In over 60 years of playing golf I'm pressed to come up with a course in as poor a condition as Dublin Ranch (played 4-15-21). The greens were like aerated hard pan, the fairways were dried out and spotty and I hope they got a discount on "Ground Under Repair" signs as there were at least 50 of them throughout the premises. Yes, I know "Pandemic, Pandemic" but even with a Tee Off coupon you'd be much better off with a bucket of balls at a practice range and a lunch at McDonald's. This course used to be a well-maintained gem with large, smooth greens and generally manicured throughout. Sadly, no more...

I have played Franklin Canyon many times over the past 30 or so years-but not recently (last 10 years or so). I took advantage of a "Group Golfer" coupon for $25 and played yesterday (8-27-18).
First, the good news:
*The folks I dealt with were pleasant and polite.
*The pace of play was very good. We were a twosome, teed off at about 11:30 and finished 18 holes in 3 hrs and 45 minutes.
*The basic layout is virtually unchanged-not many "tricks" but as always, a bit of local knowledge is helpful. Fortunately, I found an old yardage book/course guide. The downside is that many of the trees depicted in the guide have been gone for years!!
*The bunkers (although I was in only one) had adequate sand and rake availability.
*There were a couple of functioning water fountains on each nine.
Now the not so good news:
*The practice range is from hunger! It makes the driving range depicted in the movie "Tin Cup" look like Augusta National. To describe the practice balls as pathetic is an insult to "pathetic". I wouldn't throw them at a charging pack of rats! The $6 for 30 balls is WAY out of line.
* The practice putting green gave a preview of lumpy (to be expected) poa annua, but it was still in rough shape. There is a pitching/chipping green nearby but I did not utilize it.
* A number of holes exhibited large areas of hard-pan in the fairway. The extra yards from the bounce may be welcome but to hit off concrete is not so good. On many holes the difference between fairway and rough is non-existent.
* The teeing grounds were by and large, a combination of bare dirt and crabgrass. Bring lots of tees...
*It would be helpful to have a distance marker somewhere on the teeing ground. The scorecard may say one thing, but in many cases, reality shows another.

Franklin Canyon used to be nice layout that was in good condition. Not so much now...

As always, Hiddenbrooke is a challenge. This is largely due to the wind that blows every afternoon and the characteristics of the course layout that will just plain "eat your lunch". The rough can really swallow a ball, making it nearly impossible to hit the green in regulation. Other features such as numerous "riparian" (creek or lake banks) areas very close to the edge of a green can have you making a large number very quickly. The full tariff green fee is a little high in my opinion. An on-line coupon deal is more reasonable. Also, a breakfast burrito and coffee for $11.50 is rather pricey as is 24 range balls for $4.00. In any case, bring your game, it's not an easy course!

Shadow Lakes is still a pretty good value for the money. There are, however, some troubling signals. It looks like the range is going toward artificial plastic hitting areas and away from grass. The Canada geese are ruining nos. 16 and 17 greens with their destroying the grass nearby and pooping all over the place. A "Goose" dog is seriously needed. The bunker quality is uneven with some having too much sand and some nearly none at all.

I certainly agree with Nguyen 66's comments-the greens were terrible to awful. I heard they aerated and then fertilized and didn't get the rain or whatever. In any case, this very nice golf course will be in horrible shape for (my guess only) at least 3 to 4 weeks.

I have played Franklin Canyon in wet and dry periods for over 25 years. Today the course was in probably the best condition I can remember: the greens rolled rather consistently and it was in very nice shape overall. The yardage from the back tees (a shade under 6600 yds.) seems longer due to the usual wind and numerous uphill shots. The tree-lined fairways will punish the errant ball striker, but mostly the fairways are wide. The pace of play sometimes suffers due to the many rounds played here. The driving range is good for warming up, but not really for practicing (mats only)-however there is a rather large chipping green which is very popular. As with so many public courses, the bunkers could use some sand and attention. Nevertheless, all things considered it is a very nice older layout (NOT surrounded by houses) and it provides a fair challenge to golfers of all skill levels.

This is the second time in three weeks that I've played Shadow Lakes. The greens are still pretty true, but the bunkers continue to suffer from little sand, no sand, or mud! The practice balls look like they have been baked in oven after being extracted from a mud pit. The staff remains very friendly and helpful and all in all it is not a bad value-it's just that some of the "edges" are beginning to fray.

Shadow Lakes remains a very good value with the coupon from the newspaper. Without that deal it would just be "pretty good" since it does require a 32 mile drive from my home. The course is fair and the staff is very nice...but the afternoon wind is not (such is life). The greens are at a reasonable pace, but too many of the bunkers were puddled, muddy, or contain very little sand. The practice tee slots are also too close together-a lefty and a righty next to each other would be disastrous!

Brentwood Golf Club has three nines and it is a bit different in that they don't all begin/end at the clubhouse. The course is surounded by houses, but they are not so close as to make it feel "closed in". Water comes into play on many of the holes and the wind (especially in the afternoon) is almost always a factor. The practice facility is excellent with a grass-tee range, a bunker/chipping practice area, a generous pitching practice area and a putting green. The staff was friendly and all in all it was a good value with an on-line deal!

Over the last few years, I've played Canyon Lakes a couple of times per year. Today I was very disappointed in the condition of a usually pretty good track. If you like goose crap, then the front nine is made for you! Awful-they need to hire a dog as some other nearby courses have done. In the past, the greens were always fast to medium fast and smooth. Today they were very slow and bumpy with numerous bare spots on all but two greens. The teeing grounds ranged from acceptable to lousy-some with huge patches of moss! Pace of play was o.k. but a marshal would have helped a few times-we did not see one during the entire round. As the 49ers say: "Maybe next year it will be better..."

I played Hiddenbrooke on March 23, 2006 for the first time in over 8 years. The course is mostly as I remember it but over 1,000(!!!) new houses have been built around the course since my previous round. According to the man behind the counter in the pro shop, this massive construction has greatly affected the drainage of the course (which used to be a pretty good drainer). Thus, the word that described everything about the round was SODDEN! The range was closed because it was too soaked to pick balls. It was cart paths only because it was soaked everywhere. They haven't been able to mow the fairways or the rough for over a week. Mudballs and plugged ball abounded. The greens however were smooth, fast and treacherous! My main point is, if you attempt to tee it up at Hiddenbrooke anytime within thirty days from the above date, give a call to the course and ask about the condition of the fairways and rough. One final note-since the course has been with us now for quite a few years, is it too much to ask for Kirby markers or a little more help on distances?

I've played Paradise Valley regularly since the course opened and for this round (2-16-06) the condition was pretty spotty. The course has suffered a lot of damage from the recent storms and many fairways, bunkers and greens still exhibit significant damage. Also, over the years Poa Annua has infiltrated the greens making them lumpy, especially later in the day. The greens were very hard and it was nearly impossible to hold a shot. The range is closed due to storm damage and is being redone. It will be awhile before the overall quality of the course is "good" or better.