This review is for the restaurant. I went to an event there with 16 other ladies. At the same time, they had another large event. This was for brunch. The food was good and the portion size was plentiful. The staff were working short, but did an amazing job of not letting us feel it. It was a little warm sitting outside, but the pergola and the breeze over the golf course helped cool you off. Would definitely recommend this for your event. read more

Carlton Oaks - Golf Near Me - Santee, California

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Worst course I've played in a long time. Played in July and the course was in terrible condition. The "pro shop" should have been the indicator.. Most of the course is just dirt. Tee boxes uneven and patchy. Fairways were rough and mostly dead. Greens were fine at best, just avoid the divots and ball marks that nobody replaces. Awful pace of play. 6 hour round on a Friday morning. Starter told us they oversold tee times... Not very a challenging course. Majority of approach shots will be in the 200 yard range. The course could have great potential (see pictures for some solid views) but needs a ton of TLC. Staff was super nice, only reason it's not getting a 1 star. read more

Carlton Oaks - Hole 18 - Golf Near Me - Santee, California

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POS "management" Jayden has no carts! Do not play this cow pasture. Don't waste your time like I did and show up with a confirmed tee time just to be told there are no carts available and you will be placed with members riding b*tch. I was offered a pull cart "complimentary" after they denied me what I paid for from the beginning. They were refusing to give me a cart despite ones being available. I would highly suggest you avoid this place. It used to be a gem. Now it apparently is just run by clowns. read more

Can't find a single Ball even if you're in the fairway. Guy in the pro shop was cool. The workers are nothing but bothersome. Setting up for a shot and the guys coming from behind posting up behind me posting adding pressure. Same dude on every hole. At the tee number nine hole talking on the phone. Every single time we play there those pieces of work are watching the players, get the hell away from us and get to work. Quit bugging the golfers. $85 to play a cow pasture. read more

Course needs serious work. It's over priced for what you get. The mats at the range were awful and needed to be replaced. The course itself could be really fun, just needs some love. read more

I hate leaving this review but the course is currently in bad shape. Needs a renovation. I believe I heard them say they were working on getting one done. Everybody who worked there was super nice though. read more

Wow... I've played a lot of cheap courses in my day, but I've never experienced anything as ugly and poorly maintained as this excuse of a course. Please look at the pictures and the dirt patches described by the pro shop as "fairways", further saying they looked a little rough. "Rough" doesn't describe 85% dirt and 15% uncut weeds (not even grass). Cart genuinely felt like it was going to fall apart, and the roof wasn't bolted in. Entire experience was terrible, and we even stopped on hole 13 because we lost our balls in literal dirt piles. We couldn't tell the difference between the fairways and bunkers, and that's not even a joke. Save your money, please please please PLAY ELSEWHERE. I've seen Cottonwood & Mission Trails in very bad shape, and this course doesn't even translate to that. Maybe they're shutting down, I wouldn't be surprised. Would pay the $40 to never play here again honestly. 0/5 stars LOOK AT PICTURES! read more

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Really nice staff. Good restaurant with a good menu. Kind of a hike if you don't live nearby amd I was out of town. Greens fees were in line with the course conditions. A bit rough on the tee boxes amd greens but overall a pleasant day of golf and an attentive Cart Girl read more

Carlton Oaks - Golf Near Me - Santee, California

We wanted to sit and enjoy the beautiful golf course over breakfast and we're so glad we did! We had the pancakes with crispy chicken and it was delicious with coffee. The staff was so friendly and we enjoyed watching the golfers too. Lovely golf course, beautiful trees, and landscaping. We explored the patio, and it would be a nice place to invite friends for a lovely time. read more

Carlton Oaks - Menu - Golf Near Me - Santee, California

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This was the worst holf course I have ever experienced. Tee boxes are un level and devoid of grass, the fairways have nothing but scrub and dirt, you are hitting off of hardpan. A ranger asked us if we need san for divits. "We said no there is no way to take a divit with no grass and fairways as hard as concrete " For $80 dollars This is ridiculous. My foursome will never be playing this course again. So carlton oaks you just lost 4 customers I would add Zero stars if possible read more

