THE COURSE IS RUINED - THEY’VE CUT DOWN THE BIG TREE IN THE MIDDLE OF #9 FAIRWAY!! Shop says it was diseased. Hope they replace it – that was an iconic feature of the course. Played in an SCGA qualif... Continue »

THE COURSE IS RUINED - THEY’VE CUT DOWN THE BIG TREE IN THE MIDDLE OF #9 FAIRWAY!! Shop says it was diseased. Hope they replace it – that was an iconic feature of the course. Played in an SCGA qualifier at 8am on a sunny, warm Monday, 3/21/22, on a great day for golf with very little wind. A little cool to start but it warmed up quickly. I wasn’t crazy about the $25 cart fee the course charged – hey, it has GPS, the shop says. I must admit I didn’t look at the small GPS unit all day. Playing in these SCGA events is getting tougher for me as they generally start early and can be in remote locations. At the GK event at San Vicente last year gary00 and I got lost and wandered around eastern San Diego before finally finding the course. This time I took the Highway 78 Death Road from Escondido – a deep canyon on one side, cliffs on the other of a two-lane, winding road with maniac commuter drivers racing to work. And a face full of blinding sunrise to boot – as Mark often says, Good Times! Then you wander thru Ramona hoping to find the course, because there is NO signage anywhere and the course won’t come up on my car GPS. Good Times! Off on time at 8am and we found conditions to be less than optimal on fairways and rough. Both were very dry/thin and patchy, even being reduced to bare spots in many areas. Conditions did make for pretty good runout. Lies were tight and the ball frequently sat down. Many tees were noticeably sloping behind a right-handed golfer – we played White. Bunkers were in very good condition – we saw staff hand-raking them ahead of the round, and they had consistent heavy, damp sand that was easy to play from. Greens were in very good condition with complete coverage and consistent turf. However, they were very firm, not really holding anything but short, high shots, and fast to the point of silly. Anything above the hole was “wave the putter over the ball” and hope the ball wandered down near the hole. I don’t care for this type of condition, as I think golf should be played where you feel you actually have a chance to make a putt. And while I know this is operator error, I got to tick “6-putt” off my to-do list. These types of greens also contribute to slow play. We had a couple of very deliberate markers/alignment/practice strokers in our group, and combined with the green speeds and missed comebackers we were berated for being 12 minutes behind on hole #5! Managed to kind of catch up as the round continued, but weirdly we didn’t see the group behind us for the next nine holes. So they were having their own problems. Wound up playing in about 4¾ hours – not too bad for an SCGA event. The course uses an “entry/exit” gate system which I think helps manage cart wear on turf margins. Practice putting green was stupid fast and a harbinger of the stress to come. Drink cart was out, and a snack shack at the turn. I like the layout here and would like it better in more playable conditions. I played in the GK event at Goose Creek the day before, and so I got pretty gassed by the latter part of the back nine. With the long and difficult trek out here, not sure how many more times I will visit. But I would recommend to others.

Played Saturday, 12/11, as part of a 2 group GK meet-up. A frost delay pushed us back 2 hours, but it was the smoothest ran delay I've seen. Staff had the groups running smooth and despite the delay, ... Continue »

Played Saturday, 12/11, as part of a 2 group GK meet-up. A frost delay pushed us back 2 hours, but it was the smoothest ran delay I've seen. Staff had the groups running smooth and despite the delay, we played a sub 4 hour round. I've never had a better experience with trying to squeeze groups out to catch up on a busy tee sheet on a Saturday. Great job by the staff.

The course is in various stages of dormancy and was playing tight, firm, and fast. I love some firm and fast, but many holes have a strategic bunker placed in front of the green which took out a run up and I don't have high wedge off a tight lie in my bag. Fairways were well covered and while dormant, no thin/dead spots. Rough was basically fairway height, unless you found some spots way off or off the beaten path. Bunkers were incredible. Sand felt new, thick and heavy, but nice to hit out. I heard they had renovated all the greens and all I can say is wow. Smooth and fast with an incredible amount of undulations. You definitely need to be confident with the putter or it'll be a long day.

San Vicente absolutely exceeded my expectations. In an area with lots of high end courses, San Vicente is a perfect "one step back" from those. Perfect price point, good to great conditions, and a fun course to play. My favorite was the par 3 15th, with the mini-Biarritz style green tucked into a grove of trees. For a resort, the staff and vibe had a super friendly muni feel to it.

