I played Labor Day weekend and as I've commented before, I really enjoy playing this course. The layout is very fun, yet challenging, and I've always had good experiences here. Although I don't really... Continue »

I played Labor Day weekend and as I've commented before, I really enjoy playing this course. The layout is very fun, yet challenging, and I've always had good experiences here. Although I don't really like ending a round on a par 3, this hole is fun as it is 200+ yards playing over water. As far as the course conditions go, the grass was slightly on the dry side in certain areas but still very good. The entire course was lush. The tee boxes were all level and well maintained. The fairways were also very good. The rough was long enough that it commanded your full attention in order to strike your bally cleanly when coming out of it. The greens had some marks from divot damage but were generally good and rolling true. The one bunker was in had lots of soft sand yielding one of the worst fried egg I've ever seen. There is a well maintained grass driving range and putting green at the course. There was no one playing in front of us or behind us so we took our time. The one complaint I had was the lack of water igloos on the course and even the drinking fountain at the turn was out of service; definitely an issue on such a warm day. The cart girl came around several times and really knew how to make a bloody mary....she was also really fun to look at. The clubhouse is nice and a great place to get an after round drink. It also provides a good spot to watch your buddies knock a ball into the water while finishing on the 18th. I'd definitely recommend this course....it reminds me of a sister course to Maderas.

Played 7/26/14 10: 30 $70 w/ range balls POP 4:10
Course is playing well. $70 well is debatable
T's in good shape no problems
Fairways are in good shape. In years past the fairways have been thin... Continue »

Played 7/26/14 10: 30 $70 w/ range balls POP 4:10
Course is playing well. $70 well is debatable
T's in good shape no problems
Fairways are in good shape. In years past the fairways have been thin & sparse demanding perfect ball striking. They are much fuller then I've ever seen them. Not 'Desert Willow' lush but still in good to very good shape.
Like mentioned before. A couple of the greens have some small minor 'sick' areas. But, over all in good to very good shape. Rolled well and I'd say a tad faster then medium speed. Noticed the course greens rolled faster then the practice green. Take note on the first couple of holes !
Still one of my top 5 favorite courses in San Diego.

played 7/24 right at 4 hrs staff was great put us out early as a twosome to be before the mens club foresomes great to be at a course that helps regulate the pace of play and is flexible to accommod... Continue »

played 7/24 right at 4 hrs staff was great put us out early as a twosome to be before the mens club foresomes great to be at a course that helps regulate the pace of play and is flexible to accommodate the golfing public this was my 1st time here and my playing partner and I were treated like we were members (even using a discounted tee time)
yes the 1st green was not pristine but much better than described
rest of course was in great shape the starter gave us good advice that the course plays long plenty tough from the whites we will returen

First time playing here and have to say that I enjoyed it! Was a little weary at first as the 1st green is having some serious issues right now. Lots of unrepaired marks, old cup placements clearly ... Continue »

First time playing here and have to say that I enjoyed it! Was a little weary at first as the 1st green is having some serious issues right now. Lots of unrepaired marks, old cup placements clearly visible, in pretty bad shape. However, every other green was in great shape! Fairway lies were pretty good, some a little tight, but considering that we are in a major drought that is to be expected. I really, really like this layout. Very fun track that you have to think your way around but still very fair. Course knowledge goes a long way here. Keep the driver in the bag and hit 3w/3h and you'll be golden. The rough on some holes was a little mushy so not quite sure what was going there. Beverage cart stopped by a few times, very attentive. Beverage attendant is VERY nice. Didn't wait on a single hole, teed off at 11:50. Paid $63 for a Sunday morning which was a good deal. If you get it under $60 jump on it. $5 unlimited range.

Initially partner and I did not feel welcome from Pro Shop attendants, I'm not sure what was up with that? Perhaps these folks aren't to happy that the general public now graces their formerly private... Continue »

Initially partner and I did not feel welcome from Pro Shop attendants, I'm not sure what was up with that? Perhaps these folks aren't to happy that the general public now graces their formerly private club? Oh we'll, get over it? They did offer a yardage book?....so some redeeming points there. Onto the golf, first hole...looks great from tee box, tee boxes very nice throughout the course. First green was in very poor shape, the worst of the day. Fungal spots? Tons of ball marks and indentatations.....very bumpy and SLOW. Very slow greens all day.....I prefer a 11 vs. a 9 stimp. The rest of the greens, save for a couple, were in nice shape I will say, bit slow. Thick rough that really held up your ball.......stay out of it. Bunkers well raked and in very nice condition. Tough layout in grade 8 condition. We played blue tees as usual....at 6500 yds. A lot of the holes played into the wind and played that much more difficult. I suggest a full reading/viewing of the pictures and comments on this course... found here on GK. Decent deal from Under Par at $50. Go check it out if you're in the mood for a new track.

Played at 1:30pm on Sunday, 6/29/14, on a warm sunny day with fresh breezes. Today was the club championship and pins were in difficult positions, and greens were so firm that even wedges wouldn't hol... Continue »

Played at 1:30pm on Sunday, 6/29/14, on a warm sunny day with fresh breezes. Today was the club championship and pins were in difficult positions, and greens were so firm that even wedges wouldn't hold the green.

Fairways, rough, tees, and sand were generally good. POP was 4.5+ hr. No drink cart today, but the course had plenty of water out.

I like GC of CA's layout and shot challenges, so I enjoyed the round even under the difficult conditions. Grass driving range. Very large putting green that simulates on-course contour changes well. Recommended.