Gopher Oaks, I grew up in east county and remembered when this course was prestigious, sad to see the decline. Not sure how they justify the green fees, even in the summer time grass is scarce. The way I view this course is an everyday greens keeper revenge, if you're looking to test what it's like to score well on a shitty course, Carlton Oaks holds the cards read more

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We have a regular early Sunday morning foursome and have played Carlton Oaks numerous times. After last year's heavy rains, the course wasn't in terrible shape, and we appreciated its challenges and the variety it offered. However, as conditions worsened, we eventually stopped playing there. This winter has been mostly dry, but after some significant recent rainfall, we decided to give Carlton Oaks another shot. At $82 with a cart, the price isn't exactly budget-friendly, though not outrageous for a weekend tee time. That said, given the course's current condition, the price feels steep--especially when there are better-maintained local options at lower costs or comparable courses at a similar price. The tee boxes desperately need work--not just divot repairs, but full leveling. Many have noticeable slopes or large humps, making it difficult to find a flat spot to tee off. The fairways are in rough shape, with numerous bare dirt patches. On a positive note, the greens were in relatively decent condition. Midweek pricing might make the cost more reasonable for the course's condition, but at $80 for a weekend round, there are simply better choices available. read more

We had breakfast Our food was delicious, good size Portions . Our sever was Gwendolyn amazing service highly recommend.. read more

Carlton Oaks - Golf Near Me - Santee, California

I couldn't even wait until I was done playing to leave a terrible review, this is the absolute worst course I've ever played. It looks like they haven't watered the course in a year. This place looks like Baghdad Iraq. Feels like you're playing in a construction zone. Took us 3.5 hours to play 9 holes. Course was also $80. Do not come here unless it's for free. read more

Carlton Oaks - Bunker - Golf Near Me - Santee, California

This course is just down the street from me so I visit often. I am new to golf and I feel that this course is challenging yet still playable. The course is maintained well enough that I only lose balls because of my awful swing, and not because I lost it in the fairway. The greens roll well and they have a good pin rotation so divots have adequate time to recover. The ground keepers are always hard at work and I thank them for giving me the best chance to bring my score down. There is a driving range to get some practice shots in. I haven't visited it in a while, but it wasn't the prettiest range I've seen. However if you just need to hit some balls in an empty field, there are some mats, plastic tees , and a ball vending machine that accepts NFC payments waiting for you! The only time I've had a problem with a person was another golfer throwing a tantrum on hole 10. The staff, from the pro shop, course Marshall, groundskeepers, and snack cart attendant, have always been kind and welcoming. I always look forward to playing golf here! P.S. I guess one downside is that tee times are only 9 min apart. So if it gets busy, it really backs up. I'd call or check online ahead of time! read more

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I've practiced here. I've played here. I've attended weddings here. And I've rented an overnight stay here. Driving Range: it needs love. It needs effort and upkeep. I think I've been hitting off the same turf mats here for the past 13 years. Range balls differ between actual golf balls they shag from the water hazards on course. This is a problem on consistency. Golf course: it is TOUGH. A very fair course. If you get out of position, your score can suffer. Greens are normally fast. Tee boxes are decent. Functions: I went to a wedding here a while ago and nothing stuck out as a negative. A great place to enjoy a wedding. I only want to see some money put back into the golf course and more specifically, the driving range. Those mats being used are a hurt wrist waiting to happen. It is one of the tougher courses in San Diego with a lot of trouble possible. read more

If I could rate it below zero, I would. Totally appalling they would charge to play that goat track. It's embarrassing to see how the course has deteriorated through the years from the challenging course it once was. read more

