Played 9/16 as a “member for the day.” Sixpez basically nailed it in his review. It’s an old-school style course, like Harding but with a ton of elevation changes mixed in. The conditions were subpar for a private course, but the tee boxes & the areas around the greens were in the best shape, so they definitely have their priorities in order. The greens were in fantastic shape, but much slower than you would imagine.

I really enjoyed the layout, although I can imagine some would not like it. Some of the holes are so uphill, it’s preposterous. On 9, I had 150 to the green. I hit 3 clubs longer & just barely made it on the green. Many holes are difficult to club.

Overall, the views are amazing & the layout is really fun. The service was excellent & I would recommended it if you’re in the area.

Played 9/17 first off. PoP of 2:45. Beautiful, sunny morning for golf! Played the blues @ $42 with a cart. Weekday golf is the best.

The course conditions have definitely improved since my last review. The greens with the exception of holes1-3, are fantastic. Soft & receptive, smooth and medium fast. The tee boxes are in much better shape as well. The fairways were not over-watered like the last couple times I’ve played. Nice coverage, with good lies. Rough remains lush, although some spots were very wet & squishy. Bunkers had good sand, but we were ahead of the maintenance crew, so lots of animal tracks in them.

This course is in great shape & improving. Great time to get out there!

Played the morning of 9/1. PoP was pretty poor at 4:45 (more about that below). The course is in really good shape overall. Very lush & green as opposed to the bone-dry surrounding hills & makes for a great contrast. I played it last weekend at the same time in the morning & the fairways were soggy & squishy, like it was winter. This time around, they were much firmer & provided good roll-out. Hopefully they keep it more on the firm side through fall.

The Greens - 6.5/10. Medium/Fast & soft. Some of the greens are pretty chewed up & most had more ball marks than usual. Definitely due for an aeration. Certainly not the usual quality.

The Fairways - 8.5/10. Very lush with no thin or brown spots. Great roll-out & perfect lies. Me Likey!

Sand Traps - 7.5/10. Nice, firm sand in the bunkers. Well maintained.

Tee Boxes - 7/10. A couple of the par three tees were chewed up, but overall good.

Super nice Starter, who did a great job of explaining the local rules & also told us they are striving to bring the Pace of Play down to 4:16. I'm glad they are acknowledging the slow-play issue, as I've experienced nearly 5 hour rounds 2 weeks in a row, while teeing off before 8am! Hopefully they can get a handle on this issue.

Overall, this course is one of the best deals in Northern California in terms of Cost/Conditions. It's a fantastic layout, in above average shape, at a very affordable green fee. If they can give the greens a little TLC & speed up the PoP, Rancho Solano would get a solid 9, in my book.

Played 8/3 early morning with a PoP of 4 hours, walking rate of $47. Well worth the price of admission considering it was a weekend prime time spot.

The conditions are as follows:

Tee Boxes: Mostly fine. A few were chewed up & one or two were not level, but easily found spots behind the markers that were.

Fairways: For the most part fine, but there are various thin spots on many fairways & #9 fairway is currently closed for reseeding & the hole is a temporary par 3. Lots of rain in Winter/Spring really effected this course & the fairways have taken the longest to recover.

Rough: Not overly long, but thick & lush. Definitely grabby & penal

Sand Traps: Very good. A little wet, as we played early in the morning, but plenty of sand and well maintained.

Greens: Definitely the highlight of the experience. Very smooth & rolling medium/fast. A pleasure to putt.

Bennett is a fun, straight-forward parkland course. The challenges are in the trees lurking just off the fairways, some very narrow chutes off the tee & well guarded greens. It appears they are working hard to get the fairways up to par & they should recover well before the next rainy season.

Played on 7/30. Went out at 7:20 & not a soul on the course beside me, which was a pleasant surprise. PoP was not an issue, which is very unusual (see below on that).

