This is a bit of a late review since I played Coronado last week. With the fires going on in Carlsbad, my company was closed for the day so I decided to walk onto Coronado. Apparently, Coronado is my go to spot when there are fires in San Diego since the last time I played here was during the last major fires. I found the course to be in very good condition! It wasn't manicured but it was very good....especially the greens; they rolled true and were very smooth. The entire course was lush. Although there was some divot damage on the fairways and the par 3 tee boxes, it was not bad at all. Tee boxes were level and the bunkers were soft and well covered. The layout isn't tricky and fairly straight forward but what makes this course stand out is its proximity to the water and the views of the Coronado bridge. There are several holes that line the water's edge....good for tourist photo ops. Although we would have finished much sooner than the 4.5 hours due to one slow group that seemed to hold up the course, it was a decent pace. The cart girl came around roughly 5x. This course is a steal for the $35 walking rate that I was charged. I would play here more often if it weren't for the weekend POP.

I played SC Muni over the weekend and although the greens were recently punched and the overall conditions were spotty, the course still offers good value and fun. Most of the front 9 was straight forward and flat but there are some holes on the back 9 which are fun with elevation changes. There are also some decent ocean views once you get up in the hills. Most of the tee boxes were fairly level but were thin in coverage. Many also were significantly hacked up. As I mentioned previously, the greens were recently punched and had a lot of dressing on them. The fairways were average and playable but there were some bare spots. I didn't hit into any bunkers but the few I noticed looked ok. The rough was somewhat inconsistent ranging from lush to thin. I didn't see a cart girl all day. I do enjoy playing this course. It's fairly short and offers opportunities to score well. I would recommend playing here, especially to someone on a budget. It is a muni so come with tempered expectations.

This is a bit of a late review but I played 36 holes over the weekend and what can I say? It's Troon golf! And from all of my experiences, Troon golf means a top notch golf experience and Maderas didn't disappoint. Although the fairway on 18 had noticeable maintenance recently performed on it and some of the greens had some very slight aeration marks (did not affect play at all), the course was in very good condition. The tee boxes were lush and level, the bunkers had consistent and deep coverage, and the fairways and greens were also very good. The POP was very good and I appreciated that the marshal came around regularly to check on things. The overall service was friendly and courteous; from the bag drop assistant to the pro shop employees to the driving range attendant to the cart girl and the cart attendants. It was an amazing day and it would only have been topped if I played better. I did have essentially a kick in eagle on 14 so that was nice. If I could play here more often, I would....but I'd also go broke. I'll be back at some point.

I played Barona over the weekend and it remains one of my favorite courses in San Diego. I always look forward to visiting here as I consider the facilities to be really good and I especially enjoy the layout of the course. There is a lot of variety in hole design and elevation changes. Additionally, the greens are large and tricky....on certain holes, it's imperative to stay below the hole or you'll be hard pressed to 2 putt. Upon arriving in the parking lot, I'm usually greeted by an attendant to give me a ride to the course but that didn't happen on this visit. There wasn't a starter nor any marshals on the course to keep the POP flowing. This lead to some waiting but it wasn't a big deal. As far as the course conditions, they were pretty much as the previous reviewer stated. There were a lot of tight lies near the greens but the fairways, tee boxes, and bunkers were all very good. The greens were somewhat inconsistent in that some of the greens were mostly fully healed from the last maintenance while others still had a ways to go. There were still aeration marks and sand on some of the greens which affected some of the putts, especially those putts which could not be struck firmly.....like the downhill ones. The cart girl came around numerous times and the food we got at the turn was pretty good. At the end of the round, 2 cart attendants greeted us to clean up our clubs. I'll be back and I'd definitely recommend this course....especially for those who enjoy partaking in a little post round gambling.

