One of those days when the stars aligned perfectly and every little detail just worked out. I'm speaking of a quick online glance only to find a perfect twosome (played with a buddy of mine) at a perfect time on a great course like Rancho Park and get it for $25. Seriously. $25.

We played from the blue tees and both wanted to walk anyway so it worked out great. We had a noon tee time and found the most unbelievable sweet spot where we never really waited on a single hole, nor did we ever have the group behind us push in any fashion. And at the end of the round we had finished in exactly four hours. At Rancho Park. On a busy day. Heck, even the snack shop on the 12th tee box was open.

Greens are just fantastic right now. I'm talking everything from their fast speeds, to their true rolls and their acceptance of well-struck approach shots or chips/pitches. I had a pretty great putting day with only 28 putts for the round and a lot of that was due to feeling very confident whichever line and pace I decided upon, the ball was going to do exactly what I hoped for. Just tremendous.

The rest of the course is also in very good shape with the fairways being mostly good to very good with the occasional thinner lie here or there, while the rough is nice and playable in most spots. If there was any gripe it may be some of the bunkers felt a good bit on the thin side meaning some bunker splashes went a bit longer than hoped for. The tee boxes were mostly in good shape with a few either a bit thin or a bit hardpan, but nothing terrible at all.

There was no cart service around (rarely is at Rancho) but there's a very nice little bar/snack shop by the driving range right now as they continue construction work on the clubhouse. And of course, the POP again was excellent so definitely happy about that.

Just an all-around super day at Rancho and happy to have been gifted such a fine experience. I only wish that I would have played the 18th hole better and beaten my personal best there.

My monthly golf group secured four tee times at Los Verdes this past weekend on a crisp but clear Saturday morning with a 10am first tee time. Our $96 'deal' included carts and range balls for each participant.

Overall the course is in good shape right now and the greens remain as devilish as ever - maybe faster and more intimidating than I ever remember them. Speeds were crazy fast, breaks near impossible to read and chips and approach shots rolled off all day long. Pin positions were also not super friendly so it made for a very exciting day on the greens, but from a quality perspective they are excellent.

Fairways had good coverage with some thin areas here and there, while the rough was a mixed bag of tall, short, thin and dirt/moss mayhem. You're going to get a little bit of everything out there. Tee boxes were in good shape (we play the white tees with this group) and the bunkers had pretty optimal sand levels near the greens but played pretty thin from the fairways - which is I guess is not the worst thing.

We had cart service numerous times throughout the day but the POP was just dreadful. Was it our first group out there? Perhaps, but they also mentioned the groups in front of them were pretty slow, but I always noticed a decent gap so I'm going to blame this week's poor pace on my friends. It took around five and a half hours to get through the round so that's just simply way too much.

On a side note, the new fencing around the green on 15 is a real bummer. It used to be wide open facing out into the blue of the Pacific, but now, because a bunch of dummies enjoyed hitting balls down the hill towards the residences, it now looks like a Top Golf and there's nothing nice about it at all. When you look at old pictures of the 15th green it looks like you're about to dive into the ocean. Now it's just a backstop and it really stinks.

I had an absolutely terrible round but it had nothing to do with course conditions as this local gem finds itself to be in pretty optimal shape all things considered. Go check it out.

Got another treat this past weekend when one of my buddies snagged an 8am foursome at Harding on Sunday. The weather forecast looked fairly bleak in terms of high winds and cold temperatures, but luckily both were quite manageable throughout the day with only bursts of gusts or icy winds that chilled the bones. We all walked to try and keep the circulation going.

In short, the course is in really good shape right now and it's a must-play if the opportunity arises. Greens are actually quite fast which took a while to sort out speeds, but they're rolling very nicely right now and may even require your absolute best chips and pitches to stay close. Fairways are in good shape all across the board - they're not super lush private course of course, but they're great with all the traffic this Muni gets. Rough is very playable and fun. Tee boxes (played the blue tees) were in good shape - flat and level, while the bunkers were maybe the only disappointment feeling pretty thin and making sand shots a little terrifying.

Didn't see any cart service all day but the POP was exceptional as I'm imagining the weather report scared a few groups off or just made everyone want to get through the round faster to get back into their warm and cozy cars. We were walking up the 18th fairway at around 12:20 so to finish Harding in 4:20 on a Sunday was pretty great.