I love this course. I'm out here weekly. Great staff always friendly with the nicest cart girls. Condition is always pretty top notch. Only complaint I have is the drainage isn't the best after heavy rain. But we live in San Diego so I mean not many places do any better. Great course I'll be there this week. I'll drop below some course photos. The greens are always in prime condition. The Bunkers do need some love it's never soft. But there will be a redesign in the future with the housing and course redesign sometime in the future. I may try to snag up one of the places. read more

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Arrived at my tee time at 9:30 it was a fun course to play, great atmosphere, fun people. After losing my wallet on hole 16, I called on the pro shop to see if they may have found it in the cart so I came back just to check myself anyways. I enter the pro shop and the guy running the front who's there to help me out seems super pissed off at me for no reason. His name was Grant or something I can't remember but when I came and asked him a normal question he goes out of his way to make you feel like you're stupid and it's not a big deal. He says "hey can you come over and take him to his cart so he could have some peace of mind" in the rudest tonality. The person who came to show me to the cart was far more professional and well mannered as opposed to Grant. Grant I hope you read this because you need to tone it down BUD. If you lost your wallet out there, I'm sure you'd be just as concerned. Maybe get some therapy, seems like you have some unsettled anger inside ya. Besides Grant it was a great course I would recommend! read more

Carlton Oaks should be ashamed of the condition of this golf course. I won't call it a golf course. Dog patch is a better description. They should also be embarrassed at what they are charging. Called the course prior and they told me it was in great shape. Lies to bring ppl in. I won't recommend playing this course even if they paid you to play. Total waste of time. First negative review I've ever left. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. TOTAL WASTE OF YOUR TIME. read more

Stayed here over thanksgiving weekend with my family and had a blast! Our rooms were clean and spacious. House keeping came every day to freshen things up, which I feel that's been a lost amenity since Covid, which is understandable.. but still, seems pretty standard practice to me. The hosts were pleasant and accommodating, providing us with bottle openers and other toiletries that we had forgotten. The bar and grill's food was really on par, pun intended. Service was great. For the price, the view and the amenities, I will definitely come back again! read more

Me and my friend decided to book tee times at a new course that we haven't played before the last minute and found this course. Booking was easy online and was a decent price (especially for it being the weekend). Once we arrived parking was decent and the putting green and pro shop area looked great. Especially the resturaunt area has a great view overlooking the course. Once we started the course was in good condition and the layout was a little challenging but over all the course was open. The cart girl was seen throughout the day (as it should be) and the pace was steady (even if the group in front were chunking the balls). The over all experience was great and the layout was good. Will definitely try the course out again in the future. read more

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The course is in really poor shape. It's like the ownership has given up on course maintenance. My biggest concern is I was due a refund on one of my tee times its been over 2 weeks and nothing. No follow up on their part etc.. just a heads up if you book online btw i told them in advance read more

This Pete Dye course used to be so nice. It's a challenging course layout. Unfortunately, the current owner is hoping to profit in the development of new housing around the course. They obviously do not reinvest their profits into the golf course. List of nuisances: Tee box grass is too long, rarely mowed. No ball washers. Very few trash receptacles on the course. Sand traps are full of hard pan dirt, rocks, gravel. The course floods during heavy rain and but doesn't seem like they care to do anything about it. Gopher holes near the fairways ( balls in play roll into them). Instagram/ facebook posts insinuate good conditions but it's a lie. A basic hot dog at the turn can take 20+ minutes. Driving range/ practice area is badly maintained. . read more

AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Actually unbelievable that it's 60$. I've played courses 20x nicer for 30$. The entire round felt like I was fighting against the course. Crab grass everywhere, dirt piles, terrible pin placements and awful mini-golf esque greens. Unless things seriously change or the price gets cut in half, go elsewhere. I'm actually unhappy that I played golf here today. Like it's a golf course, take care of it. Losing balls hit right next to the fairway is unacceptable, grass is knee high and weeds everywhere. Not a fun day on the links. Only way I'd be happy with my round today was if it was free and even then I would wish I was playing somewhere else. Edit: you know I'll give it to them that the greens are smooth and fast. That's the only saving grace. So maybe if it rains for a week straight and they decide to pull some weeds this course could be fun. read more