I played today, Sunday, Mar. 16th, as part of the St. Patty's Day tournament. The event went off without a hitch thanks to the helpful, friendly, and accommodating staff. It was a gorgeous day and I'm not sure if I've seen the course in much better conditions. Except for a few tee boxes which weren't level, I only have positive words to describe the conditions. The entire course was lush and green. The greens were outstanding and rolled true; although some of the breaks were difficult to read and seemed to break more than anticipated. I didn't hit into any bunkers today so I can't speak to the quality of the sand. I enjoy the layout of the Vineyard. It's fun and offers a good variety in design and playability. There was a drink station set up on the back 9 and the cart girl came around as well. The tournament ended with a pretty good corned beef and cabbage buffet and awards ceremony. All in all, it was a good experience. We paid $79 which included the round with cart, the buffet, and 2 drink tickets. I consider this course to be a decent option for someone looking for a weekend round that won't break the bank. It usually can be found on some of the discount golf sites and I would target a price at around $50.

I played on Sunday, March 9th for a twilight rate of $55. We were able to finish with ample sunlight remaining. Although I always look forward to playing Arrowood, I would probably be disappointed if I paid the rack rate. The layout of the course is fun but I think the designer could've done better with the par 3's; they all are about the same length and do not have memorable features. In terms of the course conditions, the tee boxes and fairways were all in good shape. The one fairway bunker I was in was rock hard and the one greenside bunker I was in had thin coverage. The greens looked pretty bad but for the most part, they rolled true. I'm not sure what happened but several years ago when I played here more regularly, the conditions were consistently great so the dropoff is disappointing. I saw the cart girl once....which was unfortunate because she was fun to look at. :) All in all, it was a fun outing and I'll be back but maybe not for a few months.

I played this past Monday, Feb. 17th at around 1pm for a twilight rate of $59. I found this rate to be an outstanding deal for such a high caliber course. We were able to finish the entire round but be forewarned, if you are trying to squeeze in the round before dusk, the air temperature drops significantly once the sun falls below the hills. The course conditions were in a similar state as the previous reviewer described, amazing! From the tee boxes, to the fairways and greens, all very well maintained. However, the bunkers were inconsistent. The bunkers that I was in during the front 9 were filled with soft sand and had excellent coverage. However, I found myself in some bunkers with thin coverage on the back 9. Additionally, each time that I've played this course, the maintenance staff was busy working away on the front 9. This got to be a little distracting but I suppose that it's a small inconvenience to trade off for optimal conditions. A purist could describe some holes on this course as a little tricked out with big elevation drops, plenty of forced carries, and trees in the middle of fairways. I am not a purist and find these holes to be fun! When I see big elevation drops, I see photo ops. There is a free driving range as well as a short game practice area which is included in the greens fees. Lastly, I didn't see a cart girl the entire round but the cart attendants were very nice and helpful.

I squeezed in a super late twilight round over the weekend for $25 and managed to get through 16 holes in just over 3 hours. Overall, the conditions were decent and I always enjoy playing this layout. It's not a terribly difficult course so it makes for a fun round. Since it was an end of the day round, there was noticeable wear on the greens with numerous bumps and unrepaired ball marks. The fairways and rough were good with some inconsistent patches. The tee boxes were mostly level and good but the par 3 tee boxes had significant divot damage. The sand traps that I played out of were nice and had good coverage. There were no marshals or a cart girl but I guess I didn't expect any since it was such a late round. I like coming here but I wouldn't pay the rack rate.

I played this past Saturday, July 20, for $28. The course has seen better days but at that rate, it's a steal. The course is a stern test of your game and if you're not hitting them straight, it can be a very frustrating experience. The layout is unique and interesting. Some holes are like target practice and very unforgiving. The bridge going to hole 3 is fun and beckons memories of the Thundermountain railroad rollercoaster at Disneyland. The course lacks a driving range to warm up at which is disappointing considering how tight some of the first few holes are. Customer service was kind of spotty on this day. There was no starter and the cart girl came around twice. There was a tournament going on while we were there so I think most of the staff had their focus on them. There were a ton of unrepaired ball marks on the greens; most likely from the tournament. The greens also had some dried out patches but were definitely playable overall. Most of the tee boxes had significant divot damage and some weren't level. The rough was thin and fairways were spotty. There were also some signs of aeration maintenance on the back 9 fairways. Sand traps were decent with some being a little thin in coverage. Pace of play was excellent at just over 4 hours. Despite being critical of the course conditions, it was playable and I'll probably be back before too long. If you've never played this track, I consider it a must play.

