Monterey Trip completed, with some LA thrown in

EddyVN · January 10, 2020

Had a family 2 week trip down to Monterey, then LA, then back up through Monterey and got to play a total of 12 courses. Thought I'd give my two cents worth, with winter rates and promos thrown in for value of money (Days not sequential and perhaps not in order, my brain hates calendars). I stay in SF, had my father in law up from Cape Town, South Africa for this trip and he loves as much golf as you can throw at him!

Day 1 - we played 36 Holes at Half Moon Bay. First on Ocean, then OldOcean: It was my second round on Ocean, and compeletely different. Last time was summer, windy, rain on final holes. This time it was just pretty dam cold with a bit of an ocean breeze. Course was suprisingly soaked. I was actually pretty shocked at how wet it was for an oceanside course that you'd think would drain well. Cart path only and soggy. But we were lucky enough to be the first group out (3 of us) and got round in just over 3 hours. Damage: Think we paid $129 each

Psychological Damage: 77 whacks

so, we did the replay rate on Old course: First time playing this one and what a gem of a course. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Very different to Ocean and by far a better more well thought out layout. Replay rate was $75.

Damage: Think we paid $75 each

Psychological Damage: 75 whacks

Day 2 - Presidio Golf Club in San Francisco: My "local" so to speak, on players club so usually do the $20 for 9 holes special. Got out on a week day twilight at 1pm and actually made it round before dark, which is impressive pace for a coruse where I usually blank refuse to tee off after 8am because its absurdly slow. Did get paird with an "interesting" regular which I've had the same guy before and its enough to ruin even the best day out. Decent, but the course is really best saved for Summer when its not a mud pit

Damage: $74 resident rate.

Psychological Damage: 78 whacks and a reminder to just go home if paired with a certain someone on the first tee

Day 3 - Pacific Grove Golf Club - Fresh off the drive dowm from SF to Monterey we hopped on at 13h30 and breezed the front nine in about an hour, then we hit a couple of slow groups on the back but got in as the sun was setting on 18. Rained for final 4 holes which actually felt quite fitting for the back nines scottish feel! What a true gem this course is. The front nine is "meh" but its a good warm up for the majestic views of the Bay and the turft I'll never got on at Cypress and MPCC.

Damage - $39, worth every penny

Psychological Damage: Negative, played like the dogs arsehole but enjoyed the views immensely. 78

Day 4 - Bayonet & Black Horse - Black Horse course - Early 7am tee time here to get ahead of work. Cold dark start but oh my it was worth it. Probably 3rd favourite course on the trip (final rankings below). Again some "interesting" local interaction on the first tee but the Gent and his wife let us go off ahead of them and we're a quick two ball. The course reminded me so much of Bethpage. Like if you took Bethpage Black, added lots more elevation changes, and cut the rough down 80%. Greens slope like made and its fairly long off the back, but had a blast.

Damage - an amazing $69 on Golfnow, which is easily the bargain of the trip!

Psychologic Damage: 77 whacks with an amazing almost eagle on 18. Man I love finishing with a birdie.

Day 5 - Bayonet & Black Horse - Bayonet course - Same early 7am time. Man can this place just get a flask of coffee or something out? Nothing before 8 I think. Weird. Anyways so this was meant to be the tougher meaner older brother of the two courses. It was tougher but really just off the tee. I hit it long but by absolutely no stretch of the imagination do I hit it straight. So this played PERFECTLY into someone elses game. My father in law. Between the two days he missed on fairway. Thank god the length gave me a chance because he only gets it out there 200-230 yards max. Lovely course, but honestly I way prefered Black Horse. Experience was affected by fun couple mentioned above literally running up our a** the whole way. They shared one bag of clubs and pretty much sprinted between shots and just hit little worm burners and I think putted out on half the holes. Before you think I'm being touchy about a faster group - they made us tee off first, would not play through and we played in 2h40mins. For 18. Anyways, I digress.

Damage - an amazing $69 on Golfnow,

Psychologic Damage - Drove it like s**t. 79

Day 6 - Started the new year right! With a round at Spyglass Hill. First day of 2020 was sure to excite. Got the NCGA rate and paired with a very friendly two ball father and son (I think...). Guy was a member at Congressional which made me drool a bit. He mentioned when he heard our South African accents that Ernie was a member there. One way to get in - win the US Open there. I'll have to go that route because its more likely than me one day affording the dues. I digress again... Awesome first 5 holes. Comical start though... The two ball with us had a caddy. Opening hole is a downhill par 5, curving left towards the ocean view. I see this on the 18birdies app, pick a line over a tree thats maybe 180 or so out on the left of the tee box. I absolutely hammer this thing. See above for my driving (spoiler, not straight) - this thing was on a rope, baby cut, bombed. Bend over, pick up my tee. Caddy looks over and says oh I'd hit a provisional if I was you.... WTF?! I walk back to cart to get a ball, look at the app again and decide hell no, it can't be, not on that line. He says its probably dead but its a three shot hole no matter what so maybe you'll find it and can punch out

Get down there. Ball is absolutely slap bang in the middle of the fairway. Not even an inch off center.... This is why I (respectfully) don't take caddies. That and I can't afford them and like to walk my own bag. Anyways, shock and horror of that over, I hit a 4iron pin high (clearly not a three shotter no matter what) chip, putt, birdie to start! First 5 holes are amazing. To be sadly honest the inland bound holes are a bit of a let down, but the back nine is pure! Odd course with the first 4 being ocean side links like then basically very parkland for the rest. But amazing track. Plays really really long when its that wet so it was a challenging day to say the least

Damage - $235 on the NCGA deal, that includes $75 gift card

Psychological Damage - 78 with years of therapy needed due to almost hitting a provisional after the best drive of my life.

