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Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course
Rating Details »
1875 Embarcadero Rd
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 856-0881
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 856-0881
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
23 reviews for Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course
This review is for the driving range facility only.
I visit the local driving ranges to improve my swing, but have not played any of the courses - yet. After visiting this facility I now understand the "municipal" part of the name; nothing fancy at all. The sun was a blazin' as I tried to hit a few while using a newly learned grip (apparently I'd been doing it wrong all along) and felt pretty wilted by the time I'd finished. (One great thing about Burlingame's range as it's sheltered). The range is somewhat raggedy but I guess that doesn't really matter, does it? There was the cutest little gopher right in front of my space and he kept poking his head out of the ground while munching on grass. I tried to get a picture but he suddenly became shy and went below. I guess he doesn't want to 'show his face' on Yelp.
I'll go back without hesitation since it's so close to my home, but Burlingame is clearly my preferred location. One good thing: the Palo Alto Airport is right next door so I do get in some plane viewing here as well.
Oh, and no more blisters!!!
People thought this was:
- Useful (19)
- Funny (16)
- Cool (18)
I thought Palo Alto Muni was a decent enough track. I mean, my expectations were pretty low. It is your typical back-and-forth, flat muni - but the greens are decent to good. The rough had a lot of dirt patches.
Play it if the price is right - I think I played it for about $38. But it is very standard, not very memorable, and not very challenging. I prefer nearby Shoreline, Santa Clara or Sunnyvale. I'll give it 2.5 stars.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
palo alto is your run of the mill muni. it has some trees and a pond, but otherwise it's totally flat and the layout is unmemorable.
the greens roll pretty true, but are definitely on the slow side. most people tend to over-read break here.
it's a tad bit overpriced for the area, but all in all ok.
Driving range: Crowded on the weekend but pretty open during the workweek/work hours for obvious reasons. Nice big putting area that's well manicured to practice your putts. Ball prices - quite reasonable.
I gave a 4 star since it has the best staff in the area. This is a real issue at many of the area public courses.
The front 9 is really boring..back 9 is much better. Range has improved over the last year and is above average for the area.
Overall, I had an enjoyable experience playing this course for the first time yesterday. I have especially high praise for the greens, which were in excellent shape and rolled very well, and were very receptive to approach shots. However, I felt that they did not break nearly as much as I expected on several putts. The rest of the course was so-so, although for the most part the fairways were in great shape as well with hardly any dirt patches that I can recall. It was just a very boring and straight forward layout, which is what I expected. I played in the afternoon, so the wind was absolutely brutal. It felt like nearly every hole was somehow into the wind, but without the wind this course is absolutely defenseless. I would definitely recommend the course if you are looking for a good deal and an easy to walk course.
The greens are very well maintained for a muni, though if it's wet you'll discover which greens were rebuilt (the ones that drain) and which weren't (the ones where you ball is bouncing across shoe prints that are like canyons). It's a better deal than Shoreline, though less interesting to play. The greens break less than expected, and in general they're pretty easy to read and score on.
The fairways were redone a while back to get them above the saltwater intrusion level, but that doesn't mean that the groundskeeper actually maintains them. While you'll find them mowed, you'll also find a wide variety of weeds, wildflowers, perhaps 10 different types of grass, and the occasional dirt patch that needs to be reseeded. Someone keeps whining to the city that they need more money to upgrade the course; what they need is grounds staff that actually does more than ride a mower around.
Other reviewers (except one) are right on: this is an easy track. Expect to shoot 5 - 10 shots off what you'd shoot at a course with genuine trouble or hard greens. Mornings in fog or afternoons in wind really impact distance, and don't be fooled by the yardage on the only water hole, the Par 3 11th. It plays about 10 yards longer than it's marked, for whatever reason.
I like the pro shop. They run an excellent kids program (ask for Bill), and I've never run into more attitude here than you'll find in any other golf shop.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Crowded, slow, too many beginners, most boring layout ever, vile range. That about sums it up.
To clarify, I have no problem with novice golfers... I think it is a great thing and more power to them. I just don't want to play with or behind them. I won't even comment too much on the conditions (which weren't bad), since the layout will put you to sleep in a minute. Immaculate conditions wouldn't even change that. Each hole is just a giant landing strip of fairway. Maybe this will build your confidence, but it does not make for an exciting round of flogging. Yet despite this nice little caveat, the pace is still deathly slow with all the novice players.
The range is just a waste... terribly balls, soggy mats, yada yada yada.
For people new to the game, Palo Alto Muni is probably a great starting point. But for anyone who wants to play an nice weekend round, please look elsewhere. The decent rates can't even save the experience.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (1)
It's Sunday afternoon and I feel like venting. Enter Palo Alto Municipal's driving range. Except, the caveat is that I leave more frustrated from whence I came. Range balls that look like oddly shaped blocks of coal, mats that send many dirty pellets of water your way even with the best of swings, and distance markers so ambiguous it seems that I'm hitting my pitching wedge 200 yards.
But hey, golf is a four-letter word too.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (1)
Not a bad course for a muni. The areas in between the fairways are quite bumpy and not maintained. It gets quite windy here too. But a very forgiving course.
Basic, very walkable golf course with a range facility.
The beverage service at the turn was extremely slow though...
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
This a great "learning course" as the fairways are wide and the land is flat. A sweeping slice flights your ball to the adjacent fairway where the lie is better than if you had just power faded it into the rough.
But, like others have mentioned, the winds really pick up in the afternoon. Another pet peeve is the commuter airport. The noise of the planes taking off can interrupt the concentration needed to make those 300+ yard drives ;) Also, has anyone else noticed the black military choppers overhead?
