My rating: 7.5

Fun little course that exceeded my expectations. Situated around semi-rural land with great views of classic norcal hills in the background. Right next to the Petaluma airport and its fun to watch all the planes coming in and out, its a small airport, not like playing next to sfo or something.

I appreciated the variation in holes that the course offered - doglegs, water, and shots were you could be risky or not. The par 4 lengths was a little repetitive . . . overall though I would definitely play here again. Good pace of play until the end the back nine.

I normally don't post but I thought the rating of this course was deceiving enough to do so.
I should preface by explaining what type of golfer I am - I get our rarely but used to play avidly about 10 years ago. I'm about a 14. Most importatntly, when I go out golfing I am looking for an experience and a course with a lot of open space and minimal or now housing. For me, Rancho Solano was a 6. The reasons:

What I liked: Staff was friendly, we played on a weekday and the pace was pretty good and there was a decent wind, which made playing in the middle of the heat wave bearable. The greens especially and the course were well taken care of, wide open course so if you haven't played in a while it will be forgiving.

What I didn't like: By my standards, a lot of housing around the course. Even if there wasn't a house right adjacent to the hole, within driving distance is several hamlets of new development. I also found the layout, especially on the front, rather uninspiring. Some repitition in par 3 and 4 types - lots of 180-200 par 3s. Apart from the housing, what I liked lease was the size of the greens - enormous. I was 3 and even 4 putting regularly and if you are playing recreationally, that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

My two cents: Doesn't live up to the hype and moderately overpriced. Go somewhere else if you are a golfer similar to me.