Played here again on 5/3/14 and took advantage of the online special again direct from their website. I'm writing an update because I had another better than average experience here. It started with my check in and asking for a course guide. The guys at the desk said they were out. Well, a few minutes later as I was out at the driving range Justin from the clubhouse comes chasing me down with a player guide in his hand. Talk about being super impressed! I'm not a big wig or nobody super special. I'm just your average joe blow golfer and I felt like I was VIP. Loren even remembered me from my last visit a few weeks back. Today Loren was the starter and he worked around my foursome being twenty minutes late for our tee time with a smile. You can play many golf courses in Sacramento but nowhere have I experienced the level of customer service I get here at Ancil. This has become my favorite course because of their service and the beautiful course filled with deer, geese, and some wild dog looking coyote thing I saw scrambling across the fairway. Oh I noticed the brand spanking new golf carts this time out too! I highly recommend Ancil Hoffman golf course where everyone is treated VIP style! read more

Went in for a "Couples Private Lesson Package". Pete was our golf pro instructor and he was SO good and so patient. I wish there was water close by the driving range but overall not crowded and the lesson was useful. read more

This is the best public golf course in the Sacramento region. The staff is very attentive and they have been improving all aspects of the facility. I just played twice in the same week and the fairways and greens are in fantastic shape. The golf carts have been updated and the pro shop is well stocked and priced very well. read more

The course itself deserves four stars, but the way it's run drags the rating much lower. First, how on Earth does this place justify charging $61 for a round of golf? Considering the options that are in the region for half that price, the fee is ridiculous. Second, if you're going to charge that kind of price, you need to run the course like a place that merits that fee. Staff members are friendly enough, as long as all you want is a greeting in the pro shop and a kind word from the starter. If there's an issue, however, things can go a bit downhill. More on that later. On a recent round, our group teed off on time and were assured things were running to schedule. By the third hole, it was clear there was a major backup. We were on pace for a three-hour nine and a six-hour round. We completed the fourth hole and found one group on the fifth green, one standing on the tee, one sitting in their carts, and us. That's four groups on one hole. Before anything changed, the group behind us joined us, making a seldom-seen five groups on one hole. One of us phoned the pro shop to inform them a marshall was needed. "We don't have a marshall," was the reply. That certainly explained a few things. Eventually, a shop attendant agreed to ride out and see what was going on. On arrival, his priority seemed to be explaining that there was no problem. "People are just playing very slowly," was the explanation. Well, then. One of us tried to explain that "people playing very slowly" is precisely the reason a marshall is needed at peak hours, and that perhaps, if a six-hour pace is considered something to be expected, the course may be over-booked. This led only to repetitions of the employee's previous message, that the course was powerless to effect any change on pace of play. Most golfers -- and every marshall -- understands that pace of play can be speeded up tremendously by the mere presence of the marshall. He/she doesn't even have to say anything; just watch a group for a minute and the problem often eases. But at least on this day, the staff at Ancil seemed much more intent on disputing the existence of a problem than on solving it. As a hilarious footnote, on the back nine, a marshall did appear. She soared up to our group seconds after we teed off after another three-groups-on-one-hole delay and informed us that there "was a pretty serious backup" and that we needed to pick up the pace. To be clear, she informed the group AT THE BACK OF THE PACK that they needed to play faster. In 40+ years of playing golf, that was a new one for me. When you're waiting on the group in front of you, and they're waiting on the group in front of them, who is waiting on the group in front of them... and someone tells you there's a backlog, you can either laugh or cry. We chose to laugh. It's a pity this place isn't run better, because the course itself is beautiful. read more

Nice public course... I have played here numerous times. It's a challenging muni course.. Lots of trees, long fairways.. Greens are average. It worth maybe 20 to 25 bucks for 18 holes with a cart... I wouldn't pay any more. read more

