played sun 9/8, 8:30 minishotgun. hot day. course in decent shape. greens were a little bumpy and tons of poorly repaired ball marks. but rolled ok if you fixed them. fast 10 on the stimp. fairwa... Continue »

played sun 9/8, 8:30 minishotgun. hot day. course in decent shape. greens were a little bumpy and tons of poorly repaired ball marks. but rolled ok if you fixed them. fast 10 on the stimp. fairways in good shape. tee boxes so so. Overall in good shape other than the greens. I haven't been out here in in over a decade, and the more I play this, the more I find myself not liking the layout. Challenging... forced carries over the tee and to the greens on a few holes. course knowledge is very important... as avoiding hazards and having good ball placement are integral to scoring well here. greens are huge and tough putting, which makes the bumpiness more noticeable. a lot of quirkyness to the course. restaurant is great and the staff is wonderful.

Played on a contractors day off. Rain early then clearing to chance of showers in the afternoon. Which we waited one cell out (12 mins) during the 3.5 hour round mid-day Monday 3/28. Playing on a gol... Continue »

Played on a contractors day off. Rain early then clearing to chance of showers in the afternoon. Which we waited one cell out (12 mins) during the 3.5 hour round mid-day Monday 3/28. Playing on a golf now hotdeal ideal for these weather conditions at $20. On to the course. Owned and operated by Thunder Valley Casino.
Greens real nice rolling med fast due to moisture. Undulating and challenging. Had been micro-tined weeks ago and are close to perfect. Spring maintenance complete.
Fairways tight dormant. Dry with lots of roll in the short grass. Some semi-deep rough but most areas manageable.
Good sand in the bunkers and rakes but un-kept, with many prior foot prints and the rain packed. Need a tilling.
I noticed my 5.1 rating in Dec when I last played. It's going higher and the course overall will be in superior condition in the next month or so with spring temps waking up the Bermuda. Challenging and tight track.
Recent local H.S. tournament play, two guys shot par 71. I made note of in the local sports. I did too but still had a handful of holes left.

Played 12/27 mid-day as the clouds parted for a time after torrid days of rain and low elevation snow. Rated the course but not fair to judge conditions we played. CPO and wet soggy conditions every... Continue »

Played 12/27 mid-day as the clouds parted for a time after torrid days of rain and low elevation snow. Rated the course but not fair to judge conditions we played. CPO and wet soggy conditions everywhere. Greener than expected areas that have not gone dormant yet.
Like 1st Flight just had to get out and play when the weather afforded the opportunity.
Good rate on a hot deal and a coupon used brought the green fee ($27 for 2-some) to a beer and a bucket of balls at the local driving range. POP 4.25 hours rain shower on #2 then partly sunny and breezy.
The greens putted well and just deal with everything else the best you can. I was out birdie hunting and was given few opportunities. It's just FUN.
.

Oh boy what do I do here? Only Gk reviewer since 2018.
Here goes: tournament play 2/27 8:20 #1 tee. Great drive second in the bunka blast out make a par. 2nd over the top drive left into junk lost b... Continue »

Oh boy what do I do here? Only Gk reviewer since 2018.
Here goes: tournament play 2/27 8:20 #1 tee. Great drive second in the bunka blast out make a par. 2nd over the top drive left into junk lost ball #1 of day partner in play makes double with a stroke. # 3 par 5 great drive push 2nd right lose ball #2. Shoot 48 on front we're in contention in flight and eClub qualifier.
Partner bogeys 10 and then it's all over rover. Wind kicks up to 15-20 and the tight Johnny Miller design eats our lunches. Play it down I lose 9 balls on the back and I was trying. UGLY. Johnny Miller design he didn't make it easy.
Course conditions excellent for dormant tight lie fairways fast firm greens and low cut rough.
Read one of my reviews read all of them. You will have an accurate review for the time of year here from me. Consistent conditions year to year depending on season.
Respectfully submitted and beware. Be on your game here or it could be humbling. Bring a few of your favorite balls and a few to lose going for it. It's just fun.
Still recommend.

