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Wow, I can't believe it has been over a year since I last played golf. Other hobbies have gotten in the way. With that said, I have heard that sometimes a long hiatus from something leads to you being better at it. I guess this was the case today as I shot one of my best scores ever. Simi is an interesting course to me as I either score really well or really poorly.

Anyway, I'll just add some more detail to echo the previous reviewer. This is a really good time of year to play Simi since the city championship is in a couple of weeks. I joined a last minute "dawn patrol" round with a friend and have never seen the course in better shape.

Everything was soaked this morning and it didn't really dry out since it was quite cool today, so the front nine especially was waterlogged. Thus, fairways did not run out as much I had hoped for. Otherwise they are nice and lush with some unfilled divots here & there.

Fringes & greens were the best part of the course. Greens ran nicely and picked up a little as the morning went on. Not too many bumps. Easy to let a few downhill putts get away from you though. Not too many ball marks (old or new) at all, but perhaps that comes with playing as one of the first groups off the tee. Fringes were almost immaculate.

Rough was in the best shape I have seen it here. Not scraggly like most times, but very lush throughout and at a decent height to actually do some damage. Any areas that were patchy had the spray paint around them & seemed to be filling in.

Bunkers were great-nice soft sand, a little wet from the morning watering, but no rocks, not crusty, etc. Great to play out of.

Tee boxes were probably the "worst" part of the course. Hard in some places with a good bit of divot damage, but tees seemed to be moved away from those. Some were not quite level.

POP was just over 4 hours as a foursome, with no waiting the entire round. Again, if you have the opportunity to play here, take it!
8 Likes.
Played on Tuesday the 21st using that $15 dollar special (thanks!).

After a few months without golfing, DeBell probably wasn't the best place to pick up where I left off, but a good deal cannot go untouched. Now I remember why I don't like the course nor why I don't score well-you need a draw on many of the holes and the lines are tight, especially on the front nine. A great short course that defends itself well if you aren't on your game like I was.

My POP was just over two hours since I played as a single & played through quite a few groups since I had places to go later. Otherwise my guess is that it would've taken about 3.75 hours to finish in a regular group.

Fairways are looking great right now. They are running really well with no flaws really. Rough is typical-patchy and thin-no need to have it lush anyway.

Greens ran well and a little fast; only a bump or two & a divot or two here and there. The tee boxes were also very good; however some holes had the back tees' sod ripped out & maintenance workers were moving it elsewhere for whatever reason.

The only SUPER bad part of the course is the bunkers, which I know have been plagued by rocks for years, but come on, this is ridiculous. If I had known better I would've brought my sifter to help them out. Rocks literally EVERYWHERE, and the sand was not good quality to boot. Very crusty/grainy, & hard packed. Bunkers did not have well defined edges.

Otherwise, DeBell is in very good shape right now. Come out & play before it gets really hot out there.
6 Likes.
Played today. Only reason I even played this course was to get it off my list of unplayed courses & because they have a pretty good deal of $65 with free replays on Tuesdays. I got 45 holes in by myself starting at 9AM before the rain got to be too much.

Customer service here was outstanding. The starter lady was quite helpful and nice. She gave me some good tips & sent me out on two of my three rounds ahead of some larger groups by starting me on 11 or 12 instead of 10 (back 9 start the whole day). People in the pro shop were very nice as well.

Some minor annoyances: the green divot fill stuff they use on the greens. As if the poa annua wasn't polka dotty enough, now they have contrasting turquoise green sand stuff filling all the little divots (fortunately there weren't too many). Second, the carts with the weird announcements at just the wrong times & constant speed limit checks. Felt like big brother was watching me every time I got close to the wood chips: "DON'T DRIVE ON THE WOOD CHIPS!" would pop up.

Anyway, the course could be better. I pass by this place often on the freeway & it never looks great for what an amazing layout it is. The fairways and rough just look sad. They are on the cusp of turning yellow it seems, but are getting just enough water. All day long I kept getting penalized for hitting good shots because the fairways were hard and would run forever, and so were the greens. They were running a 12 on the stimp according to the pro shop folks, & they wanted them to run at 13 by the weekend! Are they crazy! I'm sorry, but as a high handicapper, I already play the white tees. I have long irons & woods into greens for most of my second shots. When the greens can't even hold a shot that lands 10 yards in front, the pin is in the back AND elevated, that's just getting ridiculous! Not to mention the brutal pin placements like on 18, front right. Maybe a 1 foot circle you can hit it in with a wedge and get close, that's it. Hit a perfect shot in there and rolled 40 feet away, almost off the green. Story of my day.

