Carlton Oaks GC
A view of a hole at Carlton Oaks Golf Club.
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Rating Index Rating
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3.1
1884 Reviews (1884)
5 Stars
243
4 Stars
672
3 Stars
455
2 Stars
280
1 Stars
234
Conditions
2.7
Value
3.4
Layout
4.0
Friendliness
4.3
Pace
3.5
Amenities
3.5
62.8%
Recommend this course
1210 out of 1884 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.1
54 Reviews (54)
5 Stars
5
4 Stars
15
3 Stars
21
2 Stars
8
1 Stars
5
Conditions
2.8
Value
3.5
Layout
4.1
Pace
3.4
Amenities
3.7
StaffFriendliness
4.5
64.8%
Recommend this course
35 out of 54 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.2
137 Reviews (137)
5 Stars
18
4 Stars
46
3 Stars
37
2 Stars
19
1 Stars
17
Conditions
2.7
Value
3.5
Layout
4.1
Pace
3.5
Amenities
3.6
StaffFriendliness
4.4
66.4%
Recommend this course
91 out of 137 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Carlton Oaks features a challenging Pete Dye layout that consistently earns praise for its interesting design and playable greens. Exceptionally friendly staff and affordable pricing make this a rewarding value for San Diego golfers.

About

Holes 18
Type Resort/Public
Par 72
Length 7304 yards
Slope 142
Rating 75.1

Carlton Oaks Country Club is the only public Dye Design golf course in San Diego. The course is covered with hundreds of mature trees interspersed with sparkling blue lakes and meandering creeks. The layout offers a diverse mix of holes that all possess a unique character. They all offer different challenges in the form of either water hazards of strategically placed sand traps along the fairways. Tricky pot bunkers and interesting elevation changes were also incorporated into the design as well as Dye's signature railroad ties. There are five very different sets of tees that offer a challenging round from the back tees but also enough playability to appeal to a range of skill levels. In addition to the enjoyable layout, Carlton Oaks is one San Diego's most centrally located courses, sitting just minutes from downtown and many of the city's major attractions.

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Course Details

Year Built 1958
Golf Season Year round
Architect William W. Mast (1958) Perry Dye (1989)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - $15.00 - $25.00
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 Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes

Food & Beverage

Bar, Grill

Lodging

Lodging Available

Available Facilities

Banquet Facilities

Available Activities

Swimming, Billiards
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Reviews

3.1
1884 Reviews (1884)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 37
Patio Dining 20
Watching the Game 20
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 54
Water Hazards 53
Undulating Greens 41
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 44
Locals 35
Walkers 24
This Course's Location is:
Convenient to the City 38
In the 'Burbs 35
Worth the Drive 26

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Beginner
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

First time

Overall the course was nice and fun. I’d come back for sure! The grass itself needs a lot of work.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/23/2024

Hello, rkyataco. Thank you for visiting us at Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club. We appreciate your rating and review. We hope you join us for another round soon.

Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Poor
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Beginner
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Previously Played

Gopher Land

Hold on to your stuff while driving, bring lots of balls

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/23/2024

Thank you for your advice to future visitors and for taking the time to leave a review. We hope you still enjoyed your round despite the challenge. Thank you for choosing Carlton Oaks Golf Club.

Played On
Reviews 28
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Potential

Oh man… this course needs so much work. The bones are solid but the devil is in the details.

Bumpy everywhere. Dirt patches w/o grass.

Tee boxes uneven. Greens were good.

What a shame.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/21/2024

Oh man, u must be a pro?!? How would you know about all the bumps and bare spots if your playing from the fairway? I play here 3 days a week and never have the problems you’re mentioning. Try to hit them straight and you’ll find your ball everytime.

Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Sorely Dissapointed

I've never played here, yet I've always wanted to. In its heyday, I heard that this was one of the more excellent courses in San Diego County. The Pro Shop was small and run-down-looking. The carts worked, though I thought the brakes on my cart were soft. The course itself needed water - everywhere! The water features were dry, like dry lake beds. There was no sand in the bunkers, just dirt. I was sorely disappointed and left after 9 holes. I'm pretty sure I will not be back... ever.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Plays Twice a year
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Great back nine course for casuals

Nice go to course when I’m in town. Easily get 9 holes in 2-3 hours. Course condition varies but so does my skill. Overall happy with value and friendly starter

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/23/2024

Thank you so much for the great review. We are glad you had an incredible time, and we hope to see you again soon! Thanks for choosing Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club.

Played On
Reviews 52
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

HAS GREAT POTENTIAL!

Had a Sunday tee time at 1pm. As someone who lived about 1 1/2 hours from the course, I heard mixed takes on the course having a great layout and great pricing but that it needed a lot of TLC; so I had to go check for myself.

The staff was friendly and helpful and the course was far from packed that day. The driving range is essentially a dirt field with some Target set up, but the range balls they use are a mixture of good balls and typical fare. The carts are nice and drywall but lack a GPS while the course also has minimal to know indication of yardages, so range finders, GPS, golf apps, or both are a must for this course.

When it comes to the course, although it was not in great shape (More dirt and rocks than sand and bunkers, patchy fairways, and pretty solid greens despite some diseased portions), it has the bones to be a PGA level of course with it's it's scenic obstacles, rolling fairways that require accurate tee shots, and sizable yet undulating greens. As mentioned before, some TLC and investing money into improving course conditions can go a very long way for this establishment. Notable holes on this course include the 4th hole (510yd par 4 from the championship tees), and most of the back nine; especially the 18th hole which has a beautiful yet challenging second shot awaiting every player.

If you are looking for a challenging course that might not be in the best shape but is also a great deal, this is the course for you!

Conditions Fair
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/16/2024

Thank you for your review and for acknowledging both our course's potential and the areas where we need improvement. We are committed to enhancing the course conditions and appreciate your feedback, which helps guide our efforts. We hope to see you for another round soon! Thank you for choosing Carlton Oaks Golf Club.

Played On
Reviews 21
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Played On
Reviews 23
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Carlton Oaks review

Staff is great. Course is challenging. Fairways are sparse in areas. Bunkers need to be sand and not dirt. Greens are very well maintained. Attention needs to be paid to the tee boxes, which desparetly need to be graded level.

Conditions Fair
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/11/2024

Hi, imiss! Thank you so much for leaving us with your feedback. We value our customer experience, so your review is important to us. We will make note and we hope to see you back at Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club!

Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 149
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 250 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Bumpy ride

My Laser got dislodged from the roof bar several times....the course is the bumpiest ride of all courses.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/10/2024

Hello, KFranzese. Thank you for visiting us at Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club. We appreciate your 4-star rating and review. We hope you join us for another round soon.

Played On
Reviews 16
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Cool course

Tough layout and certainly not an easy course. Gives you a good test. But it’s good golf and the weather out east is almost always perfect.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/01/2024

Hello, IceGretzky. Thanks so much for your review. We're so glad you enjoyed your round at Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club. That's what we like to hear! We hope to see you again soon!

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Visiting San Diego

Not an idea course if you are out of town looking for a good experience lots of dried up dirt and surface areas that are unplayable.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/23/2024

We apologize for the condition of the course during your visit and appreciate your feedback as we strive to improve. Thank you for letting us know, and we hope you give us another try in the future.

Played On
Reviews 129
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 250 Contributor
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

carlton oaks

Carlton Oaks is a tough course especially if it is windy. Bunkers nice, greens nice but a little slow, fairways still need a lot of work. Nice to see the tee boxes mowed and nice. Very good french fries.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/11/2024

Hi, akent! Thank you so much for leaving us with your feedback. We value our customer experience, so your review is important to us. We will make note and we hope to see you back at Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club!

Played On
Reviews 21
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Diabolical greens

The greens, which are small anyway, were absolutely diabolical yesterday. Fairways were in really good condition.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/25/2024

Hello, SoCalBlue. Thank you for visiting us at Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club. We appreciate your 4-star rating and review. We hope you join us for another round soon.

Played On
Reviews 2
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
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