Now this is a beautiful and challenging course! We had a great time playing here for the first time. Check in was simple, and the staff was friendly. They were a little backed up on carts and said they would bring them down to us at the driving range once they were ready. The driving range is nice and has the ball trackers there. It's a covered area, so you could go and hit some balls even if it is colder out. The practice putting green was also very nice, with a beautiful view of the lake. It took a little while for them to bring us the carts. He said one he was going to give us didn't have the greatest brakes, so that's why it took some additional time. I will say, our cart did end up struggling with braking and parking fully on some of the steeper parts of the cart path, but we figured it out. The course itself was well-kept, and we appreciated the fairways and greens were not too hard on the surface. It was definitely a challenging course with all of the hazards, but very fun. If you are thinking of walking the course, be prepared to go up and down many steep hills- it would take a while. Areas to improve: I wish there were more ball cleaners around the course, and more water available aside from just at the restrooms. Overall, this is a peaceful course, and a lot of fun! read more

DarkHorse Golf Club - Putting practice - Golf Near Me - Auburn, California

See all

I would give the course zero if I could. A 5.5 hour round, no Marshall, and the course staff could care less. I mean could care less. The course itself is great... I'm thinking playing first out would be great. But anything later than that, golfer beware. read more

The course is in great shape, greens roll nice. It is very wet in the morning with standing water on the some greens. The afternoon conditions improved a great deal. There is a food truck on site, but be aware, it is not always open. Bring plenty of snacks. Very enjoyable to play, so much, I played 36 holes. read more

I've been playing the course since it opened and then new ownership took over around 2019. Not sure why but they took out the modular which contained a restaurant, bar and a real pro shop. All they have really done over all these years is they added new sand to all the bunkers and i played there Tuesday after about a year and the traps have gone to shit!! They were full of leaves and pine needles and haven't been raked or dragged or even blown out for quite some time. We had to rake and place our ball to even hit out of them. It's a shame! Beautiful scenery, more houses built but that happens. They charge country club prices and don't even have a bar or restaurant to have a cold beverage and a bite after the round. They have a roach coach trailer which was not even open on Tuesday? We saw ONE worker on the course all day mowing the rough, that's it! And they used to allow carts in the parking lot but since they re-coated the lot, no more carts in the parking lot which is a PAIN IN THE ASS!! VERY DISAPPOINTING, WOULD NOT RECOMMEND!! And last but not least; NO DRINKING WATER, BALL WASHERS OR TRASH CANS ON THE COURSE, Yes the whole 18 holes, NOTHING!! and no sand in the bottles to repair divots?? WTF? read more

Poor customer service. I have stayed with this business through numerous mismanagement cycles for twenty years but today's experience with Robert was the last straw. Robert was missing at checkin and then bombastic when asked about it after being missing for 20 minutes. Then a five hour round occurred. When we asked about how a slow group ahead was being marshaled, we were told "we don't do that". Good course but needs another management change. Sadly, today was my last round there - not returning. read more

To say this place has gone downhill is an understatement. What used to be a gem in the foothills now feels poorly managed and staffed by people who clearly don't want to be there. It started when I called to make a tee time. The person on the phone sounded annoyed from the start and told me I should always book online because they "don't have time" to take phone calls for tee times. Not a great first impression, but I booked anyway. I arrived early in the morning to an almost completely empty parking lot--literally two cars, which I assume belonged to the employees. When I checked in, I was told there would be at least a 1.5-2 hour delay, and that this has been happening for weeks due to frost. I asked if there had been any email, call, or courtesy notice about the delay, especially since I drove an hour to get there. The response was that they don't have time to notify people and that they "don't control the weather." Fair enough--but if frost delays have been ongoing for weeks, that's something customers should be told when booking. I was the only tee time scheduled, and being told I wouldn't start until after 9am meant there was no way I could finish my round. I asked to cancel and was immediately told no due to the 24-hour cancellation policy. No flexibility, no alternatives, no rain check--nothing. The entire interaction felt dismissive, like I was an inconvenience for simply showing up. The staff member behind the desk clearly didn't want to engage at all. I ended up leaving and went to The Ridge instead, where I had zero issues. Delays happen. Weather happens. But poor communication, bad attitudes, and refusing to work with paying customers is a choice. Unfortunately, DarkHorse has made theirs. read more

