Frost delayed us an hour and a half. Man working the check-in desk said Sorry, I dont control the weather and that he couldnt notify the players in advance because he doesnt have our contact info. We booked through their website, which emailed us our tee time confirmation, so they do have our contact info. A simple apology for the inconvenience would have been more than enough, but the man was combative right from the get go.On the other hand, the girl working the bar/restaurant was awesome. The course played nice as well.11/30/20 UpdateCottonwood, in response to your comment... We understand frost delay is unavoidable. We are simply pointing out how unfriendly your worker at the check in station was regarding the scenario.

Im going to go with a generous 4 stars in large part because of the price. Played the Ivanhoe track for $27. The course is plenty long, with a nice variety. Very scenic area but the course is ragged around the edges. The clubhouse is sort of sad. The greens were in poor condition, but it was obvious some folks in front of us didnt know about fixing ball marks. Fairways were fine, and vey forgiving. The staff was very friendly. Overall, a fun 18 holes.

My 12-year-old grandson and I enjoyed our round on this traditional tree-lined course. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the greens and fairways. This is a very walkable track and play was reasonably well-paced. In San Diego County, this could be the best value. Players of all skill levels can enjoy this course. Overall, high marks and were coming back soon.

Course was in GREAT shape! Greens and tee boxes were perfect and pace of play was 4 hours flat. I’ll be back!

I played Ivanhoe this morning...HORRIBLE course!!! I have heard rumors over the past few months that the new ownership has made some improvements so I thought I would give it another chance. The only thing they upgraded is the price.It started off with the mens restroom. We got there around 6:15 am because our tee time was at 6:52. I went into the restroom and it was filthy. Trash on the floor. Urine all over the toilet seat...really bad.When my buddies got there, we went to the first tee box and there was no starter. When we made the turn between #9 and #10, still no starter.The fairways have huge dead patches and dirt patches everywhere. The rough is so thick you cant find your ball even if slightly off the fairway. The greens are super thick and patchy, although the Golf Shop attendant told me they had just been aerified. There are dead trees and trash all over the course. The trash cans... milk crates... they have posted at each hole were full of trash. We were the second group to tee off so it wasnt from the group in front of us.I didnt see a single maintenance person, beverage cart, or marshall on the course... on a Saturday morning. Its a total free-for-all out there and the course is in serious disrepair. Wooden benches and bridge railings are falling apart. DO NOT PLAY HERE!!! There are so many better couses in San Diego that are reasonably priced. Not worth the $35 I paid to walk the course! Never again!!!

Greens are great right now! Staff is on top of things. Open course, well taken care of and great value.

Fun, affordable golf course. The staff is all very kind and helpful. My golf cart ran out of juice on the 15th hole and they were able to come replace it within 10 minutes. I will be back!

From the first tee till the last, the tee boxes, fairways, and the greens were first class. I was very surprised since it has been five years that I swung a club there. I will return this week

Whitney is the best cart lady at any San Diego Golf Course I have played at. Makes plenty of quick rounds, always has a smile on her face, remembers your name and what you like to drink, and has a great attitude.

So fun! I hadnt golfed on a big course in a couple of years and forgot to put a wood in my bag. The safety protocols were spot-on and 3 seasoned regulars showed me the way and offered some local insight which just made my day. Special thanks to Johnny and Ed who are the best errant ball spotters out there and great guys! Will be back next week for more fun!

Not only did Cottonwood survive this virus, they appear stronger than seen in many many years. Theyve shaved the grass around a few of the greens and are trying to flatten the tee boxes. Looks great. The tight lies from the plush Bermuda around the greens is a great improvement. Expect the greens to really get going in the upcoming weeks as well as they were rolling great prior to C19. This course is not all bells and whistles which many golfers prefer. Its an old classic gem that has really done a lot to remain a true golf course at a great deal. Its brutally hard to keep a course up here is SD. Thank you Cottonwood as your doing a great job. Your devotion to the game is really appreciated.

Price for quality outstanding. Golf shop and bar installations are ok. Service was great as well as the drink service.