From my round 5/9:

Tee boxes - Generally good. No bare patches and moderate amounts of repaired divots, but the grass was inconsistently shaggy in patches.
Fairways - Fair shape but inconsistent.... Continue »

From my round 5/9:

Tee boxes - Generally good. No bare patches and moderate amounts of repaired divots, but the grass was inconsistently shaggy in patches.
Fairways - Fair shape but inconsistent. Lots of little tufts of grass scattered among very thin patches of thin grass. Lies were inconsistent, sometimes thin and sometimes too fluffy for a fairway.
Bunkers - Mostly good. One was pretty crunchy and crusty, but others seemed fairly consistent and were well maintained.
Greens - Inconsistent speeds from green to green and some bumpiness. They still haven't healed adequately from the recent aeration.
Pace of play - excellent, just a tick under 4 hours playing as a foursome.

Golf Club of California is generally a good track, but it does seem to keep slowly sliding downhill and feels more like a muni each time I play it. One can tell the maintenance budget much just keep getting squeezed more and more as they struggle to come back from near closure.

Finally got to play here and after all I had heard about this place I have to say I was a bit disappointed. The course was in about the same winter shape as most everywhere else right now, rough. The ... Continue »

Finally got to play here and after all I had heard about this place I have to say I was a bit disappointed. The course was in about the same winter shape as most everywhere else right now, rough. The greens were bumpy and hard, bad combo. The bunkers were just soft dirt with lots of dirt clods and rocks. Nice layout and I will be back, hopefully when things get better. Today, not a fan.

Made a return visit to The Golf Club of California on Saturday, February 1, after being thoroughly impressed with the playing conditions I encountered on January 18. I won't go into as much detail in ... Continue »

Made a return visit to The Golf Club of California on Saturday, February 1, after being thoroughly impressed with the playing conditions I encountered on January 18. I won't go into as much detail in this review so feel free to reference my initial posting for a fuller profile of this hidden gem. Conditions are as good, if not slightly better, than what I experienced two weeks ago. A couple of tee boxes that were closed at the time (there are multiple boxes to choose from) were now open and plush with fresh turf (Blue Tee on #2 for example). Not only do these alternate tees offer players a different perspective/challenge, it allows the grounds crew the opportunity to close a couple of boxes and refresh them as needed. No overseeding here so the fairways, obviously, are dormant and the lies are TIGHT! Very little margin for error when it comes to striking irons but the ball sits up beautifully; crisp contact will allow you to put a good amount of spin on the ball and it's necessary if you have any hope of stopping it close to the target. And that was certainly the case on Saturday. Despite some showers a day or so in advance of my round, the greens were very firm, which made some pins downright inaccessible. If you've played here before, you'll know that the contours and shaping of the putting surfaces truly define target golf. Whereas I was able to hold some greens last month with hybrids, that wasn't the case this time around. Some shots, even mid-to-short irons, either caromed off some of the fault lines and slopes or simply released and rolled off the green into the fringe area. If you hit Nicklaus-type iron shots (i.e., 4-iron with Pitching Wedge trajectory) then you'll have a distinct advantage here. And trying to get up-and-down after missing a green, especially if short-sided, was d%mn near impossible in some cases. Now I'm not complaining by any means as we played in a brisk wind for most of the day with temperatures 20-25 degrees colder than what they were in January so I can understand why the greens weren't as receptive as anticipated. I just want to point out that this is a thinking man's golf course when it comes to approach shots so when you play here it's imperative to take note of the idiosyncrasies of each and every green and use that knowledge for your benefit in the future. If you love to shape shots and use the contours of the green to feed the ball to the hole then I would consider this your Shan-gri-la; it is a shotmaker's delight. Since I spent quite a bit of time in the fringe areas on Saturday, I did notice they have filled in over the past couple of weeks, making for more consistent lies over a greater area surrounding the greens. The patchiness I observed in January seems to have been minimized to a noticeable degree and, as a result, provided more club selection options on pitch/chip shots. Rough remains on the short side but still offers a challenge. Sand traps, as noted in my earlier review, are outstanding, although a couple of fairway bunkers that hadn't seen any foot traffic during the day had a slightly crusty surface. Greens looked fantastic and were smooth; again, just a couple of ball marks here and there but no evidence whatsoever of anything that was neglected for more than a few hours. Surprisingly, despite their firmness, the greens were a notch or two slower this time around and I had a difficult time adjusting, especially on long putts. Anything that had to come up and over one of the many slopes was particularly challenging; I just couldn't seem to hit the ball hard enough. Teed off @ 12:15 and pace-of-play was what I expected: 4 hours and 40 minutes or so. Course was full and we kept pace with the foursome in front of us for most of the day yet felt rushed due to a twosome that was slotted behind us, which was followed by another group of four. Thought that was a bad move by the starter since I was a single and should have been paired with that group rather than the threesome I was asked to join. With a favorable discounted rate available online and very good playing conditions, I'm inclined to think this may be my "go-to" course this year. Despite being a 100+ mile round trip for me, it's a layout that has grabbed my attention. Extremely challenging, particularly when the wind is up, The GC of California is one of those venues where you'll find private country club conditions at a respectable public rate. I don't expect to get out a lot this year...perhaps one or two rounds per month at best...and intend to be very selective about where I play. I'd prefer to get one round in for $50 here as opposed to playing two rounds elsewhere for that price so it's going to be quality over quantity in 2014.