous review) had all colors on the same spot, which made for a few chewed up tees, and the same distance in some cases, regardless of the tees you decided to play. Fairways were very good, well covered on most holes, firm and lush. Greens were the challenge on this course, with some crazy tiers and undulations. My group (3 of 4 were first timers here) found speed and tilt very difficult to judge, but condition was excellent. Fast, mostly smooth and good roll, but still held nicely. The layout is interesting to say the least. Front 9 a little more traditional, but overall, just a crazy mix of designs. Semi blind tee shots on 2, 3 and 5, sharp dogleg on 7, elevation changes on most, very short par 4 8th, and par 3 9th. Back 9 , while spectacular at times with extreme elevation changes, mixes in a couple of nice traditional flat straight, well bunkered holes (12-13). But routing to get to 12 was crazy. Over a bridge, behind the 12 green then drive the length of the fairway to the tee box, and play back down to the green. If you don't mind a wild ride and mix of holes, you'll love this place. Service was very good, but I had to scramble to make tee time and then made a quick exit after round, so did not see what the rest of the facility (range, bar / restaurant, Pro Shop was like. A very nice clubhouse, for sure. No cart service on the course on this day (disappointing) so only chance for aiming fluid was at the turn. Use the touch screen GPS on board for shot placement, and hope to have a Crossings veteran in the cart if playing first time, to help with sight lines. Give it a try, a wide variety of challenges from 1-18.

Played Thursday, 10/26, using my last Crossings Club free round ticket and teeing off from the whites (others played the blues) a few minutes early at 1:15pm as a 4some on a lovely, sunny day. Nice oc... Continue »

Played Thursday, 10/26, using my last Crossings Club free round ticket and teeing off from the whites (others played the blues) a few minutes early at 1:15pm as a 4some on a lovely, sunny day. Nice ocean breeze kept everything moderate in terms of temp, but wasn't too much in terms of hurting shots made into the wind, and seemed very helpful when it was at our backs.

Never waited, except on #15 teebox, as the marshal typically holds you up until the group in front has made their 2nd/3rd shots to the green. With only ourselves to blame really (quite a few lost balls by several in the group - 1st time there), POP was 4:40mins. But, a very friendly and fun time, and no one pushing us from behind and still had the group in front within sight the entire round, about 3/4 hole behind them.

Course conditions are mostly the same as 2 weeks ago. Tee boxes were nicely recovered from the scalping. They did have the black/blue/white markers together on 6 holes (1,3,5,13,14,17) and were letting the grass fill in on the most typical teeing areas.

Greens held shots well, were still smooth, and medium/medium-fast speed. As I've seen happen here before, several spots in the greens had a wavy/untightened carpet look. It is odd, but did not seem to affect putts.

Bermuda fairways were lovely as usual, rough was cut a bit shorter, show not as penal and the one greenside bunker I was in (#14) was firm and thin sand, but not hard/crispy.

Saw the cart girl three times, and my playing partner was thrilled with his chicken caesar wrap, ordered via the touch screen on the cart on the 8th hole. Overall, a great day on a great course, and somehow managed to set a new 9-hole best score here, shooting 1-over 37 on the front, coupled with a more normal 43 on the back.

Apologies for the delay posting. Still nursing a very sore back after our afternoon Guru outing on Tuesday, 10/10. POP of 4:35. Great practice facilities with lighted driving range (mats only), 2 c... Continue »

