I had the opportunity to play Barona Creek this past weekend so I thought I'd try my hand at writing up a review.
Pictures
Clubhouse
Course
Practice area
Rating: A
The driving range is good sized and had 6 or 7 targets at various distances, with a sign at the end of the range indicating the distances of each target for that day. The range has balls already set out so you don't need to pay extra for a bucket or anything like that.
There was a single practing putting green, but it was quite large with 9 different holes to practice to which could accomodate quite a few people. The green itself was in great shape and consistent with the greens on the course as far as speed and condition.
There was also a seperate green for chipping practice that also had a couple bunkers around it for sand practice.
Course conditions
Rating: A
The entire course was in great shape from tee boxes to fairways to greens. It's not a super lush green course, but it is in as good of shape as any course I've seen in Southern California.
The tee boxes were all flat which is a big pet peeve of mine when they aren't, and well kept.
The fairways were well manicured and didn't seem to have many of the drought issues you see around here.
There isn't a alot of rough to speak of, the fairway quickly transitions into long native grass that you don't want to be hitting into, or out of (as can be seen in the pictures).
There were quite a few sand traps on the course, fortunately I only found myself in a couple but they were in good condition. Not super soft, but soft enough to be able to play a decent shot out of.
The greens were hard and fast, many of them with quite a bit of slope where you're going to have a lot of trouble trying to get the ball close if you're putting/chipping from the wrong side. For the most part they were in great condition, I only saw 1 or 2 that had any dead grass type of issues.
Layout
Rating: B
I found the course to be pretty challenging. There are a lot of spots where you really need to play target golf as hitting into the native grasses and bunkers can be pretty penal. While I enjoyed the course I just didn't find it as 'fun' as some other courses. I know that's very subjective, but I found myself enjoying the course more because of the condition it was in rather than because I enjoyed the layout. I think a more skilled golfer may enjoy the course more than some of the higher handicaps. That being said, after having played it once I think I could score better the second time around as I'd now know certain spots to avoid, etc.
There were I believe 4 different sets of tee boxes, ranging from 5,300 yards to 7,000+ for the tips. So I thnk it is a challenge for all skill levels. I played the silver tees which were around 6,200 yards which isn't really long, but the layout still made it pretty challenging.
Pace of play
Rating: B
We played right around 4.5 hours which isn't super fast, but was faster than I've gotten used to out here. I did not see any marshalls on the course however.
Price
Rating: B-
This one is really hard for me as I tend to think anything over $50 is too much for most courses. The normal weekend rate is $160, but I was able to get on for $80 though a local golf group I belong to. For $80 I felt it was a pretty fair value compared to other courses in the region, but had I payed $160 I think I would have been pretty unhappy. The course is part of a casino, so I'm assuming there are deals to be had to get on, but I don't know any specifics.
Amenities
Rating: A
The locker room was small, but clean and comfortable with a few lockers and a some larger chairs and a tv for hanging out if someone were so inclined. They have a snack shack next to the clubhouse as well as a cart girl on the course selling food/drinks. There were I think 2 different spots with bathrooms available on the course. There didn't seem to be anybody available for wiping down your clubs after the round.
The carts all came with GPS, ball/club washers and divot fill.
Like I mentioned before, the course is part of a casino and there is at least 1 restaurant available on-site, but I didn't eat there so I can't comment on it.
Overall
Rating: B+
Overall I enjoyed the course and found it pretty challenging, I don't think I would come back without getting a good deal on it though, and possibly when I feel my game is in a little better shape.
Pictures
Clubhouse
Spoiler
Course
Spoiler
Spoiler
Spoiler
Spoiler
Practice area
Rating: A
The driving range is good sized and had 6 or 7 targets at various distances, with a sign at the end of the range indicating the distances of each target for that day. The range has balls already set out so you don't need to pay extra for a bucket or anything like that.
There was a single practing putting green, but it was quite large with 9 different holes to practice to which could accomodate quite a few people. The green itself was in great shape and consistent with the greens on the course as far as speed and condition.
There was also a seperate green for chipping practice that also had a couple bunkers around it for sand practice.
Course conditions
Rating: A
The entire course was in great shape from tee boxes to fairways to greens. It's not a super lush green course, but it is in as good of shape as any course I've seen in Southern California.
The tee boxes were all flat which is a big pet peeve of mine when they aren't, and well kept.
The fairways were well manicured and didn't seem to have many of the drought issues you see around here.
There isn't a alot of rough to speak of, the fairway quickly transitions into long native grass that you don't want to be hitting into, or out of (as can be seen in the pictures).
There were quite a few sand traps on the course, fortunately I only found myself in a couple but they were in good condition. Not super soft, but soft enough to be able to play a decent shot out of.
The greens were hard and fast, many of them with quite a bit of slope where you're going to have a lot of trouble trying to get the ball close if you're putting/chipping from the wrong side. For the most part they were in great condition, I only saw 1 or 2 that had any dead grass type of issues.
Layout
Rating: B
I found the course to be pretty challenging. There are a lot of spots where you really need to play target golf as hitting into the native grasses and bunkers can be pretty penal. While I enjoyed the course I just didn't find it as 'fun' as some other courses. I know that's very subjective, but I found myself enjoying the course more because of the condition it was in rather than because I enjoyed the layout. I think a more skilled golfer may enjoy the course more than some of the higher handicaps. That being said, after having played it once I think I could score better the second time around as I'd now know certain spots to avoid, etc.
There were I believe 4 different sets of tee boxes, ranging from 5,300 yards to 7,000+ for the tips. So I thnk it is a challenge for all skill levels. I played the silver tees which were around 6,200 yards which isn't really long, but the layout still made it pretty challenging.
Pace of play
Rating: B
We played right around 4.5 hours which isn't super fast, but was faster than I've gotten used to out here. I did not see any marshalls on the course however.
Price
Rating: B-
This one is really hard for me as I tend to think anything over $50 is too much for most courses. The normal weekend rate is $160, but I was able to get on for $80 though a local golf group I belong to. For $80 I felt it was a pretty fair value compared to other courses in the region, but had I payed $160 I think I would have been pretty unhappy. The course is part of a casino, so I'm assuming there are deals to be had to get on, but I don't know any specifics.
Amenities
Rating: A
The locker room was small, but clean and comfortable with a few lockers and a some larger chairs and a tv for hanging out if someone were so inclined. They have a snack shack next to the clubhouse as well as a cart girl on the course selling food/drinks. There were I think 2 different spots with bathrooms available on the course. There didn't seem to be anybody available for wiping down your clubs after the round.
The carts all came with GPS, ball/club washers and divot fill.
Like I mentioned before, the course is part of a casino and there is at least 1 restaurant available on-site, but I didn't eat there so I can't comment on it.
Overall
Rating: B+
Overall I enjoyed the course and found it pretty challenging, I don't think I would come back without getting a good deal on it though, and possibly when I feel my game is in a little better shape.
.