Work trip out to the Phoenix area and decided to brave the bad reviews and check out Kokopelli Golf Course. My playing partner lived about halfway between where I was and his house and we had to lock down a very early 6:40am tee time due to the heat in the afternoon currently.

I was surprised to see so many people hitting balls on the range at 6am, but there was good energy and the range itself wasn't too bad, although the mats definitely need some replacing. We grabbed our cart, joined another twosome out from WI, and played from the yellow (back) tees. Things looked promising as the holes around the clubhouse were very green and well-maintained.

Things changed quickly once the facilities were out of range. Each hole was progressively worse as we went along, with many having horrific dirt patches before and adjacent to the fairways, while the water features were empty bits of reed and bush carnage. The fairways are incredibly hilly throughout, which isn't a knock - just an observation. If you're expecting level lies all day - you wont' get them. But I always get a bemused chuckle when golf courses gussy up the first few holes and let the others slide. It's just kinda dishonest.

As for the course conditions, the greens were actually not too bad and had some crazy pin placements. There were a lot of flags on precipitous slopes that didn't allow for any misjudged speed. They varied greatly in size but never in difficulty. Coverage and speeds were pretty good, though.

The fairways were good to decent on a lot of holes once if you got past the mayhem, but again - that really depended on clubhouse proximity. Other holes farther away were really struggling to be up to standard. The rough was quite thick in some areas, super thin in others - no consistency. Bunkers didn't have sand per se, but more playable dirt that looked pretty bad but played better than its appearance. Tee boxes were all pretty good.

We had cart service throughout the day and POP was sub four hours since we were one of the first groups out and never once saw the twosome that was ahead of us at the first hole. These two factors were a good saving grace. I might have lost it had we been waiting and thirsty.

All in all, there are of course a hundred better options than Kokopelli in the Phoenix area, but if they ever got the conditions good and really put the work into the place, I think the bones and layout would be quite fun. But it's a long way from that at present.

First time back out at Santa Anita in two years this past weekend and got treated to the course in pretty darn good shape. Normally you can find some really thin grass at this course, but it performed much better on this latest visit.

It was of course very hot out so my buddy and I rode, playing from the blue tees and the greens fee was around $60 - more than fair. We were paired with a fun father and son combo with a 12:20 tee time and off we went. The layout is classic parkland LA, with side by side holes, big trees but a unique twist with so many uneven lies on many of the holes.

Greens were in really decent shape and rolled nicely all afternoon - definitely the highlight of the round. Fairways have good coverage mostly all around, although of course you will find some thin areas. Rough was thick but playable, while the bunkers were the most disappointing. There is a nominal layer of sand in most of them, but where the bunkers bottom out, there's really nothing between your club and the ground underneath. Tee boxes were mostly okay but can always use some work.

POP was not so good but really only got slow on the par 3s, especially holes 8 and 12. For some reason everything backs up here good and solid, mostly because these are both very long par 3s that may require a little extra work from most golfers. There was no cart service either which is always disappointing as you must wait to go to the snack bar at the turn.

All in all though it was a good day out at Santa Anita and when it's in good shape like this time around, it's worth the drive up there.

First time back at Sterling Hills this weekend after my first visit back in 2020. I played in a Rancho Park Men's Club event and walked the course with a 9:40am tee time. I didn't remember much about the layout from my first time there but enough to know it was a challenging 18 with lots of elevations, some water features and very tough green complexes.

I really did enjoy the layout of the course despite playing some of my worst golf ever. There are some interesting carries here and lots of areas that will make things difficult for you if you're not course aware. The fairways are wide in most cases, but a few of the holes require less than driver if you're playing smart. There are also plenty of homes surrounding each hole but they don't feel suffocating at all - really barely noticeable in most cases.

Conditions are pretty nice with the greens being the best part. They are very tricky, very tiered and roll quite fast. I did not remember what a challenge they were from the first trip here, but I won't forget again anytime soon. The fairways had some good coverage but there were a lot of thin areas - playable for sure, but not in optimum shape. I was in a few bunkers and while they looked a bit thin, they played just fine when actually hitting the sand. Tee boxes were okay - not terrible, not great.

I enjoyed playing here again and would like to redeem myself with a decent round next time.

Returned to Glen Ivy this weekend with a buddy and found the course to be in very good shape. I've had some hit or miss trips to this place in the past, but today it was pretty ideal, with a few exceptions.

