Played Chardonnay for the first time this last Sunday and it was truly terrible. Very disappointing because I had heard good things about it, the layout is interesting, and the setting is nice, but almost everything was bad from the time we checked in and I will probably never play it again unless someone I know tells me it has seriously improved. We checked in for our round at about 8 and was told that they didn’t have any range balls to sell. No range balls available for the morning rounds at all. Rolled some putts while the range picker went around and ended up being able to get a small bucket about 10 minutes before we teed off. The course is dry, and not in a fun “firm and fast” kind of way, just a “what is going on out here” kind of way. Greens were in (mostly) decent shape with only minor rough spots but the fairways, rough, tee boxes, and especially the bunkers were miserable. The fairways were pretty spotty so with a good drive you had about a 30% chance of finding a nice lie but it was just as likely to find a shaggy spot or just dirt. About half of the bunkers were dried out and hard as an absolute rock and the other half had standing water in them. None of them looked like they had seen a rake in years. Hole 8 is a par 3 and the front bunker, directly in front of this Sunday’s pin, literally had plants growing in it. That was about the time the course conditioning became comically bad to me, but even that wasn’t enough to make hitting off of straight up dirt in some of the tee boxes enjoyable. At the turn I asked about 5 different ways if the sit down breakfast menu they had out & the candy bars sitting on the counter were the only food they had and ended up just getting a beer and a Gatorade. When my friend walked in behind me the guy at the counter finally revealed the did also have “hot dogs and stuff.” To his credit I did not ever directly ask for “hot dogs and stuff,” but I thought “do you have any other than this” mostly covered those bases. Overall I am borderline offended that this course is charging almost $75 to walk and almost $100 if you want to ride because it is really, really trashed. Played Eagle Vines a couple weeks ago too and I’d go back to Eagle Vines 11 times out of 10 before returning to Chardonnay, even though I had been lead to believe it was the “nicer” of the two courses. I have already asked the person who told me that if he wants to grab a beer this week, at which point I will be physically assaulting him for lying to my face in such a bold manner, which really hurts because he’s normally a very nice guy. In the interest of saying something nice, the beverage cart was run by a nice woman and the pace of play was pretty bad. Might be able to chalk up pace of play to others being better informed about present course conditions than myself but I don’t have anything to take away from the cart woman. Save your money and play somewhere else until they put some energy into this course because right now it is a stunning example of a nice piece of property being mismanaged into the hard, dry ground.

Greens were fine. 90% of the boxes were acceptable or better. Same with the fairways. I was skeptical after reading reviews but for the $54 round price at 7:30 am I had a great time. Bunkers were the main disappointment. Mainly wet mud. But I would play again. Fun layout!

This golf course nestled in Napa Valley offers a delightful blend of challenge and beauty. The course is well-kept, with varied fairways and thoughtfully positioned bunkers that create an engaging round for players of all skill levels. The surrounding vineyards provide a stunning backdrop, enhancing the experience. The staff is warm and helpful, contributing to an enjoyable outing. While the layout may present some difficulty for first-time players, it’s an excellent choice for those seeking a memorable game amid breathtaking scenery.

Beautiful grounds, fun course- not too challenging. Pricey w/ poor service (didn’t see cart girl until back 9, snack bar at the turn was closed?). For the price, range balls should have been included. I would have liked to have rented a push cart, not an option. I played on a Saturday in June so the place should have been fully staffed? Long/short: not a bad way to spend a Saturday in Napa, some easy improvements could make this an awesome course

As a course in the vineyard, Chardonnay does her job well. Take good advantage of the vineyard landscape, some holes are rather challenging, like Hole 7, certainly one of most difficult Par 5 ever, need to watch out the ditch in front of the green. The green of Hole 8 is whole another story, it's long and "slopey", and the course even set the flag at the turn of slope, surely full of fun. Comparing to Wente (another vineyard course at South Bay), Chardonnay is not that delicate, as some holes are not that "vineyard ", if you know what I'm talking about, but certainly worth playing here.