It has been awhile since I played Lakewood due to the changes they made to the greens and bunkers. The greens are grown in and playing well. They have recently done some maintenance on them with some type of verticutting. The greens were very fast and had some significant grain. Most putts didn't break anywhere near as much as expected.

The tees were level and fully covered for the most part (a few muddy patches) with think grass. I'd like them a bit tighter but there was nothing wrong with them at all. No significant level issues and no overhanging trees or strange positions.

The fairways were full with excellent coverage. The ball ran well and sat up well. I was in quite a few unfilled divots which I wish had been filled. That is more the player's fault than the course.

I wasn't in any bunkers but my partners raved about them and the great soft sand.

The greens were very fast and had a lot of grain. there is no evidence of the green damage seen earlier this year. The fringe replacement is full set and the greens were excellent. Pace of play was OK. I was playing a team money event so we didn't wait even with the slow play.

The putting greens are OK but do not have much slope to work with and are really undersized for the course. It would be nice if they opened both greens for the weekend. The short game area is great with a large green, flags and even a fringe and bunker. Be aware that the driving range is still under construction and the target date is March as of now.

Good experience at Lakewood and definitely worth the $$.

Played this week for the LA County match play event. As last week we were over 30 min late teeing off for an 8:48 tee time. It was bunched 1-4 but opened up a bit after that. SO some course design some stuffing the tee sheet.

SO from tee to green here we go.
The tee boxes were lush and had full coverage but some had low spots or were slightly uneven, The grass was too thick and it made hitting anything other than driver a bit tough. IT would be nice of they punched and dethached the tee boxes.

The fairways were similar to the tee boxes. A heavy blanket of kykuya that gave very fluffy lies in most places. Some places were clearly over watered and had turned to mud and grass bits. NONE OF THESE WERE MARKED. I understand that this happens but get out and use the spray paint to mark it.

The areas just short of the green were an odd mix of grasses and cushion. Like many courses the apron was kykuya grabbed the ball and bounced it straight up. Not a critisism but rather a warning for people. Lots of the area around the green had a mix of grasses with deep but thin rye that had the ball sit way down and gave some real challenge.

The greens were quick from above the hole but they were soft and accepted any well struck shots. But the soft greens were also bumpy and hard to hold some lines. But really the greens are the star of the course.

The worst part of the course was the bunkers which appeared to have been freshly watered. That was nice for the fairway traps but the greenside bunker had a think layer of wet sand over a very hard bottom which made any type of shot tough.

Decent layout with a bunch of short holes on the front then big holes at 7 and 9. Still don't like the crazy narrow green on 10 but the rest of the course gives some playable holes and some long challenges.

I played here for the first time as part of the county team event. Let me start by saying I was pleasantly surprised. I was worried that a county course in Pomona would be dry and burnt. Add to that the stories I read about the severe slopes and tight course, I worried.

I arrived and checked in. The guy at in the proshop was nice and not too busy for an 8:24 tee time. The range was mats only but had plenty of targets and good distances. The mats were in decent shape. There was not chipping green but they allow chipping to their putting green. The putting green was large and matched the speed and conditions of the course.

The course has a great combination of holes all with something interesting. Some have hard doglegs, others a stream across the fairway, tight tee shots or significant elevation changes. Lots of challenge without being impossible for average players
The tee boxes had good coverage with a bit of divot damage on the par 3s. However, they were often very uneven. My partner jokes that even the tee shots had to be corrected for uphill lies.

I didn't have a bad lie in the fairway all day. They were full and tight.

The rough was hit an miss. Some was lush but short but there were bare patches and some very deep spots. I liked I that it was long enough that you had to think about it.

I was in 2 traps and both had good thick sand that is rare for a county course.

Lastly the greens. They were full with minimal pitch marks. They ran fast and were undulating. Nothing silly but you had to think and respect a downhill putt. Plenty of slope so even a 4' putt needed respect. They held a good line and were mostly smooth. I did see some bouncing on the longer putts.

The only complaint I had was that they had a "computer issue" with reservations so they forced out several groups in front of our tournament. Our 8:24 time didn't get off until almost 9 then the 2-some in front of us hit 2 balls off the first tee. On top of that we didn't see a marshal all day. The beverage cart did come around 3 times which was nice on such a hot day.

I will be back. I would rate this as better conditions than Los Verdes right now with a comprable layout but lacking the view and cool ocean breeze.

Day 3 of play in Long Beach. Love the practice and warm-up facilities here. It would have been nice if the grass range were open for the city championship but plenty of stalls to hit. lots of green space to putt on.

The greens were lush and firm. They looked nice but were a bit on the slow side for a city championship and were bumpy in spots. The tight cut frontage and bailout areas are a nice touch.

The bunkers were firm but not hard and seemed to play nicely.

Rough was full but not too long and not very penal.

The fairways are drying out and very firm giving lots of roll as they should for a Links style course and with Bermuda fairways. You can nip a shot and put a ton of spin on any shot you try.

The tee boxes were mostly level and had good coverage but did have a few unfilled divots.

