Great course. I love old courses that don't charge an arm and a leg to play. This is a great deal for the bay area. Not overrated in the least. I drove 1.5 hours to play today. Views are great when it is clear. I love whipping out my 2 iron for shot placement on short par 4's. The greens were aerified 3 weeks ago, and the greens were a tad slow, but I had fun. I am not the easiest golfer to please too. You definitely need a cart here. Number 9 was my favorite hole. I drove it perfectly to the top of the hill and then hit a 9 iron to the center of the green. I am not the best putter in the world, but that was a great hole for me. Got a par. Fairways were firm not a hint of overwatering. Early November you don't need to water. The aluminum golf cups on the greens could be restored. The cups are worn out. There is a service that restores these par aide aluminum golf cups. Overall I had a lot of fun. Best 58.00 that I spent for golf in a long time. Was not disappointed at all. Thanks. Also got a poker chip ball marker and I never do that.

Customer Service

Great staff. Very friendly and helpful. Not arrogant at all. I hit a small bucket before teeing off and noticed that there were some range balls that had no dimples on them. I asked the attendant if I could replace the balls with no dimples and he got me an extra bucket with fully dimpled balls in it. That was really nice and I would not have expected that. Thanks.

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Diamond Oaks golf course, Woodcreek Oaks golf course, Ancil Hoffman golf course.

the back nine which is the new part is really cool. some great views and some really nice golf. front nine feels older and of course it is. would definitely recommend overall

Customer Service

good service at the snack bar.

a)Greens, fairways, and tee boxes were nicely manicured, b) Marshalls were friendly and stayed out of your way, c) 1/2 a dozen challanging holes for every level of player, d) cute & friendly girl operating the beverage truck.

a) irons only on the driving range, b) tiny pro shop, c) itty bitty snack bar

Two new owners since the last review and major upgrades contributed by each one along the way. Exactly as described by "www.golfcalifornia.com/reviews/mareisland1.htm".

Customer Service

helpful, friendly staff

A new Nine!!! They've kept the classic old holes and improved them with 9 nine new beautiful holes.

Customer service. From greeting in the parking lot to cleaning your clubs after you're done with your round. Also, there are plans to have a snack shack after the 9th, (In a bunker, how cool is that) but it wasn't open when we played. But the Marshall called in and then delivered our lunch to us. Nice touch.

Nice par 5's. Sand traps had nice fluffy sand in them.

Not alot. But there was a definate difference between the new holes and old holes. I don't know if there are plans to update the old holes.

Also, with new holes come new prices. This old course used to be the bargain of the North bay. Not any more. Someone has to pay for it the upgrades, and you will be if you play here. $45 to walk, $8 for a cart on weekends. I don't if they have mid week discounts.

Mare Island recently opened up their new 9 holes, making 18. I was interested and looking forward to see where they found the land and how they would mix the old with the new. And while I wasn't disppointed, there are 2 distint parts of the course.

Looks like the new management is going for customer service and they didn't fail (more on this later). After parking at the course, I had 2 different employees drive and offer me a ride to the clubhouse. (I'm usually slow to get ready).

They have opened up a new driving range for irons only. While I didn't get a chance to use it, the mats and range area looked great.

There a few holes they didn't change on the course including the first one. A nice par 4 dogleg right onto a small green. After that, you jump into the new holes. The 2nd hole is a another par 4 dogleg with a well bunkered green. After driving up the hill for the par 3 third, you can enjoy the view of San Pablo Bay. Unfortunatly, when we played, it was fogged in pretty tight. The third hole is a narrow downhill shot onto a long green. But don't worry if you come up short, there's plenty of landing room in front and left.

The 4th hole is the old 2nd hole, but longer. They've taken tee boxes back and moved the green to make a longer hole. While it is a short par 4, make sure you know your yardage in the fairway. The 5th hole, the old 3rd, is still a great straight, long par 5 onto a tiny green.

Once you get to 7th tee box, you're mouth will water as you see a couple of the new holes on the back nine. Up and down, across the hill, they've done a great job using the hill for these holes.

I won't spoil the back nine, go there for yourself and find out.

You could really tell the differences in the new nine and the old nine. Nothing bad, but there are differences in the fairways and greens.

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Snack bar served the standard fair.

Pro shop was scarce on clubs and bags, but had plenty of balls and Mare Island clothing.

Excellent putting surfaces, small greens, varied elevations.

Fairway conditions during winter, length is a bit lacking.

I've played this course on and off for over 15 years...and the original course is now in the best shape ever. New management has the greens in excellent condition.

There are 9 new holes that look interesting, but I've yet to get on them.

As to playing characteristics, I love this type of course. The original 9 was designed in the 1800's and includes small greens and the occasional blind shot. Water rarely comes in play and a real premium is placed on a strong short game. Not a long course, but scenic. Decent views of the Bay.

Main weather condition for most of the year is the wind. The breeze through the carquinez straights can have a decided effect on how the course plays.

The old 9 has some drainage problems and the old fairways are particlary soft during the rainy season. I do avoid this course during rough weather and head out to play Blue Rock East course in foul weather.

Customer Service

Must wear a collared shirt to play here. I was turned away one day while wearing a Greg Norman golf shirt (no collar) that I'd bought at the pro shop...now thats just silly.

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None

very inexpensive for condition, few people make pace very acceptable (play @ your own speed), good overall layout

tee boxes are rarely level, fairways are often very soft

Superb getaway from the hustle and bustle. This course is in a state of transition. It is currently a nine hole course, but eleven new holes have been built to be opened in Oct. 2000. Hidden on an old navy base, this course is very accessible from east bay, city, or north bay, yet it gets little traffic. Current nine is in fair to good condition- greens are very true, fairways are a bit over saturated, and tee boxes are mediocre. The lay out is not punishing for the novice, nor simple for the veteran. Wind is always a factor: if you like a windy course that won't beat you up, then this is the place for you. New holes are in the coastal links tradition and appear to increase the difficulty of the course (even though the most challenging hole, #4 is being removed).

Customer Service

staff is very friendly and accomodating

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limited golf shop and facilities, range still being built