i used to play this course quite often, as the company i work for has a trade account there, and i can play for free...however, ive gotten bored of it, and played today only because i didnt have much time, and it was close

first, the conditions...depending on your preference, the greens are in great shape...if you like soft greens that can hold a variety of shots, this is the place...the greens are in good condition, but are a bit on the slow side...id guess around an 8

tee boxes are in ok shape...some are better than others, but a lot of the tee boxes for par threes have a lot of divots in them...2, 3, 6, and 9 come to mind

wasn't in any bunkers today, so cant comment on them, other than to say that they looked to be in good shape

now for the problem with riverview, which seems like it will never go away...the fairways and rough...

if you have played here, you know how the Santa Ana River runs through the course (hence the name)...even when the water level is low, the fairways and rough of holes bordering the river (4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 15, 16, and 17) are no more than 5 feet or so above water level...some are no more than a few feet...so whenever it rains and the water level goes up, the grass in the fairways and rough bordering the river suffers, and you'll get a lot of bare spots...not that the entire fairway is like that, just near the riverbed...for holes not bordering the river (1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 18) the fairways are generally lush and in good-to-great condition...and to be fair, the fairways on the holes bordering the river are not too bad the further you get from the edge of the water...

as for the layout...not the most exciting...a lot of the holes bordering the river essentially play the same way...the only memorable par 4 is the 7th...the par 5's on this course are especially boring, with the possible exception of 17...the par threes are ok, notably the 9th, 14th, and 18th

also, a lot of holes have elevated greens and/or forced carries to the greens (4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18), and the river runs on the right hand side of a lot of the holes, so if you are a beginner/hacker/slicer, you will have a tough time scoring well on the course, despite the relatively low slope of 115

played this course saturday...our tee time was for 1:15, but we didn't tee off until past 1:30...there were still two groups behind time-wise...and play was slow...we only got to 15, and that was only after the group ahead of us disappeared for the back nine

greens were green, but bumpy...maybe not super bumpy, but just enough to drive you crazy...they need to roll the greens more often...

fairways are somewhere between decent and ok...same with tee boxes

a suggestion...find another course in the area on weekends...pace of play is slow, and the tee times get backed up...this happens quite often here, esp on weekends...it seems the pro shop favors certain groups of players and gives them preferential treatment when it comes to teeing off

played this course for the first time today...was in the first group off this morning...ran into some fog, which made it even harder to know where to hit it...if you've never played this course, make sure you go with someone who has played it before

playing conditions - pretty good...tee boxes are in excellent shape...greens are firm and FAST...as a matter of fact, these greens are some of the fastest ive ever putted on...like cheeseburger said below, stay below the hole...if youre putting from above the hill, youre screwed...managed to avoid the sand my entire round, so cant comment on it...fairways are not lush, but not thin...and some are better than others....the fairway on hole 6 was pretty torn up, but the rest are in decent shape

as for the layout...this course is very challenging...virtually every hole has forced carries...some of up to 200 yards from the blues...tons of elevation changes...well guarded greens...you're not going to find even one of your typical "muni" holes here...in short, you need to have a solid all around game, or you'll lose balls here all day

one last note...there are some stunning and/or intimidating views on this course....holes 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 are just stunning

p.s. if youre a heavy set guy, share a cart with a lighter guy, or your cart will die going up all the hills

played early this morning...found an online discount for $45, which i thought was a great deal since regular green fees are $90

even considering the discount, i don't think the round was worth $45...

lets start with the good...the scenery and views are top notch...there was some fog this morning, but once it cleared, the views were great...the tee boxes are in excellent shape...

for the mixed bag...greens are very firm and very fast, but you can see occasional ball mark damage...the golfers who have been playing this course regularly do NOT know how to fix ball marks properly, and it shows on several greens...

now for the bad...the fairways and rough are in terrible shape...virtually every hole has bare spots, large patches of mud and dirt, and parts of the rough are just mud...do not believe the pictures on their website...the conditions of the rough and fairways there right now is flat out bad

my advice...give it at least two weeks, maybe even a month or more, depending on how quickly they fix the damage, before you consider playing this course...

if you dont mind the dirt and mud, and dont mind moving the ball around to better lies on the fairway, then the internet specials may be worth it for you...like i said above, the tee boxes and greens are in decent shape...

but otherwise...give it some time, because when this course recovers from whatever happened to it, it will no doubt be top notch...the potential is there, but its just not good right now...kind of like a pretty girl with a hot bod, but has an acne outbreak or rashes or something...sorry if that sounds sexist

played friday, 11/16/07...were the first group out on the course at 6:00...course is in great shape...rough, fairways, and tee boxes are in terrific shape...the sand was wet in some of the bunkers, but that can be expected at that time in the morning, and even though it was wet, it was soft...a few of the greens had some bare spots...noticeably, holes 2 and 18, but it was towards the fringe, and didn't really affect my round...also, the grounds crew were working on it, so they should be fine in a little while...

this was my first time playing the course, and i loved it...its a course for all players...eminently playable for mid-handicappers from the whites, but a beast from the tips...i liked how a lot of the holes had risk reward elements...also, many of the holes had large bailout areas and welcoming landing areas for errant drives or safe-play tee shots, but it would leave you with longer approaches into tough greens...

all in all, a great and fun course to play...too bad its so far from south orange county...

played here yesterday 11/12/07...tee boxes, fairways, and greens are in pretty good shape...a few greens are bumpy, presumably from recent aeration, but otherwise pretty good...medium speed...in general, the rough was in good shape, but there were some thin spots...not too bad, though...

was a bit disappointed they had holiday rates, considering veteran's day was sunday, but what can you do?

Played today (11/09/07) with a 12:55 tee time. Course was in pretty good shape. I did not encounter a lot of the mud problems the previous poster described. Some greens were a bit bumpy, but otherwise rolled pretty well. Good pace of play too.