DeLaveaga Golf Course & Lodge

This course is best for intermediate or better golfers who enjoy narrow and less forgiving challenges.

I played Delaveaga Golf Course in Santa Cruz recently, and I can honestly say it was the worst golf experience I’ve ever had. The course was horribly maintained from start to finish. You couldn’t distinguish the tee box from the fairway, and the fairway from the rough—everything looked like one big patch of neglected grass.

For a course with this kind of green fee, the conditions were completely unacceptable. It felt like no one had taken care of the place in months. Every shot felt like guesswork because there was zero visual definition anywhere on the course.

I’ve played plenty of municipal and budget courses that were in far better shape than this. Delaveaga needs serious attention before I’d ever consider coming back. As it stands, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for a quality round of golf.

I played Delaveaga Golf Course in Santa Cruz recently, and I can honestly say it was the worst golf experience I’ve ever had. The course was horribly maintained from start to finish. You couldn’t distinguish the tee box from the fairway, and the fairway from the rough—everything looked like one big patch of neglected grass.

For a course with this kind of green fee, the conditions were completely unacceptable. It felt like no one had taken care of the place in months. Every shot felt like guesswork because there was zero visual definition anywhere on the course.

I’ve played plenty of municipal and budget courses that were in far better shape than this. Delaveaga needs serious attention before I’d ever consider coming back. As it stands, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for a quality round of golf.

The biggest issue is the course conditions. For the cost you’d expect a decent level of maintenance on the course but the tee boxes were in rough shapes. And the fairways were non-existent. You might as well call it the rough. The grass was so tall and unkept that it was hard to find our golf balls in the fairway. Everything outside of the “fairway” was in even worse condition. We have never spent so much time looking for balls. The cart price was $20 per person but cart path only. The snack bar had virtually no options for hot food. Overall, it was not worth it. Will not go again.

Delaveaga is a wonderful Track but in average condition. It's my recommendation that Delaveaga transitions to a naturalist golf course with a Single line targeted irrigation system that can substantially shrink the irrigation footprint of the golf course. By transitioning to a naturalist style golf course Delaveaga will save the City water while simultaneously allowing the maintenance staff to MANICURE a smaller portion of the golf course and make Delaveaga more competitive with seascape golf course

I recently played a round at DeLaveaga Golf Course, and unfortunately, the experience was marred by disappointing course conditions. The tee boxes were in comically poor shape, resembling a patchwork of rough, dirt, and uneven ground. It felt like teeing off from a neglected backyard rather than a proper golf course. The fairways weren’t much better—playing more like rough than the well-groomed surfaces you’d expect. Hitting consistent shots was a challenge due to the inconsistent lies.

The greens, while in slightly better condition, were a letdown as well. They were playable but frustratingly slow. It feels almost as if the greenskeeper had taken the summer.

To top it all off, the price for a round here is way overpriced for the deplorable conditions. You’d expect a premium fee to reflect a well-maintained course, but DeLaveaga feels like a rip-off given its current state. The scenic layout has potential, but without serious improvements in upkeep, it’s hard to justify the cost.

Great course and fun challenge! However, we were surprised to find out that the cafe is not open on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Tried to play on snacks alone- but we craved solids to hold over the challenging holes.

Challenging track. Plays short but you have to hit it straight. The course needs more maintenance workers.

Restaurant closed on Monday and Tuesday. Stuck behind a 4some walking but they tried their best. Staff was mid. One hole was cut in half due to tree maintenance. Saw a deer.

It’s worth it for the hot deal price of $61 to $67. - wouldn’t pay regular midweek rate.

Tee boxes are terrible.

Greens are pretty good - but they should find a way to encourage people to fix ball marks. Excessive amounts of ball marks make the quality of the greens just OK - they could be excellent.

Sand traps are poor.

Fairways are inconsistent - basic for public golf.

All this is sadly becoming the norm for public golf courses in the bay area