I played this past weekend and had a blast. This track never disappoints and it's always a treat to play. The practice facilities here are outstanding with an expansive range, putting green, and chipping/putting area. I concur with the previous reviewer's comments about the course conditions. Tee boxes were excellent; level and green but slightly on the thin side on some. The greens were very good and rolling quick! The fairways were also very good although there were some very tight lies that were very hard. There were still indications of recent maintenance on some of the fairways on the back 9 but only barely noticeable. The rough was nearly nonexistent so hitting out of it wasn't very penalizing. The bunkers were inconsistent with some having good coverage with soft sand and others were thin and hard. It's very dry out there and proof of that showed with a recent brush fire along the 17th tee that melted some of the fencing lining that hole. Service was spotty on this day. Although the starter said to wait until we were called to the first tee, he forgot to do so. The cart girl came around numerous times. The after round bag attendant wasn't friendly and seemed like he didn't want to be there. Oh well, I was glad to be there and I didn't want to leave. I'll be back.

I played Sunday, June 30th at around noon and paid $32 which is just about the max I'd pay to play here. It was my first time playing here and I had a fun time. There isn't a driving range but there is a warm up cage to hit into. There are also 2 practice putting greens. We played from the blue tees and I found them to be mostly dirt with patches of grass. Several of the tees had non level portions but I was usually able to find a section that was acceptable to hit off of. The fairways were ok with some thin and bare patches. The greenside bunkers were a bit crusty but had consistent coverage and played surprisingly decent. I didn't experience any fairway bunkers. The rough was very inconsistent with several bare areas. The best part of the course were the greens. They were very nice and green. They held shots and rolled true. The layout was basically what you see is what you get. There were a good mix of holes with some par 4s stretching out 400+ yards while others offered drivable (<300 yard) opportunities. As the previous reviewer mentioned, the 3 holes to start out the back 9 are quite challenging. They are pretty straight away but tight and tree lined. The starter was nice and friendly and the cart girl was as well. She came around several times on the front 9 but I didn't see her on the back. It was a warm day and one major gripe that I had was that they only offered up a cup of ice when we requested a bag of ice to keep the beers we purchased cold. The restaurant is a nice place to catch a game and drink a few pints of microbrews which they had a good selection of. All in all, it was a fun experience but it'll probably be a longtime before I comeback.

I played Balboa Sunday afternoon on June 16. I paid the resident rate of $24 for twilight. This used to be my go to course whenever I was looking for a walk on round but it has been awhile since I last played here. The course has a decent sized practice putting green, a small chipping area, and mat driving range. Overall, the conditions were very good although there was some noticeable wear likely from all the play earlier in the day. There were also some small signs of dead grass on some of the greens.
There have been a number of improvements on the course since my last visit, including the current renovations to the short par 3, no. 13; they are lengthening the back tee and redoing all of the front ones. It looks like the back tees will be adjacent to the no. 12 green......may need a hard hat in the future when teeing off 13. Unfortunately, they have transformed no. 12 from a par 4 to a par 3 during this renovation. There is a temporary tee box that sits about 150 yards out.....we played from the original closed tee anyways. ;p No. 13 has a temporary tee box as well and it is pretty much a driving range mat....thumbs down. However, the temporary direction into the hole is kind of neat. I also noticed that they cleared out all of the brush, old fencing, palm trees, and ice plant behind the diabolical par 5, hole 16 and around the tee on hole 17. They also added a cart path on hole 17.
I walked the course and it always proves to be a decent workout with the many elevation changes on the course. The layout is a combination of interesting, penalizing, sprinkled with a few ho hum holes (boring). For newcomers to the course, some holes can seem terribly unforgiving. Also, it's a typical muni so don't expect any over the top customer service. OK, so now back to the course conditions. Greens were pretty good and rolled well. Fairways and rough were lush and very good. The tee boxes were OK with some tees having some divot damage and not entirely level. I'll be back for sure.....recommended.