I have called the course on two separate occasions to book a tee time and spoke with an employee named Robert who was extremely unprofessional and rude. I'm not sure why this person was so miserable that he couldn't answer a simple question without copping an attitude, but he probably shouldn't be working there if answering the phone and a couple questions is too much stress for him. I highly suggest that the owner or higher ups look into finding someone else to handle his position because he is driving loyal paying customers away with his nasty attitude, and lack of professionalism. My dad and I have been going to this course fairly consistently lately, and have been enjoying it aside from dealing with Robert. The course is in great shape and the 2 for $99 is a great value. Don't let hostile employees ruin business for you. I'm sure there are a number of people who are capable of decent customer service that would love to work there. read more

The course was in amazing shape. It had very nice cart paths and well kept tee boxes. The view of the lake was amazing. The only thing I would add is there our little to none ball cleaners water stations, or benches. The food truck was amazing The guy working it was super nice and welcoming to the customers, and the food was even better. read more

See all

Eye candy on this course for days. Every hole is like a signature hole. Bring snacks and water. This place is about golf not some type of a fancy country club experience. read more

It's a very nice course has many great holes. What it needs is friendly professional help on how to interact with the public. Their is a person that works in the pro shop that need a attitude adjustment. They would greatly benefit if that person stayed home. read more

First to worst course in Sac area. Played yesterday and course was soaked. I understand it is hot out but other courses figure it out. Down the middle fairway drives were plugging, tee boxes were muddy and not much grass. The sand traps were soaked and packed down. Played late morning/early afternoon so it should have dried out by then but no. They also charged $100??? I know they offer the 2 for $99 sometimes and it is not even worth that. Also, why do I need to give them my email and phone number when I check in and pay. Oh, I know, so that they can bombard with specials to get people to come back. Save your money and time, go somewhere else. read more

6:50 Tee time Tuesday 8/20 Course conditions were atrocious, for being August in California this course was over watered and we couldn't tell when it had been mowed last. We didn't see anyone mowing fairways and the tee boxes / rough areas had not been mowed in some time. Areas around and including trees were so over watered that your typical shot would chunk or not roll properly. Crab grass had over grown the second cut around most tee boxes. We do not recommend this course for the 75$ price tag. 13$ at the turn gets you a hot dog and Sam's club coke. Overall course rating would be 2/10 at best we felt that is being generous. read more

See all

Been coming here off and on for 15-20 years and surprised I never wrote a review. I'll lay it out with pros and cons Pros BEAUTIFUL course, like it is always in good condition. Plus just very scenic. Amazing bunkers - I wish I wasn't so familiar with these. Lol. But they are very nice and sparkle like there is gold in the sand. True greens - they roll pure and true. No wobbles, no hops......unless some butthead didn't fix his divot. Good elevation changes - they do a good job with this. Some holes seem directly uphill and some super downhill. I like that. Cart girls are always very friendly. I always enjoy a Turn Worm(hotdog), they are typically stationed between 9 and 10 by the golf cart garage. Golf carts are pretty awesome. GPS, Bluetooth speakers and comfy seats. Cons The men - I swear EVERYTIME I call to make a tee time I feel like I am bugging them. And everytime I check in with a dude they still seem a little turned off or put out. (Got lucky this last time and it was a blonde young lady helping us, she was very friendly, thanks for that) No water on course - Not a single water jug out there. I did notice a couple of ice chests near trash cans, but they just have ice in them everytime. Guessing there was water bottles in there? Not sure. No ball cleaners - like seriously don't think I ever saw one. Seems simple to have, even janky golf courses have them. Can't drive golf carts to parking lot - not a huge deal but lil annoying to walk up all your stuff. Most people would complain about no clubhouse but whatever it is not super necessary. Just you and that beautiful beast of a course. I'll keep coming back but I know what I am getting into and I am fine with that. read more

See all

Nice Views, The course will challenge you in any skill level. Friendly staff and worth playing . Every hole is spectacular . read more

DarkHorse Golf Club - Golf Near Me - Auburn, California

Really nice course! Been playing ther for 15 years. Lately they do not have enough balls for the driving range. Not sure what's going on with logistics. Never had experience that before. Mite have to keep going to Alta Sierra Country Club. read more

No starter. No decent warm up/practice area. The course could have been in better shape - something more consistent mowing could fix. Sand traps were very wet and compact. I mention these things because at $69.99 for a round it just wasn't worth it. I like the course but there are better courses for less money. read more

