[GeneralLee44]

I wanted to thank everyone that posted reviews and recommendations about golf courses in the San Diego area. I just got back from a 6 day vacation where I got to play 6 rounds of golf. My uncle lives in San Marcos so that is where I setup camp for the week. I was able to play Steele Canyon (Canyon/Ranch), Maderas, Barona, Eagle Crest, Woods Valley and Shadowridge. I met a couple guys that I got paired up with at Maderas and they invited me to play Eagle Crest the next morning. Eagle Crest wasnt on my short list of courses to play but it was nice to have a group to play with since I was playing golf by myself the whole week. I ended up playing Woods Valley the same day as Eagle Crest so I got in 36 holes in that day. I choose Woods Valley because it was close to my uncle's place and it was cheap.

Here is my review of the courses.
Steele Canyon
I really enjoyed my round at Steele Canyon. The greens were very quick which led to a few 3 putts but the course was in good shape and the layout was nice. The club house is being worked on so there was some construction to go around getting to the pro shop but nothing major. I think one of my favorite holes was the 3rd hole on the Ranch course which has a huge elevation change from tee to fairway. I hit a awesome drive and it looked like the ball was in the air for hours. I would definitely play this course again.

Maderas
I thought Maderas was a good layout but the areas around the greens were tough. There were a few greens where the pin placements didnt match where they said they were and it led to a few inflated scores. The greens were fast and the fairways were tight so it made the course very challenging. The staff at Maderas was awesome. The practice area is great. Free range balls and 2 putting greens really helped me get ready to play. Overall it was a great experience playing Maderas

Barona
This was the last course I played before coming home and I think it was one of my favorite rounds of golf. The hotel and the mountains around the course made for some scenic views. The course was in great shape and the layout was great. There were challenging holes that tested your game but there were some easier holes that gave you a chance to make up a few strokes as well. Barona had the best practice area with free range balls, big putting green, chipping green and two practice bunkers. The only issue I had at Barona was because I got stuck behind a tournament so the round was slow but the views and the course made up for it.

Shadowridge
My uncle's neighbor is a member at Shadowridge so that is why I was able to play the private course. The course was in good shape and it was a challenging design. The greens were very tough making some of the easy looking holes play tough. The cool thing about Shadowridge is the people they have as members. I was told that the CEO of TaylorMade is a member as well as a some guys that designed Odyssey putters and Titleist golf balls. The course also has TaylorMade's new club fitting and swing analysis tool that was partially donated to the club from TaylorMade. It uses a motion capture suit to track your swing so they can fit golf clubs and fix your golf swing. It was pretty cool to see. They also claim that they can fit you for TaylorMade clubs and have the clubs delivered the next day. I guess it helps that the TaylorMade head quarters is 5 minutes down the road.

Eagle Crest
I thought Eagle Crest had a pretty nice design. There is a par 5 on the front that has a pond in front of the green with waterfall that is pretty nice to look at. The course wasnt in the greatest shape the but the greens were good shape so it wasnt a big deal. My review is somewhat bias because I played my worst golf of the week at Eagle Crest. I totally forgot how to hit the driver at this course which frustrated me and my score showed it.

Woods Valley
The only reason I played this course was because it was close and cheap. I wanted to get 36 holes in the day I played it so I was looking for something close to my uncle's place and wasnt going to break the bank. I didnt know much about the course so wasnt sure what to expect but after my round, I was actually somewhat impressed with this course. The layout was very nice and you needed to play many of the holes with some specific strategy. It wasnt a course where you could pull driver every time so you had to think out shots. Greens were slower than anywhere else I played but the greens were it decent shape so it was a good challenge. I am not going to say that Woods Valley is better than any course I played but it is a course that I would most likely play again the next time I go out to visit my uncle.

I hope everyone enjoyed my review of the courses I got a chance to play on my trip to San Diego. Here is how I would rank the courses: Barona, Steele Canyon, Maderas, Shadowridge, Woods Valley and then Eagle Crest.

[Reif]

Just an update - played Torrey South today (March 25). The greens are still recovering from aeration, they were playable but they'll be a lot better in a couple of weeks.

#11, a par three, is closed, they're redoing a drainage ditch that used to run across the fairway 20 yards in front of the green. I asked and no one seemed to know when it might be done.

My very amateur eye says they'll probably lay sod down in a week, after which it will be playable, because that section of the hole really shouldn't come into play.

So anyone from out of town who wants to see Torrey South at it's best will need to wait at least a few weeks, and I recommend you call ahead to find out about 11.

They just punched the North this week.

Reif

[Golf-Junkie]

Nice review of the SD area courses above. I am heading down there for Memorial Day weekend, would like ot play Torrey South - will the work on #11 be done by then?

What are the best 3 public courses to play in the area? Any comments on:

- Aviara
- LaCosta
- Maderas (looks killer, love RM Graves, not so hot on JM designs though)
- Torrey South

Any other that I have missed? Never been there...

[sharkiesj]

Golf-Junkie, on 27 March 2010 - 09:32 AM, said:

Nice review of the SD area courses above. I am heading down there for Memorial Day weekend, would like ot play Torrey South - will the work on #11 be done by then?

What are the best 3 public courses to play in the area? Any comments on:

- Aviara
- LaCosta
- Maderas (looks killer, love RM Graves, not so hot on JM designs though)
- Torrey South

Any other that I have missed? Never been there...

You've got to play Barona Creek. Aviara is sweet. Maderas is nice, Torrey obviously. La Costa is is avg. Lives off it's name more than being a nice golf course. I'd play Barona or Steele Canyon over La Costa.

[Golf-Junkie]

Checking out BC right now - nice number from the back tees. Looks sweet. Also, Steel Canyon looks a bit short, does it play longer than the number? And what about Redhawk?

So, another question - as for private clubs in SD, what are the best places to play? La Jolla CC? Del Mar CC? Are any of these better plays than a Torrey South or BC?


PS - cool list:

http://www.golfsd.co...26_hardest.html

[PAYLEE]

Golf-Junkie, on 28 March 2010 - 04:30 PM, said:

Checking out BC right now - nice number from the back tees. Looks sweet. Also, Steel Canyon looks a bit short, does it play longer than the number? And what about Redhawk?

So, another question - as for private clubs in SD, what are the best places to play? La Jolla CC? Del Mar CC? Are any of these better plays than a Torrey South or BC?


PS - cool list:

http://www.golfsd.co...26_hardest.html

I live about 15 minutes from Steele Canyon and yes it may be shorter than some but it places a premium on accuracy. I like the list you provided. I can vouch for some of them and more recently the Pete Dye designed Carlton Oaks. Who the heck puts a tree right in the middle of the fairway?

Here are some additional courses I'd urge you to check out (they all have websites):

Journey at Pechanga, Temecula CA - another Indian casino course and competes directly with Barona.
Sycuan (Willow Glen course), El Cajon CA - another Indian casino previously known as Singing Hills.
The Crossings, Carlsbad CA - I'm heading out there myself soon. One of "Golf Magazine's Top Ten New Courses You Can Play"

Living in San Diego is tough but somebody's gotta do it.