Just got back from a long weekend of golf and good college friends in the Sacramento/Auburn area. Cool weather temperature in the 50's but no rain which was great so no umbrellas needed.

First s... Continue »

Just got back from a long weekend of golf and good college friends in the Sacramento/Auburn area. Cool weather temperature in the 50's but no rain which was great so no umbrellas needed.

First start was Whitney Oaks. Played on a $49 for 2 Golf Moose deal. Very nice club house and check in was great. Walter, the local pro was great. Sent us to the tee on time and off we went. Cart path only which was a drag particularly since we have never played here before and some of my friends aren’t great golfers.

The course was in winter condition which was expected; thin, dormant brown. Bunkers were wet and hard but the greens were real nice. A little hard but they rolled true but some had crazy undulations. I struggled with the layout. It is a challenging course for sure with a lot of target golf, particularly on the back. Some holes I had no clue where to hit it. Didn’t like that. Plus driver is not always necessary which would have helped to know (I hit a few drives through the fairway where a 5 or 4 iron would do just fine.

It is a pretty course as it winds through an upscale neighborhood, with beautiful trees and huge boulders that line many of the fairway but it’s a course that’s not for everyone.

Played here twice in the past six months. Loved it the first time at the end of summer. Hated it today. The conditions have gone downhill over winter, and although we had tons of rain the course is dr... Continue »

Played here twice in the past six months. Loved it the first time at the end of summer. Hated it today. The conditions have gone downhill over winter, and although we had tons of rain the course is dry and in terrible shape for spring. The fairways were thin, dry, and brown. The greens were very patchy and slow. The combination of very tight, target golf, with tough pin placements made it a challenging round, but the bad conditions and slow greens were the real disappointment. Probably won't be back for a while since there are so many other courses in better condition right now.

Last round of this trip was here this afternoon. My brother and I played with a 12:10 GN hot deal for $33. Definitely worth that, but rack rates definitely seem inflated here. We were able to head out... Continue »

Last round of this trip was here this afternoon. My brother and I played with a 12:10 GN hot deal for $33. Definitely worth that, but rack rates definitely seem inflated here. We were able to head out early as a a twosome in between other foursomes. The pace was okay and we finished in just under 4.5 hours. The course was in okay shape. Played better than it looked. They stick with bermuda fairways year-round here, so in winter they are brown and still a lot of soft/muddy sections after all the recent rain. In general, though, the playability of the fairways was pretty good. Tee boxes nice. Rough a little patchy and inconsistent. Some really nice lush areas and others not so filled in. I did notice that around the 18th green, the fairway, green and rough are pretty much immaculate. So for people overlooking that hole from the clubhouse, they are treated to a more "idealistic" representation of the course. Interesting. Bunkers had good sand and were by far the best of this trip. Greens firm and relatively quick. Very nice. I've heard mixed reviews about this course. A local I played with yesterday warned me that I'd really "hate the crazy greens." They have some undulations and shelves, but I didn't find them to be overly tricked out. I liked them just fine. The front nine is longer and more forgiving outside of a couple distinctive holes like #5. Things really get interesting on the back. The stretch of 10-15 is very memorable. I know many GKers would categorize this stretch as way too "funky" and probably won't like it, but I really liked it. Very much target golf as it winds through the hills, trees, creeks and massive boulder outcroppings. The 11th hole is not for the faint of heart because it's so narrow the whole way, but I have to say it's one of the most unique, fun and cool-looking par-5s I've played because of how the boulders and trees come so prominently into play. We saw a giant flock of wild turkey and a few deer, too. There are some big and amazing homes around this course, as well. Definitely the swanky part of town. Whitney Oaks is not for everyone and it is one you probably have to play many times to figure out your strategies. I wouldn't mind playing it again someday and trying a few holes a little differently!

