Played Saturday 05/09/15 at 8am. I played the sister course, the Santa Rosa the day before, see my review for details.

The course is in just about the exact same shape as the Santa Rosa, with everything above average. There was a 3-club wind most of the day which made things difficult, but still nice being on the course.

I'd recommend both of these Mountain Vista courses, with a slight preference to the Santa Rosa.

Even though I've been playing out in the desert area quite a bit for the last half a decade, I only recently discovered these two courses (Santa Rose and San Gorgonio). This was my first time out at the Santa Rosa and it did not disappoint.

Played Friday 05/08/15 at 8am as a single. I was paired with an older gentleman from Canada and it was just us two. He was a pleasure to play with we had a good time. We never saw anyone behind us and the threesome in front kept it moving, playing in 3.5 hours.

Tee boxes are excellent.
Fairways are excellent.
Rough is a little bit longer than the fairway and not very penal.
I wasn't in any sand traps but they looked well maintained.
The greens had a tinge of brown but rolled fairly well, although a couple of putts took a couple bounces.

Overall these two courses are pleasing to the eye and offer an open layout that still has lots of water features and not very many demanding shots. It won't provide the same challenge as say, SilverRock, but if you want an enjoyable day on a course in nice condition, this is a good place.

I think I slightly prefer this course to it's complex neighbor, the San Gorgonio.

Played twighlight on 04/16. Twighlight starts at 3pm, I came out after work, got right on, and tee'd off at about 4:05. I was able to finish, albeit just barely. Played in 3.5 hours. The people on the course really kept up the pace this afternoon which was really nice.

Course is another one of the "get what you get" type courses. Don't expect too much and be happy to be playing golf and you'll enjoy it.

Tee boxes are in good shape. No real complaints there. Decently lush with pretty flat lies everywhere.

Fairways are in good shape as well. Some thin and firm areas and the ball is running out pretty well on some holes.

Rough length varies but is usually very playable.

Sand traps are not well raked by fellow golfers and are firm with a thin top layer.

Greens are nearly fully recovered from the aerating and rolling slow and semi-true with a lot of bumpiness. Typical Alondra greens. They play like a thick, shaggy kind of carpet.

I have a soft spot for this course and $18 to walk for twighlight on a weekday is a pretty good deal.

Played Saturday 03/28 at 2pm for twighlight and walked.

The course is playing very "links" style right now. The tee boxes are decent and firm. The fairways are brown with some green and mostly dormant looking. They are firm and fast. Your ball rolls forever for better or worse. The sand traps were average, and the greens were rolling about medium speed. I've definitely seen them roll faster. I wouldn't say there was a lot of ball damage on the greens but it was noticeable for sure.

Pace of play was brutally slow at about 5 hours and 10 minutes, but it was a Saturday so no big shock there. This is still one of my favorite courses in the area because of how differently it plays than any other.

Played on Monday 3/23.

Buddy and I rolled in around 10am and put our names on the wait list for the south course. Went and ate at The Cottage, which was excellent. We were told to return at 1130 to check on our status. While we were putting on spikes in the parking lot at about 1115, our names were called off the wait list. We rushed over and were put third up on the tee. No time to roll any putts or hit any balls, but we were happy to get out.

As out of towners, we paid $200 each to ride. This is quite pricey, but we had wanted to play this course for a while.

I was pretty skeptical about how the course conditions were going to be. There have been a lot of negative things said in reviews on this site. I've played many courses with ocean views, such as Sand Piper, Los Verdes, Palos Verdes Golf Club, Pelican Hill, and Trump National LA. I'm a history buff, and with golf I appreciate history, so maybe that's why I enjoyed this course more than any of the aforementioned. It was a real treat.

I typically play the tips at most courses and can usually handle 7,000 yards, but this day I decided to play the whites which on this course are 6,600+ and it was a good decision. This course can play like a beast, especially with some wind, of which we had a 1-1.5 club wind. If you're not in the fairway your ball will get eaten by the rough and go NOWHERE, so the course can play long. Throw in the firmness of the greens and low trajectory shots will not hold. Anyway, I digress...

The tee boxes were excellent. Mowed fairly tight with great lies.

The fairways were absolute carpet. Mowed tight with great lies as well.

The bunkers were average. Definitely playable, but not pristine by any means. First one I played out of woke me up as it was a little firm, but I was expecting worse based on reviews. I ended up with three straight sand saves at one point in the round, so they couldn't be too bad.

The rough was by no means US Open rough, but it is a challenge. It is very sticky with both the ball and the club. Fairways have about a one-yard wide intermediate rough, which still provides a decent lie, and then the primary rough around the fairways and greens is dense and a little less than ankle high, and posed a fun challenge.

The greens were a treat. Very firm so only well struck shots, even from mid range, would hold. A decent wedge or short iron would hold, and I even backed up a couple shots. They were smooth and ran quite fast. I love the contours and challenge they provide from one hole to the next.

This is a long review, but it's because I enjoyed the experience so much. My buddy and I were lucky enough to be paired with a local who gave us a lot of local knowledge and insight. From green reads, to where the hidden par 5 tournament tee box is on #13.