Ancil Hoffman is a wonderful golf course. To begin with, it's a beautiful course--aged trees line the fairways, it's away from houses and the street, and you will see some wild turkeys and deer. I always walk this course, most of the holes are flat and it's just relaxing. The course itself is quite challenging but fair. You must hit the fairways on this course. If you miss the fairway (or even hit the fairway but on the wrong side), you'll be in jail behind some trees. The first and 10th holes are probably the easiest holes on the course, but don't get lured into thinking the rest of each nine is as easy. Some of the greens can be slick, so it's best to stay below the hole (especially on hole 5, a par 3). But like I said, the course is fair. There is nothing deceiving about any of the holes. I love the finishing holes here. 16 is a tough par 4 with a huge tree in the middle of the fairway. 17 is a decent-sized par 3. 18 is a par 5 with a tight fairway, but if you hit a good drive you'll be in good shape to finish with a birdie. read more

For the price, this course is probably the cleanest and well kept! Staff is great as well.

I like this course very much, it is pristine, green and the wildlife is great to watch but what I really really like about this place is the staff. They are all so friendly, from the folks at the Pro shop to the grounds keepers, every one is super friendly, especially Charles Burton. He is as courteous as they get. Charles set me up with the right equipment based on my skill level, physical size and strength. It wasn't about scoring a sell, he took the time to answer all my questions and addressed all my golf concerns. I am 100% satisfied with my equipment and love that I get lots of compliments about it. I was so impressed with Charles professionalism that I signed up and took several golf lessons from him. If you are looking for a really patient and reassuring professional instructor Charles is it. He represents Ancil Hoffman and the sport at it's highest caliber. Once you come to Ancil Hoffman, you'll be back....guaranteed. read more

First time playing there and the course is actually in really good shape. They keep it up pretty well and there is very few places to lose your ball like weeds and stickers and such. The only problem we had was the people working there. They all just seem like they did not like their job at all. The thing that pissed me off the most was after playing the first nine we went in and had some food and a couple of drinks and when we came back to play the back half we got jumped by the old guys at the start accusing us of stealing a cart and trying to play for free. Who would even do that. Pretty much ruined the rest of the day. We've played just about every course around here and reno and only have a handful we wont go back too. Mostly because of the course. This one is because of the people working there. read more

One of my favorite courses in Sacramento! The tress make it extremely challenging and the course offers a wide variety of shots. The location is also beautiful and includes deer, turkey etc. Great course and great value! read more

Too slow!!! Five and a half hour round and never saw a ranger to get things on track. A really disappointing experience. The course is in okay condition for the cost. Not that interesting. The holes go up and back so you are dodging balls all day as well. read more

Love this course. mature landscape. Lots of trees. Challenging. read more

Ancil Hoffman Golf Course - Trees! Bring the 3 iron. - Golf Near Me - Carmichael, California

I'm not from the Sacramento area, so when I was in town for a weekend I had to pick and choose courses based on their Golf Now reviews. Ancill Hoffman didn't let me down. What a beautiful course. The course is greener than green, riddled with geese, turkeys, and deer. The fairways, tee boxes, rough, are all in excellent shape. The greens were aerated about a 6 weeks ago so a few of the greens were a bit sandy, but still in great shape and playable. The greens will probably be back to normal conditions within the next few weeks I imagine. I'm not an excellent golfer, usually around 86-93. This course was not "beyond" me. A few narrow fairways. Some trees to look out for. Slicers and hookers won't have their scores killed by OB balls because the course is pretty open outside of the fairways. Staff was friendly. Pace was good (~ 4 hours for a twosome on a Monday). Great choice if you're in the Sacramento area. Weekday price is totally fair - $44 with cart or walking. read more

