Baylands Golf Course

[timmy8151]

Going to be playing the recently renovated Palo Alto Muni course which has been renamed to Baylands. Just wanted to know if anyone has played it and has any thoughts about the course. I played Palo Alto about 6 years ago and remember it being pretty windy but that's about it.

[EvanScottKing]

I've been out there a couple times since the renovation and like the changes they've made to the course.

 

It plays like much more of a links style track now since they've removed a lot of the trees and vegetation that were previously present. They have some shared greens, massive tiered greens and blind par 3's hidden behind dunes that make for a good change of pace from most of the other offerings in the area. Bunkers are almost too fluffy since they're still so new and haven't settled yet, but the riveting they incorporate on some of them looks fantastic.

 

Morning times tend to be more calm, but even if its still dewy don't expect the greens to be receptive - they really do play like a firm links course where you'll be expected to run the ball up. Conditions have been great from tee to green each time I've been out, but if your round stretches into the afternoon or you have a later tee time to start expect a lot of wind. The routing does a good job of mixing the holes you have that play into vs. down wind, but it can easily be a three club switch.

 

The new practice facility they've incorporated I think could be the biggest draw and value-add for Baylands: big sloping putting green, tiered chipping green with a couple flags, renovated driving range that most should be able to hit their drivers on unless they're one of the uncharacteristically long and the wind is doing crazy stuff and then they'll be opening a dedicated short-game practice area around the start of the year (according to the course head-pro) once they raise the nets on the right side of the driving range.

 

Shots I would spend my time practicing before going out to play: 1) bump n' runs around the greens, 2) a shot of the tee I can flight low - stuff will run out there even into the wind so long as you keep it on the fairway 3) punch shots with mid-irons

 

Hopefully you get a nice day out there when the weather cooperates, but greens should be in fantastic shape since they took care of punching maybe a month ago.

[timmy8151]

EvanScottKing, thanks for the comments! Was planning on adding my Srixon U65 driving iron my bag for the low tee shot. I play a lot at Metro in the East Bay and am used to playing in the wind. Weather looks great this weekend and should be about 60* when we tee off and 75* when we're done.

 

Good to hear about the practice facilities. I practice mainly at either Sneath or Mariner's Point but Baylands isn't too far from me either.

[EvanScottKing]

Metro is actually a pretty good comparison track.

 

The range is mats only as far as I know at Baylands, which would be the only downside compared to Metro or Mariner's. What side of the bay do you live on?

[aloha b.]

If you're playing on the weekend hopefully your round won't take 5 - 5 1/2 hrs. This was the case for a couple of friends who played on a weekend. They only have mats at the range.

[jysh17]

Played this track today, it's fairly different than the previous iteration. It's still a pretty short course (and has some really short par 3's). A good deal more fairway undulations, and the greens are decently fast. I'd say the comparisons to Metro (or Monarch Bay) are pretty close. Definitely some wind later on in the day, but it's manageable. The bad news is, for a Friday it took 5 hours and 5 minutes to finish our round, I'm going to say the weekend times would probably be slower.

[lchang]

I think all those waste areas are the culprit. Lots of people spending time looking for balls in that junk. If they were just lakes, pace would be faster!

[timmy8151]

So played Baylands this weekend and overall was impressed with the course. I liked the routing of the course and thought there were a nice mix of holes (short and long Par 3's and 4's). I normally play from the White Tees at other courses but we played from the Blues as the Whites were a little too short. Greens were pretty firm and our group had a lot of shots hit the greens and run off (even with lofted wedges). Took everyone in our group a little while to get used to running shots onto the greens as well as get our putting speeds down. First few holes, we were all blowing our putts by. Overall though it was pretty enjoyable round.

 

A couple of negatives though. First pace of play wasn't great. Our round took a little over 5 hours and the group ahead of us spent a lot of time searching for their balls in the waste area. Also, temperatures hit over 70* during our round and there weren't very many water stations/fountains on the course and besides the turn only 1 set of restrooms. Lastly, the course isn't cheap, we payed $92 to walk which isn't great, when Corica, which is also newly renovated has NCGA rates for about $20 cheaper.

