Played on 09/17 with a 12:40pm tee time and rode the blues. First time for me playing this track and since I was in the area for work anyways, took a... » More

Played on 09/17 with a 12:40pm tee time and rode the blues. First time for me playing this track and since I was in the area for work anyways, took advantage of Troon Prive reciprocal playing privileges from my home course. The course is a Ted Robinson design from 1992 with a Mike Strantz redo in 2002. Overall, it's a good quality design with generous fairways, lots of elevation change on about half of the holes and a good variety of hole layouts and lengths. Bunkers were well placed for me playing the blues and not playing driver on a few par 4's helped keep me out of trouble off the tee.

The course does play through a gated housing complex but they did a good job of keeping the homes out of play. The clubhouse is impressive on top of the hill. Oddly enough, holes 1, 9, 10 and 18 all play downhill with holes 1,9 & 10 playing severely downhill. The handicapping of holes was a bit odd on the back with the 2 par 3's playing as #2 & #4 handicap and the par 5's playing as #18 & #16 handicap. I've never seen that before. This course would be a monster to walk with some extreme climbs between a few holes.

Fairways were good, a few thin spots here and there. The rough was thick but they are definitely having some turf issues around greens especially. The greens had recently been top dressed with some light sand so they probably were running around 10 -10.5. I could see how the greens are the highlight of the course when they get them running fast. Some slopes to contend with but overall very fair greens. Bunkers were pleasant to play out of with fairly compact, but enough sand to get the club through.

I honestly thought the turf conditions could be a bit better for a private course but September is always a tough month. The course kind of reminds me of Coto De Caza North.

Definitely worth playing if you're in the area and you can get on.
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Played on Sunday 9/1 with an 11:10am tee time playing the 3rd round with my buddy from out of town. Played the blue/white combo tees and we both walk... » More

Played on Sunday 9/1 with an 11:10am tee time playing the 3rd round with my buddy from out of town. Played the blue/white combo tees and we both walked as I just can't live with spending $35 per player for a cart that is cart path only. I warned him that the weather can be a little dicey in SF but it turned out to be just about as perfect as can be with high 60's and a 1 club wind out of the west most of the day. Pace of play on the front nine was really good but it slowed a little on the back with the round being just about 4.5 hours.

This is my second time playing TPC Harding Park and I will say that I enjoyed it much more this time. Last time I felt like the course was just lacking something for me. The front nine isn't nearly as inspiring as the back nine but I felt like the course forces you to hit shots and miss in good spots or you will be punished.

Course was in good shape considering the amount of play they get. The rough is thick and can either yield a great lie or a terrible one and the fairways were plush, tee boxes level and the sand was decent, a little on the thin side.

Overall, it's a must play if you're in the SF area and compared to Torrey Pines, the rates are much more reasonable. To me, it's the Torrey Pines 'light' muni golf course. It's not Bethpage Black but it's a track with solid bones, good conditioning, great views of Olympic Club and Lake Merced and a decent value.
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Saturday 8/31, first time playing Silverado and was able to secure one of the last days of open play before the course is shutdown for the upcoming Pr... » More

Saturday 8/31, first time playing Silverado and was able to secure one of the last days of open play before the course is shutdown for the upcoming Procore Championship in less than 2 weeks. Played with my good friend from San Diego who now lives in Thailand. Played the blues and the tournament configuration which puts the last 3 holes near the clubhouse and makes the course a par 34 on the front and a par 37 with 3 par 5's on the back.

Weather was perfect with a high of about 80 and little to no wind. The greens were absolutely immaculate, rolling around 11 with zero bumps or imperfections. The fairways were lush but not too long so the ball would still roll out some on tee shots but offered a perfect base to play approach shots from, tee boxes were level and the rough was gnarly averaging 3-4 inches. I was only in one fairway bunker, but greenside bunkers are definitely one of the main defenses of this course and it's not likely you're going to score really well if you're in them. I've never played a tournament course right before a tour event and I can get used to this. :)

I had one of those special rounds that usually only happens a few times a year. It wasn't that I hit every fairway or green but I was always able to not compound any errors and made good shots and putts when I needed to.