Carlton Oaks - Fairway "rough" - Golf Near Me - Santee, California

What a great night!! good food good times and our server Billy jo or was it Bobby jo she was amazing !!! read more

Carlton Oaks - Abigail's 12th bday - Golf Near Me - Santee, California

They have to separate the course from the other stuff. 4 stars on google, worst $80 course I've ever played in my life. Literal dog poop ON THE COURSE. An absolute joke I wouldn't come here for free lol read more

Carlton Oaks - Dog poop - Golf Near Me - Santee, California

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Golf course is in TERRIBLE shape. This course has been scheduled to get demoed and rebuilt for over 6 years so they have just let it go! The driving range is a dirt patch with concrete mats from 20 years ago (like for real you can't buy NEW actual mats!) and the course is in terrible shape. There is no grass but just hard mud patches everywhere it's a joke. Keep up the course so it's actually playable. I get that you're going to be redoing the course( eventually it's been pushed every year) but you still have a professional obligation to provide a product worthy of the price for people to play. As a resident I'm so tired of this course not getting better either demo the damn course and make it better or stop telling us you are then keep pushing it off as an excuse for a crappy condition course. read more

Worst range, tee boxes, "fairways" and course I've ever seen, most definitely should not cost more than Mission Trails, Cottonwood or willowbrook. What a waste of potential and quality design. read more

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On a random night a friend suggested a quick meal with live music. I didn't even know this little gem existed. The food is typical American bar food but the service and live music was amazing. Listening back at the videos it is hard to hear how amazing the artist was with TVs at the bar in the background. She was truly amazing and I loved her versions of some classic songs. Besides the great entertainment our waitress Gwen was the best. She was on top on her job and a queen at multitasking. Watching her dance all over the restaurant between quests orders will have you spinning. She never let a glass to be filled or and aspect of service unnoticed making for an extraordinary experience. She is truly a gem and a reason to come in. She was also correct the fried pickles, mango habanero chicken was exactly what I didn't know I wanted. Although I love Brussel sprouts these didn't compare to the other two items. The bar is fully loaded and if you instead wanted to watch sports this is a great place to socialize and enjoy the company of others or a great game! Thank you Gwen for being an example of what service is and given me and many others a reason to return. read more

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I found the grounds pleasant but the beds in the room were SO firm that I was unable to sleep AT ALL, and a comfortable night's sleep is the bottom line of what you're really paying for. I also wasn't thrilled that they tacked on a last minute resort fee which was described as being for the complimentary Water. Pleeeze let me save $10 and skip the 2 plastic bottles of "complimentary" Kirkland Costco water. read more

19th Hole in Paradise We found the Carlton Oaks Crest Room to be an excellent location for our Mom's Celebration of Life. Beautiful scenery, large space, lots of potential for different set-ups. Tiffany and Michelle were responsive and easy to work with. They went above and beyond to ensure we had everything we needed. The staff working the party was personable and professional. Highly recommend the space for a golf themed event! https://www.pinterest.com/bozhor/mg-petersens-celebration-of-life/ read more

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I wanted to update my review I had a few issues that were resolved and the owner Andy C made sure they were resolved. I also want to recognize that the receptionist also wrote a very nice letter apologizing for my inconveniences that I had experienced and that speaks volumes. I hope that everyone gets an opportunity to visit this resort and enjoy the facilities. Thanks again Andy and the Carlton Resort. Semper Fi read more

