Played here today (7/21) with fellow GK member Jon P. on a 10:12 tee time. Rates here were a little more than I would normally pay but thankfully I had a gift card from a previous scramble win that made it easier to swallow. Conditions today were just as described in Alex’s last review and perhaps a tad better even. I was very impressed how well the course has held up in this h... » More

Played here today (7/21) with fellow GK member Jon P. on a 10:12 tee time. Rates here were a little more than I would normally pay but thankfully I had a gift card from a previous scramble win that made it easier to swallow. Conditions today were just as described in Alex’s last review and perhaps a tad better even. I was very impressed how well the course has held up in this heatwave. It’s always a pleasure to make the drive out The Crossings!

Tee boxes: Perhaps the weakest part of the course and even then they weren’t terrible. I’m sure the white boxes we played today get plenty of play but a few could use some leveling. People seemed to do a good job to fill divots on the devilishly short par 3 holes.

Fairways: Excellent shape; green that popped against blue skies, more than fair roll thanks to drier than normal conditions (in weather), and rarely a bad lie all day.

Rough: Where present it was mildly penal. The ESA is far more detrimental but the rough did keep you humble at times, especially in the back 9.

Bunkers: Was only in one today but it was in really good shape with pearl white sand and enough sand to allow for sand saves.

Greens: The highlight of the round. Even though they were a bit slow and spongy, they rolled well and held shots with a fair amount of spin and stoppage. Visually they were great and it added to the enjoyment and playability.

ETC: Staff was great like always. Saw the smiley and thoughtful cart attendant both on the front and back. Food at the turn was just okay but service with a smile goes a long way. Carts have good GPS but I wish it would show carts on map as there are numerous blind spots. Course layout is always a blast here and can be played ten different ways. Pace today was a surprising 4.75 hours with waiting but never much beyond hole 8. If you can find a good deal, now is the time to play Crossings!
» Close

First time playing Talega this weekend with a monthly group that moves all around SoCal finding new places to play. I was excited to test my game at this challenging course, and I'm actually glad that my group (12 players) all decided we'd play the white tees so the skins would be even. I don't think I would have had as good of a time struggling with some of the carries and nar... » More

First time playing Talega this weekend with a monthly group that moves all around SoCal finding new places to play. I was excited to test my game at this challenging course, and I'm actually glad that my group (12 players) all decided we'd play the white tees so the skins would be even. I don't think I would have had as good of a time struggling with some of the carries and narrow approaches from the blues.

There are some interesting quirks to this course, so let's get those out of the way. The driving range is a solid 7-8 minute cart ride from the clubhouse. The 10th tee is so far away from the clubhouse that you start worrying that you've certainly missed it if playing for the first time here. And what can you say about the 15th hole? You reach the tee box, look around in every direction, and have absolutely no idea where to hit. Why? Because there's not even a glimpse of the fairway as it's completely obstructed by tall trees grown up along a ravine. Luckily two our guys played there regularly and were at the tee box to let us know. Trim those trees!

Now for the good stuff ... very fun track to play with a nice variety of holes. There are surprisingly a large amount of wide fairways to attack, which is sometimes rare with these hilly, target-oriented courses. The approaches can narrow for sure, but mostly it's the uneven fairways that will test you the most. There are some forced carries and there are also plenty of water holes that are really fun and challenging, like the par 5 6th and par 4 18th.

Greens were in nice shape with the exception of a patchwork on that famous 15th green. Rolled medium fast, held lines well and the greens are tough, but manageable. A few bigger slopes to contend with, but mostly fair and forgiving. Fairways were a mixed bag of mostly good with some great areas, but you could also find some thin lies, especially around the greens. Bunkers were pretty thin and disappointing, and the tee boxes were just a tick below good for all 18 holes.

We had a good cart service throughout the day and the discounted $89 greens fee was borderline acceptable, but it's the OC and it was a beautiful day and it's more than enough fun to justify it. Just. Carts were just a tick above good with one of those basic GPS systems that only spits out numbers but not the course overview. It is what it is.

Talega is a fun and engaging track that is worth playing right now, but even more so if you can manage to get a little bit of deal. Just don't go there to get in a light, quick practice because you practically need to bring your passport by the time you get to the range.
» Close

Played 7/21/19 Course is still trying to recover from the winter. I had not played here in 30 years. Layout is fun with a good mix of holes. Fairways were in decent shape with good coverage. Many bare areas mixed throughout. Greens were very bad. Some had maybe 70% Coverage All were very bumpy with dead or sick areas covering entire green. No way to take putting serious under c... » More

Played 7/21/19 Course is still trying to recover from the winter. I had not played here in 30 years. Layout is fun with a good mix of holes. Fairways were in decent shape with good coverage. Many bare areas mixed throughout. Greens were very bad. Some had maybe 70% Coverage All were very bumpy with dead or sick areas covering entire green. No way to take putting serious under current conditions. Still two temporary greens which is down from the 5 they recently had. If you can find a good deal, you can have fun. It's a beautiful course, but I fear the greens will not be in decent shape for a couple of months and maybe not at all this year.
» Close