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
1897 Reviews (1897)
5 Stars
243
4 Stars
677
3 Stars
460
2 Stars
281
1 Stars
236
Conditions
2.6
Value
3.4
Layout
4.0
Friendliness
4.3
Pace
3.5
Amenities
3.5
62.9%
Recommend this course
1218 out of 1897 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.1
65 Reviews (65)
5 Stars
5
4 Stars
20
3 Stars
25
2 Stars
8
1 Stars
7
Conditions
2.8
Value
3.5
Layout
4.1
Pace
3.3
Amenities
3.6
StaffFriendliness
4.4
64.6%
Recommend this course
42 out of 65 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.2
142 Reviews (142)
5 Stars
17
4 Stars
48
3 Stars
40
2 Stars
19
1 Stars
18
Conditions
2.7
Value
3.5
Layout
4.1
Pace
3.5
Amenities
3.5
StaffFriendliness
4.4
66.9%
Recommend this course
95 out of 142 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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Carlton Oaks Golf Club
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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
1897 Reviews (1897)

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 23
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Better

I had not played Carlton Oaks for a few months and it’s better then before. Now you are hitting off grass on all fairways and there is less bare dirt just off the fairways. I like the corse it’s not easy, the fairways are undulated are you rarely on flat ground. I think for $35 dollars it’s a bargain.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/20/2021

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 96
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/20/2021

We appreciate the review. You rated us 3-stars which means there is room to improve on your recent experience at Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club. Let us know, in the comments, how and where you would like to see changes from the course. Thanks for the feedback!

Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/20/2021

Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. We see you rated the course 2-stars and are interested in learning what we can do to improve for your next visit.

We take customer feedback very seriously at our course. Please reach out to our team in the golf shop and tell us what's on your mind.

Played On
Reviews 24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Good time on a hot day

Great golf course. Pace of play was very good. Course was in good shape, considering drought conditions.

Would gladly play this track again.

Driving range could use a little love.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/09/2021

Hello. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. Thank you for the 4 stars! We aim for a 5-star experience, so we always welcome feedback for improvement. Thank you for playing Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club.

Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/08/2021

Hello. We appreciate the review. You rated us 3-stars which means there is room to improve on your recent experience at Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club. Let us know, in the comments, how and where you would like to see changes from the course. Thanks for the feedback!

Played On
Reviews 152
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 250 Contributor
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Needs attention

Some bare fairway spots. Greens have 2 or 3 different types of grass.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/07/2021

Thanks so much for the great review. We look forward to welcoming you back to our course soon. Thanks for choosing Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club.

Played On
Reviews 14
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/07/2021

Hello. 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.

Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/07/2021

Hello. We would love to hear more about your 4-star experience on our course. Please tell us what we can do to earn that last star, and thanks for golfing at Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club!

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Nice staff, but course conditions were terrible.

Course conditions were poor. Greens were extremely slow and tons of ball marks and patches. Fairways were not well maintained at all. The staff were really nice though.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/07/2021

Hello. Thank you for reviewing the course. We would like to apologize for your recent experience.

We're sorry to hear you were less than satisfied during your round. We pride ourselves on our providing great service and the high-quality standards we maintain.

We would like to make things right. Please reach out to our management team at the pro shop.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Played On
Reviews 117
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 250 Contributor
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Walked

NO not now

Cannot recommend this course at this time, course on a down hill spiral and looks like it is heading towards an end....too bad another Dye design gone to waste.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/07/2021

Hello,

We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We are going to pass on your feedback to the teams in charge so they can work to make changes.

Your feedback helps us do better. We are looking into this issue and hope to resolve it promptly.

Thank you for visiting Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club. We hope you'll give us another try in the future.

Played On
Reviews 9
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/07/2021

Hello. We would love to hear more about your 4-star experience on our course. Please tell us what we can do to earn that last star, and thanks for golfing at Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club!

Played On
Reviews 136
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Pace of play.

There was no Marshall out keeping the pace of play. The group in front of us was five holes behind the next group in front of them. Unacceptable!

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/03/2021

Hello, thank you for reviewing the course. We apologize for the delay of play during your round. This is by no means the standard we strive to achieve. With that in mind, we are working to best control pace and allow everyone to finish in a reasonable amount of time. We will continue to look for ways to improve. Thank you for playing and we hope to see you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 11
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great Layout!