Played as part of the Long Beach City Am and started on 10. This was the first time I have seen the course since the updates.
The greens were smooth and firm. This was by far the firmest of the 3 courses. The greens did still show the remnants of recent verticutting or other maintenance. The greens were fast especially down hill. They did break less than they appeared but were fair and consistent.
The fairways were nice and full with the normal carpet of Kukuya. there were some divots but nothing unusual. The rough was full, especially around some of the trees. Some bare patches but it is the rough.

The bunkers were hit and miss. It looked like many of them had been watered. It was very disappointing when I found a 3" deep rake mark in the bunker but I have to blame the player for that.

Finally the tee boxes. With the tournament the tees were pushed back all the way and many of these areas were severely uneven or un-level. On one tee box there was only a small corner of the box that I could even find a spot to tee up.

The management of the course did a poor job of balancing the tournament with public use. As a competitor I had a hard time finding a spot on the range, they had instructors giving lessons on the pitching green when competitors were warming up and the ball machine was broken.

Love the course and greens, just wish they had better customer service.

Played a match for my club at 6:24 on the 4th of July. We teed off a few minutes late after some of the usual discussion about tees and so on. The 2some we were paired with were a lot of fun to play with. I especially loved the old MCGregor 1-iron (for show only). Only down side was he wore old school leather and metal spikes.

We played quickly and these guys didn't wait for anything. They putted while we chipped, they would go to the next tee. All that was fine by me.

I love this course. It is a great layout. The par-3s are long and must be missed on the correct side. The Par-4s are a good mix of short but strategic to JUST LONG. The par-5s give a bit of break for well placed shots.

The greens are full and lush. Today they were damp and a bit soft. The ball stopped on any high shot and left a big pitch mark. They did putt well and true if a bit on the slow side. I could see the spike marks from the metal shoes. There are many incorrectly fixed pitch marks which hurt me to see but at least people tried.

The fairways are a thick mat of kukuya which gave a good clean lie and a decent runout. There were some divots but not too many. A few soggy areas and a bare patch of 2 but nothing significant.

The rough was thick and full just off the fairway giving some penalty but got patchy the further off the mark you were. There was a lot of grass clippings which made it messy. Overall the rough was not too penal and was in good shape.

I was in 1 bunker which was damp but fully packed with sand. I was able to get lots of spin and I knew what I was getting. The bunkers were consistent which is really nice.

Pace of play was good with us only having to wait on 2 or 3 hole and even then only for a few minutes. It never felt like we ere stuck or waiting much. We finished in just over 4 hrs which I thought was really nice.

I forget how great this course is because of my memory of the pace of play, challenge of getting a tee time and poor condition. Based on what I had July 4th I will have to reconsider and will be back soon.

Played as part of the match play qualifier. It was hot. The course are really in some of the best shape I have seen in years. The tees are full and have minimal divot damage. They are firm but soft enough to get a tee into with ease. The fairways are firm and have good coverage. The ball is sitting up well but you can take a divot and not hurt your wrist. There is some fuzz around the greens but it is well taken care of for the most part. The rough is hit and miss and can be very thick in some of the shady spots. It will usually cost you to be in the rough bu then again that is what is supposed to happen.

The greens were full and lush. They ran medium to a bit slow and were especially slow uphill (as expected). The greens were on the soft side but not squishy. They held a shot well.
The bunkers were VERY dry and powdery is some places and d%mn and packed in others. The biggest issue was the lack of manicuring. I had one lie in a bunker where the ball was sitting in the middle of a big tuft of grass right below the lip. very frustrating.

It was in good shape for a Muni and play kept moving even if it wasn't that fast. If it was always like this I would play here more often.

I played my weekly 9-hole SCGA event. The course was slow but that is our fault. The tees were nice and cut tight. They were firm but took a tee well. All were level and had good coverage. only fresh divots were present. The fairways are drying and firming up. They have good coverage with only a few divots.

There was some random high rough but nothing too bad. The greens had great coverage and the sand has mostly worked in from last week. But the greens were very soft and spongy. they took spike marks and were very bump. I think this is in preparation for the Long Beach Golf Festival so when that comes around the course will be in great shape.

Played day 2 of the LA county 4-ball. Another great event by Mike. Today we had 9- min intervals and waited on 1 shot, never saw held up the group behind us and finished in 4:20 starting at 8:06 on a Sunday. Why can't this happen every day. Everyone on the 1st tee on time. Every group waited for the prior group to hit the green and even with the 2nd hole being a par 3 no waiting.

Now the course. This is a really diverse course with the first 4 hold being flat and open, 5-9 are up and down across a huge wash that has turf. Next is the shallow 10th a par 3. Then up and down hill bending around corners. The course is short but plays much longer and we had it stretched to its max.

The tees had good coverage but were too lush with lots of grass getting in the way. The Kukuya was thick and matted so finding a good lie for the par 3s could be tough. The tees were mostly level although I did have a sprinkler cover in the middle of the teeing area on 16.

The fairways had good coverage but the spongy lies that come with the Kukuya. Several times on hilly lies I had little clumps that caught the club. Nothing bad just annoying. Few divots but that could be in part due to the set up.

