Rancho Bernardo Inn

We played RBI today, Mar. 13/23 and both of us thoroughly enjoyed it. I did not read the reviews until I was ready to write mine and was very surprised at how negative they were. Many were written quite some time ago. If there were significant issues then, they seem to have been corrected. The fairways and green were in very good condition. The major challenges were the rough which was like the US Open rough they talk about - very thick and if not careful you will loose balls just feet off the fairway and the elevated greens which are found on almost every hole, add about 10 yards on your approach shots. The pace of play, considering cart path only, was 4/20, no waiting and no one pushing us. Yes, the "practice area" is awful. All the employees we met were excellent. We are heading back in a few days and looking forward to it.

Having read some reviews I was worried about going, I’m not sure how bad it was before but today it was very playable as well as every green was in top shape imho. There are a few dead spots but not enough to interfere with play. It’s priced a little high but overall it was a great track and I will be playing again

Rancho Bernardo Inn was a rare moment where you wish you weren't on a golf course. I would not feel compelled to say that if not for the fact that a) the cost of a weekend round at RB Inn was around $115 or b) the staff had informed us in any way that the course was in truly dismal condition.
Strangely, the first few holes (specifically 1, 2, and 3) are fairly average in their fairway and rough conditions where you think you are in for a normal, if overpriced round. By the middle stretch of the front nine, you realize you have made a big mistake.

As other reviewers (some as far back as last year) say, the fairways are in really bad shape. We're not talking about divots or some inconsistency. The middle stretch of the front 9 is basically a combo of dirt and mud with splashes of grass sprinkled around between the bunkers. Every single lie is inconsistent, and you learn the absolute worst place to be is in the fairway. There are faded ground under repair lines, but they are some common (and the terrain is so grass-less) that you wonder which side of the line you would even need to drop on. I can't think of any other courses that are so uniformly bad in this way -- even a course that I grew up on that flooded pretty bad.

Admittedly, the back 9 was substantially better on the other side of the clubhouse. There were certainly still some bad areas (like down the downhill par 4 which I believe was 16 with a dirt landing area before greening up a bit). The putting greens themselves were nothing to write home about in terms of quality, but they were passable unlike the general playing area.

I don't know if this is temporary but it was cart path only when we played (likely due to the muddiness and general condition of the course). This is pretty low on my priority list but the driving range was not worth a visit if you do choose to go -- you can't hit woods, and the range balls are rocks anyway.
Overall, do your best to avoid this course or talk your friends out of playing here. For the price point, this is honestly one of the worst values I have ever seen in my life. .

Cart path only till September. Fairways are still horrible. Two years in a row this has happened

We played on 10/5.
I was really surprised to see the course in this poor condition. Even with a dry summer, these are not acceptable conditions.
A few fairways were ok but the course is in terrible shape regardless of the green fees. Bare spots and fungus most of the fairways. 18 was really poor. You have to improve your lie on almost all of the fairways. No place to improve on 18.
We paid $63 at 3:pm. Not worth more than $30.
The layout is fun except for the trenches running through the course. But course conditions need to be improved.

We played on 9/6/21. This is the worst course we've ever played. Fairways are all patched , bumpy and dirt. aprons around the greens all dirt, no grass and sprayed with green color to hide it. We paid $113.00 but it is not even worth $30.00 to me.

Staff is very good and very attentive. Course is moderately challenging however the pace of play was good.

I played RB Inn about a week and a half ago with my cousin and he had never played it. We had a great time. Course is definitely challenging! The fairways are quite narrow so hitting the ball well off the tee is important. Since the club rentals at the course were a little bit expensive however, he went with ClubShare and saved some money so he agreed to buy lunch! The amenities at the course are awesome and we will definitely be back. I recommend the chicken club sandwich by the way..

Absolutely worth the premium to play such an immaculately maintained course.

I played RBI three times paying greens fees ranging from $52 to $89 (GolfNow was $65) A cart comes with the fees. Carts have GPS but no cooler. Beverage cart service is available. I found the course to be a very pleasant experience with one caveat; pace of play. Round 1 was 4 hours, round 2 4.5 and round 3 5 hours. The course’s layout and cart policy can lead to a slow start. Hole 1 is cart path only, 2 is a par 3, 3 a par 4 and 4 a par3. It can back up. My last round was slow due to the foursome in front of us. The course is in good shape with some places where some work needs to be done. I was told they had an unusually wet and cool winter. I thoughts the greens were in very good shape. A little bumpy in places but no bare spots. If you are staying at the Inn, bring the clubs. Guest rate is $75 during the week (if you cannot access GolfNow. Higher on weekends). I really enjoyed the setting and the weather was excellent. Pleasant course.

Beautiful course set into the hills of northeast San Diego. Tee boxes clean but ground was hard to place tee into.. Busy day as men’s club was delayed in finishing. Tee times were pushed back. Starters seemed a little confused as to who was supposed to tee off and when. No player assistants to keep the pace of play moving. Round got a little too long. but when you’re on vacation, from the midwest in March, you’re grateful for 72 degrees! Most of the fairways had shown some effects from winter but not overly concerning. I’d play here again.

For the first time playing the course I surprised on how well kept it was. The driving range could use some work. You can’t hit a driver at all if you are a long hitter like myself. They just Aerated the greens but they still rolled pretty nice. Can’t imagine what it will be like in the coming months.

5 hour round. Carts not allowed anywhere on the course (which was unnecessary on most of the holes) which meant club selection erratic. Will not be going back.

Booked my round at Rancho Bernardo a few months ago for a place to play while on a trip from Arizona. To start off the course is lacking any signs for bag drop, Pro Shop etc. The staff in the Pro shop was rude like we were interrupting him. The starter goes over the course rules like we need to be sure we play on pace. Our foursome waited on all 18 holes. We NEVER saw a Marshall. The round was just under five hours and we were lucky to finish. The greens were terrible, bumpy like putting on a washboard. We did however see the beverage cart at least 20 times. We stayed for dinner which was very tasty but the service was not to the standard a resort like Rancho Bernardo should be. I would never recommend this course to anyone. It is a shame that such a nice course is so poorly managed. Play somewhere else if you are looking for an enjoyable day on the course.

This course was perfect from the word go! I thought I was at a Country Club! Gorgeous!

Some days the pace of play is fine. Some days it is not. The course is really nice. Staff is really nice, but on the wrong day the pace of play is very very slow.

I made a tee time at 1:20 in order to use one of my VIP discount certificates. That made the greens fee much more palatable. I live in MA but visit my sister in San Diego a few times a year. Rancho Bernardo is close by, so I decided to play it. The course was in good shape, and the greens rolled well, although I had a really hard time reading them. There was an outing going out at the same time, so they sent us out on 13, which worked out well, as we ended up playing the round in about 3 hours. The course is not too tight or long, but there are a few hazards out there. I probably hit driver more often than I should, and that cost me some strokes, as well as my troubles on and around the greens.

Once you find the course entrance, it is a local treasure. We played a weekday round at 7:40 am and had nothing but clear sailing. Played in 3.5 hours, almost unheard of in this area. Course was in pristine condition and a very fair test of golf. Enjoy it if you get the chance!