So if you're a fan of this course and have maybe waited to hear some good news about it before returning, now is the time to go. You won't be disappointed.

Jumped on a last minute online time for El Dorado this past week and was accompanied by two friends and joined by a single with an 11:20 tee time. Unfortunately there were some issues ahead of the round that meant we didn't start until closer to 11:45 and were at great risk of not finishing the round due to Cart Path Only rules in place.

Fortunately we did get to the 18th green with the last light of the day and were able to finish, but it was pretty touch and go. All that being said, the course itself did not disappoint in the least. El Dorado has reclaimed its place as the true gem of the Long Beach courses. The routing is fun and interesting, the tall tree corridors and strategic bunkers and water features make it extremely challenging, and it still retains a nice fun factor that makes most rounds played here very enjoyable.

Greens were in good shape for sure, rolling quite nicely and at medium-fast speeds. They're well kept at present time and held shots quite well, too. The tee boxes were mostly in fine shape but there were the odd one or two that were a bit sloped. Bunkers had good sand in them and the fairways and rough were quite lush and playable ... still a few water-soaked areas for sure after the midweek rains, but nothing too awful. Found nice lies all afternoon and really enjoyed the round.

Unfortunately the snack shop between #2 and #3 (or #14 and #15) was closed all day which was a surprise, and there was no cart service all day, but there is a nice and convenient outdoor snack stand by the driving range when making the turn. POP was not great of course but most of that had to do with CPO conditions - never ideal but sometimes understandable.

It seems much tougher to get times at El Dorado over the last few years so I was very happy to snag this one late and you should do the same if it shows up when you're searching for tee times. It's really pretty optimal right now.

Played a New Year's Day round with Mattias at Hansen Dam after getting a late tee time online two days previous. We had an 11:30 tee time and played from the blue tees with two singles who were good fun to accompany us. We rode and honestly the cart was a shambles!

Course conditions are pretty good across the board right now with everything being 'pretty good' to 'good' and nothing being 'terrible' or 'outstanding.' The greens are in good shape and roll nicely and even pretty quick but a few too many ball marks out there for any golfer's liking. Fairways were in good shape but still a lot of water-logged sections that have not dried out yet after the rains (luckily it was not CPO). Rough was totally playable and I was not in any bunkers but did not hear too many complaints. Tee boxes were good enough - flat and decent coverage.

There was no cart service at any point during the entire day and the usually convenient snack shop window at the turn is now closed so you have to go inside ... not necessarily a big deal but won't do much to help the POP. And speaking of POP, we actually moved pretty nicely and finished the round in about four and a half hours. No complaints there, especially on a gorgeous winter SoCal afternoon.

I enjoy this layout still with the exception of the 10th and 11th holes which are some of the worst you'll find in the LA area, but hey - just have to get through it. Both 'closing' holes on the front and back nines are quite good, as are many in-between. It's a good, solid track that isn't going to 'wow' you for weeks afterwards, but you'll probably not mind coming back sometime soon.

Quick recent Skylinks review ... played blue tees and a greens fee with cart was $73. POP was quite good for the day getting done in around four hours and 15 minutes.

Greens are in good shape but must have been recently micro-punched around the edges only - very strange to see that, but didn't affect putts much at all as they rolled and held shots well. Bunkers were pretty good and the fairways are good, not great, but the rough is good.

Only real gripe are the very shaggy tee boxes ... in dire need of a cut. No big deal when using the driver but anything less than with either short or no tees is problematic. Other than that though, course is in pretty good shape.

Played Westridge this past weekend with my monthly golf group and was terrified to have another water-logged, rain-soaked and unkempt course to deal with which is what happened the last time we played here early in 2023.

Thankfully, despite still being CPO all afternoon), the course had dried out far better and there were actual fairways this time around instead of an extension from the rough all the way across the landing areas. This is not to say that there weren't still some wet or damaged areas, but nowhere near as bad as the expectation.

POP was pretty atrocious as we had an incredibly slow group in front of us, yet the marshall seemed to want to spend more time watching us hot on their heals all day. It was frustrating because we should not have had to rush the 18th hole with the darkness descending if the groups ahead of us had moved efficiently (we had an 11:30 tee time FTR).

