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Rating Index Rating
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3.6
253 Reviews (253)
5 Stars
52
4 Stars
93
3 Stars
56
2 Stars
25
1 Stars
27
Conditions
3.3
Value
4.2
Layout
3.6
Friendliness
4.5
Pace
3.8
Amenities
3.7
82.9%
Recommend this course
194 out of 253 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.3
4 Reviews (4)
5 Stars
2
4 Stars
1
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
3.8
Value
5.0
Layout
4.3
Pace
4.5
Amenities
4.0
StaffFriendliness
4.3
100.0%
Recommend this course
4 out of 4 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.9
9 Reviews (9)
5 Stars
3
4 Stars
3
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
0
Conditions
3.4
Value
4.4
Layout
4.0
Pace
4.0
Amenities
4.0
StaffFriendliness
4.3
88.9%
Recommend this course
8 out of 9 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
This walkable executive par-3 course delivers outstanding value with a fun layout perfect for sharpening your short game. Exceptionally friendly staff, a food truck, and dedicated children's golf areas make it a welcoming destination for all ages.

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 54
Length 1983 yards
Slope 73
Rating 50.4

Rancho Carlsbad Golf Course is an executive layout that is one of the area's best values. It's not a terribly formidable course but it's great for getting in some short game practice. The course is gentle enough for beginners and juniors, making it a good place for families. Opened in 1959, Rancho Carlsbad has a classic layout that is shorter and tighter than most modern golf courses. You won't come across too much trouble on this layout. There are hardly any bunkers but their absence is accommodated for with convex greens that allow the ball to run down to the other edge if you're not careful. You will also have to tee off over a stream on a few holes. Accuracy is generously rewarded but the layout isn't too punishing if you're slightly errant.

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Course Details

Year Built 1959
Golf Season Year round
Architect Art Saprico

Rentals/Services

Carts No
Pull-carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes

Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage

Available Sports

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Reviews

3.6
253 Reviews (253)

What Golfers Are Saying

This course/club is great for:
Beginners 12
Walkers 12
Locals 8
This Course's Location is:
Convenient to the City 7

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Cold weather
Walked

Great short course

Great short course to hone your short game skills. Small greens require accurate shots, Some greens are really domed, so putting is critical. Fun, challenging course. Staff is super friendly and accommodating . The only negative is the sand traps are actually hard packed dirt traps. Little if any sand and it's like playing off hard pan. A definite negative at this course.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

Challanging short course

Super friendly staff. Nice practice range with both mats and grass. Practice putting green is on the small side, but OK. Easy walking course. Greens aren't very big and are somewhat domed, which makes for a fun and challenging day. The only issue I have is the sand traps aren't even close to being sand; they are basically dirt, and hard packed. Unfortunately, it's been that way for years, so apparently, they don't care to fix it.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played

Nice little course.

This was our second time playing the course the first time it was not groomed very well. I know the fall can be hard keeping up with the leaves that have fallen and the branches so we gave it another shot. We went back January 8, well after things should have been picked up, but there were too many leaves and branches still in the fairways. That may be ok for those of you who are ‘on in one’ but a par three course is a great place for a beginner if the fairways are clean. Despite all we enjoyed each others company.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/08/2019

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to review us, Rancho Carlsbad Golf Club, and for the 3 stars. We're sorry to hear the course may not have been in the best shape on the day of your round, and we appreciate your feedback regarding the grooming of the fairways so we may work on any necessary improvements. However, we're glad you received a good value for your round and had a fun time on the course. Thank you for choosing to golf with us, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Face lift

Happy New Years!

A major facelift is needed in every aspect of this course. The tee boxes are horrible. A little grass would be nice. Hole directional signs updated and painted so you can see them.

Have the greens blown off as often as needed. Too many sticks, leaves, bark from the overhanging trees.

Get new flags! They don’t cost hardly anything and they would make a big difference in identifying the location of the green and hole.

The drought has obviously affected this course because it is in dire need of water.

I have to compliment the condition of the greens. They rolled true and people have been fixing their ball marks.

Come to Caliente Springs RV Resort and I will show you what a par 3 is all about. Desert Hot Springs, Ca

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/15/2019

Hi Cnjmac, thank you for taking the time to review us at Rancho Carlsbad Golf Club. We are sorry to hear that your time with us was anything but exceptional! Any additional feedback is greatly appreciated so that we can improve your experience with us in the future. Thank you for choosing to golf with us and we hope to see you again soon!

Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Good iron workout, easy walk, great staff

Staff great, very helpful. We walked with 4 clubs and a putter each. Easy walk. Holes are not to difficult although the greens were challengingly quick. The holes are nicely varied in length requiring numerous swing and grip changes. Fun workout.

Nice course for kids as well.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Sprinklers on 15

2 sprinklers on fairway of 15. Approach difficult. Approximately 12:15 pm. Other sprinklers on course were navigable.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Walked

Great short course

Great course to sharpen up your short game. Course has a putting green and two driving ranges; mats and grass.

