The Links at RiverLakes Ranch Reviews in Central California, Fresno/Bakersfield/Modesto - Greenskeeper.org Free Online Golf Community


	Index \| Golf Courses \| Book Tee Times \| Reviews (474) \| Specials (2) \| Events

The Links at RiverLakes Ranch - $
5201 Riverlakes Drive • Bakersfield, CA 93312 • (661) 587-5465
Map/Satellite Image · Driving Directions

[Click Here] to post your golf course review and qualify for a prize!

walter - Riverside
Course is in excellant shape and what a great and unique layout, definitely a links style course with big bunkers but fun to play. The front nine lets you warm up a bit but holes #10-#13 are the real deal. Great clubhouse, good food, great staff.

Posted: Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Member Since: May 19, 2003
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

TEDBELL - Bakersfield
The back nine greens have been repaired.. Course is fully open

If you play on the weekend expect to wait

Posted: Saturday, April 19, 2008
Member Since: December 25, 2007
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

golfindolphin23 - Pismo Beach
OK first let me say that it was the coldest round of golf I have ever played, 40 degrees is not for me. About the course, Front nine is looking pretty good for the cold winter, bunkers decent, tee boxes OK, and greens not bad. Back nine still has temp greens that are not very playable. $21 for round with cart and a dog is not bad, I do like the layout.

Cheese, thats some man crush you have on Oak Quarry, gotta play that some day when I head south.

Posted: Saturday, January 19, 2008
Member Since: July 18, 2005
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

TEDBELL - BAKERSFIELD
BACK 9 GREENS STILL UNDER REPAIR

REMAINDER OF COURSE IN GOOD CONDITION

Posted: Sunday, December 30, 2007
Member Since: December 25, 2007
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

Dexter1 - Bakersfield Ca
Played Riverlakes on this past Sunday and was impressed by the challenging layout and conditions of the golf course. The greens are very ungulated and putt true even with some ball marks that are to be expected on a public course. I would recomend this course to all levels of players. With a pace of play lasting around 4 1/2 hours I know that I will play this course often.

Posted: Monday, August 13, 2007
Member Since: August 13, 2007
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

keubanks - Bakersfield, CA
RiverLakes Ranch gets plenty of play from Bakersfield residents because it is the only public course remotely inside the city limits. Luckily, it has been kept in pretty good shape, and it really has been a treat ever since it was built approximately 10 years ago.

Unfortunately, the variety of golfers who play the course has apparently taken its toll. Despite its steep (for Bakersfield standards) greens fees at $60 for weekend mornings and $39 weekend twilight rates, RiverLakes continues to get both the high level golfers as well as the hackers all at once as the hackers would rather pay a bit more than drive the extra distance to the munis just outside of town.

First of all, the pace of play is not good, but that is the layout's fault as much as anything. The first and second holes are extremely short (playing at around 300 and 310 yards from the whites) and many golfers will wait for the green to clear before hitting off the tee. No. 3 is a somewhat simple green to hit, but the severe two-tiered green makes putting a nightmare. And if you miss the green, the wasteland around the green makes for a near impossible up-and-down.

After the typical par-3 slowdown, No. 4 is a par-5 that plays just 500 yards from the whites and is easily reachable in two despite water down the entire left side and greenside right out to about 100 yards. The ability to go for it in two slows the game down again. That then continues into another par-3, which is another simple hole that plays at least one club shorter than the yardage indicates (I don't know if the yardage is just wrong or what, but, there is not a single person who has played RiverLakes who disagrees).

Continuing on the front nine, there is a blind tee shot on the short par-4 No. 6, but since it is a blind shot, golfers usually wait a bit longer than normal to allow the fairway to clear. No. 7 is another par 4 that plays very short as well with trouble everywhere -- thick rough and a street left, water right. The correct play is an iron off the tee to the fattest landing area at about 120-130 yards, then go into the severe two-tier tiny green with massive bunkering. But golfers will many times pull out driver on this blind shot and send it into the water, out of bounds left, etc., which slows down the game.

More water on No. 8 with a narrow fairway leads into a simple par-5 that plays under 500 yards from all tees but the tips.

The back nine plays much the same with short holes and trouble everywhere. It is a great course to play with plenty to think about on every hole, but just know that the pace of play can be, and many times is, very slow.

The greens used to be the pride of RiverLakes, but they are in horrible shape. Apparently no one in Bakersfield knows how to repair a ball mark, because the greens are very bumpy with unfixed ball marks everywhere. When you can find a non-bumpy area, the greens are a treat as they run fairly fast and true, but those lies are few and far between.

With the summer heat in Bakersfield, RiverLakes is forced to water throughout the day to keep the course green. But that has led to soggy conditions which golf carts have ruined. What used to be beautiful and perfect fairways are in many places mud spots where carts have "spun out." The second fairway had an area about 30 yards by 10 yards roped off for ground under repair beause of this.