We played from our customary white tees for this group and I was amazed at just how short this course plays, especially now that I have driver back in my bag. I think I only busted out the big dog on six or seven holes. But the layout is still pretty fun and Westridge has one of the tightest uphill par 5s you'll ever play on the front nine (depending on which way they switch the nines - always seems to depend on the day).

Greens were in good shape with some ball marks here or there but rolling pretty well and holding shots. Nothing too crazy. Some of the tee boxes were a little banged up and lacking proper grass but not the end of the world, and some of the bunkers still had standing water but even those that didn't were a bit too thin for great sand shots. Fairways definitely had some benefits from the rain and the rough was thick but not too penal.

It's not a bad course at all but I certainly hope the next time I find myself here it will actually be a warm, dry and sunny day because I always seem to come here just days after the Heavens open up.

Always great to knock another course off the dreaded 100+ list and today I got to accomplish that at Tustin Ranch. Almost nine years to the day from the first and only time I ever played this course, shot 116 and never been back since, so today was fun Christmas Day payback.

I didn't remember much about the layout but found it to be very compelling, quite challenging and very rewarding. There's a lot of water in play, bunkers aren't overwhelming in number but strategic in nature, and lengths can vary significantly regardless whether a par 3 or 4. It keeps throwing some new wrinkles at you with each hole, but never gets carried away.

Conditions were mostly quite good, but certainly some post-rain muddy areas that could have used some GUR stakes. There were mostly good to very good lies all day but common landing areas on holes showed a lot more wear and tear and unfilled divots. But again, a minor complaint. Greens were showing a few too many ball marks (again, post-rain) for a 'premium' course, but they ran nicely and some are devilishly tiered and banked.

What was great? The rough, most of the tee boxes and the sand was super fine and hit great bunker shots all day after landing in a lot of them. We played from the blue tees and outside of one or two they were absolutely fine.

We had cart service numerous times throughout the day and that was great, however the (understandable but still frustrating) Cart Path Only rule for the day took some of the fun out of it because you invariably use the 'wrong' club at least a few times per round because you don't want to walk the half hour back to your cart after you realize you do in fact need a bit more loft or distance. That's just always an eye-roller.

But overall this place leaves a far better taste in my mouth than my first experience nine years ago, although I do think this course is pretty overpriced when I see normal weekend prices (we paid much less today for some reason - is Christmas Day not usually crowded?) online or anywhere else. But for today's rate, and a really gorgeous sunny day, it was all well worth it. If it weren't such a haul I'd go again next weekend.

Unbelievably great day out at Desert Willow's Firecliff 18 for Saturday's GK Event where I played with Rob and the Pisarskis on a picture perfect early winter afternoon. The cooler temperatures that were expected really stayed in check and with an 11:20 tee time we got the absolute peak of the perfect weather.

Check-in was easy and very accommodating, then met up with the boys on a pretty useful and nice driving range. Hit some putts on the ample practice green, and off we went, playing from the purple tees with David playing from the whites. What an absolute treat lay before us.

Tee to green, just perfect. I mean you can't really ask for better conditions on a public course. The fairways were very lush, so much in fact that we got less than expected rollout, but they were absolutely pure to hit from when in the fairway. The rough ate up a lot of balls that may have been heading into the desert, so that's great, but it's a dense forest to hit from so very challenging but beautiful all the same. Tee boxes? Level, lush and perfect. I was in plenty of bunkers and never had any issues with the nice sand.

Greens were definitely very tough and the greenskeeper was absolutely hell-bent on making every GKer out there work for it. Super tough pin positions right on ridges or even on downslopes made putting very difficult, but I was lucky enough to roll in a lot of long ones on the day as the speeds were quite good and mostly consistent throughout the day. They held good shots well but punished any flyers with a lot of roll. But ultimately, just a joy to play.

We had amazing cart service no less than five or six times throughout the round, which is tremendous. POP was also pretty darn good but of course you're at a GK Event so it's the last of your worries, but everything moved along very nicely.

