Big Fish Golf Club — Local services in Town of Hayward

If you like to enjoy golf or have a large group stay far away from this course. We have 20 guys that have been getting together for a yearly tournament at different courses and we've never had any issues. Typically the staff enjoys everyone and we have a great time. We decided to try Big Fish Golf Club this year and it was a mistake. Right away it seemed like it was going to be a long weekend when the bartender complained that one of our guys ordered a Bloody Mary and he had to go get the ingredients for it. Once we got out to the course it continued to get worse. It was cart path only golf for most of the weekend and we were harassed incessantly by the rangers about pace of play. It got to the point where we had guys jogging out to their ball and back to try to keep up with their ridiculous standards. I'm not sure how often you typically see rangers but we were seeing them probably 14-15 times per round letting us know that we were too slow and making sure we were staying on the path. I can’t remember a day where we were getting pushed by anyone behind our group either as our pace was pretty good considering our large group. After one of the rounds we were met by a Sheriff and eventually FOUR squad cars to be questioned about hitting balls into a house on purpose off the 16th tee box. The police said they had camera footage of us doing it but never provided it when we asked for proof. Eventually the police were happy with our stories but the course never let it go. The owner was called down to the clubhouse and he complained about having to come over after walking his dog to deal with it. We told him it was ridiculous to think that one of our guys would purposely hit balls into a house and we told him our experience had been horrible so far and said we likely wouldn’t be coming back and he said “That’s probably best for both of us.” When we came back the next day we were told to hurry up and asked not to hit balls at houses on the course after we had already been cleared by the police. It got to the point where it was almost like they set out to make our weekend as terrible as possible. Bottom line- The course is not about the golfer experience and more about getting as many people in and out as possible. If you’re looking for a round to get in and out, getting to know the rangers really well, and getting in a good workout it’s a good place for you, but if you want to enjoy golf with some friends I would highly recommend...

Constantly harassed by rangers and pro shop employees. My experience at the golf course was the worst I've ever had. Never returning. I feel bad for my group--we paid a lot to stay and play just to get yelled at all day on the course. Between the golf, food, and drinks, we brought in a lot of revenue for Big Fish this weekend. Instead of being appreciative and treating us like customers, they were rude and yelled at us like we were little kids. As grown men and paying customers, it was super disrespectful. They were just jerks. I also watched the ranger yell at people I didn’t know-- in front of us for playing slow and behind us for having their cart on the grass (while they were trying to putt on the green). Good luck trying to enjoy yourself or even focus on your golf game. “Did you have a tough week at work? Are you excited to take a break from your kids and golf with your buddies? Come to Big Fish where we’ll ensure you have the worst time!” No thanks, I’m not into BDSM, I didn’t come here to suffer. Move over Skeletor. Step aside Master Shredder. If you think Dieter Von Cunth was evil, this ranger takes the cake. He is THE WORRRRRRRST (youtube “jean ralphio the worst” or “michael scott why are you the way that you are”). On a more serious note, they are the worst. The clubhouse also has two doors, one for golf and the other for food/drink, but the clerk desk and bartender areas are connected, so you are served your food/drinks by the same guy who rang up your golf charge. Obviously, this is not efficient. The guy was rude and pointed to his tip jar, WOW (and don’t ask for a bloody mary, trust me). Finally, they didn’t have any toilet paper in the bathroom. My scramble partner had to hold it in the whole round. He’s a big hitter and could barely swing because he had to go so bad! Big Fish...

If you are a bigger group and want to enjoy your round of golf do not book this course. We were a group of 20 playing in our yearly ryder cup which consisted of 5 rounds in 3 days. By far the worst experience our group has ever had and this is our 8th year of doing this. The rangers made this experience the worst. They constantly harassed us about pace of play and if you were a minute behind pace... good luck enjoying your round because they will have binoculars, a stop watch and someone checking in on you every hole to make sure you are playing the fastest round possible. They had cart path only and the expectation is that you run across the fairway to hit your ball and sprint back. If you dont finish your round in 4 hours on the dot they will let you know about it.

Our group also got accused of hitting golf balls into a house on 16 in which we were met with 4 sheriffs in the parking lot after our round. They lied and said they had proof but after confronting them and talking with the sheriffs, no evidence was given and they couldnt prove anything. They never apologized and still accused us of doing it even after the discussion with the sheriffs. Long story short they just wanted to find a reason to kick us off the course because we werent playing up to their speed race golf.

Overall, the rangers and clubhouse staff treated us very poorly and made the experience terrible. I feel bad for the owners of the Red Walleye House which is setup for big groups to golf at this course because the house was fantastic. If you are a big group please look elsewhere if you are planning...