Regular guy membership options in San Diego

thehottsauce · March 25, 2015

I'm a regular blue collar type guy wondering if there are any options for a more affordable membership in the San Diego area. I had the weekday membership at Riverwalk (which is a tremendous deal) but with a separate membership for the short game practice area, the consistently LONG rounds and massive amounts of tournaments it wasn't the best fit.

So if you've got any insider info or ideas please let me know

PutterKilledTheDream · March 27, 2015

Coronado offers different annual passes. X rounds for a certain cost. Amortizes to really cheap rounds if you're committed to playing there regularly. Certainly going to be better than Riverwalk, but also a fairly crowded course. Depends if you play as a single.....than shouldn't really be any issue at all.

bradski · March 29, 2015

Steele canyon had just over 300 per month. Don't know if they still do.

JackpotJohnny · March 30, 2015

What part of the county are you in?
Ithere are some decent deals if you are in the north county area.

thehottsauce · March 30, 2015

[quote name='Johnny4379' timestamp='1427753966' post='11248039']
What part of the county are you in?
[/quote]

I'm in Mission Valley.....after a little more in depth research I think a part time job or marshaling spot might be better suited for me. I have tons of time to practice and play but i'm just too darn broke. I basically live at a different short game / practice green I choose to visit that day.

I3erto · May 4, 2015

[quote name='Johnny4379' timestamp='1427753966' post='11248039'] What part of the county are you in? Ithere are some decent deals if you are in the north county area. [/quote]

What courses have decent membership deals in North County?

JackpotJohnny · May 8, 2015

el camino is a pretty good deal right now, I think RB and Bernardo heights are pretty close to that in price too. Stoneridge was giving away memberships not too long ago. Shadowridge isn't too expensive either
I can't remember, every once in awhile I send out emails to see what the fees are, but I havent in awhile

Clambake · May 8, 2015

[quote name='Johnny4379' timestamp='1431063357' post='11521167']
el camino is a pretty good deal right now, I think RB and Bernardo heights are pretty close to that in price too. Stoneridge was giving away memberships not too long ago. Shadowridge isn't too expensive either
[/quote]

All of those are dying to get new members in right now and are offering good deals, and I'd add Golf Club of California to the list. I'd rate the courses and facilities as follows: Golf Club of California is first, then Shadowridge, then Bernardo Heights, with El Cam and CC of RB tied for last.

Golf Club of California in Fallbrook has a good range and a decent restaurant, and it isn't very old so everything feels fresh. They are offering really good deals, although they're also selling a lot of tee times for public play so it isn't quite as private feeling, but basically you can get in for zero initiation and around $500 a month dues. That's approximately what all of them are offering, although some have modest initiation fees of $2-3k. It's the farthest out of the way of the clubs mentioned, but it is also probably the nicest feeling place of the group. Members are mostly middle age and not too ancient, and are very friendly. It's all decent, although nothing like any of the premium clubs in the area like Bridges (which is a world all of its own), Del Mar, Santaluz, etc. Nothing special, just a nice value for a decent place.

El Camino is dumpy with old facilities badly in need of updating, and doesn't have a driving range - you hit into some nets. They do have some tennis courts and a pool if that's of interest, although they feel right out of the 50's and also need significant refreshing. I've played there a few times and in general found the membership nice enough, although each time there were some really obnoxious members around the practice green - all very large guys acting like loud boisterous old frat boys who never outgrew it.

Shadowridge has updated facilities with a nice bar and restaurant, an OK range although long shots are off mats, but a good short game area. There is also a Taylor Made fitting center on site; TM executives get memberships there and you'll run into a lot of other golf industry insiders and execs. Members are very friendly and nice people, and cover a broad variety of ages, so it probably is pretty easy to find a group to fit in with.

Bernardo Heights is average all around, and that's neither bad nor great - the course is OK and has some decent holes and is usually in decent condition, the range is pretty good, and the facilities are a bit dated but not terrible. F&B seems OK there as well, not great but not bad either. Membership age skews heavily towards the retired spectrum.