This course has a great layout that makes you use lots of strategy. Will definitely hit every club in your bag. Fairways were a little dry and lots of tight lies. Its is summertime and Santee can get hot. Was 95° at a noon tee time but they have lots of water stations throughout course. Pace of play was awesome and greens are in good shape. Considering it San Diego, the sand traps are actually a little bit fluffy and not a dry cement like you find out a lot of other courses this time of the year. I like playing this course because it challenges your game but also allows you to have some great awesome shots..

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/30/2021

Thank you for your kind words! We hope to see you again at the course very soon for another 5-star experience. Thanks for choosing Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club.

Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0

The conditions keep getting worse and worse

I am really disappointed by how Carlton Oaks is currently maintained. It has been getting worse and worse. Several years ago, the course was in solid shape and really enjoyable. The layout is fun challenging, especially from the back tees.

I just played here yesterday though, and the conditions are terrible. A significant portion of the fairways are dead and most of the rough is just dirt and dust. The greens are hit or miss; some are smooth, but the speeds are inconsistent from hole to hole. The bad conditions really detract from the experience here.

I really hope that the management at Carlton Oaks finds a way to revitalize this place. I know the drought makes it tough, but plenty of other courses have found ways to adapt and maintain enjoyable conditions. This course unfortunately has not. I imagine I’ll wait a few years before I try to play here again in hopes that the conditions improve, but until then I really don’t think it’s worth it.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/30/2021

Hi, thanks for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry your experience didn’t match your expectations. It was an uncommon instance and we’ll do better in the future.

Please feel free to reach out to us with any further comments, concerns, or suggestions you wish to share. We would love to make things right if you give us another chance.

Played On
Reviews 13
Handicap 20-24
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 Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/27/2021

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave an excellent rating! We really appreciate your business. Please let us know what we can do for you in the future to earn that last star!

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
4.0
Previously Played

Average course

This course has average fairways, but good greens. Anything off the fairway isn't kept up and the bunkers are terrible. I dont mind hitting out of sand, but there's no sand! The food at the clubhouse is good and the staff was very friendly.

Pace of play was good for the front 9, but pretty slow on the back for some reason.

I only play this course when I can't find a tee time anywhere else.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/27/2021

Thanks so much for the great review. We look forward to welcoming you back to our course soon. Thanks for choosing Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club.

Played On
Reviews 160
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 500 Contributor
Previously Played

Friendly Greens

Fairways could use some more TLC, but very playable.

A hand full of blind shots with some very challenging. Greens play well.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/25/2021

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 7
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Previously Played

Where to start?

The first couple of holes are decent, layout not bad. Greens have multiple types of grass on them. The bunkers are hard with no sand, no cart person, the fairways are rock hard, spots on fairway were like pillows, spots had no grass and some groups are really slow, I finished in 3.5 hours, the guys I ended up finishing with were there 5 hours. They let a group go that was a 5 and 3 carts. Some holes 10 minute wait, when people went to the bathroom I just hit and passed them. I did not enjoy the course, it needs water and better management and a starter keeping people starting every 9 minutes.

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/27/2021

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 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Quick decision

Happy to get a tee time, as a single night before on line.

Course in better shape than I heard from others. They have done some work for sure. The greens were receptive and enjoyable. Staff was very friendly and I like the Pro Shop set up...made it very easy to check in and get a cart. Overall very pleased with this challening layout. Will be back again for sure. Has been a couple years since I played. But will be back sooner than later.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/24/2021

We appreciate you leaving a review and rating us. We will inform the entire team, so they know their hard work is paying off. We look forward to having you back at Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club!

Played On
Reviews 12
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/23/2021

We would love to hear more about your 4-star experience on our course. Please tell us what we can do to earn that last star, and thanks for golfing at Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club!

Played On
Reviews 133
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 250 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

carlton oaks

Always tough course, but, it was in excellent condition. Keep up the good work. Put trash cans on every hole. Great french fries.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/20/2021

Hi, we appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. Thank you for the 4 stars! We aim for a 5-star experience, so we always welcome feedback for improvement. Thank you for playing Carlton Oaks Lodge & Country Club.

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