Day 7 - Westerchester Night Golf, LA. I mean I'm sure in the day it looks like crap and its never going to be a course you tell your kids about. But. For $14.50 for 18 in the middle of LA, under lights (sort of...) - what a treat. Good way to shake off the legs after a 6 hour drive down from Monterey I really enjoyed this little Par 64 track. Sure, some lights are basically a glow flys a** and I've seen less dimly lit alleys in the Tenderloin, but really enjoyed it. It was a 15 holer and the new 3 holes they added "recently" are actually pretty dam solid.

Damage - $14.50. Basically a beer in San Fran, best bargain in golf.

Psychological Damage - 69 (can I say I broke 70?!) and only lost one in the dark.

Day 8 - Angeles Nation Golf Club. Nicklause design with some amazing views of the hills and back down over LA. I'd love to say more good things here but honeslty I played so badly I forgot half the round. Its a dessert style course, hard AF so you get some run that is amazing for mid winter being used to SF conditions. I shot 46 on the front and after 4 holes started putting with my lob wedge and hitting 2i off the tee because my driver and putter both clearly had other things on their agenda that day. Saved it with 37 on the back nine. And... the golf gods gave me a birdie on 18 because they could clearly see the lake was there and my putter was keen on a short flight.

Damage - $130. Honestly, its far too much. Its a great course but even by LA's ripoff standards I dont see this as being worth that. They didnt even have a bar/snack bar open on a Saturday by the time we finished at 10h30. Nuts

Psychological Damage - I went back to Westchester and hit 200 balls on the range, changed my putter grip, swapped drivers, cried a little bit. You work it out. Shot eighty farking three

Day 9 - Links at Spanish Bay. So for the obvious "you didnt' play Pebble?" - yes. We did not. We tried, but our timing of driving up and down and whatever just had no openings on the NCGA rate that weren't singles, and I can't fork out $550 for a round no matter how much I view Pebble as number 3 on my bucket list. It'll happen but it wasn't meant to be. That said, I heard so many mixed reviews of Spanish Bay and can only derive that whoever did not enjoy this course was high on crack. Honestly. What.A.Gem. I love courses you have to pick apart and plot your way around, despite hitting it longer - my accuracy means I love a good 4i/2i off the tee and this played into my strengths beautifully. Every hole is picturesque and just a treat.

Damage - $160 with $75 voucher. Best deal of the trip after Westchester :)

Psychological Damage - see my post in "wanted to buy". My Accra 125 on my PW broke on impact on 8. The hole is called Marsh Corner. Marsh + PW = one less club in the bag. ffs. But 76 and birdie on 18 again (where I needed a PW and had to massage a 9 to a tucked pin). Shot 76

Day 10 - Laguna Seca Golf Ranch. Last minute decision after seeing our Airbnb checkout was 11am not 10am so we could sneak a round in while the ladies got ready in the morning then fetched us on the way out of town. First out again (we did this almost every round the whole trip and it was amazing, I DESPISE slow play and have found it to be incredibly bad in the bay area, so this was worth so so so much to me). What an enjoyable track! Not too challenging bar 2 par 5s on the back which are fairly tricky in their own way, but just a really enjoyable course with some great elevation changes and a few top top holes. and hey - I DROVE IT DEAD STRAIGHT ALL DAY

Damage - $49 on golfnow, which is dam solid

Psychological Damage - see broken PW above. With me 1 up with 2 to play I had 120m (132yards) in on 17 and 18. my perfect easy PW distance. Hammered a GW to 3 feet each time. Missed both putts. But won. So I'm undecided. Shot 73

Day 11 - Harding Park, this weekend. TBC. But I've played there enought times to know I'll love it. That course is shaping up so well in the lead up to PGA. Having moved here only 15 months ago its been incredible to see it transform from what I first thought was a pushover (I was playing much better a year ago, 2019 was not kind to my game) having shot 68-69-71 in my first 3 laps of it. But recently the halved fairways and my s*** driving has reminded me that course setup trumps all. PGA should be a treat here if they get the rough going. I'd hate for them to make it a -20 score, its unbefitting of an otherwise lovely track. Just never tee off after 9am.

Thanks if you read this far, easily the most i've typed since college.

PepsiDuck · January 12, 2020

Thanks for the post, it was a fun read and reminded me of the 2 and a half years that I lived there and played those same courses...I practically lived at Bayonet Black Horse! I'm excited about heading back in February for the AT&T Pro Am to see some old friends and play a round. I agree with you that I like Black Horse significantly more than Bayonet.

EddyVN · January 12, 2020

Nice, enjoy the trip when it comes around. Those courses are is superb condition too, even with the rain

EddyVN · January 12, 2020

Final update on Harding Park.

odd day out, they had moved all the tees waaaaaayyy up. Felt like I was playing a completely new golf course. When I mean up I mean like 12 was playing 400yards, the beast that is 4 was a driver, 4i.

sadly the otherthing they kept waaaayyy up was the rough ? I lost ball 2 feet left of the fairway on 7, hitting 4i off the tee. sigh

but other than that a really enjoyable day out, the course is wet but looking good. Rough is creeping up on motherf****r status...

Damage: $85 resident card

Psychological Damage: 75 balls and a not to not miss fairway with 4 irons. Also wtf with slow play. Off at 7:50 and 3 holes in the group ahead were a par 5 behind. Please go play Lawn Bowls, thank you.