The soggy conditions also make play much less enjoyable.

Overall, RiverLakes is still a fun place to play, because it is a very interesting course. Despite having played probably 100 rounds on the course, I'm still trying out different club selections on certain holes to see the best way to play each one. The course might not be up to par as far as its conditions go, but hopefully that will change soon.

Posted: Friday, August 10, 2007
Member Since: March 9, 2004
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

nfarrell1 - Phoenix, AZ
A nice layout. Greens looked terrible with ball marks, but putted great, really good speed and would hold a shot nicely. Strange thing, the rough was green and the fairways brown.? Not a very nice surface to hit from or appealing as far as picking a target from the tee.

Posted: Monday, January 15, 2007
Member Since: January 3, 2007
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

JTansen - Bakersfield, CA
Riverlakes is a very challenging, and at times, frustrating course to play, but thats what makes special. Also, the food in their clubhouse is very good.

Posted: Saturday, July 8, 2006
Member Since: July 8, 2006
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

pmeister - Lancaster, Ca
There is so much variety in this course. An excellent public course with a very good practice area. A good pace of play. The greens are a real challenge with difficult approach shots and a good deal of slope. They are also fast.

Posted: Monday, June 12, 2006
Member Since: November 15, 2004
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

patandjohn - Battle Ground, WA
Beautiful course with lots of challenges such as deep bunkers and water. They need a marshall to encourage faster play. Should take about 4 hours.

Posted: Tuesday, May 2, 2006
Member Since: March 1, 2004
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

Click here to post your golf course review and qualify for a prize!

doski19 - Torrance, CA
Absolutely love this course! I come up to Bakersfield to visit family a few times a year and what a wonderful find.

Layout is fair but challenging. Water and bunkers strategically placed. Hole #3 is a great hole with the waste area.

The 18th hole has to be one of the best finishing holes that I have played in Southern/Central California. The island green with the clubhouse as a backdrop makes you want to play another 18.

The condition of the course is excellent. Ball marks are always an issue so I won't even bring it up.

I'll be back again and again.

Posted: Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Member Since: December 10, 2003
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

golfindolphin23 - pismo beach
Played on a saturday afternoon as a walk on single while course was extremely busy. Starter allowed me to get with a threesome teeing off on #10, very nice since I would have had to wait approx one hour to start. Course was in good shape for winter conditions, greens were pretty decent with a lot of ball marks, fairways were good. Pace of play was slow but expected for a nice saturday. Not a long course but still challenging and fun.

Posted: Monday, February 27, 2006
Member Since: July 18, 2005
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

pmeister - Lancaster, Ca
This course is a hidden gem. With Donovan Daily it played for $31.00 on a Friday. The fairways are in very good shape and the greens are undulating and fast. A great deal of variety on the holes with an island green on number 18. A lot of bunkers and many of the greenside bunkers are deep. Bring your short game.

Posted: Friday, January 20, 2006
Member Since: November 15, 2004
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

rcarrcrew - Bakersfield
Nice course, tight fairways, too many houses

Posted: Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Member Since: December 27, 2005
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

golfindolphin23 - pismo beach
Got on early the day after thanksgiving as a single. Played with several locals who were playing from the tips which was an experience since it was the first time on this course. Fairways and greens were in great condition with some heavy watering which is expected that early in the morning. Par 3's are very tough from the tips here with good bunkering and hazards. Overall the course was very much worth the price and can be even better if you get on their e-mail list.

Posted: Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Member Since: July 18, 2005
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

kaynine - Valencia, Ca
Played hookey today and drove the 1 hour 20 minute drive from Valencia to play a true links style course and I was not let down. A great shot makers course, I only took the driver out on 3 holes. In great shape although the greens were very slow as they had a tournament on sunday and had let the greens dry out for 2 days in order for them to speed up, then overwatered since sunday afternoon to keep them from browning out. Fairways were perfect and the rough was evil. The staff was very friendly and helpful(thanks Todd) and I enjoyed the round, I will be back. A great deal for the $

Posted: Monday, September 19, 2005
Member Since: July 14, 2005
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

CHRISMACHOVEC - culver city
Very nice layout. A lot of ball mark damage on the greens, but this is the golfers fault, not the courses!. Only one complaint, not enough water to drink. The back nine only had water on one hole, and it was 100 degrees.

Posted: Monday, August 15, 2005
Member Since: March 3, 2005
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

jknapp1 - Bakersfield, Ca.
Truley C.C conditions.

Posted: Wednesday, June 1, 2005
Member Since: June 25, 2003
Read ALL My Golf Course Reviews

[Click Here] to post your golf course review and qualify for a prize!