Booked a 740 am tee time, guy who checked us in told me it was for 730 (he was wrong) so we didn't get a chance to warm up at all. Then, when we forgot something in our car and attempted to drive the cart in the parking lot, the same dude screams at me and says the carts aren't allowed in the parking lot. I told him I've never seen a course not allow this before, and he said it's because people leave their carts in the lot, which I've never done or seen. What a way to start the round! Then, on 16, the course maintenance people were working on a sand trap, their carts in the middle of the fairway. It didn't even cross their mind to move their carts so we could play the hole and not hit their carts. They finish up their work on 16, and go right to 17 and do the same thing. Then, on 18, what looked like the course manager and a maintenance person were working on some irrigation/drainage issue in the middle of the hole, as we tried to play the hole around them. It's a first world problem, but this was literally the worst golf experience I think I've ever had. From the rudeness and incompetence of the guy in the shop to the clueless maintenance people, this place doesn't seem like they care if you're there or not despite paying $85 to play their muddy course. It's a shame because this course used to be a gem with an actual clubhouse. It's a great design with beautiful homes everywhere. But whoever owns it now is running it into the ground and it seems they couldn't care less about providing a good experience to golfers. I won't be returning until they get their act together. read more

The only reason I'm giving this course even one star is because the course itself is truly beautiful and a joy to play -- if you can get past the incredibly off-putting experience at the clubhouse. I initially gave the benefit of the doubt after our first run-in with the gentleman working there, assuming he might've just been having a bad day. But after a recent phone interaction, I feel compelled to share what's been an ongoing frustration. A few months back, I booked a tee time for a group of four and provided my debit card to hold the reservation. I was clearly assured that my card would not be charged until check-in -- which mattered because I wasn't in a position to cover the full $360 at the time. Despite this, my card was charged the day before, resulting in an overdraft fee. To make matters worse, our fourth golfer tested positive for COVID-19 that morning and had to cancel. When we arrived, we were told to "get that money from your buddy," and that it's "standard policy" to charge for no-shows -- a policy none of us had ever encountered at other courses. After we pushed back, the gentleman doubled down, now calling it "company policy." As frustrating as that was, what really crossed the line was his behavior. As we tried to let it go and move on, he followed us out of the clubhouse to continue "explaining" the policy in a confrontational manner -- not how you want to start a round of golf. Later, he brought us a $50 gift card, which we appreciated, and we tried to move past the incident. Fast forward -- I recently called to use that gift card and avoid the card-on-file issue altogether. Unfortunately, the same individual answered the phone. I told him the date I wanted to book, and his exact response was, "I'm not at a computer right now, can you just go on the computer and book it yourself?" When I explained I didn't want to book online because it charges the card immediately (unlike paying at the course), I asked when he'd be back in the office so I could call again. He responded with a scoff, telling me it was Tuesday afternoon and "obviously" he was out watering the course -- again insisting I just book online. At this point, the gift card feels useless. Booking online defeats the purpose, and dealing with this individual -- who, I was dismayed to learn, is actually the General Manager -- has completely soured what could otherwise be a great experience. It's a shame, because the course itself is wonderful. But until the front-end experience improves, I'll be taking my business elsewhere -- and recommending others do the same. read more

Played here again last Sunday , amazing golf course! If you want a country club experience, go somewhere else . This place is a family run golf club , not some corporate juggernaut and let me tell you , what an amazing track . I've played my whole life and never played a nicer course . It's not for the faint of heart because it's tough , but also rewarding. I was so busy watching the deer and turkeys running across the fairway I didn't even care if I was hacking ! I don't know who keeps this gem in such good shape but hats off to the crew that makes this place so magical ! Fairways, greens ,everything is perfect. The manager , Rob I think his name was awesome, very friendly and professional. 10 stars if your a golf junkie as I am , do yourself a favor and check this beautiful little piece of heaven out , they have a new bar , GREAT food and an experience you'll never forget, and if you're a hacker play from the front tees because it's a bruiser from the back . I wouldn't be surprised if the PGA doesn't consider this a stop on the tour ! You're welcome my golfing compadres you owe me one for turning you on to this place . read more

DarkHorse Golf Club - Golf Near Me - Auburn, California

See all

Beautiful course that was in great shape in mid march. Was not pleased with the check in staff, who inexplicably placed a group in between our two groups we had intentionally booked to play back to back. Cart services were pushy and rude, which was especially disappointing as there is no clubhouse or concession stand. Golf was great, the other stuff could/should be better read more

Thankyou Randy for all your help and assistance. My vehicle ran out of fuel and Randy helped out and sorted it out for me. Darkhorse is a beautiful golf course with amazing ownership and staff. look forward to playing there again. Regards the English chap. read more

