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Montclair Golf Course
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
31 reviews for Montclair Golf Course
To do it right: $17
Oh Montclair! Why do you toy with my emotions? You beckon me closer with your quiet, scenic locale, only to greet me with obnoxious and wayward smokers. Don't worry Montclair, I will come back to you after dark. Your warm, inviting 10p closing time on weekdays will surely give us time to be close. Finally, the others are gone. Your driving range lights up for me, but now I realize that you looked better in the dark. Perhaps you could grow some grass and renovate yourself. You are looking a little rundown. That landslide on your pitch and putt course is maybe better hidden than talked about. Uh, I forgot, I have to go and pick up my dry cleaning, Montclair. I'll call you tomorrow. I promise!
What can I say? It's a municipal course in Oakland. I go there for the driving range b/c it's close and open late. The pitch and putt is well, an experience. Basically, all nine holes are on a hillside, so bring extra balls. It's horribly frustrating or an amusing challenge depending on your personality type and golf skill. However, the bar is relatively nice and one of the bartenders is a lot of fun to talk to.
Oh, one more thing: if you like the range and think you'll be back, make sure to get the $40 punch card for 5 large buckets ($10 value). Saves you lots over time. Just don't lose it.
Final Say: Truly a tragic romance.
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I probably have exceptionally low standards when it comes to this sort of thing but... you can eat, you can drink, you can smoke, and you can hit things with a club. What's not to love.
I'd consider this more of a lounge with a driving range than a golf course, such is my motivation....
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I really do want to give it a better rating but I have to be critical of this place. The location is awesome! Nestled in the hills near freeway 13 and across from Montclair. Scenery around the area is beautiful! The facility is pretty old and run down though. The bottom deck of the driving range is too small for you to swing your golf clubs fully. You have to go to the top deck to swing your clubs. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable though!
I got myself a large bucket of golf balls to hit and did I do just that! $10 to nail these balls 250-300 yards with my driver! Practice my short game on the putting greens. PGA tour here I come! Hahaha! Yeah right!
Hopefully The City of Oakland opens their eyes and do this place some good.
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This place, this place right here?!?!?! Is off the hook! I am from Oakland and this was the only place for me to practice. The Lee family took care off me and now I am a great player.
This is the best place to hone your game. The driving range is fully functional, the short course is AWESOME! "Drive for show, putt for dough!" This place is an institution. Work up a sweat with a bucket of balls and walk 18 on the par 3, then cool off with a beer at the bar.
A charmingly Oakland driving range
I was stuck on the left side of the bottom level of the driving range. I couldn't see most of the targets, because there was an inconveniently placed hill directly in front of me.
I could see some of the targets, though. Like the rusted barrel next to a wooden post that had "80" written on it. Or what seemed like hunks of sheet metal painted various colors that were intended for shorter shots.
The only thing that actually does kind of get in the way of a good driving range experience is that you don't have much space. I came close to hitting the wall with my driver many times. Also, because of the hill I mentioned, I often had to slant my shots to the right, and that resulted in me several times smashing the ball into the wooden wall separating me from my golfing neighbor. It was pretty embarrassing, and made me look like a bad golfer, which I am.
All in all, it's just a driving range. Who cares what you're hitting the balls at? And the cramped quarters gives you a little more incentive to think about your swing and positioning. Also, it's easy to get to, and open til 10 PM, so I'll be sure to come back. I'm also looking to try the actual course.
This course is a disaster. Driving range is servicable but executive course is too short to be playable. Also driving range faces due west so don't go at twilight. Guys in the proshop and prices are great so good place to get equipment.
I don't have enough experience at this to give it 5 stars, I did get the feeling I was being laughed at. I am working on my swing and its not Charles Barkley bad, I am no PGA pro.
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Hey - I came here last week and hit some balls with my hon of hons husband. Well, tried to anyway. I have very little hand-eye coordination and was actually missing the damn thing. He did much better than I did and was really smacking 'em out of there.
