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Rating Index Rating
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3.1
382 Reviews (382)
5 Stars
66
4 Stars
119
3 Stars
84
2 Stars
63
1 Stars
50
Conditions
2.7
Value
3.3
Layout
4.0
Friendliness
4.3
Pace
4.2
Amenities
3.5
59.4%
Recommend this course
261 out of 382 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.5
19 Reviews (19)
5 Stars
6
4 Stars
6
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
4
Conditions
3.3
Value
3.8
Layout
4.2
Pace
4.3
Amenities
3.8
StaffFriendliness
4.3
73.7%
Recommend this course
14 out of 19 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.0
51 Reviews (51)
5 Stars
9
4 Stars
12
3 Stars
9
2 Stars
14
1 Stars
7
Conditions
2.5
Value
3.3
Layout
4.0
Pace
4.3
Amenities
3.6
StaffFriendliness
4.3
54.9%
Recommend this course
28 out of 51 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Pajaro Valley's course layout offers genuine character and challenge, with wide fairways and excellent views of the surrounding area. Friendly staff and an impressively smooth pace of play make for a consistently enjoyable round at a reasonable value.

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6432 yards
Slope 125
Rating 70.6

Originally designed by Floyd McFarkland, Pajaro Valley Golf Club has large Monterey Pines lining its generous rolling fairways. Elevated tees provide scenic views of the Pajaro Valley below. Opened in 1922 and redesigned in 1962 by Robert Muir Graves, the course features small bentgrass greens and four ponds with water in play on three holes. The fourth is one of the course's most challenging holes, a 420-yard par 4 with triple-tiered green. The course also was once the home of former U.S. Open champion Olin Dutra, who spent the last part of his career teaching here.

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Pajaro Valley Golf Club
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Course Details

Year Built 1926
Greens Bent Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Floyd McFarkland (1926) Robert Muir Graves (1962)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - $25
GPS Yes
Pull-carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, American Express
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Fivesomes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes

Available Facilities

Clubhouse
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Reviews

3.1
382 Reviews (382)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 20
Brunch 9
Watching the Game 9
Course Challenges Include:
Elevation Changes 26
Bunkers 22
Undulating Greens 19
This course/club is great for:
Locals 31
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 22
Walkers 17
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 23
Convenient to the City 9
In the 'Burbs 8

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

great greens

wonderful place to play ocean breeze good views
I love to play here I use every club in the bag

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Call the pro shop for conditions

Normally some of the best greens around. Today was the first time playing there in a few months. Cart died on first hole and when we returned they didn't have any more with windshields or tread on the tires. They had 2 temporary greens today with several others that should have been temporary with sand patches and some slash cut aeration. Seems like they really let the place go in the last few months.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Good location for North and South Bay to meet.

Course needs sosme work but overall it is a nice place to play, not crowded and open.,

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 16
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

The front 9 was built in 1922 so expect a layout that is mature.

I love me a older course. This fit my bill. Did I mention huge trees? Course is inland a bit so the weather was better than you might find right on the coastline in Monterey County. Several tees are elevated as are some greens. Forgiving fairways generally speaking. I remember one narrow fairway out of 18. But hey my home course is pretty tough. greens were very good. i'd play it again anytime.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Overall fun course.

The views of the valley and the cool fog layer made it scenic. My friends and I found the course challenging but the greens were dry and uneven. It looked like they just recently punched the greens. But the price we paid was worth it.

Conditions Poor
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 14
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Fun course.

Some rather interesting holes, with good challenges. Open and forgiving for the most part, but you can pay a price on several holes if you go are a little wild.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 16
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Old Mainstay Needs Some TLC

Pajaro Valley is a longstanding favorite among the locals of the Watsonville/Santa Cruz area but it is in serious need of revival. At its best this course has some of the fastest greens on the central coast and can be a challenging track but its been down and out for a while now. The greens were punched recently and are very sandy so putting right now is a joke, very slow and bumpy. Hopefully in a few weeks this will all be healed and the greens will be in better shape than they were with a lot of dead, brown areas. The tee boxes are some of the worst around and need serious overhaul. They're nothing but chewed up turf right now. I'm not sure why they can't just be leveled and resodded. Not worth the $50 they charged us right now but I'm hoping they get serious about improving this course because it's a cool place to play when it's right and has a great group of regular members and players.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

not good

greens were plugged day or two before, for them to not notify players is unfair and dishonest , my out of town guest and i were needless to say disappointed and walked off the course with a sour taste .