Pace was right around 5 hours but we didn't mind. Staff was excellent.

There is some tee box and fairway divot damage, but it is expected with the volume of play they get here.

Played Sunday 3/22. This course never disappoints.

Customer service was excellent as always. Practice and warm up area is great. pace was great at just over 4 hours. My group stopped at the shop to grab food and beers at the turn to go. After the 10th hole, the Marshall told us we were falling behind pace. He was very polite and professional about it. My group picked it up and within a couple holes caught up to the group in front of us. The Marshall came back and thanked us! Unnecessary but very classy.

Ok on to the course. Tee boxes are very good, fairways are very good, sand traps are good, although some were pretty damp even around noon. The greens were excellent. They were rolling fast and true. There was some minimal ball mark damage but nothing too concerning.

I only wish I didn't live 80 miles from this course.

Played Saturday 3/21.

After seeing some improvements in reviews over the last several months, I decided to give Victoria a try after removing it from my rotation years ago.

In a nutshell, if you want nice greens and enjoy golf without high expectations, this course will satisfy you. If you're a Country Clubber who scoffs at bare areas in a fairway, stay away.

Here are more details of my experience:

I had a 9am tee time for a Saturday, and the tee was backed up and we got off about 40 minutes late. After about the second hole though, we hardly waited and the pace moved decently at about 4.5 hours. I walked and it was a pretty decent workout to do so.

Tee boxes are well covered and pretty good. The fairways are a mixed bag. Some have pretty good coverage, some have lots of dirt. I didnt find much issue with their playability though, and played "preferred lies." I'd say this is a course to enjoy a round of golf, maybe not for betting/competition. I wasn't in a bunker but watching my playing partners it looked like the sand was acceptable. The greens, as everyone knows, are the main attraction here. The practice green was running a bit faster, but the greens on the course were true, rolling a medium speed, and looking impressive without any damage or many ball marks.

This course won't be at the top of my list, but I'll return.

Played on Sunday 12-21-14 at 1230. Pace was quick on the front in about 2 hours or just under but slowed significantly on the back to about 2.5 hours at least.

I was a little disappointed with the course condition. It had been a week or so since the last heavy rainfall, but most of the course, especially the tee boxes, were extremely soft, bordering on soggy.

The tee boxes are nice and level, but there were many bare areas with damp, almost muddy dirt exposed.

The fairways were probably the best part of the course, as they were well covered with grass for a muni.

The rough was real thick in places, thin in some places, and muddy in others.

The greens were soft but rolled decently at an above medium pace. Unfortunately, like other local public courses, there was lots of ball mark damage from unrepaired ball marks which made them a little bouncy.

The sand traps had enough sand to be playable and were acceptable.

Played 11-11 at 0833. It was one of those days at Escena with 20 mph winds out of the west - so that's dead in your face on the opening par 5 hole, which is 611 yards from the tips but played closer to 800. But back to the important stuff...
Recently opened from overseeding and have 90° cart path rule. Tee boxes are a little shaggy but nice and level. Fairways are very good, and rough is very good and playable. The only sand I was in gave me a fried egg lie on the par 3 8th hole, but they seem to be in good condition. The greens were very nice but I was a little surprised at the number of unrepaired ball marks on them. The greens also had what I would call a "sticky" feel. Despite looking quick, they rolled quite slow.

Played on 11-10 at 0840. Course was crowded and the pace was slowish at just under five hours.

Course conditions are very good. Tee boxes are lush. A couple are not quite level from the Cimarron tees (the tips). He fairways are very nice but the grass is a little long, possibly due to the overseeding finishing only a few weeks ago. Rough is manageable, sand is nice and playable, and the greens are in spectacular shape. They roll smooth and true, but roll slower than they look.

I played here on Monday 06/2 and we went off about 0715. Course is in incredible condition. It is a real treat to view this course from the tee to green and it's almost immaculate. I played the tournament tees and it made the course a challenge. These tee boxes were so perfect I almost felt bad making any divots in them. The fairways are some of the best I've ever played. No complaints about the rough - which is not penal at all. The sand traps are well maintained and play as they should. The only semi-knock here are the greens, and that's because they're in the transition face from the winter grass to the summer grass. So the greens are looking a little brown but they were still firm, little to no ball mark damage, and they still rolled smooth as can be and medium-fast and closer to fast.

One of my new favorite courses in the desert area.

Played the Classic on 04/09 and tee'd off at 0745. Pace of play has never been an issue for me on this course during the week. I've finished in under 4.5 hours each of the last four times I've played this course the last two months.

The greens are in real fine shape and recovered well from the aeration, in fact, I couldn't tell it had been done. Smooth and true.

Fairways are in great shape and give some roll out. Bunkers are just plain good and well maintained for a muni.

Lots of trees and the rough can get thick so the penalty for missing a fairway is usually a forced punch back into the fairway.

Only complaint is a few tees are not very level and it can be tough to get a flat stance, mostly with the par 3's.