aetna springs golf course

Hi gang, Played here on a GolfNow special for $30 (18 holes w/cart). I last played here15 yrs ago. The course. Was. First designed before 1900 thus one of the oldest courses west of the Mississippi River. They are building a resort on the property so things are changin' real fast. After enjoying a scenic drive thru valley oaks and vineyards you park in a lower parking area, grab a conveniently parked golf cart and make your way up to the pro shop. Friendly starter pointed out putting and chipping areas in front and offered complimentary bottled water for us. No food save for snack bars and chips for now. The course was re-designed in 2007 with more length and challenges. Hole #1 offers you a choice of landing areas, with course knowledge it can be a fun hole. There are a coupla "burns" (creeks) to navigate with the tee shot. #2 is a par 3 that's reachable easily from the whites but a challenge from the blues (228 yds). On #3 a good tee shot will easily carry the burn / bridge but a long, semi-blind second to a two-tiered green. Here is #4 hole - a short (119 yd) par 3 tucked into a corner - great design !!! I chose 9 iron and stuck it 8 inches from the hole...wow !! Keep it off the hillside, there's long grass and hillside bunkers to "entertain" your day. Hole #5 is another tee shot you either lay up or carry the ball over 210 yds. I laid up with 140 yds, to go, got on in two and drained a 20 footer for a birdie !!! Back-to-back birdies ?? This can't be that easy. #6 has a blind tee shot uphill leaving a wedge from 80-100 yds to a green some 50 ft below the hill....great design. Hole #7 gives you a blind tee shot over a bunker to a sloping hillside fairway..good challenge to make par here. #8 is a devilish par 5 where you have 3 burns to navigate and thread your way thru to a small green. Finally hole #9 is only 259 yds in length but tee shot ball placement is critical to score well. My buddy downloaded a "cheat sheet" offering tips on how to play the holes. Very helpful, perhaps the pro shop should pass out similar paperwork for each goup? Cart paths when concreted were great but petered out to a bumpy mess. On some areas you literally drove around tee boxes with your cart, other times you were between bunker and green (???). They need to blaze a trail to delineate cart paths. Also, directions to the following tee box was sketchy at times. There are little gold number stickers on the tee blocks to tell you which hole you're on. That's east to solve. Some areas are over-watered and for cart driving or what your ball ends up on sometimes leaves something to be desired. Plenty of rough but not well kept.Kudos: Beautiful pro shop structure, (more resort construction going on nearby and across street). Friendly staff, good greens, interesting bunker rakes (classy touch), numbered flags on each hole (:-)).Boo boos - Cart paths nonexistent after #5 tee box, damp areas in places, more directional signage needed to make the course worthy of "resort" status, only snacks to eat- no hot food for miles, need course guide to enhance playability, maybe a driving net for warmup?, signage in parking lot welcoming guests and informing them to take avail cart up to pro shop, highway signs leading to facility, "spruce" up the course w/landscaping, trimming and organizing-course now looks "disheveled" and not "resort-like". Overall I recommend golfers come on up here to play before it gets too "resort-ish" and expensive. Look for online specials for best prices. Definitely worth the drive thru the scenic Napa and Pope Valleys, the vines are all gold colored and beautiful - isn't this why you live here?Hit 'em straight,Rich