Bayonet is a tough challenging track with nice views of the Monterey Bay. Greens are a tad easier than the sister cou... » More

Bayonet is a tough challenging track with nice views of the Monterey Bay. Greens are a tad easier than the sister course but still are very tough with a lot of undulations. Greens are firm and fast. Getting pitch shots and approach shots with long irons can be challenging. Getting a putt to roll smooth is not.

Fairways offered good roll and a decent surface to hit from. Not as lush as others in the area but no complaints. No issues with the tee boxes and as others have mentioned the sand boxes need some improvement. Not bad but a notch or two below what you would expect from a course of this quality.

Bayonet has tight fairways with thick tall pine trees lining the fairways. Course has a number of elevation changes to make the layout fun but nothing too dramatic or gimmicky.

I prefer the sister course (Black Horse) over Bayonet but that's a Ford vs Chevy thing. Both good quality and it's just a matter of preference.

Recommended and both are great warm up tracks before playing any of the Pebble courses.
» Close

Out early, perhaps the second or third group, but it was still somewhat dark. Course is in good condition, better than I... » More

Out early, perhaps the second or third group, but it was still somewhat dark. Course is in good condition, better than I expected. Greens were the best part of the course, Fairways green, plenty of coverage. Only in one bunker, well raked with good sand

While I have never been a huge fan of this course, it is probably the most interesting county course, a rather unique layout. Kind of fun, IF you execute the shots. No fun if you spray the ball.

Great pace of play, did not encounter any real "back nine" issues which was a welcome surprise.
» Close

Finally got to play some golf this last Sunday, as i have been nursing a fractured hand ... Joined some old friends at W... » More

Finally got to play some golf this last Sunday, as i have been nursing a fractured hand ... Joined some old friends at Woods Valley in Valley Center played a little scramble. One thing i always notice is how dry and hard packed the driving range is which always make me worried on course conditions. One thing to note is Valley Center area is under water restrictions and the range receives minimal water.

As we hit the course we notice the course is in much better shape. Tee boxes have decent coverage and are much softer than the range. The fairways have good coverage as well but can be a little dry. Some bare spots here and there but nothing that really disrupts your game. Sand traps were the only thing that I would give negative marks to. Most were wet and rock hard with not much actual sand left.

The highlight of the day would be the greens. Greens were lush and in fantastic shape. They felt soft and received shots but rolled at medium fast speed. Most put rolled true and steady with no bumps at all. This course is a fun layout and you must actually think out your shots. Gripping it and ripping it will get you in a lot of trouble. Overall I am always pleasantly surprised by Woods Valley and look forward to playing again.
» Close

So nice of I H to notify GK of all the maintenance going on today. If they had, I would not have played. I first noticed... » More

So nice of I H to notify GK of all the maintenance going on today. If they had, I would not have played. I first noticed a lot of divots in the first fairways. When I got to # 6 I found out why. They were aerating the fairways. They were blowing away the mess on each fairway, but the damage was done. For the rest of the round I had to find a clean spot in the fairways to hit from. The tee boxes were OK, the traps were OK, the greens (while slow) were OK (and they will aerate them soon). So all in all, the round was not very enjoyable. If you plan on playing, when you make your reservation ask how the conditions are at present. Due to the work being done, I will not rate the course today.
» Close

I was supposed to play South but ended up we were booked for the north. Not a big deal as I have played both and they ar... » More

I was supposed to play South but ended up we were booked for the north. Not a big deal as I have played both and they are both fun and challenging, obviously being an SD Res helps that no worries attitude. From the moment I walked from the parking lot, the first thing I thought was "I wow, the course looks really brown." On closer inspection some of that appears to be because they might be cutting the kikuyu grass down really low so that the base isnt too thick. I am no greens keeper so I am only speculating but I have played courses what the kikuyu base was deep and was an injury waiting to happen. That being said, this was only 50% of the issue. There were bald spots in the fairway, bare spots in the rough and all over. I remember thinking it looked like the Body of Torrey wearing the clothes of Admiral Baker South. In all honesty I have never seen Torrey this bad before and have no clue how they are going to have it ready for Farmers Open. I am sure they will but I won't be playing it until after. POP was just under 5 hours which is not uncommon at TP. Course was very soft due to rough and green side grasses being cut super short, bunkers had good sand but needed more respect from players playing out of them. Non residents, do not go. Greens were a bit shaggy but rolled nicely. Player tip, its easy to over read greens here, for some reason they just dont break that much.
» Close

