Poplar Creek GC, San Mateo, CA

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I was really pleased to see this kind of thread/topic listed on MGS because this is what I am truly passionate about! I hope everyone gets to keep updated on the conditions of courses before going to play one. I know I'd love to see someone's review of a course the day before I play it!

Here is my first one and certainly the easiest I will do. We all know this home municipal course that we've slammed so many 7 irons into the fairway after a bad shot or felt like you could get your pro card after a round.

Poplar Creek Golf Course:

Centrally located in the San Francisco Bay Area region, this course is in San Mateo, CA and certainly get a ton of play all year round. This has had it's ups and downs for sure! Although, as I write this course we are caved in by the COVID-19, this is still the latest course I played and I know this place like the back of my hand (literally).

I could go into so much more depth about this course but I will give you the short and sweet (which still won't be that short but hopefully still sweet). At face value this course is probably one of the highest quality municipal courses around! Golfers of all levels come out to play and it hosts many high school and middle school tournaments. It is the go-to place to get a casual round in on a Thursday afternoon or hack it around if you're just starting out!

It is very flat and short but that makes it very easy to just walk-on (terrible joke). It is fairly reasonable to walk (~$35) and (in my opinion) taking a cart (~$47) puts it out of my price range for this course. Some of my friends refuse to walk and to them, I say no.

Conditions:

It definitely has it's ups and downs depending on the time of the year. Just after the winter (and rainy season here) the course is in it's best condition. It has gotten all the moisture it needs and the amount of play it gets is still minimal. The greens have a reputation for being, might I say, moody. I have had many puts that I was just about to walk in and they somehow took a right turn and missed the cup. I call these "Poplar Specials" as this doesn't tend to happen to me as often at other courses. Recently though, their greens have been really consistent and I'd have to say they were in the best shape they've ever been in. Maybe due to the rain and lack of play.

As for tee box to green, I have to give them an average. Nothing special about them and if you hit it right, you'll always have a good lie. They don't have the "wow" factor that some fairways do. Many of their fairways dry out or the grass dies in some areas but they are definitely serviceable.

There are many more things I could say about this course so if you have any questions or have played it before and want to give your thoughts, please shoot it in the comments or post one of your own! I look forward to hearing from everyone. Thanks!