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Rating Index Rating
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4.6
208 Reviews (208)
5 Stars
143
4 Stars
41
3 Stars
10
2 Stars
8
1 Stars
6
Conditions
4.5
Value
4.1
Layout
4.7
Friendliness
4.8
Pace
4.5
Amenities
4.4
90.3%
Recommend this course
184 out of 208 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.8
6 Reviews (6)
5 Stars
5
4 Stars
1
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.3
Value
4.7
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.8
Amenities
4.2
StaffFriendliness
4.8
100.0%
Recommend this course
6 out of 6 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.8
11 Reviews (11)
5 Stars
9
4 Stars
2
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.5
Value
4.4
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.6
Amenities
4.4
StaffFriendliness
4.8
90.9%
Recommend this course
10 out of 11 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
This stunning Carlsbad course consistently impresses with its exceptional layout, well-maintained fairways, and greens that strike a satisfying balance of challenge. Friendly staff across the pro shop and snack cart elevate the experience and make every round memorable.

About

Holes 18
Type Resort
Par 72
Length 7007 yards
Slope 140
Rating 74.6
Book a Tee Time at
Aviara Golf Club
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Course Details

Year Built 1991
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Arnold Palmer (1991) Ed Seay (1991) Robert Walker (1991)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
GPS Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No

Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage

Available Activities

Swimming, Billiards

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Golfers' Choice (2019 #8) (2015 #42)
  • Golf Advisor: Top Courses in California (2019 #3) (2016 #15) (2015 #5)
  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 Courses for Layout in the U.S. (2019 #3)
  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 Off-course amenities in the U.S. (2019 #9) (2016 #19) (2015 #16)
  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 Friendliest Courses in the U.S. (2015 #8)
  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 Courses for Pace of Play in the U.S. (2015 #8)
  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 Course Conditions in the U.S. (2015 #19)
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Reviews

4.6
208 Reviews (208)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 28
Dinner 21
19th Hole Scenic Views 19
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 26
Water Hazards 26
Elevation Changes 25
This course/club is great for:
A Weekend Splurge 31
Entertaining Clients 28
Advanced Golfers 27
This Course's Location is:
At a Resort 30
Worth the Drive 17
Near Local Attractions 15

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 10
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Beautifully landscaped

Treat yourself to playing this course at least once in your live, but if you can afford it then twice a week.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Beautiful course; great people

We were visiting from the LA area for the weekend and booked an ideal tee time. The staff was friendly and paced the groups out nicely...the only issue was out of their control - a terrible foursome of golfers that didn't understand the etiquette. We thought the price point would weed out those kinds of golfers but some people have more money than skill. Will definitely play this course again!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Not worth the money

I haven't played Aviara in ten or so years because, frankly I thought it was too expensive. I decided to go back and play it, I paid $180 to play and if I was to go back, I wouldn't pay more than $70. The course wasn't in very good shap at all. There were some terrible lies, it was really wet in multiple places and the greens weren't in very good shape either ... To price a course, that isn't on the ocean and there really aren't very many great views, that much money, the course better be perfect; especially a resort course. I think the regular price of $245 is a joke. Even the discount on this site is way too expensive.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 15
Handicap 20-24
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

What happened to the greens?

Arrowood golf course is a fun course with some great holes. The tee boxes and fairways are in great shape. When starting my round I had the feeling that I was golfing somewhere pretty special. Unfortunately, when I got to the first green I noticed something was a little off. It looked like no one had repaired a ball mark all summer long. Also, there were some bare spots. I was a little confused by this. I'm not sure how such a nice looking course would let this happen. Maybe one reason by be the lack of marshals on the course. Unfortunately, with no one to hold them accountable, some folks don't care to take a second and fix their damage to the course. It is shame that such a nice course could have greens that are as chewed up as a pit bulls squeaky toy. I would have given this course four stars if it were not for the damaged greens.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Pristine course.

The Golf Course and all amenities are awesome and the staff very friendly. Challenging course, but then as a 15 handicapper, most courses are challenging for me. (-:

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

best course around!!!

it feels like a little piece of heaven!! top notch course in top notch condition. the only thing is u better know how to play or it could get brutal! PGA style bunkers with water play on multiple holes, but u gotta love it!!!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Pricey but picturesque

Very expensive, even pricier than The Prince Course in Kauai, though not as challenging. Must be said that every hole is a signature hole.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Awesome!

Awesome course. Well maintained and super nice staff.

I had a gift certificate for this place so was able to play for free. Otherwise I would never pay what this course wants for green fees, WAY too expensive!

The one big gripe I had was the cost of the sandwich at the turn/snack shop. A small ham sandwich on white Wonderbread (literally, no joke) had four slices of ham, and a slice of cheese. It came with packet mayo and mustard, not even a deli type sandwich... I ate it in eight bites. Additionally, no pickle, no chips, no fries, no nothing, all for the low price of $10. Very disappointing! Take your own food.

Conditions Excellent
Value Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

One of the most beautiful courses in Southern California.