The best part about this course is that you can practically walk on any day of the week as a single player and get game. Grow some thick skin though, as some of the proshop people have attitude.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Great course for beginners. Everything is wide open and the course is fairly short, even from the tips. All par 5s are reachable in 2 if you pound your tee shot.
The course is not very pretty aesthetically speaking. However, if you're looking for a decently priced round and need an ego-boosting score that's lower than Cinnabar or Crystal Springs, then this is the place.
They also have great food and a full bar, along with a nice pro shop...and the 2nd worst driving range in Bay Area golf. (Stanford is the worst.)
9/13/07 Update: P.A. Muni is now officially the WORST driving range in the Bay Area. Stanford has replaced all the driving mats and bought thousands of new golf balls. The range balls at Palo Alto are the worst I've ever seen. I'd never seen this before in my entire life, but the guy two stalls down from me had a ball explode on impact with his driver. For the love of Pete, BUY NEW BALLS!!!!!!!! Jeesh!!!
People thought this was:
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
The layout of Palo Alto Muni is great and the condition of the fairways and greens are generally good. However the tee boxes are sometimes uneven and not level. I enjoy playing the course because of the distance and I don't find it too challenging. The distance allows me to use more than just a few clubs during the whole round. So much good things to say about the course, but I have nothing good to say about the guys running the pro shop and running the tee times. They don't seem to care whether you get on or not. They just don't seem interested in offering any level of good customer service. In general I feel each guy there is expecting the other co-worker to do the work. I probably won't play there again or recommend the course to others because of the lack of service, attention and coordination of the guys running the pro shop. There are too many other places to play to be treated like they don't have time for you. Too bad, it's a nice course.
Palo Alto Muni isn't that much different from a rebound...you get your ass handed to you by your ex the week before (in my case, Callippe Preserve...that 18th hole is narsty!), so you droop your way to Palo Alto for some good ol' revenge. Sure, she may not look the best. Her features may be a little unkempt and the mounds of hills you were are replaced with dinky speed bumps called "contours", but hey, they do the job. You also may not have as much fun with her, but you'll never get quite as frustrated. Plus she's a lot cheaper, so there's less to pay out the pocket. All in all, a great confidence boost for you to go out there and get em, Tiger.
People thought this was:
- Funny (3)
This is the most forgiving golf course with the widest fairways and straight forward holes. No tricks at this golf course. What you see is what you get. Hole 10 is an interesting dog leg left. Overall the course is well maintained for a muni. Didn't have to wait at any of the holes and finished in four hours. Definately would play here again.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
Convenient and you can normally get a tee time on a moments notice. Can be a really tough place to play when the wind is blowing.. and when the wind is blowing, it is knocking your bag down at least once a hole.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
I love this course. If you are a good golfer then this is a very difficult test. I have played here for years and there are not many low scores posted on this course, despite few obvious defenses. The course itself plays longer than the yardage would indicate and the wind can really blow. The air is heavy here, so it's not uncommon to see a 2 or 3-club wind on par 3's, all of which are very, very good holes.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Another one of those trailer-parky golf courses--all the trees are small, the course is flat, and you can look right or left and see across several holes. Convenient to Palo Alto but not much more to draw you in.
The course is nice and wide for a beginner. But if you want attitude at the pro-shop you will find plenty here.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
simple 'n' easy....forgiving fairway....municipal course...easy on the wallet....beginner 18-hole course....course maintainence average....and pace maybe slow....novice golfers creating a bottleneck....but...decent practice course...with short driving range facilities available....
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
- Cool (2)
4-18-08.....
haven't played here in a while and now I know why. got a tee time no problem 4:30pm Fri. there were no mention of the greens being aerated and punched. OK, will still play were here, got a cart as my knee was bad, and was told just to leave the keys in the cart,OK.. then at the turn on 9... I was told we had to turn in the cart before 7pm. it was 6:45pm and I was never told about this! "sorry they said", not cool. now as for the course, its a typical muni play was really SLOW. then the greens as expected were horrible. the tee boxes were uneven and divots galor. and the fairways were no better. for a course that uses re-cycled water you think that they would be in better shape. anything off the fairway is in beat-up weeds and dirt with potholes everywhere. the sand was hard and thin on at least 1/2 of them. I didn't sample it, but saw the shots that came out of there. while the starters were just under great, they could have told me about the greens. as I know I should ask too this time of yr. overall the course for the area is sad and not well kept. I have played 5 others in the area in the last 2wks and they were all way better. I'm a 6hdcp so I know how a course should look and this is not my 1st post.. if you want a so-so round with a OK price, play here. I wish them well as with some care on there part they could be allot better. when I told them that I was going to post a rating for this course on line, they said so, we don't think anyone reads these things anyway, so who cares.....
that was sad....
maybe next yr guys....
This is my favorite place to play golf in the bay area. Not because it's nice, but because I shoot really well here. It's a pretty easy, wide open course.... very hard to lose your ball. Only one major hazzard (the water on the par 3 11th). I only really play in twilight times in the afternoon, and it gets pretty windy. Some holes are right next tot he PA airport so it can get really noisy when the planes are taking off... (It's ok though, you can get them back by aiming for the planes off the 6th tee.) The goose shit can be everywhere at times especially on the back 9, but it's fun to chase the geese around and hear them honk.. they BIG suckas! Anyway, I like playing here in order to hone my game, come away with a good score or two, boost my confidence, get a cheap round in... (they raised their prices so now I think it's like $30 for weekend twilight.. used to only be $25). For singles and doubles it's pretty easy to walk-on on the weekend at twilight times. I usually walk on by myself and everyone I've played with has been very nice and a true pleasure to play with. The putting green is nice for practice, but I never use this driving range.