Played 12/5/21 7:50 with a 2 hr. frost delay, so a 9:50 tee off. Fairways are mostly dormant but with decent to good coverage. They were mostly on the "Cut tight" side, but still played fine with very... Continue »

Played 12/5/21 7:50 with a 2 hr. frost delay, so a 9:50 tee off. Fairways are mostly dormant but with decent to good coverage. They were mostly on the "Cut tight" side, but still played fine with very good roll out. I encounter little to no issues. Greens are in very good to great shape. They were slightly softer than they have been. They rolled very true at a perfect pace IMO. The new greens have many contours to them and can be tricky if you're in the wrong spot. Traps were in great shape and consistent. The course is in really great winter playing shape overall.
Easy recommend. Thanks Johnny and Matt for setting this up, And a very big thanks to SVR for a great day and a tasty box lunch.

Joined up with some GK'ers yesterday out at San Vicente Resort. We were looking for a place to play before heading to Rams hill the next day and this was a great choice. We had 7:40 and 7:50 tee times... Continue »

Joined up with some GK'ers yesterday out at San Vicente Resort. We were looking for a place to play before heading to Rams hill the next day and this was a great choice. We had 7:40 and 7:50 tee times but it was a very cold morning and we ended up having a 2 hour frost delay. The staff was very friendly and handled the situation very well. Instead of doing a shotgun start they just pushed everyone back 2 hours so we assumed the course was going to be slow but that was not the case. We zipped around the course in under 4 hours which was great.

Course is still in good shape overall. The Greens were the highlight of the day lush, firm and fast all day. I bid you good luck if you leave the ball above the hole. Just look at my 4 putt double bogey on hole 2! Well hit approaches will stick to the green but anything coming in low would mostly roll off the greens. The fairways had full coverage but were mostly dormant and cut low. The tight lies caused some havoc in our group but it was still very playable. Rough was cut to the same length as the fairway with the exception of a few areas around the hazards. This also caused issues as balls that rolled off the green usually kept rolling to the low spots. The 3 bunkers I had had very soft sand and was just a pleasure to play from. The Tee boxes were probably the lowest point of the round and could use a little TLC all of them were level but not a ton of grass. I Noticed a few boxes had some new Sod so maybe they are already working on it.

I really enjoy they layout of this course as no two holes are the same. the par 3's are all different lengths which is a big plus in my book. The greens are the highlight of the course architecture they were completely redone prior to them reopening last year. Massive undulations and a lot of places to put the pins make for a different experience every time you play. Carts are basic but do have a GPS that gives you Front, Center, and Back yardages. Lastly the Staff here is by far the friendliest group of people I have encountered on a golf course, They go over the top to help you with anything you can think of. With the exception of no cart girl this day :)

I highly recommend playing here if you get the chance.

Played today in a mini-GK outing. I played here a couple of months ago and enjoyed it very much. I was happy for the opportunity to play again. We had a 7:30am tee time but upon arrival found a two h... Continue »

Played today in a mini-GK outing. I played here a couple of months ago and enjoyed it very much. I was happy for the opportunity to play again. We had a 7:30am tee time but upon arrival found a two hour frost delay. No problem. We all went and enjoyed breakfast at a nearby café as the golf course restaurant was not yet open. When we arrived back at the course, it was very busy. The staff was super friendly and efficient in keeping things organized and getting the players out after the delay.

The conditions were pretty good. The fairways and rough are dormant brown and cut very short. Those tight lies gave me some trouble but I certainly appreciated the extra roll out on my drives. The sand in the five or six (or more?) bunkers I was in was great. It was very clean and soft. I haven’t seen bunkers that nice in a while. The greens were hard and fast! They are very undulating and putting was a real challenge for all of us. Other than a few moments of frustration, it was a super fun day playing with Tim, Brady and Ross. Huge thanks to Johnny for setting it up.

Played 10-16-21 12:30 POP 4:20 Very busy day but it moved along fine. Course has dried a little since last time but still in over good to great shape. Greens mostly healed from punching. A few had vi... Continue »

Played 10-16-21 12:30 POP 4:20 Very busy day but it moved along fine. Course has dried a little since last time but still in over good to great shape. Greens mostly healed from punching. A few had visible holes still, but caused very few issues. Many greens had ball marks not healing. Greens still very firm and hard to stop shots. Fairways mostly green with good coverage, but noticeably drier from last time I played here. Still in very good shape with good roll out. Still a good recommend.