Played Tues Sept 17, we play here allot, even bought the weekday card, good value as you get 5 free rounds plus a free b... » More

Played Tues Sept 17, we play here allot, even bought the weekday card, good value as you get 5 free rounds plus a free birthday round and for seniors golf is $35 per round instead of $55. You also get 5 guests rounds at $35, plus percent of in shop. Course is in good shape, bunkers are a mixed bag, #9 tee box on the whites needs to be leveled, greens rolled nice. Cart GPS is now free, good thing because sometimes freezes and you have to hit the switch to restart it. I heard they got new management awhile back. They obviously are trying to cut costs especially in the restaurant, they have a new menu and took allot of things off, they also discontinued the specials, very disappointing. The food used to be top notch but is now very average. The waitresses are still very nice.
» Close

I joined DeepSea14 and Eli1488 yesterday at San Juan Oaks for their GK Cup match. Course is in fantastic shape tee to g... » More

I joined DeepSea14 and Eli1488 yesterday at San Juan Oaks for their GK Cup match. Course is in fantastic shape tee to green. We played mid morning and practically had the place to ourselves. No one in front of us for several holes and it wasn't until the 17th that a twosome finally started to catch up to us.

I've always said the greens here are the perfect balance between size, shape and condition. Yesterday was no excepetion. Greens were a deep green color, perfectly smooth and divot free. Enough undulations to keep you honest but nothing too wild. The only thing keeping the greens from a 10 rating was the fact that they were rolling a bit slower than I prefer. I will add that my putting stroke was off all day so that didn't help. Having said that, I still managed 8 pars and a birdie which attests the great conditon of the greens. They easily held approach shots from every club.

Fairways were a solid 8 rating. Very green and lush throughout. A couple of areas were a little soggy from watering and there was the occassional light brown patch mixed in but overall the fairways were top notch.

Tee boxes were also top quality. Very lush thourhout and the divots that were present had been completely filled in with sand. My guess is maintenance had gone around and filled in the divots on the tee boxes.

Sand traps continue to be the achilles heel of the track. They are ok but but certainly the low point of the place. Weather was perfect but I will add that the wind does kick up in the afternoon. We had a 1-2 club wind during the back nine.

Customer service is great all around and the young gal in the pro shop is just absolutely fantastic. Her hussle, knowledge, friendliness and professionalism is top notch. Not sure if they have new carts or I just didn't remember from last time here, but the carts now have full GPS systems in them.

The only "down side" to the entire place is that during mid week the restaurant has limited hours. They are only open from 11a-3p which we missed on both ends by 20 minutes!

I highly recommend San Juan Oaks. It's a very fun track (see my previous reviews for the layout) with great conditions.
» Close

play this course about once a year because it's close by and i'm either lazy or cheap. every time i regret it hehe. ch... » More

play this course about once a year because it's close by and i'm either lazy or cheap. every time i regret it hehe. check-in was friendly and was able to get on earlier than scheduled in later morning when i usually play. teeboxes from black in generally awful condition, with plenty of unrepaired divots, uneven lies, multiple types of grass. fairways were similar, with some completely bare spots of dirt, multiple grasses out there so you had no idea what kind of lie you were going to get. rough ranged from fluffy to thick to downright swamp as there were areas with unmown grass up to 5 inches in standing water. greens were sanded and ran inconsistently, there were some remnants of what may have been some punching but minimal holes, it was just mostly slow, bumpy, and sandy. bunkers sometimes had fluffy sand and sometimes wet hard packed sand depending on whether they got water. why did i have to drive the cart through multiple rivers of standing water? POP was slow at 4h45min. no drink cart, pick something up at the turn while you're waiting on the two groups that area already on 10 teebox. yeah, don't really recommend playing here.
» Close

Played 9/17 first off. PoP of 2:45. Beautiful, sunny morning for golf! Played the blues @ $42 with a cart. Weekday golf ... » More

Played 9/17 first off. PoP of 2:45. Beautiful, sunny morning for golf! Played the blues @ $42 with a cart. Weekday golf is the best.

