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The Links at Bodega Harbour
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- Good for Kids:
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5 reviews for The Links at Bodega Harbour
It was my first time playing here, and boy did I not know what I had gotten myself into. It was hard. Not quite grab your ankles hard, but close. I was a beaten man after 17 holes, and 18 was the coup de grace.
There is no driving range, but a few mats where you can hit into a net. Not ideal, but understandable given their location. The course was in great condition. It was nicely maintained, the fairways were well manicured, tee boxes level, and the greens rolled true. The layout, however, is like a links course on steroids. There is a lot of elevation change, especially on 4 and 5. Your tee shot on 5 is pretty much blind, and the fairway zigzags for what seems like 350 yds. Good thing they include a map of the holes with yardages from all the tee boxes with your scorecard. I could've probably done better just closing my eyes and hitting. From the blues, the par 3's seemed all 170+ yds, and the wind can add 2-3 clubs if in your face.
16 and 17 are walking only, meaning you tee off at 16, grab your clubs and walk across a marsh, finish the hole, tee off 17, then get back in your cart for 18. 18 is an awesome hole, first going uphill across a valley, then straight downhill across a ravine.
Like others have said, a morning tee time would probably be better (I'd rather deal with the fog than the wind), or bring some hot toddys with you for an afternoon round. Also, bring more than a few balls with you, as good shots can roll right through the fairway into the tall grass.
I'd definitely golf here again, but probably from the whites instead of the blues.
The front and back nines, are night and day. The front is quite interesting, with undulating fairways and challenging approaches. After making the turn, you wonder what happened. The course becomes quite unimaginative and straightforward. Mundane, even. 16 and 17 take you down by the beach, but any kind of view is blocked out by the 15 foot berm between you and the ocean.
My biggest peeve, however, is the fact that the beer cart and the refueling stand at the turn seem to have a curfew of about 4pm (on the weekend!). So, if you grab a twilight tee time (after 2pm), be sure to stock up on snacks and lubrication.
Just a brief update -- recently played Friday twilight at Bodega (after 2 pm) and had a great time, as expected. Barely anyone on the course, some absolutely phenomenal views of the ocean, and old-timey gas carts to cruise around on. I was a little disappointed with the greens throughout... some were sandy to the point of unplayable, and I was surprised we weren't notified of this before teeing off. Otherwise, conditions were nothing to complain about.
Make no mistake, you MUST be aware of the weather once the fog starts to roll in... this might be why the course is empty after 2 and the twilight rates are so damn cheap. The temperature dropped at least 15 degrees from start to finish, and the wind became a HUGE factor in shot selection. It actually got so bad that you couldn't hear people yelling at you from across the fairway, and had to sometimes aim your shots OB and towards a house in order to let the wind bring you back to the course. This is definitely not something most people practice, so you need to be able to trust your swing in these situations. Also don't be surprised if you start losing balls left and right... the thick rough is impossible to dig through, and perfect shots can very easily get completely blown out-of-bounds.
Playing in the morning will be a much easier experience, so if you plan on attempting the track later in the day, I would only recommend it to much better players with hot blood and thick skin.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/29/2008 First to Review
So I have to preface this review with the caveat that I only got the chance to play the back 9 at… Read more »
It is no doubt a beautiful golf course with breath-taking views of the Pacific.
Make no mistake, the Links is old-school with challenging hole layout, multi-tier putting green, noisy and stinky 2-stroke golf carts and general drainage issues...
But above all else, it feels right with an abundance amount of charm and characters. This, I love!
=)
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The only reason this course got four stars is the back nine. The front nine was a little tough to play not because it was technical but for the reason it was poorly maintained. It didn't make much sense with dozens of little "humps" in the middle of the "fairway" of which was almost nonexistent.
The back nine was the saving grace to this course. It was well maintained, had terrific views of the bay, was challenging, and fun to play. If the front mirrored the back this would be a five star course.
Other advantages to playing here was the price. I played mid week and with a cart was under 40 bucks. The staff was good and I look forward to playing here again.