I know I just reviewed Alondra. But after having played it today since my last review the course has is even more dry and the greens are worse than before. They are slower and bumpy. There are strangely, spots on the course where the grass has grown quite thick. The course in its usual pattern will probably be in nasty shape until we can get more rain.

This is simply the best condition I have ever seen Rancho Park in. My only complaint is the one bunker I was in on No. 6 that didn't have enough sand in it. Undulating topography, large unforgiving trees, and doglegs where ball position is vital make this course more challenging than your typical muni course. I want to play here tomorrow!!!

On July 4th I went to practice and after hitting several chips realized how few people were teeing off. I took advantage and played instead of practice. The greens are still in good shape. The rest of the course is drying out. This is typical for July. I even saw cracks in the clay based soil. The July 4th festivities in the park were packed with people. The next day, today, I heard they might turn the golf course into an expanded from what there is now, park. If they do this public golf on a per capita basis would safe to say would be the worst in the nation. Seeing how crowded it was in the park, I see their point. But, to eliminate a revenue (even though it is down) producing facility would be a big mistake. Rancho Park and Los Verdes are still very crowded. Where would you go? Victoria, with its methane soaked fairways? Yeah right! Chester L Washington would turn into a Rancho Park. Weekday fees would soar to 45$ to walk. Keep Alondra open!!!!!

The contrast between good and bad out here is striking. Good:.The staff are very nice.Greens are med. fast and roll true. The fairways are outstanding. This is a great course to play if you are a junior golfer. You need shotmaking, accuracy, course management, and the chance to deal with well bunkered sloping greens. A low or mid handicapper here would defeat a low handicapper say at a Woodley Lakes or Encino almost every time. The Bad: The rough too thick. Maybe they are letting it grow for a tournament? The clientele are a bit odd. They are not nearly as friendly as the staff. Golf just takes too long out here in the afternoon. The traffic is horrible on the 110 going home. I will stick to Alondra even though it is not nearly the caliber off these two great courses.

These courses (Balboa Encino) are just close enough to my parents house that I don't quite go crazy sitting in traffic going to or from them. I have really enjoyed playing here on and off for the last several years. The greens, like now are in good shape. They are not fast. Balboa right now may be slightly faster than Encino. I rarely hit a bump on the green or find a bad lie in the fairway. It is easy to get out as a single. They have replay rates. The driving range is much much improved compared to about 2 years ago. They have an extensive chipping area and nice putting green. Even though both courses boast easy layouts you still have to golf your ball to score well.

I love these 2 courses. There is a perfect blend of difficulty and playability. The atmosphere here is so relaxing. The greens were awesome. They don’t break very much. I missed a lot of putts thinking the ball would break. If I have a complaint it would be the closely cut fairway and fringe surrounding the greens. You have to clip it just right to get solid contact. I used my putter a lot from off the green. The seniors, almost everybody, who probably like this to enable run up shots.

The Mountain View is definitely less demanding off the tee than Firecliff 18. There was a little disappointment with the greens today. They were a little dried out and hard. But I must admit the ball rolled surprisingly true. The rest of the course is in great shape. I was taking many large divots in the fairway and had to use a lot of sand for repairs. The club really can dig out here. Or was it my overly steep angle of attack. Yep, I need a swing lesson.

Wow this course gets a lot of play. Maybe because I played it on the weekend. Condition wise there is nothing spectacular. At the same time, there is nothing bad about the conditions . I found myself rating most everything a 6. One bunker needed some more sand, however. My club just bounced into the ball and not under it. This is not an easy course. Trees water and bunkers all come into play out here. If you can shape your ball flight all the better. The well bunkered greens and undulations on some of them really give this course a private club feel. There are party golfers, regulars, snobs and first timers that play here, especially on a weekend. The houses baordering the must have had famous people residing in them. Not anymore, some where vacant while others were in shambles. There are signs on the course describing this history.

After not having played this course since 1985, I found myself in awe at the span of time in between rounds at a golf course. The 2groups ahead of me were ignoramouses, but I didn’t care. I was taking the nostalgia in. I played it when the course was called, Winterwood. Back then the greens were awful. Today they were a 10!!!. They are slow but smooth with no blemishes. I found myself wondering if the grass is really real. The rest of the course while nice doesn’t match the caliber of the greens. It is the same pattern...houses(some are shacks)to desert to fairway to wash on almost every hole. The wash is nasty. The banks are steep. The grass on the banks is ugly. I hit a few that I thought were fine only to be swallowed by the wash. On several holes the fairway narrows to a sliver. Hybrids and fairway woods are needed off the tee. The course is harder than the 129 slope rating. I gave my Winterwood scorecard to the pro shop back where it originated. I still can’t believe those greens!!!

After not playing in the Vegas area in 21 years it was good to be back. I played Stallion Mountain due to their 30$ rate at 9:30 and the close proximity to The Club At Sunrise. On other websites this course got not so good reviews. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the conditions were and how enjoyable the course is. The greens are a bit slow. But they are nice as you get a true roll. With the exception of thin fairways due to cart traffic the course overall is in good shape. The back 9 is a little more demanding off the tee than front.

With a schedule change I was able to play one more time in Texas. This place is a golfers paradise if you like secluded courses. I loved it. The greens were almost fully recovered from being punched. The fairways and rough were Goose Creek like...superb condition. The course is very fair but lethal if you spray (like I did) it too far off line. On some holes there can be really tricky pin placements. Some of the greens have a lot of undulation. The carts where brand new. The staff was friendly. The golfers quickly let me play through. The range was nice. The chipping and putting greens were elaborate. The tiny log cabin pro shop was unique. I have got to come out and play here again before our move is final. Oh and I overclubbed a lot early on. The 95 degree heat made the ball really fly.

Possibly the last time I play in the Houston area I picked a winner in Houston National!!!
There are 2 courses here. One is private (Sterling National). The other is this one. I am reminded of PGA West Stadium course while playing here today. Of course, H. National is not as penalizing as PGA West is. The greens were amazingly smooth and true. If there were no sand I would have given them a 10. The fairways and rough have patches of bare ground and divots but are generally well kept. I loved the fact that the ground wasn't so hard. The tee boxes on all of the par 3's were the only thing given low marks. They were thin and too sandy. At 7337 yards from the back tees a low handy golfer can be challenged. Forgiving fairways and roll allow high handy golfers to enjoy their day as well. I wish I could make this my home course! $60 for 2 rounds, cart, a delicious hamburger, chips, and a beer. I will miss this place :( :(