Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club

Difficult layout and poor conditions.

So…. Affordable prices for beginner golfers to an unfriendly course for beginners=

1.
Poor Conditions getting worse from beginners (fixed at least 4 pitch marks per green). Greens are not firm enough to withstand the onslaught of beginner golfers.
2.
Incredibly slow pace of play made worse by the employees putting up their hands (what are ya gonna do?)

I would play for $30 first thing in the morning. Not for $60.

Sad that one of the best layouts in San Diego has become an absolute dump. I wasn’t sure if it was a golf course or the surface of the moon. This could be one of the best tracks in the county if it were in good shape.

I’ve played this course at its absolute worst and it’s absolute best and right now the conditions are above average. I can see they’re starting to put some money into the course and the fairways are getting nicer! The greens are a little slow and could use a little overseeding. The biggest problem I The last time I played was the pace of play. It was very slow and took us almost 5 hours to finish 16 holes!

I’ve always loved the layout of Carlton Oaks. Over the years the wild card has always been the course conditions and maintenance quality. This round, my only minor comments are that some of the tee boxes are in need of repair, and the greens were very hard and not as receptive to pitch shots as usual. The latter is just a matter of allowing for lots of rollout. Putts roll well, bunkers are in good shape. I really enjoyed my round and I will be back.

Got an early tee time for myself because the boys could come out to play. I ended up trailing another single, but he asked me to play through as I caught up to him and ended up with a two-some another hole ahead. The fairways were good and the greens were tricky with the morning dew. The par 5s are fun, too.

One issue was we had to tee off from the side of the tee box on one of the later holes because the groundskeeper had the sprinklers on and didn't turn them off as we came up. He just waved at us...other than that, this is a nice course and its at the right price.

About the only thing good I can say is that the staff is friendly. Otherwise, the course is in terrible shape. It is hard to understand why the owners/management care so little for course maintenance. Save your time and money and play elsewhere. The $80 or so they charge is total ripoff for a course in this horrible condition.

If you like Gopher holes, Crap grass. Bear spots. And dead grass, this is the place for you.

In the 10 years I have been living in this neighborhood, I used to believe in the potential for this course. Its layout should be bringing in groups of golfers, friends and great players alike from far and wide, but instead it has brought out a clientele that has not learned the etiquette of the game, the power drinkers, and where a 5 hour round is the normal (even 5-somes out there!!). There are more gopher holes in this course than imaginable, weeds, standing water and mud lining every hole. I understand that San Diego has to either choose the private route if you are fortunate enough, $250 rounds (just a few left) or $60-$80 courses. This is what San Diego is offering these days. However this course is a disaster. Borderline unplayable. The only grounds keepers seem were working on a patch of rocks between holes picking out random grass blades. Meanwhile no sand in the bunkers (pure rocks), treacherous holes, high weeds and slow furry greens with divots.

The management of this track needs to make a decision: get your act together and work on this course, or get somebody that will. It’s a treasure of east County and you are ruining it. Really. Fix this place. Take care of it, and have some pride in the game we all love and respect. Until this happens I encourage everyone to spend their money at either Singing Hills, Steele Canyon, or even mini golf. This place is gouging the golf enthusiasts for a “less than 1 star” experience.

Greens a bit slow/shaggy. Bunkers so so, but a nice Perry Dye layout and price is right

Seems like they overbook most afternoons. Piled up 3 groups on the same tee box after the first hole. Need better spacing. If you don’t care about waiting then it’s a nice course but very hard to get in a rhythm when it’s almost a 8-10 min wait per stroke.