Played 3/3/20 early (8am) as a threesome. Never saw group in front and one following rarely. POP under 4 hours for threesome make your own pace of play perfect weather. 50-70's sunny. Good rate with G... Continue »

Played 3/3/20 early (8am) as a threesome. Never saw group in front and one following rarely. POP under 4 hours for threesome make your own pace of play perfect weather. 50-70's sunny. Good rate with Golf Moose voucher.
Course is in dormant winter condition with a few brown areas but in very playable condition. If it was play it down tournament play one could argue the rub on the green could effect your lie under these conditions. For example a fairway lie could end up in brown dormant grass with a tuft of green in front or behind it. One of the Sacramento course that definitely has a different look and feel winter vs summer play.

Greens in great shape rolling quick and firm. Bunkers well kept. Fairways as mentioned good overall with dormancy. Rough cut low easy extraction. Tee boxes level ok growth coverage.
Course plays tough with many carries over wetlands. Carts have GPS which is helpful for layup or carry distances for these obstacles. If you score a below your handicap differential here you have played a good scoring round.

Owned and operated by Thunder Valley Casino. Customer service great. No beverage cart out this day. Restaurant above average. More like a private course than a municipal bar and grill.
Recommend

5/21/19 Mid week mid day round unscheduled spur of the moment. On-line deal and few other players. Threat of showers rained on one hole. Mostly cloudy.
4th review in a row so briefly the course is ... Continue »

5/21/19 Mid week mid day round unscheduled spur of the moment. On-line deal and few other players. Threat of showers rained on one hole. Mostly cloudy.
4th review in a row so briefly the course is in good to decent shape. Greens (most important to me) great shape. The fairways are providing good lies mostly but are not fully green as the bermuda has not greened up the fairways yet with the cooler wetter than normal May weather. It's a tight tough track accuracy important especially the back 9 holes.

Second out Sunday my 3rd review in a row of the Johnny Miller design. . Used golf moose and that was a decent value. Rack price this day was $55 a bit over the value pricing IMO. And a late Golfnow g... Continue »

Second out Sunday my 3rd review in a row of the Johnny Miller design. . Used golf moose and that was a decent value. Rack price this day was $55 a bit over the value pricing IMO. And a late Golfnow green fee available under that.
Course is in winter condition fairways half dormant decent lies most places some wet soggy areas due to recent rains. Cart path only three holes. Rough playable leaves around but blown to sides of holes. Greens nice putting well med to fast. Tee boxes splotchy. Reseeding many usual white tees that roped off closed and those should be nice when reopened. Back tees looked ok as we drive by them. Bunkers ok but some muddy most damp and ok.
With the demands of a few forced carries and a few tight holes you may lose a few balls and when it's said and done those penalty strokes add to the total too.
No Beverage cart out POP brisk. Good fun. Merry Christmas!

Played at dawns early light 11/25 and fog on the first 5 holes. Greens in great shape rolling well. Mowed and the edges were the mower missed held dew until after the 10th hole. Course is in overall ... Continue »

Played at dawns early light 11/25 and fog on the first 5 holes. Greens in great shape rolling well. Mowed and the edges were the mower missed held dew until after the 10th hole. Course is in overall good shape. Read previous reviews for design details. The fairways are transitioning to dormant and are mostly brown. But the lies are good and I'd say tight in most places. Carry areas have been cleaned and cut of yearly growth and other maintenance done by crew keeping course in good shape.
Read sixpez write up from 12/27/14 for accurate course description.
Fun challengeing golf and the rack rate is a bit high I'd agree compared to others in the area. Played with a Golf Moose voucher so the price was right for us.
Cart was out and staff was great.

10/14/2018 Course in great condition. Above average value for the price point. Greens smooth and fast from above the hole with Johnny Miller design undulations makes putting fun!? Holding good o... Continue »

10/14/2018 Course in great condition. Above average value for the price point. Greens smooth and fast from above the hole with Johnny Miller design undulations makes putting fun!? Holding good on well struck shots. For example number 8 170 yds to back pin hit pin high stopped 11' past 6" in fringe missing a closest to the pin to 13"6" on green
Fairways rolling out rough ok thin in a few spots where it would help to have some. For example #15 caught drive too good and it went straight through blind fairway landing area into environmental marked hazard. I don't do that too often. Whitney Oaks is one of the few area course that has the Bermuda grass that goes dormant in cold weather.
Right now it's all green and recommend playing. A few forced carries make it a challenge all the time.