Great golf course for the money great staff. I play here multiple times a week and I love it but really considering finding a new course due to how it is managed. I pay around 60 dollars a week to this course. Im hassled everytime to bring my cart back 45 min to an hour before dark, the shop closes 3 hours before dark. Great course but I struggle to want to bring my money back because the staff is scheduled horribly

I dont know where to start. This should be a constantly evolving rating depending on what your expectations of Cottonwood (and other blue-collar, cheap-ish public layouts) are. Currenty (as of Oct 1, 2020) the greens are in the best shape theyve been since Cottonwood co-hosted PGA Tour Canada Q-School back in 2007. They are PURE.A couple of new faces, the staff has nice uniforms, and theyre short on golf carts by noon on busy days. Good for them!

The course is in amazing shape! The best it has ever been. The real difference out there is the new GM Chantel. She is a young woman with amazing drive and command of her staff that is unprecedented out at Cottonwood. She has completely turned this place around and now, (no joke here) this is one of the nicest, most well kept courses in the county!

Price good, availability good, level of golfers is average resulting in poor etiquette and poor green conditions. No marshals resulting in slow play...

They keep it really green and the rates are really fair. Always worth the money.

Decent spot if you dont mind the lack of amenities or people playing slow as hell.

The course in very good shape. Amenities are very limited and some are pretty worn out. But, I go for the golf not the amenities. Staff was very friendly and courteous.

Love the course. Best value

Always friendly and accomadating. Good place to golf

It was great to get out and play,they had everything set up for social distancing,what better way or spend mothers day!!

Thank alex i Know you dont have that many cars and few of my group players had to walk bu you did the best to accomodate some with car.

I love cottonwood! And it is in great shape

It was good.

My sister and I played there yesterdayGreens and fairways were great. The only problem was there were 2 fivesomes in front of us but, they did let us play through.

Still nice condition and inexpensive

Whitney, the new greeter and cart girl is awesome!!! Super cool!!!

WOW what a surprise Cottonwood has become. This used to be known as one of the worst courses in SD, but after playing it yesterday I am blown away my the green (yes) green fairways. I play golf twice a week, and Ivanhoe easily has some of the greenest in SD at this time. There are even a couple of holes where you can see over to the highly rated Steel Canyon, and see that Cottonwood is in far better shape for how green the fairways are.Club house is a more than a little run down, but hey you are only checking in there. Carts a little dated and slow, but did the trick. If you hit the ball off the fairways right or left be careful getting to your ball could be a little bumpy. A lot of potholes out there.Cart girl comes around often, and has the best attitude i have seen in a cart girl in the past 8 years of playing golf. Look for hot deals and underpars where you can get a good deal.

The course is in excellent shape tee to green, best in a very long time.

Super price of $45 with cart for 18 holes. Greens in fair shape and staff was friendly. Good snack foods as well. Enjoy

It was fine. Didnt mind the course, but the carts are either slow or have limiters and the game was slow. Would come back, just not in the morning

Beautiful

Please reopen the Lakes Course!

Im going to go with 3 stars mainly for the price. I booked a round at Ivanhoe for $18, and the course was virtually empty. Its a fun course with a good variety of holes, although the fairways and rough need a lot of attention. OB is almost non-existent, but I lost about 10 balls due to them getting lost in the thick rough. If you miss the fairway by even a yard youre going to have a hard time finding your ball. Leaves are strewn throughout the entire course which made seeing your ball land and roll very hard. I had to double back many times just to see my shot. Overall a fairly fun round

Course is in great shape

The cart girl was so fine and friendly. Definitely going back.

Once among the best courses in San Diego, this venue is showing its age and, sadly, the lack of investment. Nonetheless, like an aging movie star(let), its still impressive. The cottonwood trees lining the fairways are evocative of the former grandure. Fairways are in good shape, greens are devilish, and the challenge of a one-time professional tournament site remain (ie, trees in the center of the fairway presenting risk/reward decisions). Rumors of its closing pop up from time to time, so play it while you can. Good discounts are available at a number of web sites.

Better now that they are only maintaining one course. Greens run good and not much dead spots on the fairways and rough.

Great value! $45 weekend rate!!!