The rough was spotty, mixed grass with varying lengths. I had one shot in a grass hole that was diffulicult to play out of.

The fring and green area was overgrown with the grainy grass inconsistently catching shots or shooting them through. This made bouncing it up very hard. The fring was wiry enough that I couldn't putt from even a few feet off the green.

The greens had great coverage, few pitch marks but were very soft and spongy. The speed was slow and they didn't break as much as you would think. But they were consistent and rolled true.

Overall a nice track with a great variety of holes but never in the tournament condition one would hope. If they would firm up the greens, mow the fringe tightest, remake the 10th and 13th greens this would be a really nice course. For now I will keep practicing here, but wouldn't put it in my regular rotation unless you like slow greens.

Played Alondra park for the first time in a long time. Usually I only come here for practice but today I was playing in the LA County 4-ball. They do have one of the best short game areas on the coast. The putting greens are huge and usually rolling well. They have a deep practice green and a really deep bunker. You can hit 20 yrd shots all for $0. The layout is OK, a few holes I am not fond of the layout. 17 with the palm trees in the landing area and 18 with the bunch of eucalyptus right in line with the middle of the fairway.

We were out right on time 7:48 with 10 minute intervals and we only waited on 1 shot all day. Finished the round in 4:45. The tee boxes show good coverage but a bit uneven. Fairways were dry but had good coverage with kakuya so the ball sat up nicely. The rough was very short except for around the greens.

The greens were as nice as I have ever seen them. They were full and rolled true everywhere. The pins were placed in challenging places. The fringe gave me fits as the speed was hard to read and difficult to get right. They were full and grainy with the ball sitting down a bit and they grabbed the ball.

The greens had full coverage and true roll but were on the slow side.

It bothers me that the course was in such nice shape but this was an anomaly. If the course were in this shape all the time it would be in my regular rotation.

I was finally able to meet Johnny and I have to say it was a pleasure. The round for the GK match play was a lot of fun, even if I wasn't able to put the hammer down. As with most rounds I will say great company makes any course better.

Rio Hindo is one of those course that is n my infrequent rotation and every time I play it I wonder why Indont play here more.

Because of traffic we were a bit late starting but the starter was very accommodating and assured me that even though it was a bit busy after he would get us out no problem. We went out as an2-some and played without delay until the 10th where we finally slowed down a little,Megillah we finished in about 4:30 and it never felt slow.

The layout of the course is great, a wonderful combination of left to right and right to left holes that favor a shot but never force it. The first 3 holes are tight and tree lined with the rest of the course opening up. The tees were lush and level except for 10 which had some divot damage. The fairways were full and with the bemuse/kakuya combination the ball sat up nicely. The rough was a bit deeper and the ball could sit up or nestle down. Some areas had deep rye and could swallow your ball. The combination of mounding, rough and trees forced me to punch out more than once but wasn't overly penal. I found one bunker which was nicely filled and decently maintained although people could use a lesson on how to rake a bunker.
The greens were nice and had recovered from maintenance well. The Pao was thick and full. The firmness of the greens varied from soft to hard. Several shots landed on the front of the green and rolled though.

The beverage cart came though 3 times and the lady in cart told us that she had worked here for 15 years and loved it. That is a big thing to me and says a lot about the course. Finally some little things. There are yardage stakes in the fairways at 200, 150 and 100 which give great visual help. Also the course takes he time to mark areas as ground under repair. This is great as it lets the course heal and doesn't penalize e player for a dry patch.

The only thing I did not like is the restricted flight range balls but with a great range that includes multiple target greens and various stakes to hit, this is a minor thing to play but should be considered for practice. They do however, have a very nice pitching area with both rough and fairway conditions and a bunker to work on your short game.

Great facility, fun layout, excellent service and friendly staff, well stocked pro-shop and a good snack bar. Absolutely worth the $$

Victoria is technically one of my home courses but I rarely play here. Today was a SCGA match play event.

The highlight of this course is always the layout and the greens. As usual the greens were firm and running true and moderately fast. Not sure if it was all the recent rain or better maintenance or an amazing Epiphany that there were few if any pitch marks on these greens. The greens rolled true and required a good touch on anything down hill.

The layout is always fun with 3 reachable par 5s, a drivable par 4 and a good mix of par 3 from 130-190. I especially like the 14-18 stretch for a good layout.

The tees were thin and had obviously recently been over-seeded. The new grass was thin and a bit long making for a bit of challenge finding a good spot to tee from. The tees were fairly level.

Even in teach competition we were able to play in under 5 hrs.

Now the problems. The fairways still are spotty with areas of nice coverage, large and small dirt patches, some areas that could best described as cement, and even muddy areas. It is always a fun topic of what the problem is and what the solution is. Bottom line is that something needs to be done and I believe that to make the course into what the layout could be would require stripping the course bare and replacing several feet of top soil with something loamy that drains well. Maybe we should just move into the land proposed for the NFL.

I will keep playing an occasional 9 and regular tournaments at Victoria but I would be hard pressed to choose this course for anything but a quick 9.