I live in Arcadia and play Santa Anita often. Saw a couple of negative reviews here and wanted to defend the golf course as a great place to play. Conditions this spring are much better than they were last fall - hopefully this year they have the means to keep it going strong year-round. Greens are never fast and the course gets a lot of wear, but it has good character and an i... » More

I live in Arcadia and play Santa Anita often. Saw a couple of negative reviews here and wanted to defend the golf course as a great place to play. Conditions this spring are much better than they were last fall - hopefully this year they have the means to keep it going strong year-round. Greens are never fast and the course gets a lot of wear, but it has good character and an interesting history.

The layout is sneakily challenging. It presents at first as a flat course, but there are lots of undulations - some rather dramatic, such as in front of the 6th green, and across the 9th fairway. These make for uphill and downhill lies, so it’s a great place to come practice those. The staff are great, in my experience, and the ambience is really comfortable - the surroundings (the park, tennis courts and Arcadia High School) make for a nice atmosphere.

As for pace of play, I almost always come at twilight times, sometimes playing less than 18 holes and running up against sunset. At these hours, there are very few pace issues, and I can usually walk the front nine in less than two hours.
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4/17 1st time here and 1st time playing in a couple of months but could not have picked a better place and time, weather was ideal after 2 days of colder and windy conditions warm and calm and 7000 ft elevation. Had booked an 840 but got there earky as I usually have to allow extra 15 min for getting lost and yes even with my phones helpful gps so at check in was given the opt... » More

4/17 1st time here and 1st time playing in a couple of months but could not have picked a better place and time, weather was ideal after 2 days of colder and windy conditions warm and calm and 7000 ft elevation. Had booked an 840 but got there earky as I usually have to allow extra 15 min for getting lost and yes even with my phones helpful gps so at check in was given the option of going off by myself or waiting. Quick few putts a few swings at the range and away I went.
POP about 315 with a few practice shots here and there and really hacing no reason to hurry as the setting.provides views and solitude.
Fairways are good overall. #1 looked a little spotty thin and mixed grasses leaving uneven lies left me thinking that winter cinditions were in play but from then on most fairway areas were really nice with good cover albeit rather tight lies. Rough about 2 inches and grabby both impeding roll and making for some more challenging extraction. Further beyond the rough were some bare areas or wild vegitation. Tees level and in good shape.
Bunkers had ample sand which was compacted and damp which was by choice due to the recent 40 mph winds. Light and fluffy would result in empty hardpan.
Greens felt a little crusty and looked to be a little long grained but rolled surprisingly well and much faster than they looked. Greens are not overly large but have enough contour and slope to make it entertaining. Red yellow blue flags for front mid and back but often were placed laterally in those zones so would be near the edge or kina tucked into a corner. Greens were firm so for me approach shots rolled long.
Layout is varied and the remote feel with no housing anywhere in sight and the distant snow capped mountains is genuinly refreshing. There are some small lakes which at thos time are mostly dry due to limited rain this season.
Staff is really friendly and welcoming. A prior review described this course as a hidden gem, $40 senior rate a real bargin for a very positive experience.
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Played today. Poor POP. 5 H. Course in nice shape. Fairways green with good lies and nice rollout. Rough no issue. Traps were playable and players knew how to use a rake. Greens very nice and releasing shots and putting with good speed. Good customer service all levels. Other than POP nice round of golf. Play very early would be my best advice. Sr rate with cart $48. $30 to wal... » More

Played today. Poor POP. 5 H. Course in nice shape. Fairways green with good lies and nice rollout. Rough no issue. Traps were playable and players knew how to use a rake. Greens very nice and releasing shots and putting with good speed. Good customer service all levels. Other than POP nice round of golf. Play very early would be my best advice. Sr rate with cart $48. $30 to walk.
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Course continues to be in fine shape, albeit a notch below what it was maybe a month ago. No recent rain and warmer temps have the course dried out again.

The back 9 will be closing for 3+ months soon to redo the sprinkler system. Not sure if that is a factor or just what I wrote above. However, putts I was running 3-5' by the hole a few weeks ago are now coming up 2-... » More

Course continues to be in fine shape, albeit a notch below what it was maybe a month ago. No recent rain and warmer temps have the course dried out again.

The back 9 will be closing for 3+ months soon to redo the sprinkler system. Not sure if that is a factor or just what I wrote above. However, putts I was running 3-5' by the hole a few weeks ago are now coming up 2-3' short. They look nice, but they went from medium fast bordering on too fast for recreational golfers to medium slow in about 2 weeks.

Fairways lush and nice to play from, lots of rolls. Good POP rough, you can almost always spot your ball from 50 yards away. Tees very well kept up, lush with few divots and the sand is among the best around here.

Course completely unwalkable because it is so spread out. Nice restaurant, excellent driving range with multiple practice areas. Almost always excellent customer service. Highly recommended.
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Played this morning. Still good Sr rate with Sr card at $36.25 for 18 w cart, $22 to walk. Course in good condition all around. Nice green fairways giving good lies but still soft so not much rollout. So we all know the course is long, so play it forward if need be. Rough was playable and so were the traps but many were not really raked very well, so we made our own rule of all... » More

Played this morning. Still good Sr rate with Sr card at $36.25 for 18 w cart, $22 to walk. Course in good condition all around. Nice green fairways giving good lies but still soft so not much rollout. So we all know the course is long, so play it forward if need be. Rough was playable and so were the traps but many were not really raked very well, so we made our own rule of allowing raking then placing and playing ones shot. Greens are in good shape and putt very nice and with decent speed. Good customer service at check in. Course could use some new carts IMO. POP was right on 4 hours.
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