I haven't played McInnis in over 10 years, so I don't know what typical conditions are, but I have played it many times in my early days & the course was in the best shape I have ever seen, especially the greens. They are definitely medium/slow, but rolled true & were so much better than I've ever played them. The fairways had decent coverage. Some thin/brown spots & a more divots than I care for, but again, I had a good clean lie in every fairway (only 4 par 4s here). The rough was pretty lush in most areas, but again some thin spots here & there. I was in one bunker on #9 & it was a bit wet, but good sand. Saw a few puddles in bunkers along the way. The tee boxes were pretty chewed up, but level & it wasn't an issue.

Being reintroduced to this little course, I really enjoyed myself. The layout is great & has some challenge to it. A couple of the par 3's are fairly long from the blues & the middle par 4s have water to deal with. Some pretty scenery to boot. Great time out there & I snapped some pictures, which I will post.

Before you all rush out there (haha!), McInnis gets A TON of play, mainly from people who are starting out, don't play often or enjoy the much shorter length & relative ease of this place, as opposed to a full-size course like Indian Valley. Lots of kids, dudes in tank tops (with more beers than balls in their bag), and elderly folks, as well as some serious golfers who want to get in a quick round. This is great & essential, as it provides access to everyone and serves the entire spectrum of golfers. However, it more often than not, makes for extremely SLOW rounds especially in the afternoon and evening. If you are in the area & can catch it at the right time, it's worth a go.

McInnis Park is a cool little entertainment-center with batting cages, a mini-golf course and a solid restaurant/bar. It is surrounded by soccer/softball fields, tennis courts, a skate-park & walking trails. They have a double-decker range with a few new TopTracer stalls, which is another nice upgrade, as well as a very scenic short-game area with a killer view of Mount Tam. Prices can be considered high for both golf & range balls, but that's pretty much par for the course in and around Marin County.

Played early morning on 7/27 as a 3-some with a PoP of 3-Hours. Haven't played here in a while, so it was fun to reintroduce myself to Hiddenbrooke.

It's a really great Arnold Palmer-designed course that plays up, down, in & around the hills east of Vallejo. Echoing Sixpez's review, it has a very different look & feel than other courses in the area. A solid design that features a lot of water & elevation changes. Fun & challenging.

The course has definitely gone through some major changes since it's opening to present. It opened in the late 90's and was intended to be an exclusive/upscale course. Hiddenbrooke hosted an LPGA event from 2000 - 2002. The condition of the course was top-notch, rivaling top private courses. The dot.com bust in 2002 devastated the community & the course suffered. The course recovered slowly, along with the economy, until 2008 & once again, it fell on hard times. Since then, Hiddenbrooke has been through some different owner/operators with varying results. The bones of the course (routing/design) have always been there, the playing conditions not so much.

Conditions-wise in late July 2019, it definitely needs some love, but I've played it in far worse condition. The tee boxes were horrible. Probably the worst I've seen in a couple years. Pretty much all were chopped up & not level. It's the absolute FIRST thing you notice, however EVERYTHING got better from there. The fairways had good coverage & I had a quality lie every time I was on one. Some of the lower lying fairways (most notably 5 & 7) had some very wet spots. Not sure if this was a sprinkler issue, or that they intentionally over-watered, as it was supposed to be very hot later in the day. The rough was lush & very grabby. Definitely penal, as rough should be. I wasn't in a bunker all day, which is more dumb luck than anything else, but my playing partners were & no weird ball action out of them & zero complaints. I'm assuming they are at least decent. The greens were medium/fast, but a bit bumpy. It was like playing poa greens in the late afternoon, rather than early morning. Not a deal breaker, but would like to see them roll truer.

I very much enjoyed the round & for $68 with a Cart, I feel it was well worth the green fee. It looks like it was recently acquired by Troon, which gives me hope that they will bring the conditions up to the level that the design deserves.

