Played 7/2/16 3:30 $80 POP 4 hrs
Fairway's were a olive green, cut thin, plenty of roll and FIRM. Not very forgiving and good ball striking was needed. Typical summer conditions.
Greens were the wor... Continue »

Played 7/2/16 3:30 $80 POP 4 hrs
Fairway's were a olive green, cut thin, plenty of roll and FIRM. Not very forgiving and good ball striking was needed. Typical summer conditions.
Greens were the worst I've ever seen them. Many had been small tine punched. Some had been lightly sanded. Most had many damaged or sick areas mixed through out making putting difficult. They were very firm and fast. A couple were lighting fast down hill and looked like the burnt greens you see at a US open.
Traps & Tees were in good shape.
One of my favorite courses in SD, but right now not a very good deal even at the twilight rate and full rake rate no way.
They are hosting a SCGA amateur tournament in two weeks. I hope they get things turned around !!

Played Barona on Monday afternoon in nice cool but windy weather. The course is in good almost great shape. Most tee boxes were level and easy to play from. The fairways were cut close and gave lot... Continue »

Played Barona on Monday afternoon in nice cool but windy weather. The course is in good almost great shape. Most tee boxes were level and easy to play from. The fairways were cut close and gave lots of roll. Pretty easy to hit from but did have some tight lies. No real rough to mention. Bunkers were a mixed bag, some were great others very hard to hit from. some fairway bunkers had nice fluffy white sand and some greenside bunkers were hard as a rock. Not really the way it should be. Greens were good, still showed some sign of recent maintenance but did not really come into play. The real issue was the inconsistency of speed. Some were really slow and some were too fast. Hard to get a good read. The native areas were a little overgrown and hard to find your ball at times.

For the most part the course is very playable, along with the great range and chipping area still a must play in San Diego. Just for info they are changing their twilight time to 1 PM from 1100 AM which really sucks. The posting on the door makes it seem like they will change it back to 11 after day light saving time.

Played 5/6/16 2 pm $80 POP 4 hrs.
Fairways were green and in good shape with tight cut grass. They had a thin look to them, but played just fine.
Greens were good. The Poana was blooming, which had ... Continue »

Played 5/6/16 2 pm $80 POP 4 hrs.
Fairways were green and in good shape with tight cut grass. They had a thin look to them, but played just fine.
Greens were good. The Poana was blooming, which had a small effect on the roll and were at medium speed. They looked fast, but felt slow.
Rough was not bad next to the fairway's. Past that, the native grass is tall.
Traps in very good shape.
Course is in overall good to great shape and should only get better.

Played yesterday. Greens have healed from punching. Course is in great shape. Fairways have some bare spots, but usually never came in to play. Greens were great and very smooth. Bunkers had lots of s... Continue »

Played yesterday. Greens have healed from punching. Course is in great shape. Fairways have some bare spots, but usually never came in to play. Greens were great and very smooth. Bunkers had lots of sand. Saw the cart girl about once an hour if that matters to you. The native grasses are long and make the course look great. Great time to get out and play.

Played yesterday as part of the twilight which starts here at 11. Not as busy as I expected, we were. 3some and there were twosomes behind us. Pace was about 3:45.

Greens are smooth but there is ... Continue »

Played yesterday as part of the twilight which starts here at 11. Not as busy as I expected, we were. 3some and there were twosomes behind us. Pace was about 3:45.

Greens are smooth but there is differently colored grass so I assume that is the overseeing taking a hold. Greens were not nearly as fast as I've seen them but they actually rolled quicker than they looked.

Fairways were in good shape maybe a little brown spots and dead areas but generally pretty good to hit from. I do remember being in a dead area on the last hole but that's the only one I can remember.

Rough is not penalizing but the native area is up and my playing partners did hear a rattler in the native area next to our cart by the green on 13.

Sand was pretty good, I was in quite a few and I think they were all consistent. I just wished the players would learn to rake after they have gone into the bunker.

This is one of my favorites and a solid test of golf. I still think when the wind is blowing that the final 2 holes may be the 2 toughest finishing holes. I'll give Goose Creek the nod for toughest finishing hole but Barona 18 is not that far behind.

Outstanding practice facility and customer service is always great here. they also have one of my favorite sandwiches here and the price is very reasonable.

Played on Sunday 1-24 right at 1100 for $80, not a bad deal for a weekend. Still one of my favorite courses in SD. Course was empty and went of as a single and played at a great pace of 3 hours. Co... Continue »

Played on Sunday 1-24 right at 1100 for $80, not a bad deal for a weekend. Still one of my favorite courses in SD. Course was empty and went of as a single and played at a great pace of 3 hours. Conditions are good to very good. Tee boxes were in excellent shape, level with little to no divots. Fairways were dry but very playable. No real ruff to deal with, sand was great from fairway to green side. Greens were excellent and very few ball marks. They seemed slower then normal for Barona. Saw the cart girl a few times and can't beat the hotdog and chips for $5. If you haven't played here before go to the casino first get a free players card and save some money!!!