Apologies for the delay posting. Still nursing a very sore back after our afternoon Guru outing on Tuesday, 10/10. POP of 4:35. Great practice facilities with lighted driving range (mats only), 2 chipping greens, 1 practice bunker and a 10k sq ft putting green. 2nd Playing Group of partners, Sixpez (Keith), Weber2323 (Michael) and Johnny GK provided great social interaction and frequent birdies. Weber2323 teed off from the Black tees while the rest of us played from the White tees. John and Mike are long ball bombers while Keith, with his unorthodox swing, always manages to be putting for par or better. Johnny was within 35 yds of the greens after his tee shots on holes #2 and #10. Long ball hitters should play from the Black or Blue tees. Bright sunshine, low humidity and a steady 8mph ocean wind kept the shots challenging. Putting green speed was faster than on course due to the constant wind exposure and being the highest point on the course. Also noticed signs of syringing the greens after mid-day. Ball marks were more noticeable on the back 9 than the front because of elevation and some back pin placements. Some patches of poa Annua were evident on the bentgrass greens but didn't interfere with the putting. The course was in the process of rye overseeding on the tee boxes. Many of the tees were verticutted, shaved and seeded without topdressing. Until the overseeding process is completed, some holes may have color tee markers playing from the same location to reduce wear/tear and traffic (blue/black tees or white/blue tees). Bermuda fairways were tight, low height and with lots of roll. Many unfilled divots were present. I was unfortunate enough to have landed in an overfill divot, with a half inch of sand above the surface. Like hitting a long distance shot from a sand trap. Sand bottles are located on the carts with refill stations on each 9. The rough was fair in most spots. Did encounter some wet, high roughs on Hole #6, to the left of the path, near the GC Maintenance facility. Greenside bunkers were in great shape but moist from the syringing of the greens. I was only in 1 fairway bunker and that was on #18. The sand was very compacted. Rakes were plentiful throughout the course. A fun and challenging day, even if our cart (19) had a mechanical problem with not starting properly. Very annoying to have to act several times per holes. This was surprising as the carts are less than a year old. One of the many roving marshals finally switch out the cart on #13, after hours of frustrations. GPS gave yardage to the flagstick but some pin placements did not match up to the flag color. The staff and customer service is one of the best in the industry. Kemper Sports sets the customer service experience bar high at all of their courses. This course is definitely a "Must Play" and "Bucket List Designation" in the north San Diego County area. If you want to expand your local knowledge/history of this course, please read my previous review from April, 2017.

Joined fellow GK Gurus Tuesday at The Crossings at Carlsbad. We caught a beautiful day albeit more windy than when I’ve played the course in the past.

It’s a challenging layout that features some ... Continue »

Joined fellow GK Gurus Tuesday at The Crossings at Carlsbad. We caught a beautiful day albeit more windy than when I’ve played the course in the past.

It’s a challenging layout that features some wild greens. With exception to hole #13, which is Par 5 blind tee shot I never can figure out, I love this layout. I normally play it from the blue tees, Tuesday was the first time playing it from the white tees, and enjoyed that experience as well. Accuracy off the tee yet rewarding for long drives, challenging approach shots to well bunkered greens, distance control heavily required for approach shots so to be on the proper tiers of the putting surfaces and smart golf course management to avoid hazards. The layout has some scenic views, especially on the back nine.

I thought the course was in great condition Tuesday. Granted they were in the process of overseeding the tee boxes but what I liked is they kept them open. So they were cut tight, brown, but level and firm. Was not an issue at all. Fairways, bermunda, lush, groomed, great lies and roll out. Greens, 5 weeks recovered from aeration, rolling very well, moderate speed, some a little softer than others. Rough in good shape, cut low. Bunkers in good shape, quality sand, well kept.

I had to leave soon after the round but normally I like to stick around to enjoy their food. Tuesday that had an $8 burger combo deal. Dang. The course has a gorgeous clubhouse with ocean views and excellent service. I will be back to play another GK Guru round hopefully next month. Thanks everyone that made it.

Part of the GK Gurus on Tuesday, 10/10. Great to meet several people I've had the pleasure of reading their course reviews and golf comments on the blog. Had a great time playing with three of the smo... Continue »

Part of the GK Gurus on Tuesday, 10/10. Great to meet several people I've had the pleasure of reading their course reviews and golf comments on the blog. Had a great time playing with three of the smoothest-swinging golfers you will ever see, zgolfinman, gary00 and larryq2001. Great guys and great golfers!