This is the most unfriendly golf course staff in the Sacramento region. I played here a half dozen times in 2015 and have always had some sort of hassle from the pro shop or the course marshals. Today I had a coupon for a free round that required that you pay for cart if you get one. I've used 7 other coupons exactly like this at 7 other regional courses. At every course where I used my own push-cart , they said the cart fee was not required. Today I had my own push-cart and the pro shop staff required me to pay the electric cart fee of $17 even though I didn't use one. A couple months ago the course marshal approached our group on the second tee box and told us we needed to pick up the pace. I guess the group ahead of us in the fairway wouldn't mind if we hit our drives through their group. Really? The second tee? Today it took 3 hours for 9 holes so I packed it in and didn't bother with a rain check for the back nine - where's the marshal today? I have one more free play coupon for Ancil that has no restrictions at all....I'm throwing it into the trash. There're too many good courses in Sacto to waste time at Ancil Hoffman. read more

My favorite course, I basically learned to play at Ancil Hoffman. It's had it's ups and downs with management over the years, it's a good course. I noticed lots of the bad reviews are over coupons and food/drinks LOL read more

Today, Play golf at Ancil Hoffman golf course after nine holes at the break my playing partners and I went into the clubhouse to order a sandwich but we were told when I asked for a tuna sandwich that because we didn't order it after eight holes that it was unavailable for us to make a selection out cold freezer well frankly every single one of them were the same and they were unappealing and I was only wanting to eat tuna that was my preference the lady in her mid-20s was flat out rude and frankly you're paying good money to play golf today, I should be able to order a sandwich of my choice. The course was busy anyway not like we're going to hold up someone. The course was good but to be treated like a I don't know just don't follow the rules otherwise you can't be a part of the team attitude I'm sorry but I pay good money to go there I should be able to order a freaking tuna sandwich. read more

Beware of purchasing a green fee through GolfNow for this place. After purchasing my green fee with cart for a 1pm tee time on thanks giving day and driving about 35 min from elk grove I was informed they had decided to close early. No refund was given just simply a "credit" for half of what I spent because I would have time to play 9 holes before the cart was due back. Fast forward 4 months, I decide to use my credit and drive the 35 min again just to find out that my credit had expired. I have to admit that I didn't look at the bottom of the receipt and didn't notice the "expectation date"..... Expiration date? Why would there be an expiration date on a credit? This wasn't a coupon or a groupon, this was a credit for a mistake and an inconvenience. So instead of the manager accepting the error and accepting the credit, he was a jerk and had an attitude with me which in turn made me have an attitude. I really hope the manager has someone above him and gets to see this and just know, u have lost a golfer for life over $20.50 credit for a round of golf that literally was not going to cost u a penny. Even better, I will enjoy telling every golfer I meet about this experience. Sincerely Mark A read more

Ancil Hoffman is the best public course in Sacramento. It is kind of hard to get to, being in Carmichael by the American River -- you've got to go on surface streets quite a ways to get there from I-80. A big plus is that if you check the tee time websites you can score some great deals even on weekends with carts. Built in the early 1960s, it is a classic layout with not much in the way of elevation change or gimmicks, but it does have plenty of doglegs. It's relatively long -- 7000 from the tips, 6400 or so from the blues. This is not a beginner's course. I am pleased to report that the course is well-kept and a tremendous value. read more

Played last week, and was impressed by the course. The course is gem because its only $15 to play twilight. The fairways are narrow and the holes are challenging, but overall a fun course. Definitely gonna play here next time I'm in the area. read more

Traditional course with big trees. Pretty flat. Good character. Great prices. Course is in truly excellent shape as of late May 2017. Reasonably priced read more

I'm using my wife's yelp account since she doesn't golf and I've never used yelp until today. First the good, it's close to home. Second the bad, price $45 to play, course is very dry, i know we've had a drought, tee boxes in very bad shape, greens beat up. Whoever is their maintenance super better spruce up this place. I won't be back for awhile since there's to many options out there to play. read more

