Recently played in Golf Moose's "Member for A Day" with fellow GK'er, Kassper7, who was vacationing with his family. Easy to see how and why Perry won the 2017 GK Cup 9 with his fine game & scrambling prowess.

GK' s members, Sbarajasjr and Kassper7 have already reviewed the course conditions. This review expands on their reviews without being redundant.

My take was the course was in excellent conditions throughout on an average layout design.

Shadowridge GC is a private 18-hole golf course, Par 72, located in Vista, CA. The course, with moderate elevation changes, was designed by David Rainville in 1981.

Shadowridge GC is one of the lower tier courses operated by ClubCorp catering to a predominately over +50 age membership who live in the Shadowridge Golf Community.

Homes, condos and apartments lined the course. The occasional ricochet off the homes can be heard throughout the round.

Course is open Tues - Thurs. Guest fees range from $55-$110, depending on days and time.

Closed Mondays for maintenance and/or for outside tournament events.

Driving Range: 16 Stations w/ mats only with uphill target greens. Non-Lighted.

Two large putting greens. Green speeds higher on practice greens than course.

Small fully stocked Pro Shop. Rental clubs are available. The Pro Shop closes at 6PM.

Fully stocked bar and full menu dining area located in the clubhouse.

Outdoor concession area with sandwiches, soda and beer. Roving beer cart with limited snacks, beer, soda and mixed drinks.

Concession prices are high as expected for a country club visit. No outside food and beverage allowed.

Dress Code enforced. No denims, cut-offs, or collar less shirts allowed. Shirts must be tucked in and hats removed when entering clubhouse.

E-Z Go Golf Carts were fairly new, complete with fold down windshields and sand bottles. Surprisingly, NO GPS or USB ports. Yardages can be found on sprinkler heads.

Pace of Play: Slow. Took our threesome, 4.75 Hrs. Some short Par 5's may be reachable in 2 for long ball hitters which will add to the delays.

From the black tees the course plays to 7,002 yards. From the forward tees the course measures 5,693 yards.

The longest hole on the course is # 14, a par-5 that plays to 557 yards.

The shortest hole on the course is # 12, a par-3 that plays to 151 yards from the back tees.

Watch out for # 3, a 407 yard par-4 challenge and the #1 handicap hole on the course.

The easiest hole is # 12, a 151 yard par-3. Water comes in play on 3 holes.

Played on 8/8/18 with temps of 95 degrees. We were taking advantage of Twin Oaks 25th Anniversary Special ($25 Off posted rates) from 10:30am - 2:00pm. You know it not going to be your day when the Check-In pro was disputing the $25 off for JC Players Card members.

This course experience failed us in many different ways. First, was the lack of communication informing us of a possible delays due to 6 foursomes of junior golfers (ages 8-12) and their instructors from Premier Golf Academy playing on the front 9. This baffled us as Twin Oaks website showed open times throughout the afternoon. There were no delays until we got to Hole #5. Three groups waiting to tee off and another 3 junior four/five-somes on the hole. Not wanting to wait, we skipped to Hole #7. No delays from that point forward. Played the back 9 in less than 2 hours as the back nine was virtually empty.

Carts w/ windshield were very cleaned. Twin Oaks carts has one of the best GPS systems that I have ever encountered. It displays drive distance from each tee as well as accurate distance to the hole, food menus and warning of cart path only (Hole #14).

Course conditions were mixed given the heat stress. Bermuda tees and fairways were tight, short and very nice, the exception being Holes #9 & #11 with large bare spots in the middle of the fairway. These areas were marked as GUR. Some fairway bunkers lack adequate sand depth. None were raked around the edges on the day we played. Rakes were plentiful.

The greens and surrounding areas were a different story and very wet from over-watering. This resulting in some turf loss and stress on the putting surface especially where water run-off occurs. (The very front portions of Greens #3 & #4, will require some resodding come late September). Saturated greens also had numerous deep ball marks and inconsistent putting speeds. Very frustrating at times.

Rather than using to syringe the greens by hand watering, management has elected to activate all of the green sprinklers on a 2-min short cycle, several times a day. Be prepared to wait while sprinklers are running.