Got a chance to play here on 6/11. For those unfamiliar with Mayacama, it is an ultra-exclusive course located in the mountains just north of Santa Rosa. It is a rare and special opportunity to be able to play here & I feel extremely lucky to have been invited, along with my brother for an afternoon round. The setting is just spectacular, with a beautiful, giant Tuscan-Style Clubhouse in the middle of a 600-acre preserve. A Jack Nicklaus course winds its way through the hillsides all around the clubhouse It fits right into the terrain, like it's just always been there & part of the natural setting. It is just breathtaking. I've played a few Nicklaus courses (Pronghorn, Vista Vallarta & Vidanta) & this is best one. Kudos Mr. Nicklaus!


Mayacama is walking only. You can hoof your bag or take a caddy. We had a caddy & are so thankful for it. It is not an easy course to walk under any circumstance, as there are extreme elevation changes on both the front & back. It also happened to be the hottest day this year, so I struggled just walking around, especially on the front 9. Definitely effected my golf game, but just glad I didn't cash out on the 4th green. Not the worst way to go, though.


The course is fairly short, at under 6,800 from the tips, however with a rating of 73.8/150, it's no joke. Very much the definition of target-golf. The par 3s are some of the most scenic & challenging I have ever experienced. As for the Par 4s & 5s, a great mix of medium to long & short risk/reward holes. Most tee shots have generous landing areas with an optimal "side" of the fairway to approach the green. The approach is where things got real. The smallish, elevated & well guarded greens often had tiers or slopes which you had to hit or it was off the green or 3/4-putt territory. The greens themselves were very rolling fast & true, but very difficult to read. They were undulating & the with all the surrounding terrain, it was difficult to tell if it was uphill, downhill, left, right, etc. (very much like Poppy Hills in Monterey). Our caddy has been there several years & he still had some trouble reading the break/speed on a few holes.


Almost every hole is a signature hole & the views from many are just jaw-dropping. As you would expect with a course of this caliber, conditions are immaculate. From the 1st tee to the 18th green, not a blade of grass out of place. Bunkers were a bit baked on the top layer, but still perfect to play from. Fairways lush & even. The rough wasn't super long or penal, but definitely made the approach shots much more difficult to judge.


To be able to share this incredible experience with my brother was beyond special & something we'll cherish forever. Now to work on getting invited out there again......Posted some pictures that hopefully do some justice to the beauty.

Played in a tournament on 6/1. Beautiful sunny day with a PoP of 5+ hours. Very traditional course with no tricked-up holes, very little water and only slight elevation changes. Sounds a bit boring, but it's not. The placement of trees/bunkers, the rough & smallish, undulating greens make it interesting & a very good test of golf.

After the copious amounts of rain this winter/spring, the course is in great shape: Very green & lush. Being a high-end resort course, you expect stellar conditions & this course delivers. Fairways, rough, bunkers, tee boxes & greens are all in great to excellent condition. The rough was the biggest surprise. It is fairly short & seems benign, but turned out to be very penal. Super thick & snarly, it would just grab your club & send the ball in all kinds of directions & much shorter than you intended. The greens firmed up as the day progressed & were rolling medium/Fast and true.

The service was great from check-in to the end & the Cartperson was out all round. On a side note - they have the Hot Dog Bill's famous "BurgerDog" at the snack shack between Holes 7 & 8. Currently, it is the only other place besides Olympic Club you can get one. Simple, yet delicious! Great course & definitely in prime shape right now. Posted some pics.

Marin Country Club is a private course in the Ignacio Area of Novato. Got a chance to play here 5/29 on a warm, sunny afternoon. PoP was 3.5 hours with no waiting or being pushed. Ahh the country club life...

The layout is a short, hilly & tight test of golf. It is tucked into a valley surrounded by towering, scenic hills & is bordered by a housing community on the outside edges of the course, so some holes have few or no homes & some are lined with them. Lots of elevation changes & very tight, precise tee shots are needed for this track. Lots of OB/water lurking just off the fairways & often on both sides! The greens are relatively small & well guarded to boot (i.e. Oakmont West). If you can get the ball out there 250 straight off the tee & have a good short iron/wedge game, this course is gettable. If you spray the ball even a little off the tee and miss greens, this course will hand you your ass. My ass was in hand, btw.