I'm a mid 80s golfer who plays a lot of golf in Sacramento. I've enjoyed playing at Ancil Hoffman when I work it into the rotation, given that there are so many great golf courses in the Sacramento area. Rates are usually pretty decent, but can get pricey for the value in the mornings compared to some other great tracks (why pay $60 here when you can play the Ridge, Morgan Creek, and others for less?). But tee time deals can be found that make it more of a value. My cheif complaint here is that they can NEVER manage the pace of play. I don't know if it's the trees that get people in trouble and slow them down, the weekend hackers and mid week rookies who gunk it up, too close spacing from the starter or what, but today we walked off the course after playing only two holes in 45 minutes and stacking up with 3 other groups at the 3rd tee box (2 in front and one behind). Even with a marshall sitting right there and monitoring the 2nd-5th holes, it wasn't moving. This is the second time we walked off this course for pace of play, and have been frustrated by slow rounds more than that. Golf is declining in popularity in part because millennials and others don't want to play 5-6 hour rounds. Golf as a whole has tried various strategies to improve the pace of play (tee it forward, play ready golf, etc). But when a course consistently has problems managing it's pace of play something else is going on. Cherry Island is like this too. It's a management issue in my opinion. At least the staff is friendly and refunded the full amount of our purchase price, along with the bucket of balls we purchased to warm up. Even so I will think long and hard about coming back out here....because when I set the time aside to play golf I want to play, not false start on two holes and go home early because I can't wait out a 5+ hour round. read more

A real treasure. They are next to a nature preserve and it's everywhere! Course play was slow...so enjoy the view! Course did play a little narrow and greens were challenging for me, but I'm a 20 handicap. Enjoy. read more

Ancil Hoffman Golf Course - Golf Near Me - Carmichael, California

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GFREAT track! A little over priced but twilight prices are reasonable. Green in great shape along with the fairways.

Worst overpriced and arrogant staff. Youth on course required you to memorize your child's number and you have to pay 9 bucks if the are riding with you on top of the fee. All other course don't charge the extra. There twilight starts at 5 where everyone else starts at 3 or 4. With the over pricing and arrogant service I would never go back or recommend. read more

Great golf course, very well maintained and very well designed. Only problem is there is a beverage cart girl with a bad attitude. Apparently she doesn't like having golf balls ROLL past her cart 10 yards away from her. She accused me of almost hitting her when it was someone else who almost hit her, she picked up my ball and threw it into a bunker while she cussed me out. I was in a tournament match and she cost me the match by doing that. I did not get comped anything as I was told I would get a phone call with the results of the situation. It's a 5 star course in my mind, but it lost 3 because of that. Number one thing should be customer satisfaction. read more

I just had the best club-fitting experience at Ancil Hoffman golf course with Charles Burton. He was so attentive and knowledgeable and took the time to explain the rationale to every adjustment he made to each iron and wood. He used state-of-the art technology that could show me all the details of each shot. This is the second set of golf clubs I have purchased in the last 10 years and my experience today far exceeded my expectations. I've never felt such joy as hitting a golf shot that pure and now know the true value of being fitted for the right clubs by a true professional. Charles was just as excited as I was when he got each club dialed in to fit my needs to create a great shot. I am so excited for my new irons to come in and cannot wait to see the impact these clubs will have on the course. read more

Jennifer in the bar needs training. At least acknowledge waiting patrons. Very rude and for the first time ever, I didn't leave a tip! The course and pro shop staff was great. read more

Golf shop would not honor the rates they have posted online. The course listed a $48 rate on their website. I called and booked a tee time referencing the time and rate. When I went to the course I was charged $58. The starter refused to give me the $48 rate. Aside from being overcharged, the starter over booked the course and crammed as many players as they could on the course. It took 5 1/2 hours to play 18 holes. The golf course is nice, however it feels like the starters are more interested in maximizing profits rather than providing an enjoyable golf experience. read more