Not sure if this is a budget or manpower issue but the bottom line that this practice has likely contributed to turf loss/stress on the greens (black algae), plugged lies in low spots surrounding the greens and wet bunkers.

On Hole #16 by the green to the cart path, is virtually unplayable due to the soggy high turf. Balls get lost and shoes get muddy as mowers can't even enter the area. (Hint: Can you hand mow or weed-eater this area please?)

The bottom line of this review is whether this course justifies the prices charged. Why I personally love this challenging Ted Robinson's design (Par 72, White Tees, 6,146 yds, Rating 70.1 and 126 Slope), the current conditions and water management practices makes it difficult for me to accept without taking advantage of their $25 Anniversary Special reduction (M-Th only).

Expect POP at around 4-4.5 hrs except on Fridays and Wkends when it peaks at 5.5 hrs.
Be sure to ask if on-course playing lessons for juniors are being taught on the day of your booking.

Apologies for the delay posting. Still nursing a very sore back after our afternoon Guru outing on Tuesday, 10/10. POP of 4:35.

Great practice facilities with lighted driving range (mats only), 2 chipping greens, 1 practice bunker and a 10k sq ft putting green.

2nd Playing Group of partners, Sixpez (Keith), Weber2323 (Michael) and Johnny GK provided great social interaction and frequent birdies. Weber2323 teed off from the Black tees while the rest of us played from the White tees. John and Mike are long ball bombers while Keith, with his unorthodox swing, always manages to be putting for par or better. Johnny was within 35 yds of the greens after his tee shots on holes #2 and #10. Long ball hitters should play from the Black or Blue tees.

Bright sunshine, low humidity and a steady 8mph ocean wind kept the shots challenging. Putting green speed was faster than on course due to the constant wind exposure and being the highest point on the course. Also noticed signs of syringing the greens after mid-day. Ball marks were more noticeable on the back 9 than the front because of elevation and some back pin placements. Some patches of poa Annua were evident on the bentgrass greens but didn't interfere with the putting.

The course was in the process of rye overseeding on the tee boxes. Many of the tees were verticutted, shaved and seeded without topdressing. Until the overseeding process is completed, some holes may have color tee markers playing from the same location to reduce wear/tear and traffic (blue/black tees or white/blue tees).

Bermuda fairways were tight, low height and with lots of roll. Many unfilled divots were present. I was unfortunate enough to have landed in an overfill divot, with a half inch of sand above the surface. Like hitting a long distance shot from a sand trap. Sand bottles are located on the carts with refill stations on each 9.

The rough was fair in most spots. Did encounter some wet, high roughs on Hole #6, to the left of the path, near the GC Maintenance facility.

Greenside bunkers were in great shape but moist from the syringing of the greens. I was only in 1 fairway bunker and that was on #18. The sand was very compacted. Rakes were plentiful throughout the course.

A fun and challenging day, even if our cart (19) had a mechanical problem with not starting properly. Very annoying to have to act several times per holes. This was surprising as the carts are less than a year old. One of the many roving marshals finally switch out the cart on #13, after hours of frustrations. GPS gave yardage to the flagstick but some pin placements did not match up to the flag color.

The staff and customer service is one of the best in the industry. Kemper Sports sets the customer service experience bar high at all of their courses.

This course is definitely a "Must Play" and "Bucket List Designation" in the north San Diego County area.

If you want to expand your local knowledge/history of this course, please read my previous review from April, 2017.

Played on Thursday, 5/25 as part of the GK Guru Course Review. Many thanks to my memorable playing partners, Walnutgolf, Zgolfingman and Itslikeimsaying. Thank you, Johnny for setting this up.

If you have never played this Arthur Hills deep rolling terrain gem before, I strongly suggest that you preview/print GK Playing Tips on this website. It will be extremely valuable on club selection and guidance to ball placement from the tees. We played from the Blue Tees, measuring 6,312 yds, with a 133 Slope, Par 71. Pace of play was 4:12.

The course is located about 7 miles west from Temecula Old Towne. Easy access from I-15 (Exit 59).

