If I could give this course a 10 out of 5, I would! I don't even know where to begin... a speechless and breathtaking experience! By far, the best golf course I have played in my 12 year stint... it definitely beats many private courses! (Which I got to play in High School Golf)
I have been blessed to see Pinehurst #2 and Pine Needles in North Carolina and this course is set up very similar... the layout and design gives you some shades of Pinehurst!
Robert Trent Jones Jr. created a master piece here! I literally felt like a tour pro here... and funny thing is I'm a high handicapper but just stepping out on Poppy Hills and getting on the first tee, you know it's going to be a special course. In part because the rich history of professional golf that has been there but also because it is in absolute perfect condition!
So, when you arrive you get srixon range balls with the greens fee which I'm not used to (usually it's a separate cost but I'll get to that) and best part is they are all set up for you in little Poppy Hills Leather bags on the range and then the practice putting green is mint... I would suggest spending some time on it before you go out because the greens are pretty quick! Also, they even have a huge rolex clock near the putting green which is yet another element that adds to the professional feel! Seriously, you will feel like you are teeing off in a PGA tour event or at least I did!
Now on to the course...
Everything about the course is tour level quality... from tee all the way to green! Fairways are mint; so smooth and firm, bunkers are the best you will hit out of... they are so nice to the point where it's easy to splash out of them... I would get excited to be in their bunkers because they are so smooth and filled with tour level sand.. not the playbox sand with stones in it like most public courses try to rip you off with! The greens are by far the best part and they are quick for the most part... the best part is they roll true and smooth! Unlike a lot if courses where your ball will tend to bounce, not here... it's all smooth rolling! Which in a sense makes it easier and more fun! Many people say the course is too fast and balls don't stick on greens... first of all, it's not even that fast... sure it's firm but not like other reviews make it seem... it's still soft enough where a high handicapper like myself can stick shots on the green from 150 out with no problem! (As long as you pull down and create lag on your shots they will stick) people must be hitting worm burners and complaining that the course is too fast when in reality its the shot that sucked not the course being too fast...fairways are extremely wide as well... it's nestled in the forest so most of the fairways span from tree line to treeline without rough, making them wide and generous with bunkers scattered throughout...typical of a Robert Trent Jones Jr design; they do have lots of bunkers on every hole and that's what makes for great views and adds tons of character to the course! The par 3's here are some of the greatest you will ever play.. 5 of the best par 3's in the game if you ask me! Both sides finish with nice risk reward type par 5's that are short enough for many players to get home in two but just long enough and enough trouble to make them think twice... great closers add to an amazing course and an amazing overall experience! On hole 9 there is a huge slope to the right of the green... I was 130 yards out and hit a soft PW about 15-20 yards right of the green which on any other course would have been a big miss but not here... it hit the top of the slope and funneled 20 yards down onto the green and another 20 feet once on the green to 1 foot away for a tap in... that's the joy of this course is it rewards good shots and you must factor in all of the terrain when picking your target... all in all an absolute gem in the Del Monte Forest! Besides Pebble beach, this is probably one of the next best in the area.. at only half the cost too! So all in all, a perfect course that is immaculately maintained.. if you want tour level quality, this is the course for you!
Now on to the price... I'm an NCGA member so it was 97 a player! Normally it's around 250 which is quite steep... for 97 tho its definitely a solid value... don't think I would pay 250 because after getting it for under 100 it's hard to justify tacking on another 150... for the 97 rate I will definitely love to come back and feel like I am playing a professional tour event again...One other note is cart path only! Anyways, the course quality is definitely world class and top notch... my favorite part was that no one hole was even remotely similar.. they all had their own unique character and it's pristine golf courses like this that make me love the game and make playing more enjoyable! read more