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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.
9 Likes.
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.
7 Likes.
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.
11 Likes.
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.
9 Likes.
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.
10 Likes.
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.
12 Likes.
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.
12 Likes.
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!
14 Likes.
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.
11 Likes.
Played a Thanksgiving morning round with a buddy of mine after getting a late online time for Rancho Park at 9:20am through teeoff.com. Thrilled to get such a good time on this course and paid $68 for greens fee and cart.

The course is in good shape right now from tee to green with the greens being the most definite highlight. They are really running nicely right now, holding shots pretty well and most lines stay true, running pretty quick to be honest. Did not even see any glut of pitch marks which was pretty wonderful.

The fairways are in good, not necessarily great shape. Rough is absolutely playable and sometimes provides just a little better surface than many popular landing areas in the fairways where the coverage is good, but just sometimes a little too thin for my liking. We played from the blue tees and the tee boxes were level and had mostly good coverage, but there were some with some bare spots. Bunkers were in decent to good shape depending on where you landed.

They must have recently opened a bar area right near the very popular driving range, so that was interesting to see. Looks like they're taking a cue from Penmar with that addition. Unfortunately we did not see any cart service all afternoon and the nice little snack shop at the 12th hole tee box was closed, so that was a bummer. What was not a bummer was a very good POP of around 4:15 which, at Rancho on a holiday, is crazy good. When we tee'd off, the group ahead of us was already a hole and a half ahead so we never waited all day, which is amazing to experience.

All in all it was a super fun round on a perfect late autumn afternoon and everything worked out to be giving thanks, indeed!
11 Likes.
Another quality golfing experience this past Friday out at Goose Creek for the GK event. I had the distinct pleasure of teeing it up with Johnny himself, along with Lindsay and Steve for a terrific foursome going out as the last group at 12:30pm.

As always, Goose Creek's warmup facilities are second to none, although unless I was doing something wrong I noticed the mats don't really work to hit driver as you can't use a proper tee? But the range itself and the putting and chipping areas are fantastic.

Course conditions were ideal and the weather not only held up for the entire day, it went nuts with near 80 degree temperatures under blue skies all afternoon. The fairways are in terrific shape, and the rough has some deep areas but was mostly playable. White sand bunkers as far as the eye can see and they play as great as they look. Tee boxes were (we played from the III tees) exemplary - not a single complaint.

Also found the greens to be in very solid shape. They held shots well, rolled true and held their lines quite nicely throughout the day. Speeds were perhaps a bit inconsistent but that's likely because they dried out so much after the previous day's rains. Just a terrific all around facility and conditions that are what you pray for every time you put your clubs in the car.

Always enjoy these outings and getting to meet some new GKers along with catching up with some of the long-time veterans. Will surely be at the next and will never pass up a good chance to play the Goose!
15 Likes.
Played a Sunday round at Brookside #1 with a buddy and the crew there were kind enough to cancel one in our group who bailed without any penalty (had tried calling numerous times the day before but no one answered because the course was closed for the UCLA football game at the Rose Bowl). We were paired with two singles then with a 9am tee time and opted to play from the whites.

Playing the day after a UCLA game is perhaps not ideal, but what was worse was the Rose Bowl flea market that turned the parking lot area into chaos. It also didn't help that the 9th hole was cut down to a makeshift par 3 (although we still played it further back as a driveable par 4) due to all the patrons around the stadium at the flea market. There were also some tables, porta-potties and other miscellaneous items scattered around the fairways on those holes in closer proximity to the RB. The rest were fine and only saw some light damage in a few fairways from over-zealous parkers.

In terms of conditions, the greens are really in nice shape right now. They're fast, they're true and they require some very good approach shots or chips/pitches to keep them not only on the greens, but close to the pins. I had a few get away from me for sure but they were at least consistent throughout. Tee boxes were in good shape with most level and all with good coverage, while the bunkers seemed fine as well (only landed in one on 18). The fairways were mostly in good shape with a few thin areas here or there. There's a sizeable GUR area to the right of the green on the 7th hole (also near the stadium).

POP was not so good unfortunately as we spent a lot of time waiting with the majority of that time sitting on the par 3 holes (no shock there). It was very deflating to get to the 17th hole and see one group on the green still with another waiting ahead of us to even tee off. It's a long and somewhat tricky course in places so I'm sure it's just a question of golfers biting off more than they can chew by playing the wrong tees.

Cart service came around numerous times and the carts themselves were basic but functional. Nothing to really complain about there. Beautiful, warm November day as well - perfect for golf! Very challenging layout and a great test of golf - they use this course for SCGQ qualifiers so you know it's a good one. I played a very solid round and enjoyed it immensely, but next time I'll probably remember to just make tee times here when college football is off the schedule.
10 Likes.
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