Beautiful rolling terrain with some holes bordering grapes being grown for a local winery. Only 2 water holes but deep ravines and constant elevation changes. The course features firm hard to hold fairways, rough edged bunkers that are difficult to escape, and firm, fast greens that slope away for tricky putts.

A few quirky holes on the Back 9 (#14, #16, #18) will test your shot placements and club selections. On these holes, look for posted yardage signs to target areas.

You won't always hit driver or even 3W on some Par 4's. On Holes #1 & #16, long irons and hybrids were used for our tee shots.

The Bent/Poa mixed greens were putting moderately fast, stimping around 8.6. Certainly faster when above the hole. Most greens were multi-tiered and undulating. Ball placement is critical to low scoring success. The greens were firm, with very few ball marks.

Tip: If you laser a 150 yds shot to the flag, allow for about 5-8 ft of roll except on short &/or downhill approaches.

Fairways, tee and roughs are Bermuda/Poa annua mix. Turf coverage was good to very good. There are 5 multiple tees placements per hole. Tees were generally leveled, the exception being the Blue tee on the Par 3, 17th.

All of the Par 4's and Par 5's fairways were striped (mowed) for stunning visual effects. I loved the attention to this detail. The course was drying out quickly from the constant wind. Some turf wilting noticed on holes with slopes and exposed sun areas.

Fwys & Roughs were closely mowed turf allowing the ball to sit up nicely on most holes. Some unfilled divots seen in high traffic landing areas.

The sand traps offer good target frames. However, the brown sand was very compacted and not visually pleasing nor consistent. The course could certainly benefit from edging and removing Bermuda grass runners creeping into the bunkers. A few more rakes would speed up play.

The course has the making of being a very nice track. I was impressed with the staff professionalism extended from the Pro Shop, Starter and Cart Beverage Girl (who came by about every hour).

The aged Yamaha golf cart fleet could use an upgrade. Our cart came with a ripped driver seat and no windshield on this cool & windy AM.

No cart's GPS, though yardages are found on sprinkler heads. The day's pin placements sheets were displayed inside the carts. Two sand bottles per cart. No cooler or club/ball washer attachments. We used the 2 water coolers on each 9 to wet our towels for cleaning. A dedicated water bucket for dipping towels on Tees #1 & #10 would be a nice touch.

Now that I have played the course, I want to play it again. GK has a great coupon rate for 2. Please take advantage of it!

Note: I had no cell coverage from the parking lot to the 10th tee. Difficult to call the spouse upon my arrival and ending of round.

Part of the GK Guru Play on 5/18, with fine playing partners, zgolfinman, gary00 and larryq2001. Woods Valley Golf Club is a 18-Holes, 6500 yard daily fee championship course featuring tree lined fairways along a beautiful rolling terrain and various elevation scenery. The two 9 holes are very different in looks, temperament and playability.

Slope 72.5/131 Men's, Slope 78.5/141 (Women). Though short by today's standards, this track puts a premium on shot placement and accuracy regardless of which tees are played. This course favors those who fade rather than draw the ball. Long but inconsistent players will not score well. This is target golf at its finest! Use the Greenskeeper's tips about this course to save +5 stokes!

Opened in 2004, this Dave Ginkel's design offers 5 sets of tee options bolstering 37 sand traps (not raked on this day) and 10 holes with water hazards, either directly in sight or off to the sides. Three of the four Par 3's played directly over water. It makes sense that our Pace of Play was 4 hrs and 20 minutes. We spent 30 minutes total looking for errant balls. Expect longer play if your handicap is greater than +13. Well stock supply of golf balls are a prerequisite.

Irrigated areas (Fwys/Tees/Roughs) were tight knit Bermuda playing to large Bent/Poa slightly elevated greens, which held shots, nicely. The greens rolled true and were stimping to about 8.8 on this day. (Note: The practice green speed seems to putt quicker). Pin placements on Green #11, can be diabolical as it has very few flat spots on a severely undulated green. Two putts are NOT a given regardless of where you are on this green. The course utilizes the 3 colored flag system (Red, White, Blue) for pin placements.

