Pasatiempo Golf Club

We played Pasatiempo yesterday afternoon and were a little disappointed. The course itself was in good condition; but not in great condition.
The layout of the front 9 (simplistic back-and-forth fairways) reminds you of a typical muni layout. The layout on the back 9 is very nice and met our expectations of what all 18 holes should have more closely resembled.
A few other real disappointments: the practice range is a very sad joke (mats only -except during tournaments, cheesy self-serve token machine, short range w/o bunkering or realistic target greens, no access: you have to drive in an automobile -no carts allowed- to get to this remote practice range, etc., etc), there is VERY limited parking at this public golf course, other golfers are very close to you and are talking/yelling in the parallel fairways (a ball from #9 slammed the front of our cart while it was parked on the path of hole #1), a par 3 finishing hole -are you serious?
About us: We are members at a CC that is more highly manicured than Pasatiempo and is used for PGA Tour Qualifying. Our course is tougher (143 slope/75.9), tighter, and has equally difficult greens. We played Pasatiempo with the notion of joining due to an employment relocation opportunity. With current Pasatiempo "shares" selling for $125,000, we will definitely spend our money elsewhere.
Funny thing, our head pro has also played Pasatiempo and didn't think much of it. If you are looking to play a truly GREAT public golf course: spend your $220 at Pacific Dunes...it's worth every penny.

Being from Georgia and growing up with The Masters spending many days at Augusta National will give you an appreciation for MacKenzie. The bunkers intentionally have a different look when comparing the courses, but the use of bunkering, the greens, use of slopes and undualtion are all very similar. It is funny how he came from a flat area in Scotland but used elevation changes in his best work in the US. If you are a golf history buff, this is a great experience for $200. Getting on Cyprus or Augusta is not a possiblity for many, but with the recent renovation of Pasatiempo you can play very similar holes. From the back tees with a little wind, this is still a great test of golf.

one of the best courses i've ever played, not including the mystique that is associated with it. we walked the course which is well worth it. the round unfortunately was marred by being incredibly slow! we waited on 18 for almost 15 minutes while the foursome in front of us hit in the hazard, took drops, and putted everything out! look forward to getting back there again.