Walked Eagle's Talon with a couple of friends yesterday morning, and enjoyed a very solid round. We teed off right on time at 7:30, and walked as a 3 some in about 3:45, behind a 2 some in a cart that was taking their time just a little bit, but definitely not too much. Greens here are very good, only the occasional bump with a few unrepaired pitch marks. They're punching next week, so they'll need a little bit to recover. Fairways are decent, still pretty wet in several places but it is late March in the northwest. Rough is really long and lush, at times you'll need help finding your ball, and it can be very hard work to get out of if it sits down. Traps looked ok, but I was fortunate enough to miss them all. Tee boxes remain the weakest facet of the conditions, a few aren't very healthy, many aren't very flat either. A little too much divot damage on some of the 3s and short 4s.

The range is still closed, I asked in the shop and they're hopeful of reopening that in the first week or so in April. Customer service is always pretty good here, the marshal came by a couple of times and was keeping things moving just fine. He didn't have to work too hard at that, as they're not on the composite course anymore and both full courses are open which had players spread out a little more than my last visit or two here. It was nice to play some of the holes that have been closed again, but I'm still pretty happy they were closed as they're still the wettest parts of the property. This was the last round I'll get at the winter card rate of $32, and it was very much worth it.

Played at Willows this morning, walking their composite course in about 4:30. Would much rather play a bit quicker than that considering we teed off right on time at about 7:30, but overall the waits weren't too bad. Conditions were pretty solid, greens were smooth at a medium pace, and getting quicker over the course of the round as it got a little bit warmer. A few of them had a few too many ball marks to repair, but I've definitely experienced worse. Fairways were ok for mid March in the northwest, wet spots were very wet but the good spots were very nice. Winter rules posted at the starter's shack, but I found myself only need to pick the ball up to clean it once or twice over the course of the round. Rough is thick and healthy, if the ball sat up you could get a nice lie, if it sat down you had to really gouge it out. I found the greenside bunker on # 7, and it had a nice layer of soft sand on top of a firm base. Tee boxes remain the weakest part of the course, the par 3s (and most of the short 4s) had tons of divot damage, and several aren't very flat.

Customer service in the pro shop solid as always, but for the month of March the driving range is closed. I'm not sure what they're doing with it, but improvements certainly won't hurt. It isn't the worst range by any stretch, but I'm all for upgrades. Greens on Eagle's Talon will be punched March 28th and 29th, and on Coyote Creek April 4th and 5th so now is a good time to play the place.

Played my first round of the year yesterday at Willows Run, and had a decent time. Weather's been really terrible for golf for the last month (a ton of snow between Christmas a New Year, then lots of rain right after that) so it been quite a while since I'd been able to get out. I had pretty low expectations because of all that weather, and I was instead pleasantly surprised. The morning started foggy, but T the course it cleared pretty quickly, and was actually able to use the laser rangefinder by the 3rd or 4th hole. Greens were way better than I thought they'd be, they rolled pretty true at a medium pace. They were definitely soft, and holding shots very well. Fairways are pretty wet (no way around that right now) but most of them were playable. Rough is long and healthy, and in many spots it is quite a challenge to find your ball. Tee boxes were normal for here, not as flat or healthy as I'd like them to be but still playable. Bunkers were pretty good, with the exception of the greenside bunker on #17 of the composite course (#8 of Coyote Creek). They've made that bunker much smaller than it used to be, but still haven't updated the actual sand in it like they have in many of the other bunkers.

The place is limiting play to their "composite" course right now (1-11 of Eagle's Talon, 3-9 of Coyote Creek) and like that layout. Works out to a decent par 72, and keeps play off of the absolute worst draining parts of the property. From the parking lot I could see both course's 18th holes, and they look horrendous right now, I was so glad to not have to play one of them. Service in the shop was very nice as always. With the Winter Card I paid $37 to walk with a small bucket to warm up with, and it was well worth it.

Played Willows Run - Eagle with a buddy this morning walking in about 3:50 as the second group out. We played as a two, with a four in front of us that played at a really quick pace which was very nice. It's been raining hard here in the northwest all week, and the course is definitely feeling it. Greens weren't too bad actually, just pretty slow with all the water they had. They did pick up a tiny bit of pace as the day wore on (no rain while we played today, thankfully) but were a little bumpy. Fairways are ridiculously soaked, no roll to be had and plenty of standing water. A few of them were reasonable and others were terrible, number 16 is borderline unplayable. I'm really looking forward to them switching from the two courses to their composite course, as that'll keep play off of the wettest parts of the course. Rough is really lush and long, tough to get out of and not impossible to lose a ball in. Tee boxes are ok, but traps are really compact. I didn't actually find any thankfully, but they look pretty miserable to play out of. For the winter card rate of about $32 to walk, still a pleasant way to spend the morning.

