Ventured out of my comfort zone (Admiral Baker-North) for a rare ‘Away’ round yesterday…accompanied by an even rarer course review…as I was looking to get some extra golf in this week. Took advantage ... Continue »

Ventured out of my comfort zone (Admiral Baker-North) for a rare ‘Away’ round yesterday…accompanied by an even rarer course review…as I was looking to get some extra golf in this week. Took advantage of a ‘Hot Deal’ on a warm, desert-like day while being able to stick close to home so it was a win-win proposition. Last played here in 2014 and given the beating the golf course took during this year’s rain storms, I was apprehensive as to what to expect. Stepped onto the first tee and immediately began to have second thoughts: namely, “What am I doing out here?”. The tee box was overgrown with splotchy, wispy turf and the general overview of the course didn’t look all that encouraging. Kept that same mindset through the first trio of holes but things markedly improved as I continued onward. While there are remnants of the water damage that wreaked havoc earlier in the year, I have no major complaints regarding the overall conditions. Tee boxes have been over-seeded…thus explaining the extra long turf…but should be fine once mowed to a proper height. Fairways were in good shape but soft; my ball picked up mud on just about every tee shot…with no rollout whatsoever. As a result, the course played much longer than the 6700 yards on the card. There were a few muddy spots in some fairways…some bare ones on others…but, on a grand scale, the turf was healthy and provided excellent lies. Fringe areas on some holes were extremely thick due to the over-seeding, making shots from those spots quite challenging. Nothing unfair though…you just need to have the game to handle those scenarios. But be aware there were also areas where the lies were a little thin and tight. Greens were the highlight…despite their speed being on the slow side, especially when putting uphill. And given the fact that there aren’t a lot of steep elevations on their putting surfaces, that says a lot. Still, putts rolled true but didn’t break as much as anticipated. Another positive point: I saw very few ball marks that hadn’t been attended to. Only drawback was the bunkers; they were hard-packed, like concrete, making it just about impossible to hit any sand shots with even a hint of confidence. It was a ‘chunk and run’ kind of day…which is not the preferred method if you happen to short-side yourself. Teed off as a single @ 1:00PM and wrapped things up three-and-a-half hours later. Was waved through a twosome on #2 and a group of three on #5 but ran into some extended waiting over the final six holes as things began to back up a bit. Want to mention that I walked and carried my bag; pace-of-play would have been much worse had I been in a cart. At the end of the day, I was pleased with the overall playing conditions, in spite of the transitional maintenance taking place. May have been a bit of an annoyance but I applaud the effort and investment being put forth into improving course conditions. Carlton Oaks will always rank as one of the toughest courses I’ve played and that experience is much more enjoyable…and fair…when the playing conditions are kept to an elevated standard. I’m hopeful the staff will continue to take the steps necessary in order to maintain playing conditions at a consistently high level.

Played Fri 3/31/2023: After very wet winter the course had storm damage on several holes. Large areas of standing water beside several fairways, creating new temporary hazards. Many sand traps had mud... Continue »

Played Fri 3/31/2023: After very wet winter the course had storm damage on several holes. Large areas of standing water beside several fairways, creating new temporary hazards. Many sand traps had mud at the bottom. The greens and fairways were in good to very good condition - lush after all the rain. Challenging course! Prices were reasonable. Despite shortcomings will play here again.

Played recently and found the course in decent shape. The recent rains have helped for sure. Tee boxes were level and had good coverage, no issue with finding a spot to hit from. Fairways were decent ... Continue »

Played recently and found the course in decent shape. The recent rains have helped for sure. Tee boxes were level and had good coverage, no issue with finding a spot to hit from. Fairways were decent with ok coverage, thin at times but very similar to other courses in the area. Rough was really not an issue. If there was any it was recently mowed. Greens were good and average. Hard but held shots and few ball marks. They were a little bumpy for my liking. Sand was good.

This was is a great layout that is challenging. Lots of trees and some blind shots. I like the layout and with the rain the course is in just as good shape as other similar courses in the areas.

When I played Carlton Oaks 25 years ago, this was considered one of the top tracks in San Diego. The layout is still there and has always made this a challenging course, but the overall conditions are... Continue »

When I played Carlton Oaks 25 years ago, this was considered one of the top tracks in San Diego. The layout is still there and has always made this a challenging course, but the overall conditions are pretty poor. It is a lonely shell of its former glory. Most of the Oak trees are dead or dying. Tee boxes are rough and not flat. I was constantly moving my ball to find a good patch of grass on the fairways. Greens are rock hard and do not reward great approach shots. The saving grace of this venue is that staff are friendly and the green fees are often quite low. It's not worth the drive if you pay more than $40 to play.