Greens of course ran fast, but I just had to deal with them. Not sure whether I blame the speed for taking the break out of all the putts since nothing broke all day or not. Splotchy poa annua rolled quite well, no bumps at all since divots are filled quickly.

Fairways were hardpan. Easy to bounce the club. No room for error. Had quite a few shots that rolled right into the ESAs, especially my first round ever there. Once I got the first round under my belt I finally got adjusted to the target golf course that was never designed for target golf.

Tees were the best part. Really lush, level & soft, perfect every single hole all day. Marshal frequently came by not just to check on me or speed up the pace of play, but also filled divots constantly.

Bunkers were not the best. Very inconsistent from one to another. Almost all had lots of rocks in them. Some had a thin but decent layer of sand & were ok to hit out of, others were the soft play sand, and still others were VERY grainy & rocky with no base.

Rough was nonexistent. Some clumps of grass here or there, but generally not much taller than the fairways. At least it covered everywhere.

In general, I like the layout, just wish it would be more playable. People in the pro shop asked me how it was out there, and just laughed & said "good" when I told them how brutal the course was. Like they want you to fail or something.
6 Likes.
I've been passing by Westlake quite often on the freeway lately & thought I'd give it another shot. Used the great GK walking deal and joined a threesome. Starters were quite friendly. POP was slow for this course at around 4 hours, but it was senior day, so lots of old folks playing this morning. I'll live.

As for the course, it looks just as good up close & personal as it does from the freeway. Whoever is the superintendent is doing a great job. I have never seen it better. Was even impressed with who I assume to be either the GM or superintendent riding around in his cart inspecting areas of the course. Also around was the marshall to speed up those slow poke seniors.

One thing that I don't like here is that everything is cut too long. Greens are still shaggy poa annua that slow everything down. I still haven't figured them out after almost 10 rounds here. Also long are the fairways. Not to bothersome, but wish they'd give them a trim. Otherwise, they are looking great! Never seen the fairways better, very lush. Only one or two holes had some really patchy spots, otherwise they were pretty much all one grass and rolling well.

The greens also looked good, I just don't like them. Pretty firm however. Receptive to shots, but not too many deep ballmarks like I normally see. Rolled ok.

Rough was short, but not scraggly or nonexistent like city munis. Was enough in some spots to make you think.

I was not in any bunkers so I can't comment on those, but the sand looked good.

Tee boxes were OK. The ones that were brand new last time I was here have settled in well-too well. They were mainly on the back nine and were very firm-hard to put a tee in. Otherwise, some were uneven, but most were ok.

I really don't get why this course is being rated so low. Maybe it is because it's an executive & they're kind of looked down upon. Get out and play Westlake! I've never seen it better and everyone is hard at work continuing to make it better.
6 Likes.
Played for the second time here today.

Course was in good condition for the most part. Round took just under three hours as I was paired with another single & we breezed through several groups. Kind of odd though at the start when he just jumped in my cart with his stuff-"oh, the pro shop lady just said to join you."

Ok...

Which reminds me, pro shop lady who checked me in wasn't the friendliest...

Anyway, all the tees are being aerated. Lots of big holes in them and some tee boxes are being redone in parts. Didn't bother me too much, but all the tees were clustered together off most tee boxes. Hopefully they will fix the unevenness of some of the boxes though which DOES bother me.

Fairways were in good condition, maybe a hair too long. Rough was typical for a course like this-very patchy in places and not too penal. The bunkers I was in had great sand and were great to play out of with a nice base. Greens rolled really well and looked good (minus the unrepaired ball marks that no one fixes!)