I’m in southern Oregon with the family for the last summer vacation this year, and I managed to sneak in a round at Pacific Dunes. I asked a friend who had played here which course to play if I only had time for one, and this is the one he recommended. And I’m totally satisfied with the choice.

Conditions throughout were just phenomenal. Tee boxes were very flat, with no significant divot damage, even on the par 3 holes. Fairways were very firm, offering tons of roll and a great surface to hit from. There’s a little bit of rough off the fairways, that can be very tough, or not a problem at all, really a roll of the dice. The fairways here are very wide, so I didn’t find rough very often. If you stray really wide and go into the gorse, it’s a guaranteed lost ball. Bunkers are deep and punishing, with very heavy sand. The sand in the few that I found was very consistent, although unfortunately a couple weren’t very well raked. Greens were very pure, rolling super smooth and very quick. Shots into them didn’t hold very well for me as they were super firm. Even hitting a high, well struck wedge would release, and not leave much of a ball mark. Very tough greens to read as well, lots of subtle breaks.

The layout is really awesome, lots of holes that shouldn’t be too tough, and some that I would think always are. Wind wasn’t much of a factor in the beginning of the round, but picked up a bit over the day. I shudder to think of how a seriously windy day (like there was here a few days ago) would make the course insanely tough. Every hole is really nice to look at as well, not just the ocean side ones. And man, those ocean side holes are just amazingly jaw droppingly gorgeous.

Customer service was very good, check in was easy and it’s a quick shuttle ride over to the practice area to warm up. If I were staying here I could see spending an entire day just practicing and really having fun. Perfect all grass driving range, a massive putting green, and a really nice chipping green available as well. I’m sure there’s more than one bunker for practice as well, I just didn’t bother looking for them. I had Brian as a caddie, and he was very helpful, and a very pleasant kid working towards the Evans Scholarship. If I were to play here again, and I hope I do someday, I’d definitely spring for the caddie again, the help is so worth it. I was really worried that I was going to be hung up on the price tag for the day, and that I would be feeling like I wasn’t getting much value (I paid the rack visitor rate of $345, plus $100 for the caddie, plus gratuity). In the end though it was absolutely amazing and totally worth it.

Walked the blue tees this morning at Coyote Creek with a friend and had a really nice time. Greens are very good right now, holding shots pretty well and rolling pretty true, at a medium pace. Fairways are in rough shape at the moment, some of them will give you a great lie, but there's quite a few dead spots out there. Unfortunately a good ball of the tee can find some of those spots on a few holes. Rough is pretty good, long in some places but usually not too tough. We didn't find any sand, so I can't really comment on the bunkers. Tee boxes remain a bit inconsistent, not always flat, and some of the short holes have quite a bit of divot damage. Customer service in the shop and restaurant after the round was excellent as always. I had a really good time, but I think due to the issues we found in a few of the fairways I'd try to play their other course here for the next few weeks. Still worth it in my opinion.

I spent a nice long weekend at Suncadia Resort with the family and played their Rope Rider course on Friday morning, teeing off right on time at 7:30 am. This was the first time I'd played this course (I had played their other course once years ago) and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Greens rolled really smooth, and were very firm and not really holding any of my shots like I expected. Over the first few holes they actually felt a little slow, but the wind was blowing, and as the sun started drying them out the pace picked up quite a bit. I definitely had trouble adjusting, I found myself fairly confused for the bulk of the day. Fairways gave plenty of roll, and were very nice to hit from. Rough wasn't too long, and generally not too difficult. If you strayed far enough into the woods, you could have some trouble finding your ball. Tee boxes (we played the white tees) were great, very level with little to no divot damage. I found one fairway bunker that had nice even sand. The layout is really quite nice, there's plenty of room off the tee but most greens have some protection. With how firm they are, you really do need to hit a good shot to hold them. With a 1 to 2 club wind it was definitely a solid, fair challenge.

The 2 courses here each have their own clubhouse, about a mile apart. So while there is no range at this course, they have a nice range at their other course and you can warm up there for free if you like. I had gone to do that, but unfortunately they didn't have any balls out yet and I didn't want to have to rush to get to the other course on time so I skipped hitting balls before the round. At Rope Rider they do have a very nice, large putting green, and a short 3 hole course you can use as a warm up. The holes there are pretty short, you won't hit more than a full wedge. Saw the beverage cart a couple of times, and also had an excellent breakfast burrito at the turn.

