Main round today was an NCGA member outing at Berkeley Country Club (formerly known as Mira Vista). This club is set atop a hillside with killer views of the entire bay. Once the morning marine layer ... Continue »

Main round today was an NCGA member outing at Berkeley Country Club (formerly known as Mira Vista). This club is set atop a hillside with killer views of the entire bay. Once the morning marine layer lifted, we were treated to some beautiful vistas throughout the course. Full shotgun event. Our group started on the 8th hole and finished in just barely under 5 hours, which is pretty typically in an outing like this.

The course was in good, but not great condition. Conditions didn't quite match the quality of the course or the other appealing elements of this very historic club that has a great classic vibe. Tee boxes were good. Fairways were good for the most part with some thin/firm areas throughout. Some of the rough was nice, but it would dwindle in consistency as you got further away from the fairways. Then, there are some outer native areas that were cut down, but still provided brutal lies, gopher holes, rocks, etc. You can tell they did a major turf reduction here and let some of the less crucial areas go in recent years. Bunkers good. Greens were in very nice shape, rolling smooth but kind of slower than they looked. With all the slopes here, I can imagine them getting very challenging if made super firm and speedy.

As you might expect given the location, the course is extremely hilly. It was also quite windy today, and it seemed like the wind was against us more often than not. A lot of uphill, semi-blind shots. Greens have lots of undulation and very few flat lies anywhere on the course. This is an old course and even though there have been some renovations over the years, it doesn't sound like the layout has been altered too much since the 1920s. Fun and demanding layout with a ton of character and plenty of quirks. It's a setting and overall old school vibe most will love, but a layout that not everyone will enjoy.