Cottonwood will always be my favorite Golf Course thank you Cottonwood

Great course for the price. Situated off in the hills of El Cajon. Cart paths are not paved so, a lil rough and muddy riding around. Fairways are long and drivable. Reachable 4s. Greens were surprisingly well maintained. The hole signs were something else. Got lost going from 2 to 3. Ended up playing 8and 9 then going back to 3. Will definitely go back.

Great course!!

Hey guys! Course has great holes but some maintenance needed. My reasons for 2 Star are about pace of play and lack of a starter or ranger. Ranger really needed today! About 2:45 minutes on front nine of Ivanhoe and we quit before back nine. Probably wont return. Knuckleheads in front of us and two holes open in front of them.

Great place for the familyBut the only thing is if you are going to be staying out there in the hot heat, make sure bring an umbrella or some sort of shade source.Good luck

Dang, their range has no drivers allowed and they only have one course. I remember this place when it had two courses and good looking cart girls. Now, there are no carts with food or beverages, and just 1 course thats not too well maintained. Too bad. Looks like its going downhill.

The course is in overall good shape, as are the greens. But the clubhouse and facilities are really run down and probably the worst in San Diego county.

Good practice facility

Played in Pacers Annual tournament. Great time, course in adequate shape. Overall, B+

Havent played this majestic old track since mid 80s when it was one of 2 courses I played in a 2 man 2 day tourney along with Singing Hills. Plenty of parking available, easy to find and see from street. Fog or marine layer was thick on this Sunday morning for the first 5 holes which added to the challenging layout.Course was green for the most part but had spots that needed attention. I played black tees with 2 young twenty year olds who hit the ball well and had great attitudes which made the round fun; both were single digit handicappers.From the back tees I had to hit plenty of long irons and fairway woods into the greens but the greens held well and putted true. Rough was deep and very penalizing if you strayed off the tee.I enjoyed the opportunity to play here again 30+ years later. Singing Hills is now Siquan didnt get the chance to play there but I will on my next visit to San Diego area.

Great course and clubhouse

Im not sure what happened but this place looks condemned and the golf course is about as rough as Ive ever seen

The 2 Cottonwood golf courses, Ivanhoe and the Lakes are great fun for all ages and the price is right!Need to book an event This is the place.I would highly recommend Christina to Maximize Your Fund raising events! She is amazing!

I played Ivanhoe: Nice course, well maintained and wide open ...relatively easy if you are driving the ball somewhat decent. The greens were in good shape and rolled true as of 6/19/13. Course actually plays a little shorter than the stated yardage but still a longer course. Also, fairways and greens were in great shape and there are a lot of nice scenic views so suprised to read some of the previous poor reviews regarding the course and scenery. Definitely worth the price and I highly recommended this course!

Sad to see what used to be a nice course fall into such disrepair. Greens are un-puttable due to all the dead spots. No drinking water on the course. Plastic milk cartons used as trash containers. No ball washers. A cook is in the bar/restaurant only a couple of days a week. Course has all the indications of being the next course to close in SD county.

I have enjoyed Cottonwood for several years. Although it is going through a transition, it is a very comfortable and affordable place to play and practice. They have cleaned up the course and environs a lot.

Course getting better and better. Thanks!

Good shape fairways

Improving every year

LOVE THE COURSE,

Its okay great Game !!

Awesomely priced. Your paying for a good round of golf not all the glitz and massive overhead

The greens r in good shape. The fairways r well marked. Great price for golf The grill and bar is lacking.

I decided to pay a visit to Cottonwood after reading a few positive reviews online; I kept wondering if I was at the right place.The staff was friendly enough. But even at $35 for a round of 18, I expected a more polished experience than I got.I call it pasture golf; where you cant tell where the fairway meets the rough. Worse still were the greens that where cut almost a tall as fairways youd find on other courses. Nearly all the greens had terrible dead spots that were like putting over canyons. Forget lining up any sort of putt, the balls roll randomly out there.This is a $20 - $25 a round course at best - and has all the unpleasant features of what you think of when you hear the term public course. At least they had plenty of cold beer - I needed it that day.Ive played some really good public courses, but Cottonwood is definitely not among them.

