Carlton Oaks is in my list of courses that I really need to play again before giving a full review. But I always enjoy reviewing a course after playing only 14 holes in the windy stormy weather of San Diego in February.I really need to start checking the weather before booking my rounds. Hell I didn’t realize it was raining until I hydroplaned into that motorcyclist on my way to the course. But being the dedicated golfer I am, I couldn’t let a little rain or a minor hit and run keep me from playing a round on my day off. I showed up to the course and as I walked into the pro shop, I hear the manager exclaim “your kidding right?” I’m no pansy. A light breeze and some sprinkles aren’t gonna stop me. So looking like Greg Norman in a hurricane, I head out to play my round. The most surprising thing I noticed is that the course is rather wet. I don’t mean like morning dew damp, I mean like soggy, raining all night, saturated wet. But this is Santee, it never rains in Santee. Anyways, the course is laid out similar to Bonita with side to side fairways.  Carlton Oaks is well designed in the fact that it has the same natural landscape of a course like Bonita, however at Carlton Oaks, there are very few flat fairways. The fairways are generally narrow and a few feature long “natural” bunkers that span most of the length of the hole. The groundskeepers were just as surprised by the weather and had forgotten to turn the sprinklers off. Everything was soaked already but looking up from my putt on #9 to see my cart and bag getting sprayed by the sprinklers still didn’t feel good. I guess the guys in the pro shop noticed, cause when I came in to warm up and eat some breakfast before heading back out, They apologized with two sleeves of free balls.On 13 I start getting frustrated at the steady stream of water that is falling from my hat onto the top of my ball as I am putting. I guess thats what I deserve for having perfect form. After finishing 14, I figure I have seen enough.Until I can play in the sunshine, Carlton Oaks  ranks in as a Michelob Ultra Amber. I think I might actually like it if it weren’t so damn watered down.

Carlton Oaks Country Club
9200 Inwood Dr
Santee, CA 92071
(619) 448-8500