The far, non-irrigated rough has 16" of tall grass and environmentally protected areas with large overgrowth which makes searching/finding balls a challenge. Rattlesnakes Warning signage will warn you about thinking/venturing into these areas.

With all of the slopes and terrain variations, a GPS device is needed. Even better if you have the slope version but remember, not legal for tournament play. Metal yardage discs are located on tee boxes and fairway sprinkler heads though difficult to spot sometimes.

Other Info: Woods Valley GC is a daily fee golf course professionally managed by JC Golf. Located in Valley Center, CA, just 4 miles from the Valley Center Casino. From Interstate 5 it is about 35 minutes, using Route 78. From Interstate 15, it is 25 minutes, depending if you are coming from the North or South. Prime time traffic will add to your commute.

The signage to the facility can be a little difficult to see. I spotted the large grayish fabric cart storage doom roof before I noticed the sign. Parking lot can handle +130 vehicles with about 10 handicap designations.

The clubhouse is a functional modular structure housing a moderate stocked Clubhouse, full service Restaurant (w/ Beer/Liquor), along with 2 giant LCD TV screens. His/Hers restrooms with multiple toilets. Someone was waiting in the hallway of what I assumed to be an occupied restroom only to find out differently. I only recalled seeing 2 Port-a-Johns on the Back 9, Hole #14.

Clean electric E-Z GO golf carts but without GPS or USB outlets. Carts had 1 small cooler filled with ice on one side while the other side offer a combination of ball/club washer. Two sand bottles for divots attached were being fully utilized.

Driving range had 25 hitting stations with sturdy bag racks. The tees area is one of the largest and nicely naturally grassed (Bermuda) range I ever seen. High strategically placed poles offer visually targets though the range was covered with 68% turf. Very functional just not visually pleasing with bare dirt. Certainly, not a good first impression for those visiting for the first time. One could wrongly assume the rest of the course would be in similar condition.

Clean range Balls were disperse thru a automated machine with a code from the Pro Shop. $4.00/30 balls or $7/$60 balls. The range is closed for maintenance on Mondays, from 2 PM until Tuesday, 9AM.

The customer service experience is one of the best I've ever encountered as a whole, from the Pro Shop, Starter and Restaurant. The Starter is knowledgeable about the course.

This course needs to be played multiple times at different tee designations to gain the ultimate appreciation/perspective of the course many challenges and its scenic beauty. Highly recommend!

Played the Crossings on 4/5/17, with the other fine GK's Review Gurus who has already posted their reviews. My apologies for the length but this is a comprehensive review of the total facility since it a San Diego "MUST PLAY" front-runner, along with Maderas and Torrey Pines.

The course is easy to get to, just minutes from the I-5 (Palomar Airport Road Exit). It has received numerous accolades since it opened in 2007. It is on the "Must Play" list on just about everyone's list for play in San Diego County. The course is well managed by Kemper Sports. The facility, amenities and employees are designed and trained to create a high-end resort experience, though it is listed as a municipal facility.

Who wouldn't want to play the most expensive constructed golf course in the US? Designed by Greg Nash, it took 17 years from concept to completion at an astronomical cost of $62.8 Million! The course is spread out over 400 acres, of which 220 acres are protected native flora and fauna, wildlife habitat and Indian archeological tribe area. There are over 7 miles of concrete cart paths to guide you through the course. No surprise that carts are mandatory and included in the price.

All of these protections and maintenance challenges comes with a price. Pricing structure differ between Carlsbad, Southern CA and General Public. For Southern CA residents, WKDAY GF: $80 (M-TH), $89 (Fri), $95 (Sat-Sun, Holidays). Out of area prices are higher and discounts rates of $60, $77, $79 are available for So Cal Seniors (+55). $59 and $65 for active military. ID required.

The course got its name "the Crossings" from the 5 steel bridges that transverse high above protected wetlands and habitats woven throughout the course. There are no homes are businesses nearby, protected by federal environmental laws. This also means that one should not ventured in some protective areas (blue stakes) to look for errant balls.

