We played as a threesome on the 4th of July and I booked the tee time for 5:50 am on golfnow.com. Now, I normally don't play that early for obvious reasons, but because of all the family festivities ... Continue »

We played as a threesome on the 4th of July and I booked the tee time for 5:50 am on golfnow.com. Now, I normally don't play that early for obvious reasons, but because of all the family festivities that day I thought it would be best to get the round in as early as possible.

We arrived around 5:15 to hopefully check in, maybe hit a couple balls (who cares if it was still dark) and just be ready to go on our tee time. Unfortunately we beat all employees to the course and ended up waiting out front. After we got in the starter/cart attendant situation was kind of a cluster. There were about 12-15 members who apparently just show up and decide that they own the place and can do whatever they want. I guess the entire public/private situation there is a bit messy, but still, it left a bad taste in my mouth. We eventually teed off about 30 minutes behind our scheduled time.

As far as the golf is concerned, the course is really difficult. For some reason even the shorter holes seemed to play longer than the yardage and the par 5s on this course are extremely difficult. The first time you play the course I would suggest getting a yardage book or lowering your expectations because you're bound to find yourself hitting into areas that you didn't know existed or give you bad angles to the green (the second hole comes to mind).

The condition of the course was pretty good. I don't know if it was because we teed off so early or what, but the course was absolutely soaked. I must have found casual water 6-7 times in the fairways and all three times I was in bunkers. I don't know what that was all about. The greens were good for the most part, rolled well and held shots, but you could tell that a few greens had some issues (disease?) and got pretty bumpy (first hole for example). I really love this layout, and would go back to play again, but would do so in the afternoon to give the course some time to dry out and for the staff to get everything together.

Oh, since we teed off around 6:15 there wasn't any beverage cart and the grill and the snack bar were closed when we made the turn. However, when we got done at 10 am the bartender opened for us and she was awesome. Got a couple cold Firestone DBAs on tap which was a great start to the rest of the festivities for the day.

I would definitely recommend this course if you're in the area as it is one of the best layouts, just try to play a little later in the day to let some of the water dry up.

The Golf Club of California Course Review
San Diego Golf Course Reviews

Played on 6/15/12. Course is in really good shape right now. I think the worst part about the conditions is how damp and seemingly saturated the greens were. Specifically, they were very receptive ... Continue »

Played on 6/15/12. Course is in really good shape right now. I think the worst part about the conditions is how damp and seemingly saturated the greens were. Specifically, they were very receptive and you can be aggressive, but they were very spongy. Interestingly, despite how soft and wet they were, they were still relatively fast. The tee boxes, fairways and rough are all in great condition. Only saw the cart girl once on 7. It seems like a great time of year to play this course. We booked a fantastic deal on golfnow (although I hate admitting this fact at the risk of all of you taking a spot I may want in the future). In any event, the course is playing great right now, and the staff was equally excellent. I would have liked to see the beverage cart a bit more often, and possibly a bit less water on the greens. Other than that, it's a great challenge, and in pretty good shape (I'd say an 8 out of 10 in course conditions).

The Golf Club of California Course Review
San Diego Golf Course Reviews

First time here and after viewing the locker room this has to be one of the nicest I have seen. Big leather chairs in there with a tv, if I didn't have to leave afterwards I probably would have watch... Continue »

First time here and after viewing the locker room this has to be one of the nicest I have seen. Big leather chairs in there with a tv, if I didn't have to leave afterwards I probably would have watched some of the tournament that was on. If you haven't played here the tips Johnny posted are very helpful. For example #12 is a short par 4 that has water by the green but you can't see this from the tee box. The clubhouse provided a yardage book but it was a pretty simple yardage book. Conditions were pretty good out here. Greens are not that fast and I was expecting them to be a bit faster. I just always think that courses that are inland have fast greens because it's primarily dry. Fairways were in great shape and the sand was too. The rough here is pretty much a gone ball unless you're lucky. There are some long distances between holes so I do not think this is a walkable course (I would think it's probably not allowed). Guys in the pro shop were nice and helpful, guy was out on the range replenishing the balls and the cart girl came around quite a few times so the customer service was very good. Range is grass and has two levels with multiple flag locations. It is away a bit from the clubhouse. Good course and would recommend it.

The Golf Club of California Course Review
San Diego Golf Course Reviews

Course was in very good condition. Fairways were very nice, the rough was a little patchy but all in all pretty good. Greens were good speed and rolled very smooth. Excellent customer service.