July 2013: Aviara is one of my favorite courses to play. My fourth time to play the course. Challenging but fair and not impossible to score well. Fairways and Greens were in excellent condition. Some absolutely beautiful holes, like playing in a garden particularly several par 3s. Some dry areas in the fairway roughs and several waterfall fountains were off for maintenance detracted a bit from the beauty. Course is on par with Pelican Hill minus the ocean views. Aviara Staff outstanding, very helpful, polite. Pace of play was good. Warm up range facilities were nice. Cost per person is expensive but worth it for special day. Getting a deal on tee cost is best way to play.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 23
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

A must for every player

The greens were great. The fairways were great. The tee boxes were great. The staff was great. Did I forget anything? Oh the cart GPS was the nicest I've seen with touch screen. I think this was the nicest public course I have ever played, but at $235 I would not play again. Other reviews accurately describe it as a botanical garden with gorgeous water features. If you grab a 4:00pm $125 Golfnow deal then it is a MUST for everyone. The Hyatt Park Aviara Hotel runs around $380 per night during summer so there were lots of rich bad golfers/vacationers to be found on the course slowing things down.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 24
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Gorgeous course, loads of fun, very difficult greens to read.

You really can't say anything bad about this course unless it's the price. Every hole is a signature hole, lots of ups and downs, beautiful landscaping throughout. Very difficult greens to read. I'd rank this my #1 course in the region ahead of Pechanga, but the price makes it a "special occasion" course and not something I can do on a regular basis.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Outstanding golf venue. One of the top 3 in San Diego!

Scenic and challenging golf course with attentive staff and superior service facilities. The only drawback was the pace of play...sort of like the "Batan Deathmarch". The course rangers need to encourage the golfers to speed up the pace of play. It detracts from the other special qualities of Aviara.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great difficult course. Challenging greens and overall is difficult.

The course is very well designed and has large but difficult greens. This is a great course for the experienced golfer who wants a challenge.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

BEAUTIFUL!!!!

One word "AWESOME" a must play. From tee to green was perfert

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 21
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

This course is over priced

I enjoyed the course very much, the greens and fairways were in good conditions the staff was very friendly

Conditions Average
Value Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Beautiful #18 hole ~

The staffs were SUPER FRIENDLY.
This course is a beautiful course in a spectacular setting.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser

beautiful course

course is in excellent shape. staff was very friendly and helpful.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 93
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 500 Contributor

good move by the LPGA

I was given a free round ($50 cart fee extra) for volunteering at the KIA Classic. As a Standard Bearer I walked the course inside the ropes all four days so I already knew the layout pretty well. This is a great new venue for the women and I was wondering if it would be equally as enjoyable to play myself.
A few of the greens were showing the effects of aeration but otherwise the course is in great shape. Aviara is a classic Palmer design with reasonably open fairways andt tough green complexes. Actually, it wasn't as hard to play as I expected.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 75
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor

spectacularly beautiful and can be tough.

Great practice facility to start. Cookies and lemonade. Staff was helpful and friendly. We started on the white tees but moved back to play the blues after a few holes. Whites for shorter players and higher handicap. Blues for good or longer players. Silver for Long and good players, mid to low single digit handicaps. The rough was up and challenging from the LPGA event the week before. The holes are all beautiful with blooming flowers, waterfalls and fountains. Don't forget the well placed bunkers, doglegs, falloffs and very fast and challenging greens. Some tough approaches due to blind shots to the green and not knowing the run or falloff of some. The greens were excellent and fast and were undulating and difficult to read. I had more problems with green speed and break than anything else. The foursome enjoyed the course thoroughly.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser

Beauty with challenging greens

The course was being prepared for the Kia Classic which was 3 weeks away. The course itself was visually stunning with many beautiful flowers. The greens were diabolical with unseen undulation, which made them impossible to read correctly. They were also extremely fast, but true rolling. The layout of the course is not too difficult and anybody can play it.

We were able to play the course with our $99 GolfNow holiday pack twosome which made the $160 Hot Deal tee time bearable, otherwise I'd say it was overpriced. We saved over $160!

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
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Golf Packages

Aviara Stay & Play Package

Click Below
SAN DIEGO, CA | Enjoy lodging accommodations at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa and golf at Aviara Golf Club.
Aviara Golf Club - Hole #18

Aviara Stay & Play Packages

Click Below
SAN DIEGO, CA | Enjoy lodging accommodations at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa and golf at Aviara Golf Club.

The Lodge At Torrey Pines Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
LA JOLLA, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at The Lodge at Torrey Pines and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Torrey Pines – South Course and Torrey Pines – North Course.

The OMNI La Costa Resort & Spa Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
CARLSBAD, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at The OMNI La Costa Resort & Spa and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Aviara Golf Course, OMNI La Costa – South Course, and OMNI La Costa – North Course.
MB2.1.jfif

Monarch Beach Resort Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
ORANGE COUNTY, CA | Enjoy lodging accommodations at the Waldorf-Astoria Monarch Beach, the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Nigel, the Montage Laguna Beach, or the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa and golf at Monarch Beach Golf Links.
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