We got an unbelievable deal to play the great Black Gold for the GK Cup final so it was an opportunity not to be missed. And the course really delivered.

Black Gold is a very challenging course whe... Continue »

We got an unbelievable deal to play the great Black Gold for the GK Cup final so it was an opportunity not to be missed. And the course really delivered.

Black Gold is a very challenging course where inaccuracy will be punished with vigor. There are some very decent carries to intimidate you and some narrow fairways with OB hillside danger on either side to really get the pulse rate going. Not for the faint-hearted. We played the blue tees in our group with Mattias, Perry and Tony.

Course conditions were quite good all around, but there were a few thin lies to be found and I did not find the sand in the bunkers to be great, but manageable in most cases. What was fantastic were the greens that were running very tricky and medium-fast with some very interesting lines based on the pin positions (which could have been a lot worse). The tee boxes were all in very good shape as well. The rough was very playable.

We had the cart service come by two or three times on a hot day so that was great, and the carts at Black Gold are about as nice as they come. Very good GPS as well, but I tend to stick with my phone app and laser either way. Really fun day out though and congratulations to Andrew on the big win and Johnny for putting together this outing and us getting a great rate at a premium SoCal course. High fives all around.

Played in the GK Cup Final Sunday afternoon at 1:35 with AndrewZ28, lotrgolfer48 and JohnnyGK. Super fun group and the course proved to be a fantastic match play venue!

Conditions are quite good a... Continue »

Played in the GK Cup Final Sunday afternoon at 1:35 with AndrewZ28, lotrgolfer48 and JohnnyGK. Super fun group and the course proved to be a fantastic match play venue!

Conditions are quite good all around. Greens are super healthy although maybe just a little spongy, which led to occasional bumpiness late in the day. Full shots held pretty much right where they landed. Green speeds were about medium. I found the greens very challenging to read and never got a great feel for them all day, especially on longer putts. Fairways were great, always excellent lies. Rough was good, not quite as well conditioned as the fairways. Definitely penal in spots when combined with the mounding, etc. There is definitely a premium on hitting the fairway. Tee boxes were all nice. The bunkers I was in were great.

I enjoy this layout more and more each time I play it. Huge thanks to the course management for hosting the championship match, and big thanks also to Johnny and Nick for organizing the GK Cup. And of course, congrats to Andrew for capturing the Cup!

Played BG with other GKers in front of the GK Cup 11 final match – thanks to sixpez, rudyclub, and caligolfer1031 for a very enjoyable round. We had the course in good condition and great weather for ... Continue »

Played BG with other GKers in front of the GK Cup 11 final match – thanks to sixpez, rudyclub, and caligolfer1031 for a very enjoyable round. We had the course in good condition and great weather for a relaxed afternoon. Greens were in good shape, holding shots and not as terrifyingly fast as BG can be, with just a little bumpiness later in the round. Good lies in fairways and rough was very playable unless you got well offline. The kikuyu on holes on the back nine where they were in need of some cutting and were dried out were a little crispy when you walked on them. I was in one GS bunker with good but damp sand. Tees were recently punched but I had no problem finding a good spot. Saw the cart girl several times, and a good club sandwich in the grill afterward. Range on grass today, and starter was on top of it. BG is always recommended.

Played yesterday during the GK Cup Finals on a perfect afternoon for golf. Keith is spot on with his review on the course conditions. This was my first visit to Black Gold and it will not be my last. ... Continue »

Played yesterday during the GK Cup Finals on a perfect afternoon for golf. Keith is spot on with his review on the course conditions. This was my first visit to Black Gold and it will not be my last. The staff was great, very polite and welcoming. If I had one complaint is that our GPS on the cart did not work and a new cart was requested, but we never got a response. I had my handheld GPS with me, so it really wasn't that big of a deal. This course plays tough and we played from the blues and I probably should have played from the whites. The par 3's on this course are tough, long and demanding. 3 of the 4 par 3's play at or over 200 yards. If the greens were not so bumpy in the afternoon, our group could of dropped a few shots each off of our scores. Just be ready for most of your shots not to be from a level lie and there are many bumps and hills on the course. Such a fun course and it will keep you on your toes. Bring a few extra balls, you will need them. Thanks goes out to Black Gold for hosting us and thanks to Tim, Kieth and Dave for making this a very fun and enjoyable round!

Played with the GK Cup 11 final crew yesterday afternoon. I was in the first group out with dconnally, caligolfer1031 and rudyclub. We were keeping pace with the groups ahead and finished in right abo... Continue »

Played with the GK Cup 11 final crew yesterday afternoon. I was in the first group out with dconnally, caligolfer1031 and rudyclub. We were keeping pace with the groups ahead and finished in right about 4.5 hours.

The course was in pretty good overall shape heading into summer. Tee boxes were good. The fairways were great for the most part, though I did encounter a thin/very firm lie every now and then. Rough more inconsistent with some cut down spots where the ball would be practically teed up and other areas where the kikuyu was more gnarly and would swallow the ball up. Best bet is to try and stay on the fairways here to avoid tricky lies. The bunkers were fantastic with soft white sand in most of them. The greens were pretty soft and receptive, rolling a tad slower than they looked (I'd say medium speed) and getting a little bumpy late in the afternoon as poa will do.

Overall a fun experience on a challenging and interesting course, and a great value they offered to all the non-competing groups with GK. Thanks to Black Gold for being a great host site for several GK Cup finals (especially GK Cup 8). It was a fun day.