T... Continue »

Course was in very good condition. Fairways were very nice, the rough was a little patchy but all in all pretty good. Greens were good speed and rolled very smooth. Excellent customer service.

The Golf Club of California Course Review
San Diego Golf Course Reviews

My son and I played April 26, 2012. We found the staff to be friendly and professional from the car to the first tee. The design challenging yet forgiving. Conditions perfect, morning rain followed ... Continue »

My son and I played April 26, 2012. We found the staff to be friendly and professional from the car to the first tee. The design challenging yet forgiving. Conditions perfect, morning rain followed by late morning sun allowed for a four hour round. Highly recommend this course to visitors and locals of San Diego County.

The Golf Club of California Course Review
San Diego Golf Course Reviews

Played 3/29. Course is in very good condition. Staff very friendly and helpful. All in all, just an outstanding facility. Going back tomorrow. :)

The Golf Club of California Course Review
San Dieg... Continue »

Played 3/29. Course is in very good condition. Staff very friendly and helpful. All in all, just an outstanding facility. Going back tomorrow. :)

The Golf Club of California Course Review
San Diego Golf Course Reviews

Played at The Golf Club of California yesterday 3/31. I had a groupgolfer voucher I needed to use before it expired. It was good only weekends only after 11:00, so I called ahead in the morning and th... Continue »

Played at The Golf Club of California yesterday 3/31. I had a groupgolfer voucher I needed to use before it expired. It was good only weekends only after 11:00, so I called ahead in the morning and they said they had a group right at 11:00 I could join as a single, which was perfect. It had rained a little bit in the morning, so their members club tournament started a little later than normal and pushed back the regular tee times, so it wasn't until about 11:30 before the group I was in teed off. We were first off behind the members and it was very slow play on the front nine. But they started as a shotgun, so they finished on the 10th hole and after that it was smooth sailing. All in all, the round took about 4.5 hours which wasn't bad on a Saturday.

I really enjoyed the course's layout. Even though the course winds through a community, the course itself is much less "residential" than I expected. Lots of great scenery and a "secluded" feel on most holes out there. I liked that every hole had a different design and look, so each hole presented a new challenge. It is a challenging layout with lots of hazards to contend with, so bring plenty of balls (both literally and figuratively). If you are hitting well and playing the right strategies, though, I think you can score well here. But if you are off (like I was), it can be a long, tough day.

The course was in pretty nice shape. Greens were in great shape for the most part. Any traces of the recent aeration are all but gone. A little bumpy in a few spots, but overall receptive on approach shots and generally quite smooth on putts. Greens probably running a little slower right now than I imagine they normally do. The fairways and rough were decent. Still a bit thin and/or patchy in some areas as grass is not quite fully matured from winter dormancy yet, but nothing that affected play. Overall in good shape and well worth the visit!

The Golf Club of California Course Review
San Diego Golf Course Reviews

I played on Sat., Mar. 24 and found little evidence of the aerating that was done toward the beginning of the month. I really love the layout and general upkeep of this course. I found the condition... Continue »

I played on Sat., Mar. 24 and found little evidence of the aerating that was done toward the beginning of the month. I really love the layout and general upkeep of this course. I found the conditions of the course to be not as good from the last time I played but in consideration of the season coming out of winter, it definitely was playable and kept up better than most other courses. The greens were a little on the dry side but rolled true. Fairways were dry and there were many divots in certain spots on the course. The tee boxes were pretty good and level. My one major gripe were the conditions of the bunkers. They were consistently thin. All in all, I had a fun time and would definitely recommend this course.

The Golf Club of California Course Review
San Diego Golf Course Reviews

Played Sat Early A.M. 12-3-11. Was expecting very cold and windy weather, and it turned out perfect. Golf course is very nice. the fairways should be opened for cart traffic in about a week. Tees l... Continue »

Played Sat Early A.M. 12-3-11. Was expecting very cold and windy weather, and it turned out perfect. Golf course is very nice. the fairways should be opened for cart traffic in about a week. Tees level, sand awesome and the greens smooth and medium fast. They really treat you nice here. Range balls (grass range), a very helpful tip sheet and water is included. Course is tough but fair. If you play the back tees, you need to know how to work the ball both ways. about an hour drive from O.C. Put this on your must play list.

The Golf Club of California Course Review
San Diego Golf Course Reviews