A fun way to spend a couple of hours on a day off. I still think the restaurant is gross, though, contrary to what Mike Z says.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/25/2008
This place just makes me laugh. It's been run by the same family for several years now, who promise… Read more »
Long Day at work? Don't want to see your kids? Wife is nagging you? A place to get away from your girlfriend wanting you to be apart of a Sex and the City marathon? Look no further my friend. Montclair Golf Course is the your place of comfort and serenity.
Neslted in the hills of Montclair. Montclair Golf is one of the few double-decker driving ranges in the Bay Area. It's not the nicest and nor ,as Fergie would say, G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S of driving ranges. It's a place to bring your clubs get a bucket and WHACK THE CRAP out of the balls. I say it's one of the cheapest yet most addicting stress relievers.
I prefer to come here during lunch time as well as the evening. Nothing better than being with a couple of good friends and kicking back ice cold beer and swinging for the moon...better yet Highway 13.
Word of advice. Place can and will get crowded on the weekends especially Sunday morning/afternoon.
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Take the place for what it's worth. It is a real golf course? Hell no. It's a pitch-and-putt with 60 yard holes and crappy greens, but you pay $6 and practice your chipping with no one bothering you. The range is fine, stalls still too close together and you occasionally hear people smashing drivers against side of stalls.
Club prices: The Best. It's a family run place, the Lee family. I have bought all my woods/hybrids here and they consistently beat Golf Smith and most other places on price. Good service--they regrip stuff pretty fast. The Lees are cool--pops is a crusty old school Korean guy but the sons get customer service.
The bar? Fantastic, especially when John bartends on Wednesday and Friday nights. Good pours and a funny guy.
Montclair golf is an acquired taste. It is a local watering hole with very good customer service and club selection.
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This is one of the worst-kept pitch and putts I've seen. The greens are manicured as fairways, and the holes are so short and close together people can't help but accidentally hit onto other courses. It almost felt as if I were playing an extended version of minigolf. In addition, the only thing you have to "tee off" from is a thin strip of astroturf. This may be a local favorite, but for the price, there are plenty of other executive courses to try.
If you're going to come to this place, stick to the driving range, because the course will do nothing for your short game.
One pro -- if you have friends who have no idea how to play but want to try out golf, this would be a convenient place to bring them because you have no pressure to play quickly.
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Golf? Not so much. If I have 4 or 5 hours to kill, I'd much prefer to go for a long bike ride, go for a hike, play some tennis, maybe cruise Craigslist for a cross-dressing one-armed midget -- really anything but laying down some very long green to go chase a ball around a fake, manicured, over-irrigated landscape for a day.
The Montclair Golf Course is different. You can play all 9 holes in like an hour with nothing more than a putter and a 9 iron. It's just a place to go hack it up for a little while in the trees.
But the really special thing is the Bar/Restaurant. Oh Yeahhh! On any given Sunday at around 6, you can find me, the wife and kids hitting a bucket or two at the driving range and then settling in to the Clubhouse (haha, the "Clubhouse" - you people better be clicking away at the Funny button right now), for a great dinner.
The vinyl bench seat cushions are all blown out and deformed, the chairs wobbly, the tables rocking, and the fake wood paneling sublime. There are usually a few TVs inexplicably showing different sporting events on each of them - at most places that would annoy me, but not here. This place is like your crazy, drooling great Aunt. What's not to love? She always told you great stories didn't she? She gave you toys when the other douches gave you clothes. And she could cook.
Food is very very good. I am not kidding. Burgers are excellent, the fries crispy, the Reuben first rate. Even the salads are very good. We often get the Spinach Salad with Chicken, which at a complete dive restaurant like this feels a little bit like ordering a Cosmo at Merchant's Saloon.
The adjoining bar area is a little rough. Most of these people look like they started drinking at around 9 am and haven't stopped. There's usually some mid 50's drunk skank at the bar flirting with all the drunk fat men, most of whom are probably convicted felons.
There's nothing else like this place - Golf course, pro-shop, driving range, clubhouse (hehe), dive bar. It's all here and its Oakland.
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Fore! 3.5 stars for the most lax driving range I have ever been too. With a dry and rocky incline there's not even a ball collector on the other end and the oil can distance markers make it seem like you're practicing at a shooting range. It's definitely no frills, but gets the job done.