Fell in love with Barona Creek when it first opened in 2001 and my feelings haven't wavered one bit since then; it's definitely going to be "death do us part". Might be the longest, most successful r... Continue »

Fell in love with Barona Creek when it first opened in 2001 and my feelings haven't wavered one bit since then; it's definitely going to be "death do us part". Might be the longest, most successful relationship I can take credit for. Offering a consistent combination of challenge, fairness, and natural beauty from Holes 1 through 18, this layout is simply one of the best in Southern California, if not the country. With a late rate of just $64.00...including range balls and a couple of bottles of water...it is very accessible and worth every penny. Shelved into the contours of a shallow valley floor, Barona Creek features elevation changes...some quite dramatic, others a bit more subtle...that take monotony out of the equation, the end result being a course that will appeal to and reward the precise shotmaker who is able to place their ball in the proper target area of the green. The fairways are generous so there's room to let it fly but it's a track where the approach shot will make or break your score. A great variety of holes...especially the Par-3s...most likely means every club in the bag will see some action. Being able to work the ball either way, as well as hit it straight, is a plus but not a strict requirement. With multiple tee boxes, yardage ranging from 5296 to 7393 yards (115 to 143 Slope), and large putting surfaces, Barona Creek is playable and enjoyable for a wide range of golfers, regardless of proficiency. Teed off at 11:30 Thursday morning and cruised around as a twosome in about 4 hours and 15 minutes, despite play slowing down over the last seven holes as things got bunched up a bit. No on-course marshal but the beverage cart was present during the afternoon. Staff, as usual, was cordial and professional; we were also given the option to tee off ten minutes ahead of time due to a no-show, which was greatly appreciated. Course conditions were very good...best I've seen here in a while...with one small caveat that deserves to be noted. Due to some obvious turf issues, a couple of greens were recently verticut and are cosmetically different from the rest of those on the course. That being said, those surfaces...#7 and #14...were still pretty smooth and putted almost as true as the remaining sixteen. #7 had a mud-like appearance to it but that actually worked in my favor as I hit a low, screaming 6-iron off the tee that hit the green and stopped within six feet of its' pitch mark, a mere 18 inches below the cup. Anyone familiar with this Par-3 will realize that under normal conditions...with the pin located in the front third of the green...my shot would have easily rolled through and over the green. #9 also showed evidence of maintenance issues; in particular, the right rear portion of the green. That area had been punched with small tines and lightly top-dressed with fine sand. Pin was located on the left side of the green so unless you strayed with the approach shot, it was a non-factor. The aftermath of unrepaired ball marks is also evident on the greens but they appeared to have been filled in and smoothed over so I can't say they had a direct influence on the roll of the ball. The other putting surfaces were in fine condition: firm, smooth, and pretty quick. There were a couple of holes where approach shots sat down right near their pitch mark but I found that to be the exception rather than the rule. In most cases, pitch marks were shallow, making those shots prone to run out a bit. As is always the case at Barona Creek, distance control must be precise so factoring the amount of potential rollout definitely upped the ante so to speak. Tee boxes are, without question, the best you'll find anywhere. With a distinct square cut, they stand out and add quite a bit to the visual aesthetics of the golf course. Flat and as level as can be, there didn't seem to be a blade of grass out of place. And the same can be said for the fairways: akin to playing off a pool table, I can't imagine they could get any better. Perhaps another 1/4" of cushion for those who prefer to sweep the ball off the turf but I found my RX-330 sitting up beautifully on each and every hole. The low cut and dormant Bermuda condition meant fast conditions so there was some extra distance available off the tee. Bordered by completely dormant rough that exhibited a tan hue, the fairways were immaculately framed, thus providing a distinct target from the tee box. The look was stunning and something you see at high end desert courses during the winter months. Sand traps were meticulously raked and the sand quality was good and fairly consistent. Encountered one trap where it wasn't quite as soft as the previous one but it was still very playable given a slight swing adjustment. With the proper lie and a precise strike, it's possible to get some action on the ball. However, get a plugged lie and all bets are off. We couldn't have asked for a better day to play from a weather perspective: temperatures close to 80 degrees with only a slight wind to deal with. Not a cloud in the sky so following the ball's flight was fairly easy, although it did become more of a challenge once the sun started to drop over the last couple of holes. Not much else to add except that I need to play here a lot more frequently than I do; it's a course I could be "sentenced" to play for the rest of my life and I'd never tire of the challenge and variety that's incorporated into this phenomenal design. Glad to see an uptick in the conditioning, which leads me to wonder if this might be the best time of year to play Barona Creek as opposed to the hot, drought-affected summer months.

Braved the elements and played on Sunday. The rain scared off many people and it did rain during the round, pretty hard actually. But since no one was on the course I ducked into the bathroom until ... Continue »

Braved the elements and played on Sunday. The rain scared off many people and it did rain during the round, pretty hard actually. But since no one was on the course I ducked into the bathroom until the rain passed. Overall pace of play wasn't an issue, finished in about 3 1/2 hours even with waiting out the rain.

Overall I agree with the previous review. There are a couple of greens that don't look to good but I'd say the greens rolled pretty smooth. A little slow as the other review alluded to but still not terribly slow. I didn't notice a lot of ball marks so it seems people are taking care of the greens.

Tee boxes were fantastic. Even the par 3 boxes I played were filled in so it shows the maintenance crew and golfers are doing their part.

Fairways were pretty good, mowed nicely. With all the rain it was hard to tell that since the course seemed to absorb the moisture very well. Just a few damp areas.

If I had to complain the range was great with nice green grass but it needed to be cut. Other than that it is always great to play this place. A great track and with the early twilight rate makes this a great value too.

Played Barona this morning thanks to a friend it was a free round, can't beat that. This course is definitely in my top three in San Diego. The conditions were excellent along with nice weather. Cours... Continue »

Played Barona this morning thanks to a friend it was a free round, can't beat that. This course is definitely in my top three in San Diego. The conditions were excellent along with nice weather. Course was closed a few weeks ago for maintenance. Tee boxes were in great shape. I don't think I saw one divot without sand. Fairways are in great shape. Cut very tight and gave a lot of roll. Sand was mixed but wasn't difficult to play out of. Greens have recovered very nice but were a little slow for barona. The course is in great shape. With the practice facilities it is one of the gems in San Diego.