Played Carlton Oaks on 3/27. The fairways are in good condition. The green speeds are inconsistent. The Tee Boxes are in rough condition, and most provided anything BUT a level (or even a reasonabl... Continue »

Played Carlton Oaks on 3/27. The fairways are in good condition. The green speeds are inconsistent. The Tee Boxes are in rough condition, and most provided anything BUT a level (or even a reasonably level) stance and lie. Most of the green side bunkers were very firm and difficult to get your club under the ball. Being a Pete Dye designed course, some holes can be treacherous without the added distractions of poor maintenance conditions.

Had not played here since since one of the hottest days of summer so gave it another shot in December. In summer the course was almost unplayable. This December, it was probably the worst conditions o... Continue »

Had not played here since since one of the hottest days of summer so gave it another shot in December. In summer the course was almost unplayable. This December, it was probably the worst conditions of any course I have ever played. They basically dyed the dirt on the fairways green. There is no fairway, there is no rough. Anything off the "fairway" is dirt, leaves, etc. The fairway grass has basically been shaved down to nothing as if they have not watered in months. Greens are bumpy, patchy, inconsistent. Greens fees were outrageous at $80. There is no reason to play this course until they get it in better shape.

Played Carlton Oaks GC at noon on Sunday, 10/25/20, joined by GK legend lotrgolfer48 using an UnderPar certificate. I had long heard that COGC was a great layout that had suffered recent neglect, and ... Continue »

Played Carlton Oaks GC at noon on Sunday, 10/25/20, joined by GK legend lotrgolfer48 using an UnderPar certificate. I had long heard that COGC was a great layout that had suffered recent neglect, and I wanted to get down to Santee and play it before something happened like the course closing, as in the current economic climate we’ve seen a lot of course closings. After a couple months of pretty good heat this year SoCal is transitioning into Fall, and we experienced much cooler temperatures and the first scattered rain showers of the season, along with blustery winds that came and went. Overall it was a pleasant day to play golf, joined by a big hitting but inconsistent local, and we had an enjoyable round in around 5 hours, going off on time but moving slowly behind a junior tournament from earlier in the day. The extensive waiting on each shot made it difficult to get into any kind of rhythm in your game.

I had looked at aerial photos of the course and read reviews on the GK site. This is a Dye design that has apparently been let go to seed over the years. The facility is advertised as a “resort”, and there are quite a few hotel rooms on property, but I have no idea what their utilization percentage is. The overall impression of the buildings is “tired”. The place has a pretty stealth entrance as the entry sign is small and partly hidden, and I drove right by it the first time. Everything immediately looks overgrown, aged, and neglected. There’s no bag drop, no grand resort entrance, no parking lot welcome. Walking in you get a panoramic view of many holes and the Dye touches are evident. You can see the large waste bunkers, mounding, elevated plateau greens, railroad ties and other features familiar to Dye courses. But the features are muted and hazy – you find out after getting out on the course itself that years of benign neglect have resulted in grass growing in the bunkers, bordering shrubbery growing unkempt and wildly, and everything looking pretty tired.

Conditions were OK but not good. Tees (we played the Green tees [6,320/71.1/131]) had not been cut in some time and could have used a wheat thresher. Tees were soft and had numerous divots and uneven ground associated with them. Fairways had overall pretty good coverage but the turf was thin at best, with some scattered bare areas. My ball seemed to always be sitting a little down on the fairways, which in the Dye mode were all rolling with various dips, swales, and mounds. Rough could be thin and dry, thin sandy waste, or 2-3 inch grasses. Bunkers were thin and resembled groomed cement slurry (sign in the cart – “Take a Drop”). Greens were the best part of the course, generally firm but showing a lot of recent and old ballmarks. They rolled well at medium+ speeds.

There aren’t any blind shots and the course is pretty much laid out in front of you, although in a few cases sneaky bunkers are not always completely evident. The front side is more open off the tee and around the greens, while holes on the back are mostly lined with mature trees. In all cases being in the correct position off the tee is key to approaching the greens. Many greens are elevated pedestal greens with steep falloffs on the sides. Greens are not that large, although the size varies and some greens are 40-50 yards deep. Almost all holes have penalty areas bordering them in some fashion, with creeks/drainages, ponds, the river, and other hazards scattered about. There’s no real elevation change on the course as it is routed across the floodplain adjacent to the San Diego River.

This course reminded me of rounds at Carmel Mountain Ranch GC in San Diego that closed a couple years ago – great bones and a good design that could be a sought-after venue but needing a big capital infusion to get the course back to solid conditions. Carmel Mountain never got that savior and closed, and anyone trying to get Carlton Oaks back into prime condition would need to bring a big cash truck and a boatload of dedication to be successful. Maybe we can get the new owner/savior of Enagic GC at Eastlake interested in a sister course! [Matt had a different, much more shocking and misogynistic take on what the course reminded him of, involving poor Goose Creek GC and unnatural relations with another unnamed venue!!]

Driving range was on rough, uneven mats. They’ve moved the “Pro Shop” to the cart barn, I guess while other facilities are being upgraded? We didn’t take advantage of the food services or outdoor patio. Basic carts with no GPS or yardage book. I liked the layout and the variety of holes at Carlton Oaks, and would welcome another opportunity to play it and improve my initial score. I’d be hoping for improved conditions if I did.

