Baylands Golf Links

I flew in from Maryland in the morning and played Baylands in the afternoon. I don’t post reviews much but thought it was worth it this time. I was safely disappointed with the course based on the price. the greens were really good but the rest of the track was in horrific shape and for $195 plus another $15 for range balls (I had rental clubs) it was incredibly disappointing. When I say dog track I am not referring to them letting people bring their dogs to the course while they play (I actually loved that and wish I would see that at more courses) but I am talking about the terribly maintained rough, fairways, bunkers, and tee boxes. for that kind of $$$ I expect more. In comparison I went and played Half moon bay the next day which cost $200 with rentals and let me tell you I was more then happy to pay that for a course of that caliber. I would expect Baylands to be $40 to play and $60 for rentals (as the rentals were in rough shape as well). I will say the staff was very pleasent which i always appreciate. Anyway as I said I don’t complain ever but thought it was worth putting this out there

Overall the layout of this course is pretty easy, wide fairways, mostly flat. It would be a good track to walk if it wasn't for the price. The course condition is pretty good and usually the greens are in great shape. That being said, the price is absolutely bonkers. There are plenty of other similar difficulty courses in good condition in the area for half the price.

Played the course on a weekday. Pace of play was very slow. A dog kept running up on us while we were hitting shots. The dog belonged to another golfer in proximity to us and was chasing rabbits, geese, squirrels, etc. No marshall the entire time we were on the course. Told the pro shop when we finished our round. They said dogs are allowed on the course and acted like it was no big deal. If you want a zoo-like atmosphere where the animals run free, then this is the place for you. If you want to play golf, there are better, less expensive options

Greens in good shape. $143 to play before 3pm (very unlikely to finish 15 holes never mind 18) is crazy money for what this course offers. Very slow, marshals non existent.

Nice course that was redone several years ago but, boy, are they proud of it. Ridiculously expensive for what it is. You can play any public course within a 75-mile radius at a much better value. The links card used to be a decent value when they would give everyone in the foursome the cardholder rate. That is no longer true.

Had a lot of fun here with a friend. Great links course with wide open fairways. Greens are fast! This is easily one of my favorite courses in the Bay Area. Fun but challenging.

Pace of play is often horribly slow, even on weekdays. As a regular customer, I've frequently spoken about the slowness with several employees. It turns out Baylands' (OB Sports') director Matthew Malloy prohibits their marshals/rangers from trying to keep a reasonable pace of play. The marshals are not allowed to say anything to the slow groups that are holding up the rest of the course. NOTHING. Apparently Malloy/OBS thinks having active marshals would result in bad experiences for the people in the slow group... but in reality all of the players BEHIND the slow group are actually the ones who end up having bad experiences due to the excruciatingly slow pace of play. It's just a really poor management decision by Malloy and OBS executives. I dread playing there knowing that a 5+ hour round is very likely.

Really enjoyed my 1st trip to Bayland’s Golf Links.

You need every club in your bag to get around

this course. Course is maintained perfectly.

Hats off to the grounds crew & greenskeeper.

I’m visiting from Las Vegas. Definitely will be back.

We played on a very warm day, which created a 20 MpH wind that seems common here. The course was interesting, with well-bunkered holes and wide fairways consistent with the windy conditions. The greens were also interesting, large, and featuring tiers and rolls that were intimidating without being unfair.

The only complaint ID have is that it was somewhat hard to interpret the holes without a yardage book or a clear picture of the yardages. And perhaps they have that available, but my late arrival prevented me from figuring it out. Take the time to find that (or buy it in the pro shop) and you will have a fun and interesting challenge to enjoy.

I'd consider giving 5 stars except for goose poop everywhere. Excellent greens, tees, fairways.

Don’t know why thru Golf Now the cost is 88 but the check in staff said if we would have only paid 50? Not a good reason to use Golf Now?

Baylands opened as a new design from the old Palo Alto Municipal course. It is a welcome change and addition to the region. Baylands opened to some fanfare a couple of years ago. Upon opening the course clearly suffered from significant issues that remain but that hopefully can be mitigated or eliminated over time.

1) Geese. Geese droppings are all over the place and unavoidable. It is disgusting and a real problem that distracts from the experience and I never would pay the course “rack rate” just on this factor alone. The City and their contractors were supposed to commit to Geese mitigation strategies esp since the course is next to the airport. Those efforts either dont exist or are not effective.

2) Construction and maintenance. Clearly the City and the firms responsible for building the course and doing the “grow in” had some significant issues that have left portions of the course in bad shape already.

3) Design. Overall the design is above average but not really good, and hardly a “links” experience. Too many blind shots into greens. There is, unbelievably, a downhill par-3 that is a blind tee shot. Several of the Par-5s are very weak and boring. . Several of the green complexes are woefully “under-designed” and some are woefully overwrought.

4) Staff in general are very pleasant but several challenges need to be addressed: inadequate Starter and Ranger staffing to facilitate pace of play. Policies prohibiting single golfers even during afternoon, twilight play.

5) Rates. Comparing to other courses and experiences, this design and course is a $50-$70 green fee course. This course and experience is not a $80+ value. Good rates are available on a limited basis if you buy an annual “links card”

In the positive side the current staff and management in general are quite pleasant. This facility has been improved from the old parkland muni course it once was. The bent grass greens are in great shape and roll nicely.