I love this course! 7096 yards from the tips if you're looking for a "golf professional" type of experience, or cheerful distances from the gold, blues and whites (still challenging).. Course is always being worked on, maintained and improved.. Great greens with speed and challenge. I'm so happy it's only a half hour read more

Beautiful course in great condition. Nice restrooms with cold water stations. All staff members were pleasant and helpful

Beware of this course. You can book a tee time and they will move it on you and say you missed it. To top it off the guy at the window said "who cares what you think, what are you going to do about it" read more

Absolutely love this course! Played recently and I will definitely be coming back - everything was in great condition and service was great.

Worst shape I've ever seen it in. They've had an issue overwatering for a few years now but I've never seen in this bad. The fairways are swampy, sick, and poorly mown. The greens are bumpy, spongy, and soaked. It's really sad. This place does not live up to its ranking. Great course, awful conditioning. On top of that it was slow AF. Nearly a 6 hour round with no marshal in sight. Been playing here for years but this will be the last time. Just can't keep hoping it will get better. read more

This is a very pretty course, but no place to sit and relax, get food or a drink after golf with friends. We were surprised to find that Darkhorse has no clubhouse of any kind. This course is a ways out there and no restaurants close by. This course has been here over 20 years and still no clubhouse? It seems to me, they really don't care about return customers. In my opinion, its overpriced for what you get. For us, the Ridge golf course is a better choice and not as far out. read more

Dead grass all over the fairways. Ball marks all over the greens. Tee boxes are brutal. This isn't the course it was years ago. Not worth the $80, more like a $45 course. read more

DarkHorse Golf Club - 17th fairway - Golf Near Me - Auburn, California

Reading some of the recent reviews here on Yelp on the conditions for the course had me concerned about playing at Darkhorse in early Oct '24. We were coming into town for a few days and had booked out 4-weeks prior to play here and another course in the area. So I was pleasantly surprised that the conditions were not as bad as noted in those reviews. The fairways were in okay conditions for the most part. A few areas that were a bit thin, we simply moved our ball to an area with better coverage. The greens were slower that we were used to, but they seemed to get firmer and quicker later in the round. Yes, there is no clubhouse and/or restaurant so if you are looking to relax at a bar after the round, this is probably not your course. While checking in and telling the attendant this was our first time at the course, he gave us a course/yardage that provided yardages to certain landmarks and descriptions and suggestions for how to play each hole, which was appreciated. There are bathrooms water stations on both the front and back nine, but you will need your own water bottle. The beverage cart girl came around at least 4 times where we were able to pickup gatorade. Overall for the price - we paid $69 for each of us - I found this course in decent condition and wouldn't hesitiate to come back and play. And that's with having a horrible front nine score. It is a tough course with challenges off the tee, especially if you are not the straightest of hitters. We did have a slow foursome in front of us that thought they were a lot better that they actually were. Playing from the gold/yellow tees and lining up and playing their putts like they had big $$$$ for each putt. But we didn't have any place to be so we weren't stressed out but the single that had joined us was getting ticked off and yelled at them to pick up the pace at one point LOL. read more

Course was in great shape and always a good value. Plus, Mary on the beverage cart is a rock star and provides exceptional service! My buddy Wagner was 40 over through 17 and the constantly looking for his golf balls made us extremely parched. Thankfully Mary was always there for us with ice cold waters and killer service. Dark horse is damn lucky to have her! Thanks again Mary and DarkHorse! read more

Loved the course, the challenge. Will definitely stop by every time we travel up north and back. Pro: great price. Beautiful fairways, fast greens, nice crystal white sands in all bunkers. Complimentary water at multiple places was great, especially in a hot summer days. Highly recommended if you live nearby, or when you are heading up on highway 80 and back from Reno/Tahoe. Cart with Bluetooth speaker was awesome. Cons: I wish there is a cooler in the cart. Others: My ball landed in the divots multiple times so I wish everyone rake the sands (pandemic is way over) and fix your divots. Your golf game will love you back and you won't be as frustrated, if your ball ended up in the sands or divots. read more

Worst shape I've ever seen this course in. Only reason it gets 2 stars is because the staff was cool and the tee boxes were nice. Wouldn't pay $10 to play here again in this condition. read more

Sad to see a great track go down. Rude employees, non-existent followup with management. They don't get my $ any more. Hated to see it.