CC of Rancho Bernardo has a quirky course that I'd tire of playing frequently, and has a terrible range which is shared with the Rancho Bernardo Inn - it has lousy mats and worn out balls limited flight balls. And I think anyone under the age of 60 will lower their average membership age significantly.

Stoneridge in Poway has had tons of financial problems and the lender foreclosed on the property a couple years ago, putting it up for sale. It is also pretty bleh all around, with an average, kind of quirky course that isn't in too great of shape, OK facilities (decent bar though!), and the range isn't very good either. Their greens used to be quite good and ran pretty fast, but the last couple times I played there they seemed to be in average shape and medium speed. They're also selling public tee times occasionally to try and stay afloat.

PutterKilledTheDream · May 9, 2015

Balboa Park is near you...i've always been partial to that track despite how short it is. Good all around test of all clubs in the bag and only like $30 to walk during the week. Much better than RW imo. All the aforementioned courses are significantly north of you.

JackpotJohnny · May 9, 2015

I tried to narrow my suggestions down to private clubs in that have the most reasonable deals for average joes, not necessarly the best courses.

There's a pretty huge drop off in quality when you eliminate the luxury options like the bridges and the farms and the Crosby.

I totally forgot about golf club of ca. Clambake is right, it's probably the best of the bunch as far as for the money, the only thing is that it's pretty far out there, and it's no longer a fully private cc.
I think it used to be tied to the golf club of Rancho California in Murieta. If the membership gets you in there too, then it's an even better deal.

There are some pretty good non-private membership options. Most courses offer some level of membership, where you pay upfront for unlimited golf, or just have to pay the cart fee. Some include the range, some don't.
The resort club at RB in is a pretty good deal, and covers all the JC courses.
American golf was offering range memberships at each of their courses for like $30 a month with some discounted tee times.
It just depends on what you are looking for.

On a side note, clambake, do you have any feedback on vista valley? I heard they were doing a lot of renovations over there.

Clambake · May 10, 2015

[quote name='Johnny4379' timestamp='1431209526' post='11529094']
On a side note, clambake, do you have any feedback on vista valley? I heard they were doing a lot of renovations over there.
[/quote]

It's been a while since I last played Vista Valley, but I didn't think it was a course I'd enjoy playing over and over. It felt like about 1/3 of the holes were pretty nice holes, about 1/3 were average, and 1/3 seemed really odd, like they ran out of room while designing the course and just thought "ah, what the hell, let's just stick another hole here". I also didn't care for the range - we had to hit off mats, hitting down a steep hill so it was tough to gauge distances, and if I recall correctly you weren't allowed to hit driver due to the short range length. They were still building the new clubhouse addition when I was there so I don't have any opinions on that part of the facilities.

PutterKilledTheDream · May 10, 2015

[quote name='Johnny4379' timestamp='1431209526' post='11529094']
I tried to narrow my suggestions down to private clubs in that have the most reasonable deals for average joes, not necessarly the best courses.

There's a pretty huge drop off in quality when you eliminate the luxury options like the bridges and the farms and the Crosby.

I totally forgot about golf club of ca. Clambake is right, it's probably the best of the bunch as far as for the money, the only thing is that it's pretty far out there, and it's no longer a fully private cc.
I think it used to be tied to the golf club of Rancho California in Murieta. If the membership gets you in there too, then it's an even better deal.

There are some pretty good non-private membership options. Most courses offer some level of membership, where you pay upfront for unlimited golf, or just have to pay the cart fee. Some include the range, some don't.
The resort club at RB in is a pretty good deal, and covers all the JC courses.
American golf was offering range memberships at each of their courses for like $30 a month with some discounted tee times.
It just depends on what you are looking for.

On a side note, clambake, do you have any feedback on vista valley? I heard they were doing a lot of renovations over there.
[/quote]
Terrible choice and funky layout. Would never consider nor recommend joining that club. If you're gonna go that far north Golf Club of Ca. is the superior choice by miles. Hey Clambake...say hi to the boys over at the Sand Trap for me lol.