Ok so I made it to three courses on my trip out west, the highlight being Pasatiempo. Thanks for pushing me to make the trip and fork up the dough; it was money well spent. We had a great day and it was nice to get such a masterpiece under my belt. The bunkers really stood out to me and looked awesome with the bright white sand on a sunny day. Reflecting on the round, its funny how the holes that stick out in my mind are the holes I either played really well (14th lets me play my natural fade into that angled green) or the holes in which I didn't play well (16th I left myself with wayyyy to long a put, and the left pin on the 18th caused my fading ball to have no chance at hitting it close and setup the inevitable three put). Awesome experience all around, left me thinking about the shots I need to develop in order to become a better player.
Peacock Gap was as advertised - A fun course with some good holes and some real strange green features (I can't even explain some of them, but let's just say I felt like Happy Gilmore at happy land mini golf)
The Presidio is a cool spot on the city; the trees are breathtaking, and the course was in good shape except for the most important part - the greens! They were way too bumpy for my liking, but fun nonetheless.
So I guess the popular opinion on Granite Links is somewhat negative, but I'll give you my take. The most important thing for me joining there was the steeply discounted young adult program, combined with the proximity to the city and lockers and club storage etc. I don't own a car so I am often riding my bike up to the course or bumming a ride, so the ability to keep my clubs there is critical. I know there are some private clubs in the area that would offer the same, but I don't have the clout, money, or patience to sit on a waiting list to join the usual suspects. I will admit the course itself has its share of questionable holes, but I love the fact that the greens are typically in great shape and roll true. I think the best part of the course is its collection of par 3's. Granite four is a classic redan style with the wind being a huge factor. Granite 7 is my favorite hole on the course. This hole is all about distance control; a two tiered green that is wide but not long from back to front. A shot too long leaves you with a difficult downhill chip or shot out of the bunker which is nearly impossible to keep on the upper level. A shot too short ends up in the hazard.
I guess my biggest complaint with the course is the fact that the greens play hard and fast like a links style course should, but there are some holes that require a long approach which ideally a shot that runs up to the green would be the play, but the fairways aren't as hard as they should be in combination with the greens. This often makes it hard to reach the green some type of shot short of the green and running it up, which you should be able to do if it is so hard to fly the ball all the way to the green and hold it.
All in all, I do like the experience at GLGC. I might be singing a different tune if I had to pay 120 or whatever per round, but the young adult membership makes it worth it for me.
Oh year, only members can walk too. I guess one of the other big knocks on the course is that there are often long green to tee walks, but I guess for me this isn't that important. The way I look at it is if I have to spend another 15 minutes outside carrying my bag, the less time I'll be spending inside screaming at the sox/pats/celts on TV.
Cheers
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