The clubhouse is a massive 28,000 sq ft building complete with a full service Canyon Restaurant, with extensive food/alcohol menu, serving breakfast and lunch daily. The Pro Shop was well stocked, offering logo Foot-Joy apparel and high end Taylormade or Callaway rental sets. From the locker rooms to the large terrace with fire pits overlooking ocean views, compliment the user experiences. Ultra ambience throughout!

When entering the parking lot, drop your bag off at the bag drop and signed in with a starter and course ambassadors. NOTE: Reservations in pairs of 2 are accepted at most online outlets. GK'ers singles (with coupon) and Forelinx's singles are your single player options.

You'll be asked if you are there for practice, play or both. Ambassadors will place your club for transport to either the cart staging area or escort you to the driving range. Lots of stairs or steep paths to maneuver to get to your cart or to the putting green. Tipping was refused when offered. (Please tip your beverage cart and half way concession stand hostess, though, if service warrants it).

The lighted driving range is approximately 200 yds from the clubhouse. The range is 310 yds deep with multiple target areas using color coded flags. You won't know the target distance unless you happen to notice the legend in the ground. Above ground signage would enhance the range experience.

A range key or code from the clubhouse is use to dispense clean Taylormade range balls. You might have to wait on baskets, however. Prices are $4/25 balls, $7/50 balls and $10/100 balls. Discounted Range cards are available for $19, $45, $85 for the same number of balls listed above.

There are 25 synthetic turf stalls, 8 ft across, with bag racks, water coolers and benches. The end of the range is reserved for lessons. The course is lit for nighttime use. The range closes at 9 PM.

The 2 tier, 12,000 sq ft practice Bentgrass/Poa annua putting green is near the 2nd Starter podium and first tee. There were only 8 putting cups which is not enough when crowded. No chipping allowed on the putting green. There are 2 chipping greens and a practice bunker nearby to refine your wedges.

The putting green speed mimics the actual playing conditions. The Poa annua will keep the greens from rolling true and reduce the putting speed in the mid/late afternoons. The Greens were stimping around 8.5 when we teed off at 1:39PM. Slow by my expectations but too fast speed will only slow POP further from the standard target of 4.5 hours.

Polite but stern warnings will be given by Marshals if you can't keep up with the group in front of you or the club's Pace of Play. This sometimes forces you to forgo looking for errant shots or pick up before you reach the green. Nobody likes being rushed and this did take away from our overall playing experience. Equally, no one likes slow play either. Black and Blue tees are for single digit handicappers, White for 8-13 handicappers and the Gold & Green for 14 and beyond. Don't be fooled by yardage as this is a high risk/reward shot makers course. Accuracy and placement equals good score.

The multi-tired greens are predominately Bentgrass with large patches of Poa. The smallest greens are the Par 3's. Accuracy is a premium with penal sand traps and impenetrable surrounding roughs. Don't get on the wrong size of the hole, as 3 putts are plentiful with steep grade slopes. The 14th green showed several large spotty indications but was dyed in. Greens were aerified in March so were holding and spinning well struck shots.

Tees are Bermuda overseeded with perennial ryegrass. There are 5 sets of tees for all handicap types. Choosing the right tees suitable to your game and handicap is paramount to your enjoyment and challenge. Men & Ladies Slope Rating and Handicap Index are listed for designated tee color. View the scorecard on the official Crossings Website.

Marshals hand-filled the divots and remove broken/unused tees on the Par 3's which was a very nice touch. Beverage cart is active up to 3PM, continuously making the loop 2x per 9 holes.

The rolling terrain of the fairways and roughs are also Bermuda with deep pockets of bunch type, lush Poa annua. Since Poa grows significantly faster than Bermuda, you can get some unfair and challenging lies if playing the ball down. Bermuda fairways and roughs are still semi-dormant as Bermuda requires daytime temps of +80 to actively grow. Divots won't fully recover before then. The front nine is relatively flat while the back nine has huge elevation changes. Yardage markers are found on each tee and irrigation heads. Fairway target alignment poles are located on Par 4's and Par 5's.