Absolute worst customer service on earth. I bought a small soda at the turn and the cup holder broke my cup. The young woman said she couldn't give me a refill even though I showed her the broken cup and she remembered me from 2 hours before. Unreal. So its 3 freaking arsenal for 5.5" tall soda. Course is for people that want an easy outing and no challenge. Wont come back read more

Fun course to play but can get backed up at times. Greens are pretty flat so there is not much creativity with the puts but the staff seems friendly and the fellow folders usually are good sports. read more

I recently played this course while on vacation. It was highly rated and I gave it a go. First I would say that it's a typical west coast course which plays very flat, no real uphill or downhill to it. I would also like to see it in the spring or summer when the mowing would show the layout of the holes better. In the fall/winter there were so many leaves down that you lost some of the definition to the hole. All in all a nice course but almost all of the challenge came from the trees, not the lie. Maybe I'm a victim of back east golf and I'm a bit spoiled. This could be a solid 4 with some more course care. read more

Played here on Sept. 28 and couldn't believe how bad the greens were. It would appear that the people who play here don't know what fixing a ball mark on a green is all about. I talked to the started and he agreaded with me. When I spoke to the man in the pro shop he seemed clueless to the situation. The course had no signs reminding people of what their responsibility is as a golfer. The fairways were rather sparse so at least keep your greens in good playing condition. Won't be going back there soon. Jimmy read more

I had never been to Ancil before but I wanted to play a quick round close to home. I went online to book a tee time. The tabs read regular, walking, senior, and early back 9. I was looking to play 9 since it was the same price as the normal rate I assumed it included a cart, it did not. I checked in 60 minutes early for my 7:30 tee time and was told $74 for 9 holes for 2. First of all crazy price for 9 holes of golf. Then went to the starter to get our cart to hit on the driving range, the starter snapped at my wife asking her to look on the cart he wanted us to take to check for keys! Really not necessary to yell at my wife to help you to do your job! After hitting balls made our way back to the starter 10 minutes before our tee time and was told sorry we can't play the back 9! I told home we already paid almost an hour ago and he said sorry no. I went back to the pro shop to get a refund for my $74 round of 9 that I now can't play. The pro shop attendant gets on the walkie to the starter and he comes in pissed off telling me he can get me on now. I told him and everyone else I just wanted my money back and I would never be back, drove right over to Haggin and we got onto play 9 on the arcade creek side right away for $26 less.! read more

I appreciate the beauty of this course with all the trees. I must've hit over a dozen trees during my round cuz once you're in the trees you just gotta hit it out safely. My only gripe with this course is toward the back 9, far away from the clubhouse, you get a lot of stragglers playing hole after hole for free. Like I came up on at least 3 different groups of people and I'm like where did these dummy's come from. And I don't know about dem water fountains. read more

This is my new favorite hang out!! Great neighborhood golf course, driving range and clubhouse. All of the staff is top notch...LOVE my golf pro!! Take a lesson, play a round and then grab some lunch!! read more

Ancil is a classic American track - always in great shape, great proshop, great patio....and the best closing 3 holes in the Sacramento region! read more

Played here once because I was told "this is where real golfers in Sacramento play." 5 1/2 hours on a Thursday morning and every hole looks the same. They're all straight and tree lined. No personality whatsoever. read more

I played this golf course for the first time last week and I was very impressed. I teed off late in the afternoon and by the time I was finishing my round, there were turkeys and families of deer cruising the fairways for food and attention. The course is challenging, but not impossible for amateur golfers. You won't find a lot of water hazards or bunkers on the course, but the trees lining the fairways make second, third, and fourth shots plenty difficult if you have a crooked drive. It' a long course to walk, but I recommend it over renting a cart so you can appreciate the beauty of the course. read more

The greens are in perfect shape, rolling as fast as you can imagine. The avocado turkey croissant is phenomenal, one of the best sandwiches you'll find at a golf course. The cart girl Sam is always on point. She's friendly, helpful, and never disappears like most cart girls. Definitely check this track out if you're in town. read more