The course conditions have definitely improved since my last review. The greens with the exception of holes1-3, are fantastic. Soft & receptive, smooth and medium fast. The tee boxes are in much better shape as well. The fairways were not over-watered like the last couple times I’ve played. Nice coverage, with good lies. Rough remains lush, although some spots were very wet & squishy. Bunkers had good sand, but we were ahead of the maintenance crew, so lots of animal tracks in them.

This course is in great shape & improving. Great time to get out there!
» Close

Played today. They did the greens a week ago today and they came back very nice. Still some fine sand that will slow put... » More

Played today. They did the greens a week ago today and they came back very nice. Still some fine sand that will slow putts down, but no holes. So now they say they will verticut tomorrow. So it might be another week for total healing I guess. Fairways are beginning to show brown areas, I guess the dog days of summer took their toll. You can find some good lies but you will also find a brown area, no way around it. But they are rolling out very good. Lots of rough outside of fairways and around the greens, compared to my last time here. Always great customer service in AM. Not sure about PM as I don't play then.
» Close

Played Diamond Bar with my monthly club at 9am on Saturday, 9/14/19, on a very hot day with not enough wind to cool thin... » More

Played Diamond Bar with my monthly club at 9am on Saturday, 9/14/19, on a very hot day with not enough wind to cool things down very much. My first round in 2 months, with my ongoing knee problems, made for a hot, slow 5.5- hour slog that was pretty standard for this course on a weekend morning. We got a little break on the front nine with plenty of shade scattered by the large trees, but the back nine is more open and that’s when we got the brunt of the day’s heat.

Conditions were the same as when my club played here last September – decent greens that were receptive all day (getting plenty of water!) and rolled at consistent speed but many old ballmarks, chancey fairways ranging from good to bare, challenging rough around the greens and really juicy stuff farther out, thin but playable sand, and many tees sloping to the back of a right-handed golfer.

We were sent out on time to join the slow queue. Our cart locked up on #7 but the shop sent out a replacement quickly. Saw the cart girl a couple times but the snack bar at #10 tee was closed again. Adequate water available. Not great, not terrible. OK for a casual round, with notations above.
» Close

Played The Oaks on Monday, 9/16. I received an email invitation to play this private course for $49.00, including cart a... » More

Played The Oaks on Monday, 9/16. I received an email invitation to play this private course for $49.00, including cart and balls. I have played this course many times. It opened in 2003. From that time until around 2013, the course was always in pristine condition. The past several years have been another story.

This Monday the course was in OK condition. The fairways were very playable, but were not very green. They had many areas that are brown and slightly burned out. They were a mix of thin and well cushioned areas. I would put the fairway condition at a better than average municipal course. As a comparison, Simi Hills and Hansen Dam golf course - both city owned courses - have better fairway conditions than The Oaks.

In the past, the rough off the fairways was thick, green, and penal. They have shaved down all of the fairway rough, and even some other areas that normally would have long grass. The rough is only a little bit longer than the fairway grass, and it looks brown and burnt out. Easy to hit from.

The greens were in great shape. They were running medium fast, smooth, and they held approach shots very nicely. I was in one greenside bunker (they don't have a lot of those on this course). It contained very nice slightly firm sand. A pleasure to hit from.

ALL of the tee boxes have been cut down and machine aerated. They looked and felt AWFUL. They were gouged up, with deep lines and much dead grass. It you were on a tee, it was OK, but aesthetically these were the worst looking tee boxes I have played in a very long time.

This is a challenging course, with many up and down holes. If you are anywhere near the sides of the fairways you will likely have a lie that is above or below your feet and either uphill or downhill. Some of the greens are crowned, making it a real challenge to get close on your approach shots.

Overall, the course is in mediocre condition. The course layout is a mix of some good holes and some very awkward holes. With the current conditions, I would be very unhappy about being a member of this course. There are many public courses that are preferable to this one. Too bad, because the clubhouse, practice areas, and views at this course are among the best you'll find. Just not the golf.
» Close