Since there hasn't been a recent review I wanted to update anyone thinking of playing Whitney. I played it yesterday 1/5/2014. If you haven't played it, you'll find it one of the more challenging co... Continue »

Since there hasn't been a recent review I wanted to update anyone thinking of playing Whitney. I played it yesterday 1/5/2014. If you haven't played it, you'll find it one of the more challenging courses in the Sacramento area. The fairways are bermuda, so right now they are brown. It looks ugly, but it's very playable. The greens are in great shape, fairly fast and most have a good amount of break. I had several puts from above the hole that I had no chance of stopping. As I said this course will challenge you. I didn't find any bunkers but my playing partners did and in most cases the sand was pretty thin. Taking too much sand equated to club bounce. With all that said, it's a beautiful track (Fairways not withstanding) and the practice area is one of the best in the area. I like the course but for higher handicappers it may be a day of frustration. Happy New year

What a difference new ownership makes!

Purchased in April/2012 by the same ownership group as Thunder Valley Casino, this course is making a comeback. Changes in staffing, upgrades to the course c... Continue »

What a difference new ownership makes!

Purchased in April/2012 by the same ownership group as Thunder Valley Casino, this course is making a comeback. Changes in staffing, upgrades to the course conditioning and equipment, updating the restaurant/bar...this will be a great place to bring clients in the next 6 months.

The course was definitely showing the neglect the previous ownership group did by squeezing just about every dollar out of the maintenance budget. With the new infusion of monies and the attitude of making this a destination for the high roller clients, the turnaround since April has been very noticeable. Greens a lush and, while still a little slow, they roll true. Fairways are more lush and bunker conditioning is much more consistent.

For those of you that stopped playing due to conditioning, you owe it to yourself to revisit this tough Johnny Miller design.

Whitney Oaks Golf Club Review
Rocklin California Golf Course Reviews

Played Whitney Oaks on July 12, 2012, for the first time. While it is definitely not a first-timers course with all the blind shots and optical illusions, I enjoyed the round nonetheless. Teed off a... Continue »

Played Whitney Oaks on July 12, 2012, for the first time. While it is definitely not a first-timers course with all the blind shots and optical illusions, I enjoyed the round nonetheless. Teed off around 3:30, it was $25 and included cart. The greens were in excellent condition and rolled fast and true. The fairways and rough did have some rough patches but what would one expect when it's been over 105 degrees outside lately. This course is worth the cheap twilight rate but be sure to bring someone who's played the course before.

Whitney Oaks Golf Club Review
Rocklin California Golf Course Reviews

It had been a number of years since I last played this course. I remember enjoying the course, but I was blown away at how much I liked it this time, particularly the back nine. I just loved the setti... Continue »

It had been a number of years since I last played this course. I remember enjoying the course, but I was blown away at how much I liked it this time, particularly the back nine. I just loved the setting of the homes which are on the first few holes on the back, I could totally live there!

This is a really fun golf course and it was in fantastic condition! The greens were a bit too slow for my taste, but otherwise, excellent all around.

Whitney Oaks Golf Club Review
Rocklin California Golf Course Reviews

Whitney Oaks Golf Course has in the past five years gone from a ultra conditioned golf course to below average conditions. The fairways are very thin with many bare spots. Sand traps are not maintaine... Continue »

Whitney Oaks Golf Course has in the past five years gone from a ultra conditioned golf course to below average conditions. The fairways are very thin with many bare spots. Sand traps are not maintained even though new sand was placed not long ago. Golf carts are in need of replacement. I Have been a member since 1999 and not happy with play conditions. Club House has not been maintained and is in need of painting, rugs and furniture. If rumours are true this course has been purchased by new owners. Hopefully they will bring it back to its former play condition and tidy up the facilities.

I played here April 22, 2011. It is quite an upscale course and was a reasonable price. The practice facilities were great. The course was very narrow, and the fairways were quite thin. It was near... Continue »

I played here April 22, 2011. It is quite an upscale course and was a reasonable price. The practice facilities were great. The course was very narrow, and the fairways were quite thin. It was nearly impossible to make a real divot. The greens were in pretty good shape, and the tee boxes were perfect. The service was awful. The guys working the counter weren't the least bit welcoming. The place gave the impression that if you weren't a regular, you weren't welcome. Also, I was the last group in for the day, and they turned the sprinklers on me on the 18th green. The course doesn't quite live up to the snootiness of the staff. In reality it's a fairly average course that could be better maintained. The homes surrounding the course were beautiful. Pace of play wasn't great at all, with a wait on every shot. Overall, this was a decent course to play.