Grabbed a $48 offer via Teeoff.com for 2pm today. Arrived early and was able to tee off about 10 minutes early on a partly sunny day with 2-3 club wind.

Was given a scorecard that showed that each... Continue »

Grabbed a $48 offer via Teeoff.com for 2pm today. Arrived early and was able to tee off about 10 minutes early on a partly sunny day with 2-3 club wind.

Was given a scorecard that showed that each green has 6 pin locations and a separate yardage book - not greatly detailed, but with some helpful tips along with the hole graphics. POP ended up being 3hrs 45mins, which is 45 minutes ahead of their suggested pace.

About 1 mile away from Eagle Vines, Chardonnay Golf Club is similar in some ways, as it also weaves through countless vineyards, making for a gorgeous setting. Generally, a bit better manicured, particularly the greens and traps. Flatter than Eagle Vines, water accumulation in the fairways can be a problem. Fairways and greens were certainly softer today than Eagle Vines was a week ago.

Tees were good on the front, green and mostly level, but were freshly punched on the back.

Fairways were generally lush and a lovely green. However, a few were soft and damp and a handful were soggy in spots, making it too easy to take a heavy divot, including one made my one of my cart wheels - a 2-foot divot of grass after braking at my ball. Fortunately, I noticed it and was able to put it back in place OK... emptied out one of my sand canisters in the process. On the 4th hole, a maintenance man was punching the fairway. Not sure if they are punching the rest?

Rough was very dense and about 2" longer than the fairways. Definitely 1-2 club penal, depending on how the ball sat up/down in it and quality of stroke.

Bunkers were well-maintained and manicured very nicely. Was only in one today, and it was medium-weight top layer, with a firm base.

Greens were near immaculate. Lovely dark green, cut short, not too firm, receptive to shots and medium/medium-fast today. The usual number of recent, unrepaired ball marks, but not many long-term damage to be found. Given the condition, size of greens and the severity of undulations on the greens, I'd put these greens up against a number of top-notch courses right now. A real pleasure to roll the ball on.

A very picturesque and fun layout, several holes with forced lay-ups and carries. The par 3s are a real feature, with each bringing a unique challenge and visual.

Actually pretty good shape not wet with one or two exceptions.

Actually pretty good shape not wet with one or two exceptions.

My first time playing Chardonnay Golf Club, finally! Been reading on GK so many positive reviews over the years and hearing about the many different changes the course has gone through. Played with fe... Continue »

My first time playing Chardonnay Golf Club, finally! Been reading on GK so many positive reviews over the years and hearing about the many different changes the course has gone through. Played with fellow GK’er Sixpez and we were joined by a very nice guy named Brian.

Chardonnay Golf Club is the unique and fantastic golf experience I anticipated. I’ve never played a golf course carved into a wine vineyard quite like this. I’ve played Wente Vineyards but Chardonnay is much deeper intertwined. On just about every hole is the presence of the vineyards. Highlighted by the par 3 hole 14th which is essentially an island hole in a sea of vineyards.

Beyond the vineyards aspect and more importantly this is a very fun track. 6 par 3’s, 6 par 4’s and 6 par 5’s – jackpot of variety. Different shaped elongated greens, elevation changes, go-for-it holes and layup holes, doglegs in both directions, green complexes with a good mix bunker designs, never a dull moment on this course. Perhaps the most interesting hole was the par three #8 which features an elongated, 6 tier green taking up to close to 20,000 square feet. It’s basically an entire short game complex disguised as a golf hole. I needed to switch my iPhone to pano photo mode to properly take a pic of it.

Regarding conditions, I thought they were overall great. Mostly lush fairways, mostly lush rough, thin areas around the fairways bunkers but other than that good coverage providing great lies. Greens were mostly smooth, moderate speed (not fast nor slow) and held approach shots. Bunkers looked a little rough around the edges but played fine. Decent quality sand. Tee boxes level and lush. We played the Double-Magnum tees (great name!).

The facility is big and accommodating with an excellent large driving range, practice putting green and chipping area. The clubhouse is a big ranch style structure with vaulted ceilings. Service was excellent all day. From check-in, cart girl, marshal and cart staff. This is a premier golf experience I will be having again. Check out the photos I just posted!