Played after the holiday yesterday, 5/29 with a 2:32 tee time, $49 via their website. Pleasant greeting and got a mini-bucket to warm up. Seemed to be a bit of a slow afternoon, no starter at his post... Continue »

Played after the holiday yesterday, 5/29 with a 2:32 tee time, $49 via their website. Pleasant greeting and got a mini-bucket to warm up. Seemed to be a bit of a slow afternoon, no starter at his post, and went out as a single about 10 minutes ahead of schedule, with no one around. On the fifth hole, paired up with a friendly single, who turned out to be another GK'er, so that was fun. He left after the 11th for some tacos with his wife - it was Tuesday, afterall! A hole later, joined up with 3 gunslingers behind me, with POP coming in at 4 hrs 15 mins total.

Caught the course on a day where they punched a lot of the white teeboxes. Not really an issue, just messy. The rest of the course seemed like the grounds crew had most of the day off. Fairways were uncut and hairy, producing inconsistent lies. Easy to get a nice divot, though. Rough was OK, and managed to avoid all bunkers.

Not sure if the greens were cut in the morning. The greens were pretty slow, and grass appeared very long. Rolled smoothly enough, but it was a struggle to get longer putts to the hole.

Love the course, and though it wasn't in tip-top shape for the day, really did enjoy the round. Course requires good ball striking and a bit of 'strategery' to score well.

Played Thursday, 5/10. Friendly greeting and efficient service in the pro shop and the friendly starter got me out ahead of my tee time by 20 mins, with no one else around.

Went out as a single at... Continue »

Played Thursday, 5/10. Friendly greeting and efficient service in the pro shop and the friendly starter got me out ahead of my tee time by 20 mins, with no one else around.

Went out as a single at 1:25pm, chasing a twosome with a hole head start and moving at a good pace. Didn't see another group behind me until I was on 6th tee, and that group was in the fairway on hole #3. Finally caught the twosome at the 7th as they were waiting on a 4some ahead, playing from the black tees. Pace was a bit slow from there, waiting on every hole. POP was still pretty decent overall for this course, at 4hrs 20mins.

White tees were probably the worst aspect of the course yesterday, but I still rated them a '6'. Nicely cut, but grass coverage is on the thin side. Found unlevel areas within the marked teeing areas on about 1/2 the wholes. Still able to move to a level spot, but I think this is an area they should address to keep the course in 'great' standing.

Fairways were cut very nicely, provided decent roll-out and very good lies. Still some evidence of the spiking in April in the healing process in just a few places. Didn't really have a problem with the rough, ball sat up nicely for the most part and was able to get the club through it with no real penalty.

Was in two greenside bunkers, right front on #3 was very nice, medium-weight fluffy sand, 1" or more over a firm base. Massive front bunker on #6 was a little firm on the upslope. Was also in the long fairway bunker on #12, and was nice and firm, probably less than 1/2". All were raked and thought they provided very good and fair shot-making conditions.

The greens looked great from far and up-close. They were a deep, dark green and had very few unrepaired ball marks. Much darker than the fairways, the greens have received some large doses of water. This softened them up significantly, at least for the day's play. I wonder if they do this purposely ahead of the weekend's play, or if it is what they do daily? They held shots very well, but they did not roll smooth from the days's foot-traffic, and speed was medium-slow. Putting was a challenge and all of us left putts short most of the time.

Course overall is in very good condition right now, and definitely recommend playing. Hopefully, the greens will speed up. Cart girl was by just once and never saw a marshal. Good service by Alex in the bar after the round.

Was able to get a great $35 'Black' member rate via my 2018 Crossings Club membership. It's a pain, as you need to get someone from The Crossings at Carlsbad call the pro shop at Black Gold to set it up, but saving $20+ was certainly worth the trouble. First time I've taken advantage of that benefit in two years, and will now try to do it again. This perk will go away in 2019, with JCGolf now managing things at C@C and KemperSports still managing BG.

Played today using my yearly "Black Monday" certificate. Good deal that you can purchase in November and have until the following April to use. $55 bucks is a good deal for this course! We had been wa... Continue »

Played today using my yearly "Black Monday" certificate. Good deal that you can purchase in November and have until the following April to use. $55 bucks is a good deal for this course! We had been waiting for the Greens to heal before playing and we were not disappointed. Greens in superb condition! Very smooth ( a bit on the slow side but rolled smooth). Fairways in good shape, pretty good lies. Not much rough to speak of and what there was clump grass mostly. I like the layout and would play it more often but it's a steep for me. If you want to spend a few bucks or get a deal, play it.

We played here on 3/11/18 with eight guys. we always enjoy playing here and this time was no different. We finished in 4.5 hours, paid $55 pp with a cart, and the course conditions are always above av... Continue »

We played here on 3/11/18 with eight guys. we always enjoy playing here and this time was no different. We finished in 4.5 hours, paid $55 pp with a cart, and the course conditions are always above average. The greens on this day were excellent running smooth and fast. I don't think I had a straight putt all day! The tees are level and nice to hit from and the fairways were nice however had many inconsistent areas that I thought should have been marked GIR. The bunkers were nice but I did notice that there was different types of sand in them. Maybe they are changing the sand out right now. There is a great variety of holes here from every tee. Reachable par fives, fun par threes, short holes and long holes, and some tight driving holes so the layout really keeps you engaged. This is just a fun course to play period! Looking forward to our next stop to Black Gold.