Thoroughly used Club rentals are $3 and a Large bucket of balls is your average $10. A group of friends and I made our way to the range this weekend, and let's just say it's the kind of place where even beginners in flip-flops can feel comfortable. The customer service is great and very accommodating. I did however frown at the price of the lessons--$50/ half hour? eh!
I checked out the golf equipment on sale and sadly all the cute women's Puma gear were SMALL! no medium, no large, just small. And the display shoes for sale are only Men's 8 or Women's 4.5 so no dice. All in all, if you want to practice your swing or just want to try something new, check out the driving range and you won't be disappointed.
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Stopped by during lunch the other day and had an ok experience hitting some balls...the stalls on the bottom deck are a joke...anyone with a long reach will spend their time hitting the support beams on either the backswing OR follow through....top deck was ok, but the steep decline and narrow range make it really tough to get an accurate reading on distance.
A little pricey for whats there..
I love to swing some holes and to see the cemetary on top of the hill.
I wont come back for the fact that I seen a coffin coming out the dirt foundation on the side and crumbling tombstones
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The place is a pit. The bathrooms finaly got re-done, though they haven't cleaned them since the construction completed it seems. They are bound to be as bad as the originals in a matter of weeks it bet. Thank goodness they stopped serving food...
i'll give it two stars for serving Drakes on draught.
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I've always known it as "THE HOLE" . It's where I go to drink and drive!!
Don't forget your sand wedge wich!
I had the French Dip...not too bad.
Im a newbie at this golf stuff, but have been here 3 times now and have yet to dare try the course.
The staff are friendly and one time the dude didnt even charge me for a rental club....yippee, i saved myself 1 dollar.
Its cheap, a big bucket is 9 bucks at the driving range. Nice scenery. Friendly golfers. Weird people at the bar as others have mentioned and they should finally finish the remodel, especially the parking lot.
Will report back once i try the course and the food.
This place pretty much sucks. The driving range is so tight that crappy golfers like me are going to sooner or later smack someone......especially since they serve beer in to go cups (the only bright spot to this place).
I admit the pitch in putt is so bad it's fun- bring a lot of balls because this place is the Bermuda Triangle with burnt grass.
I'll qualify this rating. I don't really play here all that often, only when I hit some balls and feel like getting in a quick 9 holes. This rating is more for the driving range, which is top notch.
$11 for around 120 balls or so is a good deal. They're open until 10 most days and the place is nice, clean and easy to get to if you live in the Oakland/Berkeley/El Cerrito area.
While the range at Tilden is just as good, I just like the vibe of this one better. I don't run into any golf snobs and the pro shop is well stocked, can do all repairs/refinishes on any club you bring them and they are cool people. I believe this place is family operated so you don't really have to deal with an annoying 19 year old who only wants to work there to get a discount on green fees, which is the major downside of Tilden.
The course is a 9 hole, chip/putt that is good for a beignner and ok to work on your short game if you're a more experienced player. The pace doesn't get as slow as Tilden or some of the SF courses do on nice weekend days, but I would still reccomend getting there early and playing 2 rounds if you really want to get some practice in. Green fees are less then $10, so you can get in, hit a large bucket, play 9 and get out in less then 2 hours with a snack for less then $30.
Like most 9 hole courses now days, golf etiquette tends to be ignored, but in my limited experience on this course, slow play seems to be the only real issue and if you come early, get in a quick 9 then grab a drink and hang out, use the time to catch up on returning phone calls, it's a relaxing afternoon, with 18 holes.
The course is maintained ok and is (in my opinion) better after a rain then Tilden, so if you want to play off season too, it's good. I only knock them down 1 star for the occasionally slow play and bad etiquette of new golfers, but I can't be too upset, I was a beginner too! I actually applaud beginners who go to 9 hole courses rather then to a full 18 course and clog it up, hit into you etc. etc.
