Bodega Harbour in NorCaL

[GolfinGQ]

Me and the wife always seem to go to Monterey for our anniversary. I wanted to switch things up this year. I try to get a morning round of golf in when I send her to the spa for a 4 hour spa day, so it has to be around a course. I was looking at Bodega Bay, and they have the New Links at Bodgea Harbour. Looks nice, anybody play it? Or any other ideas in NorCal?

[doctork]

Have not played it, but based on the locale and management by KemperSports -- which handles Bandon Dunes, Chambers Bay and lots of other great tracks - I'd say it's close to a can't miss. It was remodeled by Trent Jones II's team, which did incredible work at Chambers.

I say go for it!

Expect a full review on your return.

Cheers,
DoctorK

[rkim291968]

I played this course for two rounds on 7/26 (Tue) & 7/27 (Wed).

By going to Golfnow.com, I was able to get a good deal for both rounds.  I paid $39 on average for an afternoon round.   

This course boasts "links" style but I don't see it.  I think they used "links course" rather loosely.

The course is along the Pacific coast line.  The view is beautiful wherever you can see the ocean.  The hills view is rather so so.   There are houses along the course and they offer interesting view to look at while you play.   Every house looks like it is custom built.

Course condition is OK given that California is in the middle of drought.  There are some brown patches here and there but no problem with playing golf.  Greens are in good condition with average speed.  Fairways & greens feature many undulations and slopes.

I played the middle tee.   Par 5s (3 of them) are short, but par 3s (5) are relatively long.   Par 4s range from 286 to 432 yards.   The course rating seems to be fair.  One can avoid trouble with reasonable course management.

Hole #16 & #17 are pretty unique.  One must abandon cart and walk the two holes which circles back to #16 tee box.  Very interesting.

I've enjoyed the course, especially, for the price I paid for.  I recommend it.

[nevets88]

I remember it was really foggy in the morning but would definitely go back, don't remember too many particulars, just that I enjoyed playing it. That's where the Hitchcock movie, The Birds, was filmed. Interesting town.

[Elrey Desol]

12 hours ago, rkim291968 said:

I played this course for two rounds on 7/26 (Tue) & 7/27 (Wed).

By going to Golfnow.com, I was able to get a good deal for both rounds.  I paid $39 on average for an afternoon round.   

This course boasts "links" style but I don't see it.  I think they used "links course" rather loosely.

The course is along the Pacific coast line.  The view is beautiful wherever you can see the ocean.  The hills view is rather so so.   There are houses along the course and they offer interesting view to look at while you play.   Every house looks like it is custom built.

Course condition is OK given that California is in the middle of drought.  There are some brown patches here and there but no problem with playing golf.  Greens are in good condition with average speed.  Fairways & greens feature many undulations and slopes.

I played the middle tee.   Par 5s (3 of them) are short, but par 3s (5) are relatively long.   Par 4s range from 286 to 432 yards.   The course rating seems to be fair.  One can avoid trouble with reasonable course management.

Hole #16 & #17 are pretty unique.  One must abandon cart and walk the two holes which circles back to #16 tee box.  Very interesting.

I've enjoyed the course, especially, for the price I paid for.  I recommend it.

agree w/ that analysis.

it helps if you play/get paired with someone who's been there before if you're a first-timer, as there are  a couple of holes where "course knowledge" comes into play. for example, #5 is a Par 5 where you need to lay up behind of the drop off at appx. 220 yards. same thing kinda goes for #18 as well, where if you hit a drive too good, you'll end up in trouble through the fairway.

one other point: this course changes dramatically if the wind is up. there's always a slight breeze since it's so close to the water, but if it gets blowing 20-30 mph, it plays a lot harder. the last time i was out there, the wind was howling and nobody in our foursome could hit the 17th greed from 160 yards....with our drivers.

[rkim291968]

Yes, local knowledge is a must for the 1st timer as there are number of holes that can trip a player.   

We lucked out and played without the 20 - 30 MPH wind but someone warned us about it.