I would add to my review a couple of things. The manager Mr. Mike Aiken is doing a great job of organizing the business of the golf course. Staffing is better, golf operations are better, and course maintenance has improved. Kudos to Mike!! If there is one thing that would really improve the playing experience, it would be improving the quality of the bunkers, both fairways and around the greens. I understand how expensive it is to bring in good quality sand and keep it maintained, but that would be the difference-maker at this point. Any experienced player would tell you the same. This is such a good golf course. read more

Carlton oaks is a challenging layout and great to gauge where your golf game is at. The greens were in great condition and it's playing really well right now. The bar is also great after the round to have a drink and some food. I play about twice a month here and would recommend checking it out! read more

Played on Monday morning got out in front of a fundraiser. The course is in real bad condition we kept looking for the cows grazing but the cows won't eat it. read more

Well, after I was tipped off to a Groupon for a tee time discount, we finally played this local course. The cost was the main deterrent why we hadn't ever been and I don't remember anyone ever telling us about how much they like it and play there. I was always curious. So we came, played, and sadly, were pretty disappointed. The overall general condition of the place was old, out-dated, uncared-for, un-watered (mostly very dry, yellow and brown grass n plants on and off the fairways), un-landscaped (minimal, at best), un-staffed (no starter or ambassadors).... The pros are: friendly staff, the greens are fairly nice, it's local (for us), they have nice fairly, new carts (tho no GPS), you can drive them to your car in the parking lot, there is a cart girl that makes the rounds on the course (tho we only saw her once), the inside bathroom is nice, cool and clean and it looks like people enjoy the restaurant food. We also spotted some wildlife like a white heron, a blue heron and a couple turtles. The grounds were pretty clean. Cons (besides what I already stated about the general condition): We didn't see any snack bar or window access outside. I guess players have to walk into the hotel restaurant to order food n drinks unless you catch the cart girl. The fairways and greens seem to have way too many undulating parts. A buttload. Seriously, I appreciate challenging courses, but it seemed like it was overkill. Some of the bunkers didn't even have rakes. And one thing that really surprised me was the tee boxes. With the exception of a few, most of them were the worst I've seen. Very uneven, with dirt patches n pebbles, not level. I was thinking, while on the back nine, why isn't this feeling very therapeutic (as that is one main reason why we play golf regularly)? Crazy golf challenges can be fun and even entertaining. For us, it's just a game. But I think that if the course had some pretty landscaping and actual greenery and attractive water areas with some almost clear water and better amenities, it would feel very different. But it felt dry and barren. The place really needs some TLC. Oh shoot I almost forgot, another important and very frustrating thing is the geographical location is right next to the 52 which has bad internet signal drop zones. So, even with wi-fi off, my iPhone 7 struggled with apps that use GPS, like Golfshot which I always use for distance and keeping a scorecard. At times, we found ourselves having to guess the distance since there weren't any yardage markers around where we needed them. Ok even my Apple Watch activity rings didn't work right! No joke. I don't want to be negative, but I gotta be honest. I wonder if Carlton Oaks used discount sites like TeeOff or Golfnow, they would attract more business (as other courses do), thus have more revenue, thus could then afford to water the landscape and attentively invest in creating a charming golf destination.... If this happened we would want to return. read more

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Good golf range and friendly staff on hand. Grabbing a beer and food after was convenient and the wait staff was friendly and helpful. Also stayed at the lodging and loved the convenience to the courses. We had some minor issues with the room that the manager had resolved quickly and graciously. Thank you staff at Carlton Oaks! read more

The course is nicely laid out. But for the price it's not very maintained. Th biggest issue is the lack of Marshall's and course officials doing their jobs. We left after four hours and only made it through 12 holes. The play was backed up and extremely slow. The Marshalls were just riding around not saying anything to anyone to speed up play. I don't have 6 and a half hours to spend playing a single round. For 80 bucks there are a lot better courses in San Diego. I won't be back to Carlton oaks. read more

Terrible I'll never go back. Paths will rattle everything out if your cart. They skimp on watering. Everything is dry. I think the property is being sold to a developer. read more