Hansen Dam Golf Course

The course was good. The only thing is that the flags are hard to see sometimes but the carts screen helps with that a lot. If you go in the afternoon you’ll enjoy a nice breeze and see the sun set.

I truly enjoy this golf course. It's local for me, so that's a plus. But even if it weren't I'd drive a bit to play it regularly. It's a full-length course (par 72 or 73), with beautiful, wide fairways, and plenty of nice long par 4 and 5 holes to let those drivers and fairway woods sing. There's no water hazards, but there are still some things to watch out for (more on that in a moment). The fairways are in pretty decent shape, the greens are VERY nice, and large, and the rest of the course (carts, cart paths, trees, and conditions of the course overall) is very nice for the price. And that's really the best part, because you can get on this course with cart rental during the week for like $34/person, which is almost unheard of anymore.

A couple of minor drawbacks to be aware of. First, the fairways do have a ground squirrel infestation problem. There are holes, some of them pretty darned big, and if your ball goes in, it's gone. I think the little b***ards steal balls too, if I'm being honest, so keep a sharp eye out. Also, despite having a full restaurant and grill with indoor seating, etc., they don't operate it. You'll have drinks from the cooler, including beers, and a few snacks. The pro shop has some stuff (balls, tees, some shirts and hats, etc., but not an extensive selection). Also, they won't let you check in until 20 minutes prior to your tee time.

Other than that, it's a great place to play, pretty easy to get a tee time as long as you schedule early (no more than 1 week out), or to go and use their excellent driving range.

I didn’t get to play because the rude lady in the pro shop wouldn’t allow me to check in or warm up until 1120 and my tee time was 1140. So I left

The course design is fabulous, however it pretty much ends there. The fairways are hard and dry, you will hit many flyers and it is tough get solid contact due to the ground being rock hard. You will get lots of roll out on drives, but wedge shots become dangerous with the tight lies.

The greens are smooth and have an invasive grass in them which causes the ball to go offline at time, but the speeds of the green were consistent throughout the day.

The course is fully inhabited by California Ground Squirrels, who burrow intricate underground tunnels, I lost a ball or two in the fairway from simply seeing the ball roll out and then disappear. After going to the area where my ball was and seeing multiple ( 10 plus) holes in the ground, I was not happy.

The staff was friendly, the driving range is fine, you hit off mats and there is an awning/covered section of hitting bays.

I booked through Golf Now, and when I arrived at the course the attendant said that the reservation did not go through and that the same happens for many people who use Golf Now. So, the only way to play was by paying $108 to the course. I am trying to be reimbursed $84.96 for my booking through golf now but I can’t get a hold of anyone. I either need to get a free round from golf now or get the money from golf now returned to my account.

I wish the cafe open earlier than 8 am. I played there all the time and you can't get breakfast if you're teeing off before 8 am.

I’ve played Hansen Dam many times. This was by far the longest round I’ve played there. Took nearly 5 hours. Waiting on every hole since hole 1. And we weren’t out of position, the course was just jam packed like I’ve never seen. With 10 minute tee times, there shouldn’t be a group on every green, fairway and two groups on every tee-box simultaneously. Course conditions were not as good as usual also. Greens had been punched probably a month (which has to be done so no fault there but worth noting) got some unnecessarily punishing lies due to squirrel burrows or overgrown clover around the greens. Any one or two of these could have been overlooked but the combination added up to what felt like less of a good deal than usual.

Greens were punched not long ago so in a few weeks course should be playing much better.