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Love the driving range (double-decker), like the restaurant well enough (the club sandwich, anyway), but the little course is just tragic. Err, maybe it's my short game that's tragic. Either way, the "fairways" (used loosely of course) are really narrow and worked into a hillside. Translation: a lot of lost balls. Granted, this all means that you can score a bunch of other people's lost balls that they didn't bother to fetch. My hubs and I had more fun digging around the surrounding woods looking for balls than we did playing the course. Check out the 9-hole course at Chabot instead -- far superior in every respect.
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The good thing about this driving range is also the bad thing. It's not full of golf snobs. Doing the math, that means it's full of golf newbies and golf idiots. Yes, too much talking, yelling, etc. It's a driving range, people are trying to concentrate -- STFU! Actually, what's the problem with golf snobs? They mind their own business and are quiet. So, ok, there is no good thing then. Well, it's got lights so you can hit the ball at night. There ya go. I wouldn't walk their 9 hole "course", much less play it.
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This place is what it is. The fact that I have a driving range 3 minutes from my house is awesome. The P&P, as others have mentioned, is in dire need of help. They need to buy a green mower. To their credit, they've been whittling away at fixing this place up...and it's coming along (new parking lot, new putting green, new paint on the main building), but they still need to redo the bar/restaurant - I assume they're going to do this last as it's probably the biggest money maker in the joint.
Whenever I come down the driveway, my "king for a day" imagination kicks in. Given how many families live in the area, this place could be a mecca for family fun.
Some very obvious ideas:
- Why not rebuild the putt-putt course?
- Why not offer more lessons?
- Why not improve the P&P?
- Why not renovate the driving range stalls?
- Why not renovate the restaurant?
- Why not put some decent landscaping/greens/pins into the driving range?
I realize that all of that costs money, but I honestly believe this place could be a HUGE draw if they were to throw a little more cash at it and make it more inviting.
I'll still come here to hit balls regularly, but as a father-to-be, it would be great if it had more than just a driving range and dive bar.
Sssswaack! Great range to hit a large bucket of balls. Nothing like hitting golf balls one after the other hoping to hit the net on the far end of the valley. It helps that it's downhill. There is also a short chip&putt course that is fun to play with newbie golfers. They also have a frequent buyer card that makes it a wee bit cheaper if you are visiting the range often to work on your swing. Practice makes perfect.
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Great for the duffer. More Wal-Mart clubs than Big Berthas, with an attitude to match. This is where Carl Spackler goes to down a High Life and "be the ball."
I come here to hit a bucket every so often, but the real draw is the restaurant/bar. Unpretentious people and food make it a good place to unwind with a beer, watch a game or pop out for a round on the executive course, but the best thing in my experience is the ease of getting a table. I've come here in the early afternoon with a group of 8 people and it's never as problem. The old couples who cruise in for a meal make it feel as if a bingo game will break out at any moment, but they're adorable. There's something magical about hitting balls down the valley at night, especially from the upper deck.
Great location. Down to earth people create a great environment for those totally burnt out on the hipper then thou vibe of most places in Oakland. Great bloody marys. The food is also excellent. Would get 5 stars if they'd finish their remodeling already.
i love this place. i took lesson there and go to hit some balls. i have yet to play, but definitely will soon. i'm a beginner, so it's perfect for me, a newbie and as a newbie, i prefer the background chatter. the quiet silent at the snobbier places make me nervous. maybe i'll outgrow it when i get better, but i don't think that'll happen anytime soon since i work for a living and don't have 4-5 hours a day/3 times a week to practice. oh, and i love the bar.....great strong drinks!!!!
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Like many, I wish this place were better because it's so close, but unless I'm desperate, I drive to a nicer range. I was excited when they started remodeling a while back, but poor management is reflected in the remodel as well. The range is cramped and poorly maintained. The restaurant smells and has ok food. The pitch and putt is not maintained. It's a prime location and could make a killing if it were managed better.
There's really not more I can add about this place, except that the range is great especially for night practice. It's usually open till 9:30pm/10pm and 9pm on Sundays.
the course sucks, but the range is pretty good, and you can be in jeans and a t shirt, no one really cares. the family used to know me and give my free balls, now they don't remember or say hi to me, so no more free balls, but it is still cheap.
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