darkhorse golf club

I make it a point to play this course every time I visit the in-laws who live within 10 minutes of the course, and I play it at least 2-3 times per visit. Over the past 9 years I've seen it go through at least two management changes and one is currently underway based on their lack of liqueur license and other changes. I've played the course every possible time of the year and this time, the Monday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving. So instead of listing all the same comments, I figured I'd list the current pros and cons from my perspective:Pros:Great trackGood course conditions throughout the yearGood practice facilitiesBeautiful location w/ very few homes on the course (a personal preference)Cons:Carts - formerly were great with built in navigation and notes on each hole, but on my most recent visit all carts had been swapped out and the gps was replaced with Samsung devices without trackers on other carts, notes, or anything beyond distance. Personally I like to walk a course, but considering the massive elevation changes and sheer scope of the course, carts a requirement for playing this course. So if you're going to require them, they should be loaded for a higher end course.Speed of play - Monday was pretty good considering I was a single and played through a few groups, but Wednesday was horrifically slow....as in I quit after the first 9 holes. It was a 5-10 minute wait on each tee box and we were only a 3-some. It took 2:40 minutes to complete 9 and with numerous slow 4-some's ahead at the turn I called it a day. I'm a golf enthusiast and don't get out as much as I'd like, but even I have limits to how much time I'm willing to give up to enjoy the game. Play faster people!!! You're not a pro, seriously!!!

Darkhorse is a well laid out course that is well taken care of. The fairways are wide but placement is key. The greens are large and well kept. The staff is friendly and always ready to help you out as needed. This course is fine for the novice to the elite golfer. The club house is small but well stocked. The bar area is welcoming and Michelle is very friendly. The drink cart comes by frequently to offer snacks and drinks. The course is amazing and we are lucky to have such a nice place to play golf in the foothills

If you're visiting the Auburn or Grass Valley area and enjoy golf then a trip to play Dark Horse is well worth your consideration. It's beautifully laid out as others have commented and from the golf shop to the driving range back to the 19th hole you're going to love the total experience. It's tucked away in the woods, a bit hard to find so use your navigation system and get there post haste. The weather's great now (nearly Thanksgiving 2013) and you can't go wrong here.

Dark Horse is a quality course with few shortcomings. Modest cost ($42). Well maintained (exceptions are some of the sand traps), GPS carts and an adequate bar and club house.

We played this beautiful course and really enjoyed it. The course was in great shape, the staff was nice. The fairways are nice and open but the greens are very challenging. Beautiful elevated tee boxes offer majestic mountain views, with deer roaming around the course. We loved it and would definitely play here again.

When my family comes to visit, they always plan a day of golf at Dark Horse. They have "good deals" during the middle of the day.

We visited Auburn for golf and sightseeing and chose to play at Darkhorse. We were not disappointed. It's great golf for the price. Very friendly starter and shop staff. The bent grass greens were in outstanding condition. Fairways were good, tees ok. The bunkers didn't have a lot of soft fluffy sand in them but they were consistent all the way around the course and playable. I would advise calling the course directly to reserve a tee time. It seems they use a 3rd party provider to book online times, and we had reserved 6:40 but they didn't open until 7:30. There were a few other issues you should consider so it won't be 5 stars for you if:you need a beverage cart (none on the days we played)you hate sandtraps that aren't full of fluffy sandyou need fancy on-course bathrooms (porto-potties on the days we played)you want valet service for your clubs (cleaning, loading/unloading)5-stars if the above is not critical for your golf enjoyment. If you care most about just the golf it's a great experience. The course is challenging but fair, very scenic and is an excellent design with a great mix of holes that favor a right to left approach, a left to right approach, and any approach. Some great risk/reward holes. Fun fun fun and a joy on the greens. Enjoy it if you're in the area.

I have played quite a few golf courses over the years and including Bandon Dunes and Spyglass and find that Darkhorse is just several notches below these other courses. Darkhorse is under new ownership and it's very apparent that the new owners are going to bring the course back to a very positive playing experience. It was apparent that the previous owners had deferred golf course maintenance due to budget constraints, such as not maintaining the bunkers and not watering the grass on a regular basis. The new owners are making a concerted effort to bring the course back to it's original excellent playing conditions. There is a sticker on the golf carts reminding players to play from the tees that are best suited to their individual games in order to make the golf experience a positive one. Please follow that advise. The landing areas are wide enough for players of all abilities so no one has to struggle with placing their drives. Also, the average player is going to have difficulty hitting every drive in the most desirable location. This course is set up so MOST drives don't land in very bad lies. (Unless of course you happen to hit a banana slice or hook the ball into the next fairway). Each hole is unique and this course is definitely not a cookie cutter layout. We did find the fairways to be very wet and the lies in the fairways were very tight, so you will have to hit the ball precisely in order to get it onto or near the green in regulation in order to make birdie or par. The course will improve with the maintenance that it deserves.

Very intereting curse to play with many elivation changes and beautiful scenery...but the attention to detail is missing. Tee and greens need help...I'll return because I enjoy the beauty and accept the patchey tee area and ball marks....The staff are all great!!!! Mike

Geno and his team are amazing! What a beautiful and more than challenging 18 holes. You can even order lunch from your cart to eat at club house or "to go".....

this course is absolutely amazing! wow my husband who is an avid golfer loved Darkhorse! It was a very tough course, but well worth the trip! the greens are fast as everyone has said. we lost a few balls... had a wonderful time! The staff is amazingly friendly and helpful! we will be back!

This course was one of two that I played for a PWGA tournament. The scenery is beautiful and the course was in good shape (although the greens weren't in as good of shape as they were at The Ridge). The staff were very friendly and helpful and I would definitely play and recommend this course again.

One of the best golf course local to Auburn. The greens are what you see is what you get....... bring your putter hopefully for you it is hot.

I would rate this 5 circles if clubhouse would ever get finished. Beautiful course and pretty laid back.

First place I was taken to learn to golf. Was very challenging but fun.