The course is old school with many very mature redwood, oaks and cottonwoods and the routing has a good variety of holes asking you to shape shots for the best angles. No holes were unfair but if you were out of position it was going to be a tough par. The bunkering is visually appealing to the eye and most greens were relatively flat and not too difficult to putt.

My buddy and I were commenting on how the perfect conditions really influence the enjoyment factor. If conditions were poor, I could easily see how someone could say the course isn't all that great.

If you get the chance to stay at the resort and play, I highly recommend it. Silverado is a semi-private, 36 hole facility. The course was shockingly quiet for the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and the upcoming Procore Championship. It seemed like there was very little member play and we were able to get out about 30 minutes earlier than our 11am tee time.

Definitely grab a burger dog with all the fixins at the shack when you play!
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Had the opportunity to play on 08/13 with a few SoCal buddies. This is my second time playing, the first time maybe 10 years ago in an SCGA member da... » More

Had the opportunity to play on 08/13 with a few SoCal buddies. This is my second time playing, the first time maybe 10 years ago in an SCGA member day. Teed off a little before noon and played the blues. This is just a very solid golf course that will force you to hit the correct shots if you want to score or you will be fighting to save par. Front nine is tough with only one par five, number 1, that is gettable. Number 6 and 8 coming back to the clubhouse generally into the wind are really demanding holes calling for a precise fade (for right handed golfers) off the tee and likely mid-iron or longer approaches. The greens are all varied and pretty fair to putt, rolling probably 10.5 to 11. I really like the back nine as you have some elevation changes and a bit more variety in the holes. As one of my playing partners commented, Pauma has excellent bones.

The conditions overall were not as great as I hoped but it is mid August and the summertime weather is unrelenting out there. Greens were excellent and rolling true but they are definitely having some turf growing issues in some fairways and tee boxes. Rough was pretty difficult to play out of. I imagine in a few months it will be pristine.

If you get the chance to play here, don't pass it up.
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Haven't reviewed much in the past few years but since I moved from Carlsbad to Santa Rosa 2 years ago, I figured I'd do my part to keep NorCal updates... » More

Haven't reviewed much in the past few years but since I moved from Carlsbad to Santa Rosa 2 years ago, I figured I'd do my part to keep NorCal updates going for those that are looking to play in this area. Full disclosure, I'm a member at Fountaingrove.

First off, this is a very under the radar type of golf course. It's a Ted Robinson Sr. design from the early eighties and really doesn't play like too many of his other designs. The course is sneaky hard as the length and the course rating & slope don't come close to preparing you for the challenge ahead. Even though the nearby Mayacama gets most of the attention in the area, Fountaingrove is easily a few strokes harder.

The main challenge is the greens which almost all have fairly severe slopes and/or tiers and on almost all holes you must stay below if you want to keep your score from ballooning. The front nine is more open with the routing going basically out and back. You have a short par 5 (number 4) that is reachable on most days and a long par 5 (number 8) that plays between 540-610 yards. Both par 3's on this side are on the shorter side but have tough greens to putt.

The back nine is where it really changes character and from 13 through 17, you're holding on. Most of the back nine holes have trouble on all sides and position off the tee is much more important than distance.

Overall, this course is a real treat to be able to play often as it never gets stale or boring and as the weather, wind, temperature and overall conditions change throughout the year, it plays differently almost every time I go out. Some holes can play 3 or 4 clubs different depending on conditions. US Open local qualifying is held here every May.

The course was devastated by the 2017 Tubbs fire and even the clubhouse was burnt down. The new clubhouse is extremely nice and was completed at the end of 2021, so it with along with all the carts and most of the homes adjacent to a few holes on the front nine are all newly built. I never played it before the fire but the course is definitely more open now with many trees lost in the fire.

Membership is low-key and friendly and the staff is excellent. Fountaingrove is part of the Troon Prive group so if you have reciprocol through Troon, definitely get out and play if you're in the area.

I'll submit the scorecard and photos.
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