The only issue I have is the sand traps aren't really sandy. They are more dirt then sand, and pretty hard packed. Other than that, I love playing this easy to walk course.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Walked

Challanging short course

Nice course to get your short game in order, but not easy by any means. Greens are in good shape, but challenging because they are domed. Fairways have been receiving attention to make second shots (if necessary), more doable. Staff is very friendly and accommodating. Nice range with both grass and mats. The only issue are the sand traps. They are pretty much dirt and lack any soft sand. Not like playing out of a legitimate sand trap.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 16
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Short game.

Nice little course. Small bucket of balls was a little pricey. I did get a whole lot of short game practice. I would play here again just for the practice.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Poor
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 31
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Good course for value

First time playing RCGC. Fun course to play to sharpen your short game. Well worth the $10 to play a round. Played 18 holes in 1hr 45m! I rented a cart due to a bad back but next time will walk the course. It is flat with no challenges.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Response from on 03/30/2018:
Hello, thank you for taking the time to review our course, Rancho Carlsbad Golf Club, and for the 3 stars. We are sorry to see that the course may not have been in the best shape when you played and your feedback is appreciated. It looks like you had a friendly experience with our staff and that your round was a great value for you, so we hope this improved your overall experience with us. Thank you for your choosing our course, in the Carlsbad, California area, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

Challanging short course

Can't beat this course to sharpen up your short game. Staff is super friendly. Greens are in good shape but small and domed, so putting can be very challenging. Perfect walking course. nice driving range, with well marked distances, and a small, practice green. Only thing from keeping me from giving it a 5 are the poorly kept sand traps. No fluffy sand, just brown, packed dirt and sand mixed. Can't really play a bunker shot in that garbage. I do love this course and play here weekly.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Response from on 02/20/2018:
Hi Stephen. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your round! Thanks so much for the review. We love to hear from our customers. Please come back soon and enjoy more of the courtesy and service you enjoyed.
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

Challanging short course

Very challenging short course. Greens are small and some are pretty domed, which forces you to be accurate with approach shots and putting. Very fun course and staff couldn't be more friendly. Easy to walk. Would have given a higher rating, but the sand traps are horrible. Virtually no sand; mostly dirt and not at all soft. Very irritating since you can't play it like a normal sand shot.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

"It is what it is:" ...Great short game practice & value.

Look... Is it plush? No. Is it a little rough around the edges? Yep. That said, if you want an enjoyable walking experience that you can complete in 90 minutes, get in some great short game practice and pay less than 20 bucks for some somewhat challenging golf.....You've found your place.

Who doesn't need to practice wedge shots, chipping & putting?..(which is time better spent for most hackers.) How would you like to do it for maybe just a bit more than you'd pay for a bucket of balls at a fancier place?

I'd believe $ spent playing this course versus $ spent banging balls at the range would benefit most golfers more, and...they'd have a more enjoyable time.

Target golf, ... Very small, often domed greens make par a lot more challenging than you would think for 100 yd. or < Par 3's.

Give it a try. I think you will find it to be money and time well spent.

Conditions Fair
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

2nd and last time I play here

Even for an exec course this is short.

I could throw my ball some of the holes...

Some tees have no grass.

Cram too many groups close together.

Greens suck.

Holes poorly marked.

Worselt course I've ever seen. Won't be back.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Response from on 01/11/2018:
Hello, thank you for taking the time to review us, Rancho Carlsbad Golf Club in the San Diego County area. We're sorry to hear the course may not have been in the best shape on the day of your round, and we appreciate your feedback regarding the greens so may work on any necessary improvements. It looks like you had a friendly experience with our staff. Thank you for choosing to golf with us.
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Cold weather
Walked

Challanging short course

Fun course to play. Staff is super friendly and accommodating. Practice green and driving range, with both mats and grass. Greens are small and some are really domed, which makes for a challenging round. Love playing here to tune up the short game. The big negative for me is the sand traps aren't really sand, they're more dirt and certainly not soft. They're pretty hard packed, so playing out of them isn't a good test of anything. An easy walking course. An additional fee for booking on-line of almost $5 brought the total up from the advertised rate to the $18 I paid.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

Short, but challenging

Short course, but challenging, especially greens, which are pretty small. Some are domed, which makes for an interesting putting strategy. Fairways are not well groomed, and areas around the greens can be pretty thick. They recently aerated the greens, so they are really good shape. Staff is extremely friendly and accommodating. I enjoy this course tremendously. Great walking course.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

Nice little course

Recently aerated greens improved most of them. Still some bare spots on some greens that need work, but overall, a lot nicer. Staff always pleasant and helpful. No longer able to go directly to course website, and have to use Golf Now for on line tee times. Can't pay full amount in advance on line, which is stupid. Was only able to pay $1.60 on line and had to pay $30.30 at the course. What?

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
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