Its a good practice course

Nice long holes wide fareways great for all levels of golfers

The course was in good shape. Play was a little slow, and they could use better yardage markers, but all in all a good value.

I paid $21 to play 18 holes at 12:15 pm with a cart. Not the best but good enough golf environment. Fairways werent in bad condition and greens were a lil slow but consistent. Its the type of course you drink, practice or have fun at. Id go again. You golf for free on your bday

They got rid of the lakes coursrand made it into one golf course. Course is in fair condition but for $23 walking, cant beat that. Long par 4 & 5 and 1 long par 3.

Terrible condition and overpriced. Flat and straight with exception of random trees in the middle of fairways. Greens dont have a nice roll and inconsistent speed. Our cart was so slow and barely made it to the first hole, we had to call and tell them to bring us another. Id recommend playing some where else at that price.

Did you find a hat that said ALOHA BLACK PLEASE SAVE IT TODAY ON THE CART

I used to be a mediocre with cheap prices ... but since theyre trying to revamp it is now a mediocre course with more expensive prices ... severely disappointed because I used to love this place... your better off paying 10 dollars more to book down the street... or anywhere else for that matter

I dont share the sentiments of others on here. I had a great time playing cottonwood. Dont expect it to be torey pines and learn to relax, play a few hours with some friends and take out your frustrations by wacking some balls. :)

Nice, moderately challenging, neighborhood course. Everyone is friendly. And its usually not hard to find good deals online. Makes it easier to be able to play more often as desired! Usually Tim is at the cart check-in. He seems to be everyones friend. When he says Have a great round! its pretty genuine. Hes the smiling face of this course as he warmly welcomes all. And when its time to leave hell see you off with a heartfelt See ya next week! One time we returned as it was getting dark because I lost my wallet somewhere out on the course. He had no problem stayin late and helping us till I actually found it by the 16th green! (That was an experience to remember driving thru the course with a flashlight in pitch darkness and dodging sprinklers and actually finding my wallet that fell out of my bag. Epic!)The cart girls are pretty good in coming around on a regular basis to check on our refreshment needs and/or wants as were out on the course. This is really good to know as we dont get that service at all other courses.The management and pro shop have always helped us out as needed when weve needed to adjust tee times or other unexpected issues that weve had to deal with. Seriously, they have great customer service. Were happy patrons of Cottonwood Golf Course!Update: So bummed that Tim is no longer working there. The absence of his cheerfulness and bright demeanor for many years is sorely felt. Also, the bar and cart girls hours have been drastically reduced. Not good for thirsty or hungry afternoon patrons... The place is going thru changes, hopefully for the better soon. But for now, I must take off a star.

Play 18 holes, greens and fareways where in Great shape.

This course (term used loosely) looks bombed out & depleted. I used to play here a lot in the past & it was fine. Not now. Fairways are basically dirt. Greens are browns. Dont waste your money here.

Great course 2 18s Ivanhoe and Lakes both good fun courses. not too busy either!

Great price, understaffed but relatively well maintained

Its a nice course

Great place for juevos rancheros in the morning with a bloody mary on the weekends. Good food. I dont golf much.

Nice course

I love it !

Can be fun

No frills golf. I like that.

Bankrupt, neglected, run down, new management are jerks. Greens are crap and so is the course.

Ivanhoe is not a bad little course Stay away from the Lakes

This place has gone to hell. Sad to see a once great facility, fall apart.

Leave this course for the hacks. With that being said, Id be ok with occasionally coming to play here for some practice if they didnt charge me like I was about to play a 5 star course. Lower your rates to match the quality of your golf course.....free

I used to play here back in 2004. It’s most likely changed a bit since then. It was quite run down (older buildings, brown grass areas etc.) but we were young and it was under $20 for a full round.

Instead of trash cans there’s crates… Water fountains are broken which sucks On an 80° day. Do not pay the money to play here

Great wide open course tucked in the back of the screnery

Love Cottonwood Golf Club

Go elsewhere

Getting to be a real dump...

The greens a little bad, no water in some areas, golf cart not ready with Ice. However its fun golfing.

Golf course was in great shape.

Ok

Crappy

The staff is great and very helpful

Nice old golf course