[Justin_650]

I played here right when they remolded it and havnt been back since... Shoreline has been having great deals to play around 11 AM on a weekend, cost me $35 for the round and took about 4.5 hrs. I live in PA and would love to play baylands more its just too much $ for what the course offers. they need to start lowering the rates...

[Gnucastle]

EvanScottKing, thanks for the comments! Was planning on adding my Srixon U65 driving iron my bag for the low tee shot. I play a lot at Metro in the East Bay and am used to playing in the wind. Weather looks great this weekend and should be about 60* when we tee off and 75* when we're done.

 

Good to hear about the practice facilities. I practice mainly at either Sneath or Mariner's Point but Baylands isn't too far from me either.

 

Cant really speak to Baylands the course as I've only played 7 holes and the pace was unbearable -had to walk off. However, I would stick to practicing at Mariners Point over Baylands. Not only for the grass range option but also the short game area at MP is better in my opinion. I just wish they let us bring our own balls and shag.

[James the Hogan Fan]

Played Baylands in September. It's windy and overpriced. However, if you could snag a time in the $50 range I think it is as good as anything else public in the Bay Area. The conditions were pristine as the course was fairly new still, and the greens in particular were too good (way faster than what I’m used to, and in some cases a little too fast for contours.) Pace of play was good, started at 3:30 and finished easily in 4:15-30.

The course is only like its older version in some of the routings, otherwise the course is pretty much brand new. The no rough concept was most interesting: you’re either in the fairway or in the weeds. On some of the par-5’s you really get to bomb it without fear.

 

Plus they have a British Open style bunker, which for me and my buddy was kind if fun.

[duffer987]

I never played the old version of this course, but it seems worth a play, at non peak time rates.

Looks like they are pushing their Links Card with the green fee structure, which otherwise is quite rubbish.

 

For those who have played both - would you put it on the same level as Corica-South or maybe a notch below it?

[mojomover]

Played Baylands a bunch and Corica once, I would say both are somewhat comparable in terms of conditions. I find Corica's layout a bit more interesting, more angles and slightly tighter. Baylands is pretty wide open, tough to lose a ball or miss a fairway but has much more interesting green complexes.

[Shakester]

I frequent Baylands since Harding started adding additional fees for booking tee times in advance. As much as $50 per person if you're booking 30 days. Before the rain, Baylands was super nice. The fairways were great, although the tee boxes were fluffy. After the rain, the fairways are brown and muddy which is disappointing. The greens seem to always be in great condition. I have a Links card but you only get the rate when you book 7 days or less. I would think that paying $119 for the membership that you would get preferred tee times at that rate. Right now, the course probably isn't worth the $100 for out of towners to play. Shoreline Golf Links is nearly half the price and just a few exits down. The fairways are in comparable condition with Shoreline being just a tad better. The greens at Shoreline are fast and its a pretty nice layout as well, even though most the par 3's looks the same.

[jsmil4901]

I used to play the old Palo Alto muni years ago and really enjoyed it. It was tough in the afternoon with the wind, but was a good test. I went over to the Baylands pro shop to ask about green fees and they could not give me an answer. They said something about booking online to find the cost. I said I'm standing right here can't you tell me? I don't like the dynamic pricing model they've adopted. It's too hard to find out ahead of time what your fee will be. I play as a single so maybe that's the problem. Also I do think the fees are too high.

[timmy8151]

> @jsmil4901 said:

> I used to play the old Palo Alto muni years ago and really enjoyed it. It was tough in the afternoon with the wind, but was a good test. I went over to the Baylands pro shop to ask about green fees and they could not give me an answer. They said something about booking online to find the cost. I said I'm standing right here can't you tell me? I don't like the dynamic pricing model they've adopted. It's too hard to find out ahead of time what your fee will be. I play as a single so maybe that's the problem. Also I do think the fees are too high.

 

Their online portal is pretty easy to use and you can book out a week in advance to understand your greens fees. Regarding cost their rack rate isn't great but if you get their Links card it's pretty decent deal. Card is ~ $129/year (cheaper if you buy earlier) and can save you $20-$30/round and pays for itself after a half dozen or so rounds.