Overall course is in not too bad of shape if you don't mind their mess on the tees.
5 Likes.
Played yesterday for the first time in quite awhile. Since the course has been reviewed recently by others, I don't have too much to add on. Everything is what you'd expect from a city course-average fairways & rough that are patchy (but not thin, disagreeing with previous reviewer), greens with LOTS of unrepaired ball marks and bumpy at times, sand that is soft like play sand, but not golf sand consistency. There was also a lot of crud in all the bunkers. On various holes there were a lot of spots marked GUR (usually mudpits).
POP was fine at just over four hours with a little waiting on every back nine hole, and service was fine. I honestly wasn't looking for too much my first time out in awhile & Encino fit the bill. Everything is simply bland or fine.
4 Likes.
Was going to use my Southland Golf magazine deal until I saw an even better one for $35 dollars with cart on Golfnow. Joined another single & a twosome for an enjoyable round. This place is in GREAT shape. POP was just under 4 hours even with a little waiting on the last 3 holes.

For the middle of August this place was looking good. One thing I have lacked to mention over my last three reviews or so are the facilities at these places. They are very nice & enjoyable.

As for the golf, the tees are all level & in great shape. Nice & lush, with the only exception being about 1/4 of the tee box on #8, which is completely barren for some reason. Not sure if it is work going on or randomly bad because a small part of the teeing area was in it, but it was easy enough to tee the ball somewhere else.

Fairways are running very nicely, cut well & with only a hint of dried out spots (NOT bare) here or there. Excellently conditioned.

Rough is healthy for the most part, but I don't expect a course to keep every inch of it perfect at all, so there are lumpy or bare spots around, but no big deal.

Greens rolled really well. Unlike last week at Brookside, there was only ONE type of grass growing & they were rolling very well. Only a few dry spots from old ball marks to deal with. What really impressed me were the fringes. Compare to Rustic Canyon for quality.

Bunkers were fantastic, had great sand. One playing partner said a bunker on #17 he was in was hard but I was in another on the same hole & it was just fine.

Overall this course is in great shape & the deals you can get are very good. I thoroughly enjoyed my round & the course layout, & highly recommend it.
7 Likes.
Checking off another course from the list of courses I haven't played.

I have always been skeptical of this place, especially considering that they park cars here every other weekend during football season, but was surprised at the course conditions considering there was a big concert last weekend.

Now, don't let that fool you. I was surprised they weren't WORSE than they already were. Course isn't in terrible shape, just bleh.

Tee boxes were in fair to poor condition. Only the 16th was looking really good. Most others had brown/bare spots or had been heavily sanded over.

Fairways were hit or miss. I don't remember having a bad lie, but there were plenty of brown spots around. About a 65/35 ratio. What's weird is that the 1st & 18th fairways were aerated but nothing else (maybe something to do with Rose Bowl parking?)

Rough was better than average. Always good when it affects your shot (unlike most courses where it is completely dead/brown).

Traps were the best part of the course. A nice layer of sand with enough to get a good chunk & run.

Greens however, were the worst part. Bermuda is really infiltrating these greens & affects everything. It was like playing somewhere like Florida & trying to read the grain. In places without the longer, stickier Bermuda, the ball would just take off, but as soon as it hit a patch, it would either bounce in three different directions off line or slow dramatically. Hard to get a good feel all day. On one three footer my ball bounced off line three times!! Just frustrating to have that shaggy stuff everywhere, as well as TONS of ballmarks on some greens.

I really liked the layout, & like Rancho Park, could picture this course in its heyday hosting LA Opens & what not. It makes you think on a lot of shots. Some minor issues of mine but were out of my control were all the striping for event parking ALL OVER the course & the Rose Bowl blaring music all day preparing for the concert tomorrow. I know they've had to really cut back their water use, but I probably won't come back unless I get a good deal or when they're better looking in the spring after football season.
1 Like.
I echo the previous reviewer entirely, but let me go into more detail about the course.

First time here & I could definitely see the old character this place has. Could picture the LA Opens & qualifiers held here back in the day.

Anyway, got off a little late & spent probably an hour just waiting today. Nearly a 5 hour round, but mostly in part to the group in front of us being sooooo slow, not waving us up, taking time in the fairway for one guy to give another a "quick" lesson, etc.

Course is in decent muni condition. Fairways have a lot of brown patches, but the lies are playable everywhere.

Rough is always hit or miss at these places, though better than most city courses I've played. Bare or dried out in some spots but not as many as other courses. Very healthy for the most part & will definitely grab your club.

Tee boxes were like most of the course, just dried out with some brown patches, but nothing too bad in terms of divots & they were all level.

