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3.6
819 Reviews (819)
5 Stars
327
4 Stars
349
3 Stars
97
2 Stars
25
1 Stars
21
Conditions
3.2
Value
3.8
Layout
4.4
Friendliness
4.3
Pace
3.9
Amenities
3.6
72.0%
Recommend this course
736 out of 819 reviews
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Average Rating
Avg Rating
0
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
0
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
0
Value
0
Layout
0
Friendliness
0
Pace
0
Amenities
0
0%
Recommend this course
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.2
26 Reviews (26)
5 Stars
3
4 Stars
7
3 Stars
10
2 Stars
4
1 Stars
2
Conditions
2.7
Value
3.4
Layout
4.3
Pace
4.0
Amenities
3.5
StaffFriendliness
4.3
65.4%
Recommend this course
17 out of 26 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 71
Length 6739 yards
Slope 127
Rating 72.3

Castle Oaks Golf Club is situated on the historic Preston Farmlands. The Preston Castle, built in 1894 overlooks the rolling, oak-studded hills of the course. The course opened a century later but it blends in beautifully with the existing terrain, utilizing the Sutter and Mule Creeks and mature trees as natural hazards. When the golf course opened it was acclaimed as the best public course in northern California and it has remained one of the area's premier courses. The layout has an interesting mix of holes with some that are wide and forgiving and others that are narrow and play alongside environmental hazards. The meandering creeks and several lakes come into play throughout. There are many risk/reward opportunities and golfers will encounter several hazards and out-of-bounds off the tee, but overall the course is player-friendly enough to appeal to any skill level.

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Castle Oaks Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1994
Golf Season Year round
Architect Brad Benz (1994) Ross Forbes (1994)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Pull-carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

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

Food & Beverage

Bar, Snacks, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top Courses in California (2015 #16)
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Reviews

3.6
819 Reviews (819)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 17
Brunch 7
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 26
Bunkers 25
Forced Carries 19
This course/club is great for:
Locals 25
Advanced Golfers 20
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 15
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 34
In the 'Burbs 6

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 15-19
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Challenging and nicely kept

Very enjoyable place to play. Some challenging tee shots beginning with the first.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great test of golf

The course is in good shape the greens were a little slow but consistent played in the morning fast pace.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 13
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Twice a year
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

staff need sensitivity training

the greens , fairways , bunkers were all in good condition and provided a good golfing experience. However, staff has a problem. One example is in the food area where there was barely a "hello' when I entered. Service was comparable to a vending machine. My biggest complaint and one I feel needs to be addressed is the lack of feeling for people with disabilities. My situation is that I am a cancer survivor and Laryngectomy. As such I must wear a support scarf around my stoma and only wear mock tee shirts such as those worn by Tiger Woods and others. Upon entering and paying for the round I was promptly told that only collared shirts can be worn. I am not comfortable with a collared shirt and find it funny that similar items are sold in the pro shop!! The item I wore was purchased in Monterey at a golf club there and never had I had a problem wherever I have played. Collars irritate my neck when i move frequently and that is one reason I have taken to the mock shirt very similar to what the pros where. In fact I have 2 from Rancho mirage , a course played by Phil M. I found the experience to be embarrassing and cold. If I knew how I would expect an apology but the best I can do is write this review and also pass the word to my cancer groups . I think some teaching needs to be done at Castle Oaks!!

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Poor
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

this is one of my favorite courses in the area

greens roll very true and are somewhat fast. the only negative to the course that I have found in the last couple of rounds that I have played there .. is that there are tons of ball marks.. not fixed. this gets in the way of many putts and is very frustrating

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

lush fairways with plenty of trouble if you're looking for it

Castle Oaks is a great course. Lots of trees and beautiful fairways.
Holes are wide and undulating with lots of water hazards. Lots of doglegs and blind shots to make things interesting. I love playing this course, and maybe someday I'll be able to put together a great score.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Go for it on 18.

Due to a computer glitch, I was able to play the course at 1PM. Usually, only early tee times are offered on Golf Now hot deals and I don't play early. The course was in great shape with several challenging holes where accuracy is imperative. If you don't stay in the fairway, it's hard to get out of trouble. It seemed there were a lot of holes where houses were on one side of the fairway or the other. Local rule; you can remove stones from the sand traps. Even so, they're tough to get up and down from. Fluffy, they're not. But hey -- I enjoyed it and met a couple of really nice guys.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Castle Oaks is a great place for a round of golf.

This facility has always been a fun challenge, with lots of opportunities for risk/reward holes. The staff was very friendly and the course in great shape.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 19
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

foothill course

golf course with homes and homesites surrounding
the holes. par 71 with a demanding tenth hole and
a two fairway choice to make off the 18th hole. lots
of lagoons and some trees and other vegetation to make the
journey a mental joy.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Fun course

Great setting with many interesting holes. Nice warm up area for putting, chipping and hitting.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 13
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser

Excellent track

I played later in the afternoon and this course looked great. The 18th hole at sunset is beautiful.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0

Very pristine and well maintained with super friendly staff

This is a hidden gem in Ione. This course is very well maintained and pristine to say the least. This was my first visit to this facility and I was very impressed with the staff and fellow golfers. Will play this course again a day later and recommend this gem to others.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser

very nice coarse my sons first time here.he enjoyed himself

VERY WELL MAINTAINED VERY CHALLENGING BROUGHT MY SON AND HIS FRIEND THEY BOTH LIKED THE SPEED OF PLAY AND CONDITION OF THE COARSE

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser

Great deal for early birds

We started off at 7.10 a.m. as a threesome with no one in front of us. Played at a great pace. Course is in great shape. Has some challenging holes.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser

Great shape

This course is in excellent condition, the fairways are nice and the greens are perfect. The bunkers, although I wasn't in any, appeared wet and crusty.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser

great staff always good time out there.

nice layout very nice risk /reward holes, get started with semi tough par 5 followed by tough par 3, great finishing hole, makes you decide-take on trouble for short iron in or go long way with long iron or hybrid in.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser

We played as a twosome following a foursome. They were a touch slow but not unreasonable.

The course was as nice as it has ever been. We thoroughly enjoyed the play. I hope the new homes won't become a distraction to a great course.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser

ALTHOUGH TUCKED AWAY... THIS COURSE IS WORTH GETTING TO!

This course is well maintained! So Beautiful and Spacious! I brought 2 Excellent Golfers with me to see what All the talk was about this course.... End of the day, they said, "I would play this course again"!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser

Overall rating very good.

Looked like it could be slow play(lots of people), but moved along real well. This is one of my favorite courses in this area. It is well maintained and fun to play.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser

Excellent course

course in great shape. grass around the greens could be mowed to a lower height---very thick making it difficult to chip greenside.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser

excellent value

We paid 27.00 w/cart for a 12:00 tee time on a Wednesday and we rarely saw the twosome in front of us and no one was behind us. Course staff allowed my three year old Grandson to ride along with my son and I. Course was in excellent shape although the greens were extremely slow from a recent punching. It is a great track and we'll be back!

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
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