Agree with the others on course conditions. Have played here a number of times over the last 12 months, and the greens were the best-looking and most lush I've seen in that time. Fully recovered from the punching five weeks ago, they were very smooth, no thin spots, very few unrepaired ball marks, and rolled true at medium speed. The main challenge for me was over-reading breaks. Perhaps the dense grass kept the greens online?!?

Really enjoy playing on these fairways, as the Bermuda grass is a great break from kikuyu grass on a number of other Southern California courses, and is truly carpet-like and very lush. Always had a good lie after a good amount of roll-out. Rough was tough around the greens, grabbing the clubhead too often.

Great $8 burgers w/fries on Tuesday, fast and fun service from the cheery and efficient bartender/server and fun conversation on the outdoor patio overlooking the driving range and putting greens. Great to get to know Bob and Larry better. Such fun and interesting gents, to go along with their golfing prowess.

Thanks for setting this up, Johnny. Highly recommended right now.

Played with Guru’s leef2020, gary00 and zgolfinman (Lee, Gary and Bob) on 10/10 and had a great time. Crossings is a very nice golf course, all around. I have played here 3 times this year and have ... Continue »

Played with Guru’s leef2020, gary00 and zgolfinman (Lee, Gary and Bob) on 10/10 and had a great time. Crossings is a very nice golf course, all around. I have played here 3 times this year and have always been impressed with the service. When you arrive, you just drop your clubs with the valet out front and they take of the rest. Very nice driving range and practice area and when it’s time to go to the tee box, you are always on time. Impressive. No complaints today about the course. All is in order. Was told our round was over 4 ½ hours. Didn’t feel that long but I guess I was having too much fun to notice. This is not an easy course to play but it is fun. Some of the fairways are generous but you need to keep it in play. Very hilly course that winds through the hills and you can’t be spraying the ball or you will end up in the native areas. Fairways were in great shape. Lots of roll out. Wasn’t in any bunkers but was told they were hard underneath. As mentioned by the previous reviewers, they are working on the tee boxes and were scalped down pretty thin. Greens were in great shape. Not fast but tough to read. Most of the greens are pretty large and some have undulations which make it very difficult. After our round, Lee, Bob and I stayed and ate in their very nice restaurant. Very good food and cannot go wrong with the $8.00 burger! Had a nice conversation after. Lee knows more about club making than anyone I have ever met and Bob is a Six Sigma Lean expert. I was dwarfed in the mix as my contribution to the conversation was to order another gin and tonic!! :-) Seriously, If you ever get a chance to play with Lee, Gary or Bob do so! Great guys to play with. Get out and play The Crossings.

Played yesterday in the second guru group. I think our pace was a little over 4 1/2 hours. Greens were in really good shape. I think the practice green was a little faster than the greens on the co... Continue »

Played yesterday in the second guru group. I think our pace was a little over 4 1/2 hours. Greens were in really good shape. I think the practice green was a little faster than the greens on the course so I left the first few short but the speed themselves are fine. The thing about the greens is hitting to the correct spot on the green. There are some big slopes out there that if you miss you can be looking at a 3 putt. Fairways were really good too. I never found a bad lie in the fairway but Jerry did, his ball rolled right in a filled divot. It was like playing a bunker shot in the middle of the fairway. Agree with Gary that the rough is hit or miss here but there is a lot of environmental areas if you stray too far offline. There are also some thicker areas out there and other spots where it didn't affect my shot decisions. I was in a couple of bunkers 2 fairway and one greenside. The fairway bunkers were definitely firmer and the greenside was softer. Tee boxes were scalped but I thought the back side tees were in better shape than the front. While they looked brown and appeared they would be hard there were actually not that hard at all. It's also a tee box so it didn't affect me at all. Everyone here was really helpful here.