Let me start by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed my round at Carlton Oaks Country Club. I played with my father and two sons aged 5 and 7. My father-in-law wanted to come but not golf, and they were v... Continue »

Let me start by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed my round at Carlton Oaks Country Club. I played with my father and two sons aged 5 and 7. My father-in-law wanted to come but not golf, and they were very accomodating in letting him ride along in his own cart for a nominal fee. You can tell that Carlton Oaks was at one time a phenomenal course. Great layout, lots of water, a tough track. I would compare Carlton Oaks to the Cougar at the bar, past her prime, but worth taking for a ride. Sure she has some baggage but you can see the former glory and it is well worth the price to give it a whirl. If you don't hit them straight bring some balls because there is lots of water and the thick O.B. is not far off the fairways. All that to say, check out Santee Lakes Campground right across the street if you're so inclined, we were staying there and we stay there a decent amount. All that to say I'll be back to Carlton Oaks again.

Played Carlton Oaks on 11/18. Need to agree with Mark on his review. It’s really a tale of two nines here, with the front being dismal at best and the back nine showing some promise. First the front, ... Continue »

Played Carlton Oaks on 11/18. Need to agree with Mark on his review. It’s really a tale of two nines here, with the front being dismal at best and the back nine showing some promise. First the front, tees were over seeded and not mowed yet so finding a decent spot was difficult. Fairways well here’s the kicker, the front nine flooded out early this year during our rain storm. 5-9 were completely submerged from the San Diego river so over seeding was completely destroyed, with pictures in the pro shop. Bunkers for the most part on the up to about hole 13 are tragic. Greens through out the course were a mixed bag, unbelievably slow to moderate. Also learned from that the irrigation system on the front is being evaluated for complete modernization. The problem they have is control it either doesn’t work at all or comes on by mysteriously. Super from the course informed me that they have actually started watering by sprinkler at night into the early morning hours.
From 13 on there appears to be some real work being done. Greens are better than average and area within 125 yrds is well maintained and quite lush.
Unfortunately right now that’s about it, not only does the course need plenty of work but the course is currently in a legal battle with the previous contracted tree trimmer who were responsible for damaging the water system as well as failing to properly remove branches limbs that were trimmed. It’s to bad that the course is so rough, you can see the vision it just needs the care.

Love the layout here but conditions are rather dismal. Rather stunning. Tee boxes that are like hitting out of the rough. The worst I have ever seen. I can't understand what the management is thinkin... Continue »

Love the layout here but conditions are rather dismal. Rather stunning. Tee boxes that are like hitting out of the rough. The worst I have ever seen. I can't understand what the management is thinking. Also the greens were very inconsistent in speed. The fairways are largely ground under repair. Lastly, the bunkers are dangerously awful. VERY DISAPPOINTED by conditions.

Played 9/13, off at 9:00 with a large group of friends. Used to play here every Tuesday, but not playing too much right now. Been nine months. Tees were very playable. Fairways were green, cut thi... Continue »

Played 9/13, off at 9:00 with a large group of friends. Used to play here every Tuesday, but not playing too much right now. Been nine months. Tees were very playable. Fairways were green, cut thin and ran well. Rough was barely there through the fairways, but decent around the greens. They have elected to stop watering the large mounds that make this course such a bear when you hit a bad shot and your ball can roll quite a ways if you're on the wrong side. 17 of the 18 greens were very nice and would have been great had everybody fixed their ball marks. 16 is a mess. It's like somebody spread a bunch of brillo pads around the green and you get to putt over or around. We hit a couple extra putts and it was kind of fun to try to bank it off one of the pads. I think it's kikuya that has grown out in patches throughout the green. It's a short hole, so get it close. The sand was just not very good. Very inconsistent. I played the white tees for the first time and what a difference, even from the greens. Sometimes it's only ten yards difference from the greens, but seems to result in 30 more yards off the tee. Had a lot of fun and for 30-45 this is a good value in my book.

Played here on 9/1. Early afternoon. Pop 3.5 hrs. It’s always a little windy here in the afternoon which makes it a great challenge. Course is in pretty good shape fairways seemed to be fairly consis... Continue »

Played here on 9/1. Early afternoon. Pop 3.5 hrs. It’s always a little windy here in the afternoon which makes it a great challenge. Course is in pretty good shape fairways seemed to be fairly consistent with a few dry spots here and there. Greens were typical for the course with a few inconsistencies throughout but still very playable. Tee boxes were good. I love the course layout so maybe I’m a little more willing to overlook the inconsistencies. Always a good place for a quick afternoon round.