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a month
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Paid $30. ... Not worth any more

The facilities are old and shabby. The carts are beat up and filthy. Cart paths in need of repair. Course is mostly green but grass less and weedy. Lots of fairway tight lies. We won't be back. But the coffee was good.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

The location is the key to this course

Views of the Monterey Bay Peninsula, very few homes on its border, rolling fog, beautiful gum and cedar trees make this venue a pleasant day out. The course is open w generous fairways, The greens were challenging and rather quick -- don't end up above the hole! Restaurant staff was pleasant but the Pro shop guy needed some customer service training --- have a bad night, buddy?

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Poor
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 0-4
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Good&bad

Greens were in good shape for kikuyu grass, fairways are fair, dry in some places and soggy in others, bunkers are less than desirable , most of them had very little sand and the ones that did have sand, it's like they just took a dump truck from the beach and dumped them in .greens were semi-fast and held their lines. For $30 I would go again!And I WOULD recommend to friends. It does have challenging hole and some of the best views I've seen!

Conditions Poor
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Easy
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Needs a bit of attention

I used to play this course 20+ years ago. It really needs some attention. The course is not marked very well and we had to search for the next tee box on more than one occasion. We played a twilight round, so the price was right. Would have been very disappointed had we paid full greens fees. The price we paid through golfnow.com of $29.00 should be the standard greens price. The course was in pretty good shape, greens are fast and the rough is challenging. I would play again but never for over $29.00.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Waste of time and money

Long story short, it took 4 carts before I finally got one that worked..

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 68
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played

Fast difficult greens

Enjoyed playing the course. Finished the first round so quickly I did a replay, you only pay for a cart fee. Played two rounds in 5-1/2 hours.

The greens are always in good shape here, the fairways are decent, but have many barren spots with little to very sketchy grass. Great challenging layout with lots of terrain changes. Will play here again and again for Golfnow prices.

Conditions Poor
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

up grades

There were a few upgrades. Bunkers added to the par 5 holes 4 and 15, which made you think a little bit about going for it in 2.
Good work. Look forward to seeing the changes on hole 6. A pond with a fountain would make the long hitters think about laying up were as a green side bunk is not much of a deterrent.
Thanks for a fun day.
Steve

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Always a great experience

Pajaro Golf Club is always a pleasure to visit. Mostly known for their excellent, and usually speedy greens, this course is quite enjoyable for the variety of challenges presented to the golfer. If you want to score, you will have to exercise your game management skills to position yourself properly on the greens, due to nearly extreme slopes on several holes. Although you will have a great mix of flat and not-so flat greens to play, putting yourself above the hole on some of these highly sloped greens will definitely lead to a much bigger number than expected. It is for that reason that this course becomes much more fun to play the more familiar you become with it. You will have the opportunity to bomb the long ones off the tee, while at the same time you will be required to be precise off the tee box to position your ball for a good approach shot. Although it helps to be long off the box, a good, accurate but shorter golfer can easily complete when it comes to scoring. NOTE: They are currently expanding the green on one of the most difficult greens on the course, #5, and you will play a temporary green that is very small, and rough. It isn't any better than playing a green that has just been punched, but they expect the newly "remodeled" green to be playable within a month or two, according to the pro shop.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

excellent value

course in reasonably good condition, difficult greens make the challenge

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Really bad experience playing golf here on Saturday.

Course NEEDS marshals! Slow players that ended up becoming a 5some. Called the pro shop and nothing was done. it took us over 6 hrs to play 18 holes! I wouldn't recommend this course to anyone since apparently, there's lots of beginners, drunks, players without golf etiquette that play here.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 36
Handicap 25+
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Course had some nice views of the Elkhorn Slough area.

Fairways were in good shape as well as most greens. One green did need some attention with lots of ball marks. Conditions were cool (60's) but not breezy so playing was very pleasant. Originally paired into a foursome, staff accommodated us with our request to play as a twosome. Overall, a very nice experience.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Course needs attention

I have played here a lot over the years. Greens are playable but need lots of attention. Cart paths are terrible. Lots of daiseys in the rough makes finding your ball tough. If you aren't picky and just want a place to play and can't pay big money for a round of golf. This course will do. For $60 on the weekend I would spend another $15 or $20 and play somewhere else. There are better places for that price.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Easy
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