As for conditions: It's what you would expect from a private club - immaculate conditions from tee to green. Everything is in great shape. The fairways & greens were the highlight of the course & a pleasure to hit off of/putt on.

As a private course, it is not like you can just roll up & play, but they do NCGA "Member for a Day" events out here, so there are ways to play it without knowing a member. If you get a chance, it's recommended. Posted pictures from today as well.

Played with the GK Outing on Saturday 5/4. Big thanks to Johnny for setting this outing up! It was great to see familiar faces & meet some new folks. The weather was a pleasant surprise. In terms of wind, it was very calm for an afternoon in Bodega at this time of year, where you can almost always count on 20+mph sustained winds. Also, played the entire front side in short sleeves. Played with Alex & Ron at a very comfortable PoP of a little over 3 hours. Really fun group & thoroughly enjoyed my day out there with those guys!


The course was also a surprise for me in terms of play. I always play Bodega in the morning & the first 4 holes are all uphill, into the sun and into the prevailing wind, which generally makes for a rough start. It was a totally different experience with the wind at our backs & the sun high in the sky. I felt like I wasn't struggling as much in the early going, which really helped me get off to a decent start. Made my scorecard happy & the whole round more enjoyable.


As others have stated, the fairways were in good shape. Some brown/thin spots, but overall coverage was good. The rough is a wild-card, the primary rough is mostly manageable, but there are a lot of spots of fescue & unmowed areas that will hand you your ass. The bunkers have nice sand in them, but lots of spots where people hadn't raked them. Side note: The rakes suck. They have the old-school, weathered & wooden rakes that look very rustic, however they're not very effective at raking the sand & you could easily get a nasty splinter. The greens were firm, but much slower than the past few times I've played it. I'm assuming they keep the greens slower as this time of year is very windy out there & balls would be rolling all over the place. Putts were surprisingly slow both uphill & downhill.


I arrived early & had lunch at the Bluewater Bistro. It's a little bar with an amazing view of the 16th & 18th holes as well as Doran Beach & Bodega Head. Very cool place to hang out. Their beer selection is top-notch & the grilled chicken sandwich was exceptional. If you make it up to Bodega, do yourself a favor make a visit to this 19th hole.

This is not a current review. I posted some pictures from the last 2 golf trips, as there were none up on the site.

Aspen Lakes is one of my all-time favorite courses. When visiting the Bend area, we always play here. There is a plethora of great tracks in the area, but this course retains a special place in my heart, as it offers fantastic conditions & layout at a very moderate price. The red sand bunkers are unique & really add to the visual appeal. The staff is extremely friendly & accommodating and the 19th Hole Patio is one of the most scenic places to grab some food & a beverage.

Played an early morning round on 2/16 on the tail-end of a series of very wet and windy storms that rolled through The Bay Area. The weather was mostly cooperative, but very windy & we had to dodge a few showers during the round. Cart Path Only, but it is a very walkable track, so no worries there.

The course was very playable with no plugs and ample fairway roll out. No lost balls & very little standing water on the course (except for the 5th Tee Box, which was a swamp). The rough was wet & penal, but totally doable. Tee Boxes were in good shape & every bunker I saw was dry & the ones I were in were very playable. The greens were surprisingly firm & fast and definitely the highlight of the course. The only downside is that some of the fairways are very thin & appear to be suffering the effects of a high play-rate. This course gets a TON of play, so hopefully they can keep the conditions up over time.

Overall, I was very impressed with the condition of this course, especially in light of the wet winter we have been experiencing. Definitely recommended if you want to play golf instead of slopping around in the mud looking for plugged balls.