Baylands Golf Links

Baylands is an almost completely redone version of what was previously Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course. I played a twilight round on opening day, and let me tell you, the greens were absolutely perfect. I've played some excellent courses and I don't think the ball has rolled this true anywhere.

The layout is interesting, and seems to follow a trend among newer courses - no rough, just running undulating fairways that lead into penal areas. The lack of a rough reminds me of Poppy Hills, although that's the only similarity. Poppy provides a much more complete golf experience. The 2nd hole is located awkwardly, you cross paths through the 5th hole to get from 1 to 2. And on the first day of the course, the sign fell down, so it was unclear where to go.

Old PA golf course had an awkward 10th hole that wrapped around the driving range. I'm very happy with the change that was made in this area. The awkward hole is now a fantastic short game area. The 10th now goes in a different direction. Really well done.

The bunkering is interesting. There's some pot bunkers that clearly have a European influence. The fairways rarely give you a flat lie, and the greens had multiple tiers. While the fairways are wavy, the course is relatively flat. By that, I mean, that there are very few elevation changes from tee to green, and the fairways almost have mogul-like undulations.

The course is still a muni, but it's now pricing itself like a mid-premium golf course. It's nice, but if the rack rate is going to be around $100, that's too expensive. When checking in, two senior citizens learned that there wouldn't be a 9 role rate until after 3pm (which is probably the right call if you're running a course), and that their 18 hole rate would be $90, which for a muni has to be among the most expensive in the country.

I believe they removed quite a few trees, and while that's nice on some holes, it leaves beautiful views of power lines on others. The electrical wires aren't particularly close to the course, but they're very much in view. Also, there's an occasional plane taking off and landing at the Palo Alto airport.

Store and restaurant were redone as well. Some new wood flooring, new logo, etc. No real clubhouse or locker room to speak of.

On the whole, I did like the course. Staff was very friendly. It would be a much better experience at 30% lower prices. For around the $100 range, there's many better options in NorCal.