Be forewarned though; this is NOT a walker's course. Those with back, knees, legs or feet issues will find walking very challenging with the terrain undulations and distance to the greens from the designated parking areas. Rope was staked out 85 yds from the greens to steer cart traffic back to the cart paths. Take multiple clubs to speed up play.

The sand traps are well designed with very steep face and high lips. You will have to come in from the low side, furthering slowing down play. The few that I was in had too much sand, resulting in semi-plugged balls, even on steep faces. Pure white soft powdery sand give great visibility to your target area. Rakes were plentiful and well placed.

One of the minus of this course was the placement of the trash receptacles/ball washers with multiple tee options. Neither seemed to be used very often. A course of this caliber should have club/ball washer on the cart for convenience sake. The new EZ-GO carts are equipped with upgraded seats, accurate GPS and 2 usb ports for phone/camera charging. Definitely bring your camera! Beauty is everywhere!

Please know that there is a definite learning curve to this course as you acclimate to the layout, its greens, hazards and routing. Your whole playing experience will be like nothing expected from a municipal golf course. I highly recommend playing the course multiple times from the various tee levels to test your shot making skills, patience and endurance.

Played 2/16/17. POP was 4:35 for a weekday. Course made more difficult and less enjoyable due to green aerification performed on 2/13-14. Half of the greens were aerified, fertilized and heavily topdressed, creating challenging putting situations. On the sand topdressed half the greens were stimping around 4.5-5 while the non-aerified portion were around 9.5. Greens, 3 & 16, were completely aerified. The putting cups were full of sand making it very difficult to place a straight flag on the bottom of the cup. Coring plugs were dumped in the playing area, unmarked to the right of Hole #3. Did noticed the greens being rolled. The heavy rains over the weekend will certainly help sand wash into the coring holes and smooth out the putting surface.

The 2nd half of the greens are scheduled to be aerated the first week in March. I would hope that the greens will be completed healed and uniformed by April. Would be nice if Mgmt would offer some sort of discount and/or incentive to play half greens. Otherwise, be prepared to pay the full Southern CA resident rate of $64 to $83, depending on designated days.

This course lacks aesthetics and fair playing conditions. at times, due to their mowing practices (or lack of). I noticed this to be a trend on most of JC Resorts courses, the exception being Rancho Bernado Inn which is mowed more like a resort than a daily fee course.

Tees and roughs are dominated by Poa annua, which grows very rapidly during the Fall and Spring months. Tees were long and shaggy. You almost have to use a tee on the Par 3's, whether you want to or not.

Balls hit in the rough can be very difficult to find, especially with heavy dew. Our group lost 3 balls in the first 5 holes as we just missed or hit through the fairway. In areas previously mowed, the long clippings (hay) can hide the ball and create challenging shots. Blowing after mowing would be helpful.

There are also a lot of wet areas in the far roughs (right of #5 fwy for example) because mowers can't get in to mow without getting bogged down. Grass exceeds 6 inches in length in these areas. Even sunlight can't get through. The long roughs can add several strokes to your handicap and cause undue delays searching for errant shots.

Fairways were thinned in some area but generally have better Bermuda turf coverage than most of the surrounding courses. Fairways showed GUR on large bare areas. Carts are fairly new with GPS which we found yardages to be spot on.

Sand traps have good brown sand. Some greenside bunkers are slow to drain, with standing water. Traps were being edged during our visit. Would be nice if the workers moved to another area or cut off their equipment while we were blasting out of them. Tall broadleaf weeds, fescue and clumps of grass surround many of the fairway bunkers making it very difficult to create a shot.

Driving range is mats (20) only using Taylormade range balls in good condition. The range is about 150 yds from the clubhouse and first tee. The clock on the driving range doesn't work. Tasty premade sandwiches are available in the F&B area. 20oz soft drinks are $3, with craft beers $6 and up.

When this course is mowed out and the greens are fast and true, it is one of the best tracks in the North County area, well worth the money. Sadly, the existing conditions are typically found on a municipal type courses making it difficult to justify the cost to play while just adding punishing strokes to your handicap. We're planning on returning in mid-April.