Greens played really soft all day, but not slow. Just pretty bumpy as there are several types of grass infiltrating each green along with the fringes.

Bunkers are the highlight of the course-best I've played out of this year. It's the nice fluffy stuff that's so easy to play out of.

One major complaint is how maintenance does things around here. Sure there were the usual digging projects & such, but as for grass clippings, I really hate it when courses just leave them strewn in clumps everywhere. And it's not like they're in the trees way off to the side of the hole, these are in fairways, right next to greens & bunkers, etc. Is it too much to ask them to clean up after themselves? The stuff also gets on the cart paths & creates muck which then dries up & hardens & it just all looks nasty! Just my little rant today, it's not just this course.

Not sure if I'd come back here based on POP & mediocre conditions (as well as TRAFFIC!) but it's another course to check off the list.
5 Likes.
First time playing here today. Overall very pleased. Great layout for a short course; a lot of variety & holes that make you think about which club to pick while giving plenty of scoring opportunities.

Course conditions are in great shape considering the drought & the summer heat.

Fairways were in great shape, only a few dry spots here & there; otherwise great to hit off of.

Tees only had divot issues on par 3s as to be expected, but otherwise level & lush.

Sand traps (I was in plenty) were good. Not exactly the white fluffy stuff but definitely soft enough to hit out of just fine.

Greens rolled really well & had no divot or bare spot areas but needed a trim & a rolling. They were extremely slow. Poorest part of the course even though they looked great.

POP was quick since this is a short course at 3hrs. Great practice areas & facilities overall. I would come back more often if this wasn't so far from the SFV (but I have to anyway since I lost a club!)
4 Likes.
First review in awhile for me-surprised that no one has reviewed Simi since November.

Anyway, always enjoy coming here for a good but fair test of my game. Considering how hot it has been this whole year pretty much (but ESPECIALLY today at 101) the course is in really good shape. They are spot watering any yellowing areas. It makes for some damp areas & possibly annoying if your ball rolls up to them or sits next to a hose but I didn't mind that. Also appreciated the constant maintenance of the water coolers every 3 holes or so. Saw the cart girl a couple times as well as a guy changing out the coolers often.

As for the course, like I said, it is in very good shape all things considered. Tee boxes are all level & lush with divot problems only on par 3s really (to be expected).

Fairways are in decent conditions. Maybe a hair too long since my tee shots didn't get as much roll as normal today. Again understandable though due to the heat.

Rough is in decent shape. Anywhere near the fairways is good & anywhere further away is brown & possibly dirt which I am OK with.

Fringe areas were really nice, though they had different types of grass infiltrating them & into the greens. Greens were a mix of different grasses but they rolled OK. Bumpy often & firm due to the hot conditions.

Bunkers were the worst part of the course. Some had standing water in them early in the day & by mid-day they had all become hard & crusty. A few were decent to play out of.

Overall for $37 walking during primetime (including a small bucket of range balls) is better than I expected. Just try to bring your own food & drinks because those are ridiculously overpriced.
3 Likes.
I'd like to challenge anyone that says Wilson is in better shape right now. Played Harding today & it was in very good condition considering the time of year & the drought we're in. Not to mention the weather was perfect & I played well!

Starter was very friendly-waved us over to the window inside to get us out quickly & gave us a few tips.

Tee boxes were all in very good shape, only a few divots here & there even on par 3s. They must move them a lot because they are fantastic, very lush.

Fairways for this time of year were also in great shape, mowed nicely & also lush. Some yellowish patches here & there as well as some patches of different types of grass here & there but definitely nothing to cry over-very good to hit off of.

Rough was surprisingly consistent for a muni-lush & thick enough to make a difference in the majority of areas. Seemed to be around the greens where the majority of problems were (ie, brown, dead spots) but usually in places where you typically wouldn't end up in.

I would have to say the bunkers were in near-perfect shape. Staff must have filled all of them with new sand or something because they were a treat to hit out of (& I was in quite a few more than normal!) Nice & fluffy.

Greens however, are a different story. There weren't many ballmarks, but they looked to be recently punched as they were quite bumpy. Had some big hops that sent balls waayyy offline (though when in doubt, play the break away from the mountains).

Overall a good price, good POP, & good course conditions. Hopefully it will stay nice throughout the spring as I am sure it will get more play.
5 Likes.
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