CordeValle Golf Resort

Golf Course Review CordeValle Golf Resort San Martin California

Reviewed by: sixpez, Rancho Mirage, CA

Checked off another one on the bucket list yesterday. ppark81 again splurged for a Rosewood room and I was able to tag along as a golf guest at CordeValle. This is definitely a high-end resort where they take care of you the moment you pull through the gates. Everyone is there to make sure you have what you need. We enjoyed a nice breakfast in the clubhouse and then teed off around 11:40. It was pretty busy out here and the member foursome ahead of us took their time with money obviously on the line, so we tried not to push and just enjoyed a relaxed round on a picture perfect winter afternoon. Our fore-caddie, Quin, was great and quickly adapted to our games. He definitely knew the course well and was very helpful when needed.

The Review

I was really really impressed with the conditions. I had lowered my expectations knowing it’s winter and it’s also been pretty cold and wet up here. Apparently, I didn’t need to lower my expectations because the course was fantastic on just about every level. Everything was lush, green and well-manicured. The tee boxes are like astro-turf. The fairways were soft and didn’t provide much roll-out, but I always had great lies and the ground underneath was never too wet or mushy. Plenty of big divots and a few fat shots, but most of the damage was user error! The rough was thick, lush and consistent. Enough to make you work, but not overly punitive.

The bunkers had beautiful white sand that was always perfectly raked. It wasn’t quite as soft/deep as it looked, but great to play from once you adjusted to it. Greens were firm and rolling super smooth at medium speeds. They are actually getting ready to redo the turf on all their greens starting in April. The greens currently are bent with Poa having invaded over the years, but they were still excellent surfaces. They expect it to take several months as they re-sod with a new bent hybrid that should be more resistant to the Poa. They will have small temp greens in the fairways during the renovation. Be warned if you are shelling out big bucks to play here this summer!

Final Thoughts

Otherwise, this was just an incredible experience on an excellent course at a top-shelf and resort facility. I didn’t think I would be blown away by the layout as much as I was, but I loved it. Rarely a dull moment and so many signature holes without anything feeling overly tricked out. Just what you want in a luxury resort course. Lots of perfectly placed old oak trees and creeks running throughout, framed by all the rolling hills, vineyards and beautiful scenery of this secluded little valley. The resort is not cheap and it’s hard to justify that kind of price just to play the golf course, but the overall experience is definitely there to understand why it’s a popular golf destination.