Take the 23 Freeway to New Los Angeles Ave (118). Travel West on New Los Angeles Ave to Moorpark Ave and turn RIGHT. Moorpark Ave will become Walnut Canyon Rd. Proceed to Championship Dr and turn LEFT. Drive to the top of the hill and make a LEFT at the Clubhouse.
The last time we surveyed Moorpark CC was back in March in which case rsimper wrote an exceptional review. I played with rsimper that day and his assessment was right on, so much that most of what he wrote still applies. Being such, I have left the March review in place. However, compared to March and now, the golf course is in even better condition. This time around, I had the pleasure of playing the Ridgeline 9 and Creekside 9. This is the original 18 and my personal favorite layout. Both nines were in excellent condition with the edge to the Creekside 9 who had faster/firmer greens and slightly more lush fairways. I think the course is in tremendous shape for August and excellent overall. The only knock are some thin spots in the rough. I rated the course 9-Greens, 9-Fairways, 7-Rough, 9-Sandtraps and 9-teeboxes.
Below is the review from 3-12-07 which very accurately describes Moorpark CC...
Moorpark Country Club is a semi-private facility on the outskirts of Moorpark, CA. As the centerpiece of a new community of luxury homes, Moorpark CC presents 27 challenging holes, an expansive all-grass practice facility, an exceptional practice green, and a beautiful clubhouse as part of it's total experience. This was my first time playing the course (though I frequently practice here) and we were assigned to the Canyon Crest 9 (the newest nine) and the Ridgeline 9.
The Canyon Crest is the most forgiving of the three 9s at Moorpark CC - perhaps crafted to contrast the difficult and more target-oriented original 18, Canyon Crest features wider driving areas and several holes with extremely elevated tee boxes. It's still a visually intimidating test of your long game in places, but Canyon Crest's challenges appear overall to be more subtle. Watch out for things like the tight second shot on hole 4, the blind approach if you find yourself on the left side of 7, or the water pinching the landing area and sneaking up on you on 9 (the elevated tee will add some distance to your typical tee shot making it possible to find your well-struck drive in the edge of the right side pond). Most will find that the Canyon Crest provides a strong challenge while not falling into the trap of being too target-oriented.
From the first tee shot on the aptly-named Ridgeline course, this 9 makes very clear it's intention to intimidate with a more aggressive set of challenges. The uphill 1st threatens both the tee ball and approach with a hazard on the right and after a long climb (mercifully, with the aid of a golf cart) the second hole runs along the top of the ridge with spectacular views in both directions. After the first 4 holes on the Ridgeline, the cross-country par 5 6th sends you tumbling down the hill with one of the longest holes in Southern California. This hole (admittedly, a pretty silly one from a design standpoint) fools all first-timers off the tee. Your instinct tells you that the hole bends right and you should play down the right side of the fairway to cut off a bit of the corner. AVOID THIS TEMPTATION! There is an aiming pole in the center of the fairway - hit a gentle, smooth shot at this pole and let your strategy evolve from there. Trust me when I say that distance needn't worry you. Playing over 170 feet downhill from tee to green, even modest-length players can reach this green in regulation. Ridgeline finishes with several holes through the valley and then a final heroic par 3 returns you to the clubhouse as the 9th. With 3 par 3s, 3 par 4s, and 3 par 5s, the quirk factor is higher on this side, and that's certainly not a bad thing.
Moorpark Country Club is typically in absolutely immaculate condition. On this day, it seemed that things were a bit off the norm. Aeration season is coming up and I'm confident that the course will be back in top-notch shape in no time. Let me be clear by saying that the course is still in very good shape, but Moorpark sets high standards against which we can judge it. The fairways are exceptionally lush and could have really used a mow. The rough throughout the course was mostly perfect - long, lush, and a beautiful full shade of green. Unfortunately, there were bare spots (mostly on areas that are out of play) that prevent it from being considered 100% immaculate. Bunkers were all nicely raked and featured high-quality sand. The greens rolled slower than normal which made lag putting more of a challenge - Moorpark's greens are mostly comprised of gentle slopes and hollows rather than the huge tiers and buried elephants that many other new courses feature. Their design seems to excel when they get rolling a bit quicker. With several short par 3s on the course, ball marks are an issue that is easily fixed (fix yours and one or two others!). There was a slight difference between the greens on the Canyon Crest and the Ridgeline - while both appeared slower than normal, the Ridgeline's were definitely better.
As a true semi-private golf course with a strong membership presence, Moorpark Country Club definitely feels like a high-class establishment. The golf course is strong and will appeal to those who love the exhilaration of dramatic elevated tees, severe slopes and elevation changes, and an upscale clubhouse facility to unwind after a day on the course.