Last day of our NorCal GK Guru trip. We originally had Dublin Ranch scheduled for Friday morning, but with nobody else signed up but Johnny and I (come on Norcal GK Gurus, you're missing out!) we deci... Continue »

Last day of our NorCal GK Guru trip. We originally had Dublin Ranch scheduled for Friday morning, but with nobody else signed up but Johnny and I (come on Norcal GK Gurus, you're missing out!) we decided to switch up the plans a bit. We ended up playing Chardonnay in the morning instead, then played Dublin in the afternoon. We had a 7:21 tee time. The staff was real nice and the clubhouse/practice facilities are really nice and huge here. There was no starter out that early, but we went off on time and were joined by a really nice guy visiting from Canada. Good relaxed morning pace of under 4 hours. We never had to wait on any shots because it was mainly just twosomes and singles out in front of us. The course was in good overall shape, apparently the best shape it's been in some time according to the GM, who told us all about the various changes that have happened to the course(s) here over the past 30 years. The rains this year have really made a positive impact as the course is looking lush and green. The tee boxes were fine. The fairways were mostly great with just some small scattered dead spots here and there. The rough was a little more spotty, especially around the fairway bunkers. However, the primary areas along fairways and around greens were mostly thick and lush with just enough depth to make you work for a recovery. Bunkers had good soft sand that was tough when damp in the early morning. The greens were very soft and rolling smooth at medium speeds, perhaps a little slower than they looked at times. This is a very enjoyable course and one of the top ones we played on this particular trip up North. It is cool how it winds through the vineyards, providing great Napa Valley Wine Country scenery throughout. Good mix of holes. The greens here are the most interesting aspect as they are very unique and often unusual in shape. Most are kind of long and skinny with all sorts of twists and amoeba-like elements. You can really be screwed on a few greens if you are on the wrong portion because you may not have a putt at the hole. The 8th hole is something to behold with the craziest green complex I have ever seen in my life. What an interesting design with a bunch of tee box levels and angles that allow them to mix this hole up on a daily basis. Then the green is a big skinny wiggly worm shape that has 6 levels and bends in a semi-circle from the top left around to the bottom right. So many pin placement options with small landing areas for each. It's hard to even put in words how different this hole is, but it is just one reason this is a must-play kind of course. Recommended if you want a pretty unique golf experience!

Overall the course was in good shape. The greens where rolling nice. A bit on the slow side. There were some areas in the fairway that were over watered and muddy. Most of the bunkers were wet from... Continue »

Overall the course was in good shape. The greens where rolling nice. A bit on the slow side. There were some areas in the fairway that were over watered and muddy. Most of the bunkers were wet from the over watering, otherwise they were playable.

The course has lots of hard pan areas right now, so we played winter rules today. An odd mix of manicured sections of fairway, hard pan and wet mud from over watering. A family of Ducks were paddling ... Continue »

The course has lots of hard pan areas right now, so we played winter rules today. An odd mix of manicured sections of fairway, hard pan and wet mud from over watering. A family of Ducks were paddling through a small lake in a fairway bunker. Very surreal. Still a great course, but play lift, clean and replace - or some form of that rule right now.

Played the day after my birthday (3/17). Walked up at about 7:15 and went out as a single ($33.00 with cart). Passed a single on the forth hole then then hooked up with another single on number 10 (3.... Continue »

Played the day after my birthday (3/17). Walked up at about 7:15 and went out as a single ($33.00 with cart). Passed a single on the forth hole then then hooked up with another single on number 10 (3.5 hrs). One course I always try to play when I'm in Napa and sometimes when in San Francisco (little over one hr.) The course has everything you need for a fun and challenging round of golf just make sure you play the right tees (green for me). Greens fast for this time of the AM, fairways and sand traps great. The customer service is great from start to finish, I will be back again!

Played here Wed 3/11 for a scramble tournament. Terrific scenery...you're playing a golf course in the middle of a vineyard! Very happy with level of customer service. Very organized and helpful.

... Continue »

Played here Wed 3/11 for a scramble tournament. Terrific scenery...you're playing a golf course in the middle of a vineyard! Very happy with level of customer service. Very organized and helpful.

Tee boxes were lush, level and average divot damage on the par 3's. Fairways are lush leaving good lies for well place shots. I was not in any bunkers but, most were well raked with ample sand. There were some that were wet and sand looked heavy. Greens were patchy but, smooth and fast. Pace of play was right around 4hrs...very good for a tournament.

I would definitely play here again. I love a layout that makes you think about every shot compared to just blindly hitting down the fairway till you reach the green. Some well placed bunkers, doglegs and meandering streams keeps it interesting if the scenery isn't enough.

One last thing about the people working there; A player in the group ahead of us had a hole in one on the par 3 16th. Once the employees at the clubhouse heard about it, they sought the gentleman out and gave him a personalized certificate commemorating the achievement and followed up with a round of applause...a class act in my book.

The best thing about this golf course is the reception by the cart guy who puts your golf clubs on the cart. After that the lack of professionalism by the pro shop (hey guys how about getting on the ... Continue »

The best thing about this golf course is the reception by the cart guy who puts your golf clubs on the cart. After that the lack of professionalism by the pro shop (hey guys how about getting on the speaker and announcing who is next on the T?). And don't put out a marshall to monitor slow play... that would be incredible and make us forget about the sloppy conditions of the fairways.