It had been a few years since I played this gem and I'm so glad that I made the same-day drive back and forth to experience Desert Willow in all its early winter pomp. This place just gets it right time after time and no doubt it's one of the best public golf experiences you're going to experience just about anywhere at this time. Don't miss it.

As much as I would love to gush about the PGA West Pete Dye Mountain course, it's unfortunate that I won't be able to do that after playing there this week. We had an 11:30 tee time on a gorgeous, sunny afternoon, but even that couldn't make up for some of the deficiencies we faced throughout the round.

Please bear in mind that it's the weight of expectations (and the value for the price) that is responsible for much of this review. Current conditions here at any LA Muni would be praised and celebrated, but when you come to a course with this one's reputation, its price and its designer - you simply expect more.

To put it simply the front nine is a bit hit or miss in terms of design, but it appears to still be having drainage issues from the hurricane a few months back, and that is impacting mud zones, bare spots and a general thinness to the fairways. There were a few GUR areas as well in bad spots. The rough was good. A few of the tee boxes certainly had some issues when it came to being level and/or lush, while the greenside bunkers were actually in pretty good shape, but the waste bunkers off the fairways had lots of rocks in them and I'll never quite understand those large waste bunkers in the middle of fairways and part of the cart path.

The greens? Well, they were inconsistent. They took funny turns. They were generally fast and hard as rocks and didn't hold shots amazingly well. But it was really the inconsistent speeds and breaks that made it a frustrating afternoon for many in my group. Personally I adjusted well to them but I saw so many questionable moves on the ball that it was impossible not to take notice.

We did have cart service many times during the day, the range is nice and there are lots of water and ice machines along the routing. No complaints there, but the POP definitely did leave a little to be desired as the two groups in front of us were in no particular hurry and it definitely had an impact while waiting for tee shots.

The last five holes here are really where the reputation is earned, and to be fair those were really fun to play, even as the sun dipped below the mountains and the temperatures dropped pretty significantly. But unfortunately that just didn't make up for all the rest of the inadequacies that we experienced. And just to be clear once again, this 'poor' review is only in relation to the near $200 greens fee and reputation for a Pete Dye course. You can definitely play it but I think it's still a ways from being at its best and with so many other options in the area, I'm not sure I will be in any rush to come back anytime soon.

Out in the desert this week for a few days and first stop is the always good Marriott's Shadow Ridge. I have always been quick to praise this great facility but right now it's quite literally in the best shape from tee to green that I've ever seen it. It's tremendous.

Fairways are lush and just perfectly maintained - not a single bad like all day. The rough is thick and lush but also still playable, while the tee boxes are perfectly set up, level and a pleasure to hit from (we played the green tees). Bunkers have very good sand in them as well and consistent throughout.

The greens are tremendous right now. Just as close to perfect as you can get. They roll beautifully, no pitch marks anywhere, they're fast but fair and they hold good shots well but make you really work hard on your chips to get into the right spot. But overall, just fantastic.

We caught the most beautiful and warm early winter day as well without any wind, so really couldn't ask for more. We had cart service throughout the day, and the POP was perhaps a little on the slow side due to the groups in front of us, but it was hardly a bother when playing in perfect conditions all around. Nothing can really bring you down on a day like this.

The course is an absolute value for the greens fee and you're not going to find better conditions anywhere in the desert right now, although I'm looking forward to the Desert Willow GK Event this weekend to see if it can give Shadow Ridge a run for its money!

Quick review on Lakewood this past weekend ... caught a 9:20am tee time late online the day before and played from the blue tees walking with a buddy. Pretty outstanding day out there in terms of weather and the POP moved pretty good throughout the day but did have a few waits here and there.

Course conditions are quite good but there was just an explosion of bird poop on a lot of the greens and surrounding the green complexes. But if your line was clear, putts were moving nicely at medium-fast speeds and holding greens well. Fairways and rough in mostly good shape with a few thin spots here and there. Bunkers were not great - a lot with standing water in them and mostly just clumpy and not soft - far from ideal. Tee boxes were good.

Fun course and a good challenge, especially with the blue tees as far back as they were this past weekend. Can't recall any cart service throughout the day but there is a nice little snack shop at the turn (and the third hole). A fun facility and a course I always enjoy playing when it's a good POP like this one.