About
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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Golfer Reviews
Awesome Course, will def play it again!
I heard this course was pure from a friend, and glad I finally played it. It was a great test, course was in great shape, good pace of play, and great views everywhere.
Def will be playing it again, and staff was super cool!
Thanks Oak Quarry!
Nice Par 3 18 hole
I came here 7am and it was a cold day. At first the layout was a little confusing since you cross the creek 3 times but just keep a scorecard or look for the signs and you should be good. I liked the holes where you have to lob over a creek, very rewarding to land on the green. Recommend for a quick course to work on your short game (wedges, putter, chipping).
Great Par 3 With Excellent Practice Facilities
Encinitas Ranch is one of the better Par 3 courses in San Deigo County for improving your game, or just enjoying a casual round of golf. It is a very short course, with holes ranging from 70 to 170 yards. You can complete 18 holes in about 2 hours. While the fairways are a little rough, the greens are immaculate, which encourages you to get on in one to avoid having to chip out of a bad lie.
The practice facilities include a large range with both grass and matt tee boxes. There's a sizable putting green which you can also use for chipping practice. I'd love to see them add a sand practice area.
The staff is friendly and helpful. There's a small pro shop but a good selection of items you may have forgotten such as balls, tees, clothing, and accessories. The snack bar and onsite food truck offer a wide selection of food and drinks, far more than you would expect from a local par 3.
The course is very "Kid Friendly," and offers robust junior programs throughout the summer. You'll see a lot of families enjoying a round on the weekend. Seniors like it too since it's short and flat, making it easy to walk. They also offer carts if you prefer to ride.
I strongly recommend checking out Rancho Carlsbad if you are just learning to golf, or want to sharpen your skills. You won't regret it.
Great 18 walk with challenges.
This is a great local muni because the course plays harder than you'd think if you just looked at the score card. It's a perfect walk ruined by the signature greens that hard to hold and harder to putt - but I consider that a good thing. The staff is always great both getting you set to play and providing some solid teaching as needed. There is also a nice little driving range where it is normally split 1/2 hitting of grass and the other 1/2 off mats.
Value!
RC is a great value for the price! It's short enough to walk all 18 holes in two hours . The tees are good, the fairways iffy, greens pretty good. The layout is fine and the greens match the hole lengths proportionally. All in all a fun little course.
Family friendly is not always a good thing
This was my first time playing this course. It is definitely target golf with small greens to hit into. The course it’s self was in good condition considering the type of golfers and action it gets. My biggest issue is the fact they do not have any marshals out there nor do they seem to have many rules. The group in front of me was 2 moms with 3 boys under the age of eight. This created a 5some to wait for. I was all set to tee off behind them and two golf carts of boys in their late teens pulled up. I told them I was waiting for the group in front of me to get off the green before I teed off. At that point they took off in their carts out to a different hole and jumped in front of all of us and just started playing. It seemed this was happening a lot as I saw other people bouncing from holes in different order. Great place to go if you just want to have some fun and hit some balls. Not the best place to go if you want to try to focus and work on your game. I did go there in the afternoon time so maybe it was just my timing.
Fun course
This is a super fun small course, the best bang for your buck in the Carlsbad/Coastal North County area, I rather come out here and play a quick round than go to the range.
When busy it tends to back up, but that's okay, for the $15 twilight rate, it's well worth it.
If you can get in when there's no crowd, you can be in and out in 2 hours.
Love being 10 minutes away from this course.
For a few dollars more, Emerald Isle in Oceanside is in better shape.
Hi, we appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us! We are going to pass on your feedback to the team. Thanks for visiting Rancho Carlsbad Golf Club, and we hope to see you again in the future.
New Driving Range
The updated driving range is great. The new grass helps us practice like on a nice fairway. I bought a token and go weekly.
I’d like to see a few distance poles added and the distance from here signs redone for both the grass side and mats side
Hi, 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. Thanks for visiting Rancho Carlsbad Golf Club. We hope to see you again in the future.
Great for Beginners! Enjoyable time for family!
My Dad, just started to pick up golf. And my brother and I wanted to take him to a course just to ease him into course play, and Rancho Carlsbad came into mind. My dad had a great time we played the full 18. Surprisingly the morning was pretty busy, but we were able to keep a steady pace throughout. My dad’s first time golfing on a course and he got his first par that day. It was definitely an enjoyable time for a dad and his 2 sons.
Great for beginners.
Great price. Super fun for beginner golfers to learn with a grass range.
So Golfnow lies A LOT
No no no this course is wack and is nothing more than a pitch and putt longest hole is 140 I believe
Hello, thanks for the review. We see you rated the course 1 star and are interested in learning what we can do to improve for your next visit. We take single star feedback very seriously at our course. Please reach out to our team in the golf shop. We always appreciate the feedback. Thank you for playing Rancho Carlsbad Golf Club.
Hello Ronnie. Thank you for taking the time to review the course! Please tell us more? The way you have provided your feedback does not offer us any room to grow or change. We encourage you to update your review to fit a more constructive form so we can use your experience to make changes. Thanks for playing Rancho Carlsbad Golf Club.