I love the layout and haven't played here in about a year. Shocked by conditions. Very poor.
And Pace of Play just atrocious. Signs everywhere saying play at 4:15 but then the marshall comes and say... Continue »

I love the layout and haven't played here in about a year. Shocked by conditions. Very poor.
And Pace of Play just atrocious. Signs everywhere saying play at 4:15 but then the marshall comes and says, Sorry, this will be a long round due to a tourney. On SUNDAY morning???

Not to mention we paid twice what we used to for the course before Covid.

Course is not worth 80 dollars or the drive. Sorry to say it. The course is by far in the worst condition I have seen it.Felt like I was in LA instead of San Diego. Which says enough.

rode the greens on a cool 9/25 friday morning at 648 am (back 9 only)33.50 including cart...
they have moved the check-in location to just west of the putting green in the cart barn area/right above... Continue »

rode the greens on a cool 9/25 friday morning at 648 am (back 9 only)33.50 including cart...
they have moved the check-in location to just west of the putting green in the cart barn area/right above the first tee...check in easy and fast(kinda of like a drive up window)
now the review...tee boxes were level but mostly weeds and clumps of grass...4/greenside bunkers were lacking sand and hard pan..4/fairways were mostly green with different types of grass but for the most part good lies..6/rough could be 6 to 8 inches near water or just dirt and leaves..6/greens were the highlight except for a lot of ball marks..rolled quite nice medium speed..8 overall I found it to be better than other reviewers /great for a practicing my game

Played Sunday, Aug 16, 2020. $84 to ride. Based on the course conditions it wasn't worth half that. Tee boxes were bare in some spots and other areas were only crabgrass. Greens had pitch marks everyw... Continue »

Played Sunday, Aug 16, 2020. $84 to ride. Based on the course conditions it wasn't worth half that. Tee boxes were bare in some spots and other areas were only crabgrass. Greens had pitch marks everywhere and were in overall terrible condition. Fairways were not very good either, thin and bare in many places. Played Bonita Golf Club two days earlier and it was in superior condition at a much more reasonable price.

Overpriced dog track. Played August 8, 2020. Originally reserved a $45 walking rate but found the UnderPar deal and had $20 off UnderPar gift card so it brought it to $35 with a cart. Very glad I di... Continue »

Overpriced dog track. Played August 8, 2020. Originally reserved a $45 walking rate but found the UnderPar deal and had $20 off UnderPar gift card so it brought it to $35 with a cart. Very glad I did not pay $45 plus a cart to play here. They probably list it as a walking rate on purpose, to drive more eyeballs/traffic to the bookings, but it still is not worth that. Greens have many, many ball marks. Even though it was a Saturday, you could tell some were old ball marks as well. The greens also have a lot of weed/fungus growing in/on them, resulting in a lot of inconsistent rolls. The bunkers are terrible, rock hard most times. Tee boxes had a lot of divots for the most part and were not particularly level. Hole #6 from the Blues, the tee box was not even mowed within at least a couple days or even a week, you were teeing up next to weeds that were as tall as your ball teed up. The fairways were dry, and inconsistent. The rough was the same and lots of bare areas as well. Shame that this course used to host the NCAA Western Tournament just several years ago and now it's in this shape.

Played yesterday, Sunday, using underpar deal for $88 for two. I bought two vouchers, so with the service charge, it's $45ea. Good deal for a Sunday at 12:45pm teetime. We teed off about 15mins lat... Continue »

Played yesterday, Sunday, using underpar deal for $88 for two. I bought two vouchers, so with the service charge, it's $45ea. Good deal for a Sunday at 12:45pm teetime. We teed off about 15mins late and had a pretty bad POP at 5hrs. No marshall out there and it's the weekend, so it's about what you'd expect for the POP in the middle of the day.

Course was in good condition overall, seems better now than in the past. Teeboxes were pretty chewed up on the par3's, but all the others were just fine. Fairways were hit and miss, some bare spots and some divot damage, but for the most part, I had good lies all day and they offered some roll. Traps were pretty bad, lots of rocks and weeds, so we played that you could pickup your ball and place it to a good lie, no rakes of course. Rough wasn't too penal, it was short and fairly easy to hit from. Lots of dormant rough. Greens definitely the highlight. They held shots very well and were smooth and fast. Arguably the best I've seen these greens in 5yrs. Customer service just fine, bare minimum. The beverage cart girl came around 3 times and she was very friendly. Overall an easy recommend right now, especially if you can get it for the underpar deal (mon-wed you can get a free replay).

Played here on September 1 with two others. This was the first time playing here for all of us so had no idea what to expect other than past reviews. Looking at the course driving in was impressive. T... Continue »

Played here on September 1 with two others. This was the first time playing here for all of us so had no idea what to expect other than past reviews. Looking at the course driving in was impressive. The property is vast and looks similar to La Purisima imo. We all loved the lay out and overall feel of the golf course. Conditions, on the other hand, we're not as impressive. Many tee boxes were not level and chewed up, the bunkers were worse however the fairways and greens were fairly good. This place needs some TLC.......we all thought that this would be a designation type course if they maintained it better. We all said we would love to return when the course cleans up a bit. Right now you get muni like conditions with a resort feeling course........