Monarch Bay Golf Club - Tony Lema Course

The sand in some of the bunkers was like cement. Pace of play was slow, we had to wait at every tee box for the group ahead to tee off who in turn were waiting for the group ahead of them.
No cart service on the course on a busy Friday.

Good fairways & good condition overall. The view of the bay is quite nice as well.
I like the driving range in comparison to what it once was.

Challenging course, in excellent shape. If you enjoy views of the bay then this is the course for you. After a bad shot just look to your left or right at the ocean and regroup.

Nice weather. Great views. SOmewhat hallenging holes. Looks wide open but not. Proximity and views are it's best qualities. Good deals can be had. Very windy in the afternoon, though.

purchased tee time on golfnow.com, only to arrive at the course and see the greens were recovering from being punched...would have been nice to know this prior to booking the tee time. I hate when this happens. I would have selected another course had I known this was the case. golfnow usually mentions if the course was aerated, but I didn't recall seeing anything about it. very windy conditions, a big challenge, but we still had a good time. The price of $36 should have been a red flag to me (for a Saturday, even at 1:10. I also booked the 1:10 tee time only to find out they moved us to 1:20 because of a tournament...not a big deal.

The staff at the pro shop, starter and on the course were friendly and easy going.
I was surprised that the course wasn't that busy when I arrived at 11:20 for a 12:20 tee-time. When I checked out the practice green I realized that it was probably due to a recent aeration project that regulars are waiting for the greens to grow back. So in a few weeks I expect the play will really pick up.
The weather was ideal and we were able to move along very nicely.
It's a nice layout, however I was told that one of two bridges over a canal has been closed for some time which requires a little detour.
I'm looking forward to going back sometime next month when the greens fill in.

They were punching the back nine holes and therefore have every golfer to play the front nine twice. Didn't see the IA! when making the booking through GolfNow thus was quite upset when the
pro-shop advised me upon check in. Just played nine holes. I recommended this course IF you are playing 18 holes, not twice on the front or back nine.

I like the layout, pricing and staff and facilities. I do not like the incredible amount of goose and duck droppings on many tees and fairways. It must be a health hazard and is disgusting.

2nd big problem is there is not nearly enough sand in the bunkers. Barely 1/4 inch of sand in most of the bunkers my group was in yesterday. Sand is a major factor at this course so you have to be able to play out of it.

I don't think I would return unless they can do something to address these two issues.

There is a sign in the club house that says the course should take 4 hours. After 3 + hours we were still on hole 11 with groups backed up behind us and in front of us, on a non busy Monday. We quit. The course Marshall prefers to sit in the club house and shoot the breeze rather then do his job and monitor and control pace of play. Great place if you want to play 5 to 6 hour round on a weekday.

This course is always a safe bet to get a pretty good round in. It's on my shortlist of places to go to get a good round in that will not be too slow on a good course.

I booked this tee time and was stoked. I have only played this course once a few weeks earlier, but I was disappointed with all the dirt in the fairways and lack of grass. That being said I still had a blast the first time. This second time I tried to call the pro shop after I booked the time because I had an emergency come up and could not make the time anymore. Whoever answered put me on hold for 25 minutes without any updates. Basically he forgot about me completely. Once he picked up the phone and answered again I was disconnected. I mean I didn't get to play the course and I can't get the time of day to let the guys know they have an open spot if someone wants to play. I would never give that course my money again.

Had fun playing this course in some nice weather. We lucked out - the course was quite empty (shocking for a Saturday mid day) - and had a good pace of play, but I would say this was an exception. Course conditions were not great. Fairways had a lot of burned out areas (due to drought), the greens were quite bumpy on a few holes, and there was a lot of inconsistency in the bunkers (some so fluffy with sand you couldn't get the ball out, and others nothing more than a mud bog). Still, the views of the bay were beautiful, and the wind didn't pick up too bad. When the wind picks up this course can play very long from the tips (with a steady incoming breeze, I had to hit driver - 3 wood - 5 iron into one 600 yd par 5). The layout is links style with few trees. You can get away with some wild drives on many of the holes but the greens are tightly surrounded by bunkers so hit your irons well. Finally, if you see some foxes on the course - they are practically domesticated and will come right up and eat from your hand! Pretty wild. Overall, the course conditions aren't phenomenal, but the layout, views, and price point make this course worth playing.

I have played this course for years and I have never seen it in such bad conditions. The fairways are in terrible condition. The greens are ok. The course needs to be closed until they bring it back to normal playing standards.

This used to be a great course with good condition but the upkeep of the facility is not what it was.

Monarch is always a little slow, only because it's so popular, but 4:45 on a Sunday is not bad at all in my opinion, so don't let the two start pace of play throw you off. I expect 5 hours minimum on a Sunday, so this was great.

Wind is always a factor on the back, but that's what makes it so challenging.

Great Sunday conditions and pace.

I think they have a cheek to charge those rates to play the course when it is in such poor condition. I understand that their is a drought but their is no excuse for the tee boxes to be messed up, uneven and limited space - about 5 yards wide. The greens were in good condition, that's all that was good. I am not surprised that we got around as quickly as we did.

This is usually a great course and I've played there a number of times. I went yesterday and unfortunately the lack of rain recently followed by the recent rain made a mess of the course. Since the rates were still the same as usual I was not expecting to play in such poor conditions. I will go again, but not in the near future.

I did not expect the course to be in such great condition after the rain. It played better than the Hayward course I played the week before. I love it when the rough is cut close in the winter to save money on balls that don't get lost off the fairway.
The greens played fast which is rare after a heavy rain. Over all I'd like to play this course on a regular basis due to the way it is maintained. I just moved back to the bay area from stockton and I think I found a home course.

Fun course. Challenging but fun. I'll be back. Great views of the Bay and wildlife.

15 minutes late for tee off. there was a wait on every hole!!!!