Our reviews aim to explain the experience of playing a course and help readers decide whether it belongs on their list.
Five parts of the experience
- Course design and layout: routing, variety, strategy, and the use of the landscape.
- Course conditions: the playing surfaces and presentation at the time of the visit.
- Practice facility: the facilities available to prepare for a round.
- Amenities and atmosphere: the experience around the golf, including facilities and the character of the place.
- Price and value: what the experience offers for its cost.
Category scores are out of ten, with higher scores indicating a stronger assessment. An unassessed category is marked as not rated.
The overall score and Top 50
The overall editorial score is a separate judgment, not an average or weighted calculation of the category scores. The Top 50 lists eligible California reviews by that overall score. Equal scores are displayed in alphabetical order; that ordering does not imply a finer distinction in quality.
Context matters
Conditions, prices, and access can change. Reviews should be read in the context of their publication date; check the course’s own information before making plans. A score is a guide to our assessment, and the accompanying review explains the reasons behind it.
Work in progress
Our initial course reviews are in preparation. We will add completed assessments as they are ready.