Played 9/3/21 3:15 POP 4 hrs. Course continues to be in very good to great shape. Fairways are mostly full. Some small troubled spots mixed through out, but mostly in good to great shape. Ball sat p... Continue »

Played 9/3/21 3:15 POP 4 hrs. Course continues to be in very good to great shape. Fairways are mostly full. Some small troubled spots mixed through out, but mostly in good to great shape. Ball sat perfect. They are firm with good roll out. Greens were in great shape. Very firm. You have to play 5 -10 yard shorter on approches. Ball ran smooth at a touch above medium pace. Traps were in very good shape. Players not raking the bunkers after play is a big problem here. Not sure why. Never seen it this bad before. A easy recommend.

Teed it up with GK Gurus Thursday (8/5) at San Vicente Golf Resort in Ramona. The golf course was recently awarded by the leading golf course industry publication Golf.Inc as the Renovation of The Yea... Continue »

Teed it up with GK Gurus Thursday (8/5) at San Vicente Golf Resort in Ramona. The golf course was recently awarded by the leading golf course industry publication Golf.Inc as the Renovation of The Year (ROY). The layout and scenery are gorgeous. Check out the photos I just posted here. The new green complexes are an absolute blast to play. They remind me of Rustic Canyon, Olivas Links and Soule Park. Very much like Soule Park in fact.

The greens and green complexes are visually striking and beautiful. Medium sized greens, undulating in many directions, uniform bent grass (remember all new bent grass greens in SoCal eventually get poa in them so play them now for that pure bent experience), very firm (because new bent grass greens are always very firm the first year) and fantastically designed (each green unique with plenty of places to tuck pins – favorite green number 6 nicknamed “Punchbowl”). As for the conditions front nine greens very smooth, few ball marks and fast. Back nine greens very smooth, occasional balls marks and medium speed. It’s been very hot in Ramona the last few weeks as was our day of play so it’s likely the greens normally run much faster.

The bunkers were all in immaculate shape. Perfectly groomed and excellent sand quality. I was in many of them Thursday so I know!

The fairways are bermunda with a firm base so you get lots of roll. Yet there is just enough base to create consistently very good lies. They are mostly green, dry and are showing at times are light brown/blonde. Over time these bermunda fairways are going to get lusher with each maintenance season. I loved the fairways current state getting tons of run with the crisp bermuda lies creating more spin on approach shots which you need due to new firm greens.

The rough is the same turf of the fairways with similar characteristics and kept short (2 to 3 inches).

We played the white tees which measure 6346 yards, the next step up is the black tees at 6704, which IMO is too large of gap and justifies a Black/White combo. I noticed the conditions between the white tees (which were very good) had more noticeable wear and tear. The black tees had very little to no wear and tear. A few blind tee shots but I think the golf course should consider having a bell installed on hole #6, the awesome punchbowl hole, signally the green is clear. Make sure you have a player hang back on the fairway hill until everyone is putting. But overall, tee shots out there are very fun to play. There is a need to work the ball in both directions to avoid trees and at times hit dead straight to keep in play. Love that. Challenging shots.

After golf we enjoyed some appetizers/drinks on the patio on the Oaks Grille. Delicious food, fairly priced with a scenic view the golf course, surrounding area and sunset.

Highly Recommend San Vicente Golf Resort!

Played with the GK Gurus at 240pm on Thursday, 8/5/21. Read Robert’s (roarksown1) detailed review that captures all my thoughts as well. My first time here and checking out last year’s renovation of t... Continue »

Played with the GK Gurus at 240pm on Thursday, 8/5/21. Read Robert’s (roarksown1) detailed review that captures all my thoughts as well. My first time here and checking out last year’s renovation of the greens. I like the look and presentation of the greens/traps complexes and like the variety you find in the course. Very scenic setting but you’ve got to be able to control your ball on approaches. New greens are very firm and you must take that into account when planning your approaches. Unfortunately we also saw a LOT of unrepaired ballmarks, especially on the back nine, some within a foot or two of the hole (!). Greens have a lot of subtlety and repeated plays are needed to know how and where to approach various pin positions. A definite recommendation and I’d like another crack at the course (hopefully in cooler weather!!).