Suncadia Resort is a really nice place, it was awesome to get in a good round of golf yet still be able to do some other fun stuff with the family. If you only want to golf, it'd be a great place to do 36 in a day. It is a little bit pricey, but definitely worth it.

Played the blue/white combo tees at The Home Course this past Saturday, July 3rd, and had a decent time. Conditions are very good right now, greens roll much better than the last time I was here, pretty smooth at a medium pace. They're holding shots pretty well too. Fairways can be thin here, but right now they felt much healthier. I don't think I could call them lush, but they were pleasant to hit from, and gave tons of roll. The rough is cut down, and not too much of a penalty. If you stray real far off line, there's some tall native grass areas where it is very easy to lose a ball. Tee boxes and bunkers are solid as well. Customer service in the shop and at the turn was very good. The only downside to the day was the pace of play, we teed off a minute or two after our 7:35 am tee time, and it took about 4:40 to finish the round with waiting on most every tee box. Conditions almost make up for it, but I feel like if I'm teeing off that early, I really should be able to get the round in a lot closer to 4 hours than 5. Still worth it, but I might make my next round there during the week if I can sneak away from the office for a day.

Walked the blue tees on Coyote Creek yesterday with a couple of good friends and really enjoyed it. With the heat and dry weather, the course is playing very firm and fast. Greens rolled nicely, and only hold well struck shots. When coming in from the rough, I got a lot more release than expected. Fairways and rough are both in good shape and pleasant to hit from. The rough isn't too difficult to get out of, but long enough to make you work a bit harder. I didn't find any bunkers, but they all look much improved from the last time I played this course. Tee boxes can still be a bit uneven, but the divot damage wasn't too bad. Customer service in the pro shop and restaurant was excellent.

While visiting family this week in Bullhead I was able to get out and play Mojave Resort early in the morning on Monday and Tuesday, teeing off around 6 or 6:30 each day. Conditions are really good, especially considering how hot it gets here. Greens rolled really nicely with just the occasional bump at a medium speed. They’re pretty firm, I found that my shots weren’t making very deep pitch marks, and any club longer than an 8 iron or so would release a fair bit for me. Fairways gave lots of roll out, and provided a really nice surface to hit from. Rough wasn’t too long and not really a penalty. Tee boxes were solid as well. Bunkers are greatly improved compared to when I was here last a couple of years ago. Splash shots near the greens are possible now, and the fairway bunkers really are a penalty, if you don’t pick it clean you’ll pay. Getting out early made the pace real quick, we got around in about 3:30 as a threesome both days. There’s a nice grass driving range to warm up(included with the green fee), and a good practice green that matched the course greens pretty well. Service in the pro shop and at the bar was excellent. If you’re in this neighborhood and ready to play some golf I really don’t think you can do any better.

Walked Eagle's Talon this past Saturday (6/12/2021) and had a really good time. Teed off right on time with our 7:39 tee time, and finished the round in just a hair over 4 hours, waiting just a tiny bit here and there. Conditions are very solid in just about every aspect. Greens rolled quite nicely, with just an occasional bump, at a medium to quick pace. Fairways and rough are excellent right now. Tee boxes for the most part are reasonable, a couple of the recently updated ones are a bit thin, but at least they're in their proper spots. The par 3's that were playing from mats (no. 7, no. 9) are now at proper distances. A couple of the others have a little bit of divot damage. Bunkers are decent with nice heavy white sand, and they even have rakes now. Customer service in the pro shop, halfway house, and restaurant excellent as always. The rack rate can feel a little steep, but its definitely worth it.

Walked the white tees yesterday early morning and enjoyed the round a lot. My buddy and I teed off about 10 minutes before our 7:12 am tee time and got around in about 3:30 never waiting and never pushed. There was a pretty consistent light rain falling for the whole round, which probably kept a lot of people at home.

Conditions were pretty good, fairways and rough are really nice. Greens look pretty terrible, but rolled decently, medium pace with an occasional bump. A little bit firmer than normal as it has been pretty dry for the northwest over the last couple of weeks. Bunkers are very good, although I really do miss the rakes. Tee boxes in general aren't very good, but some of the worst ones are actually closed now, and being re-built, which makes me pretty happy. It does kind of break the two par 3 holes on the front 9 (nos. 7 and 9) to hit off of mats from about 90 yards out, but it should be worth it in the long run as those 2 tee boxes have always been very chewed up.

Driving range is always hitting off of mats, but they are covered from the rain and in reasonable shape. There's also a decent chipping green, and a very big practice putting green that matched the pace of the greens on the course very closely yesterday. Customer service is always good here, and the breakfast burrito after the round was very good too. All in all a very nice way to spend a Saturday morning.