such a nice area and course. Now they went to basically a robot to schedule t-times and need a card to hold. You guys are going to lose business this way. Go to the Ridge or Whitney people. read more

I'll have to say this course is beautiful. Very well maintained. That's the only reason it got 2 stars. I'm knocking off 3 stars as some spots on fairway were very muddy or slushy, additionally, the golf carts are the worst! They are GPS modified, if you drive in an area they don't want you to, like a little too close to the little rivers, the cart just shuts off! There are no signs and no warnings from the cart, it just shuts off. This happened a few different time when we were driving on the fairways. We had to push the carts to get it to turn back on. Freaking ridiculous! This course has so many hills, you can't expect people to walk up the giant hills to get to their balls. They two guys I played with today were mildly handicapped and they were both in so much pain due to the stupid carts not working. I will NEVER play this course again just because of that. Freaking ridiculous. The staff is also very rude. They made us skip a hole cause we were going to slow. I informed the staff the group in front of us had slowed our pace but they didn't seem to care. We had to circle back around to play the hole and when we got back there was 4 other groups waiting. Terribly run course. Avoid at all cost. read more

It's unfortunate writing such a bad review as the actual golf course personally used to be one of my favorites. BUT, this can't go without saying, Darkhorse has by far the worst ownership and customer service I have ever experienced from any golf course in my life! And when you read other reviews you will notice a theme of Attrocious ownership so I'm just sharing my experience here too. For background, I run a traveling golf league and host 20 events a year all over NorCal and I promise we will NEVER return to Darkhorse. They missed out on $5k+ and $1000s in the future because of a crazy owner. Here's why... - I booked our tournament 6 months in advance. They didn't require a contract, just a card on file. That's it. Out of nowhere about a month out from the event with no notice they randomly charge me a $500 deposit with no contract. I called and they said it's new policy??? No notice. - Then, 2 weeks before our event again with NO NOTICE they attempted to charge our card for the full amount for 52 players (even though I changed it to 36) and they charged for an amount not agreed upon. Fortunately the card declined, but upon declining they just immediately canceled all my tee times. No notice again. - I call the number to talk to someone who tells me "we're real busy I can't deal with this now". I call back to rebook my tee times and they send me a new invoice that I had to pay right away. I didn't know how soon and since I was busy that day I didn't get to it til the next day, only to go to a now cancelled invoice and tee times released. - Now, since I didn't want to lose our spot again I went ahead and booked our tee times manually via their website. The cost of booking online includes a $2 per player fee but I paid it anyway and secured our times. I wake up the next day to an email from the owner at 2am stating I can't book an event online and they again cancelled all my tee times. And they DIDNT REFUND my $2 per player charge. - not once, but twice I called Darkhorse pro shop and they answer "hello". Literally only "hello". I almost hung up. not once, but twice when I complained about my situation to one of the guys in the pro shop, they literally referred to their boss as a "psychopath" - I abandoned booking our event at Darkhorse, I called Alta Sierra and was able to book for 36 players with no issue. Payment due at course. Great customer service and beautiful course. I advise everyone go there instead. In summation I advise you think twice before booking an event here. The disorganization and greed of a terrible owner and management will lead you to wish you hadn't. Take your money elsewhere. Thanks. read more

This used to be a beautifully maintained course. Now the greens are trash and the tee boxes are all torn up. They have put out rope lines so you can't get very close to the greens which make someone who is handicapped, such as myself, very difficult to play this course. I used to love this course. No more! They have added geo-fencing which kills your golf cart and prevents it from going places. One time I was about 10 yards from the "cart sign" and it shut down the cart, I had to put it in reverse and back it up 10 yards so I could continue. Very frustrating, I doubt I will be playing at Dark Horse again. It just is not worth the trouble and hassle. read more

No drinking water or restrooms anywhere on golf course and no water fountain anywhere in hot as heck auburn! Is that even legal I thought places had to provide free water? Also not allowed to take cart to car to get clubs never even seen that in a country club. Expensive for what u get...must be a low handicap very tough course. On a positive course is in good condition. read more

Great value and a beautiful course! We love playing here. The update to the driving range is nice as well!

I absolutely love the condition of the course and the investment the new owner has made into the property. The cherry on top was the new carts and the Bluetooth stereo system they have. Definitely made my Round a whole lot More enjoyable for sure. The cart girl Christine is amazing and very professional. read more

DarkHorse Golf Club - 2nd hole at Darkhorse - Golf Near Me - Auburn, California

See all