First off, this is a cart-only facility with massive elevations and some long sections between holes, so leave your push cart in the garage. The carts themselves are very nice and have a solid GPS system. They do have some very precise governors on them if you're in a non-cart area of the course, but it shows you those on the screens which is nice so you don't get stuck.

Right now everything is in good shape at Glen Ivy. The fairways have some very good coverage in most areas with a few GUR sections off the fairways, while the bunkers were really nice with great sand. Some of the tee boxes were a little thin (played the white tees), but for the most part playable and level. The rough was made difficult by so many leaves off the trees obscuring your ball, but also some deep areas to exacerbate that search.

The greens were running really nicely and there are some quite tricky green complexes to navigate. A few of them have multiple tiers so getting on the right one is critical. The speeds were consistent and rolls true, but it seems like too many golfers don't bother fixing their ball marks here so that was disappointing, but not overwhelming.

POP was good although we were always pressed by a twosome behind us, with another twosome behind them. I will never understand why those groups don't get together to make their delays far more manageable. It makes no sense, but they stayed separate the entire time. Not my problem, I guess ...

Overall though a really nice time out at Glen Ivy and well worth the $85 greens fee. I played a truly awful round of golf but the nice scenery and good conditions still made it worth the trip.

Played in an RPGC tournament yesterday and just want to leave a quick review about the current green conditions - and it's not great. I played here a few weeks back and the greens were in terrific shape, but something has gone amiss.

There are patchy dirt sections, something that looks like mold on a lot of them, and far too many ball marks to count. I'm not sure what happened but putting right now is a true adventure, and not the good kind. Speeds are inconsistent, lines are inconsequential and frustrations will be high.

The rest of the course? Not bad at all. Fairways and rough are good for the most part, bunkers had decent sand in them and most of the tee boxes were flat, level and had some coverage, but a few of the par 3s are thin and don't really have grass but moss instead.

POP was great since it was a tournament and we finished in just over four hours. But the overriding message here is that the greens are currently very, very disappointing.

Weekend round back at Rio Hondo this weekend with an old friend and we both walked, playing from the blue tees. Made the booking online with cart only, but the starter was a pro and gave us the walking rate instead of the online price - good customer service there.

I've reviewed Rio Hondo a million times so I won't get too much into the course layout or other extracurriculars, but current course conditions are worth a closer look.

The greens have recovered well from the last punch a month or so ago and are running quite nicely right now. Putts hold their lines well, approach shots hold the green, and the speeds (medium fast) are consistent from hole to hole. A few too many pitch marks to be fair, but I fixed up as many as I could find.

Fairways are mostly in good shape but there are some holes that are severely flirting with 'thin.' The rough is also a mixed bag of everything imaginable - stick to the fairways - easier said than done on this narrow track. Bunkers were okay - a little thin for my liking but played better than they actually look. Tee boxes are feeling the heat but nothing too awful to cry about in this post. The course is definitely playable but I've certainly seen it more lush than at the moment.

POP was not great but we were paired with a twosome and one of them was most certainly a beginner so I think we were mainly the reason for the slow-ish play, but it wasn't too bad in the long run as we finished at just under five hours ... I suppose that's not bad for a Sunday round in LA.

Overall it was a good day for golf (despite playing atrociously) as the skies never parted, the sun kept us warm and the course entertained us with all its gifts. I will be back I'm sure.

Played Coyote Hills recently for the first time in almost ten years. I had always looked forward to coming back out to this challenging, narrow course after it had beaten me up so badly fresh into my golfing career, but even the more seasoned golfer in me still had a very tough time on this particular day to turn things around.

Few courses in SoCal will take the driver out of your hands more than Coyote Hills. The angles, elevations and split fairways make it a luxury more than a necessity in most cases, but there are plenty of holes too with forced carries. The par 3s are all very unique but each daunting in their own way. Few holes are 'wide open' and even the short par 5s throw plenty of trouble at you to make you work very hard for a good score. The layout some might call 'gimmicky' but if you make wise club selections and put a good swing on the ball, you will be rewarded.

Course conditions were pretty nice all around with the greens being not diabolically fast, but incredibly tricky with their breaks and very subtle with the dropoffs that make you think twice about speed on every single one. I had a tragically poor putting afternoon and it's because I could never maintain the confidence putter speed. But the surface conditions were quite good.

The fairways had mostly good coverage with some thin spots here and there, while the rough (where you can find it) was quite playable and comfortable. There are a lot of trouble areas with mulch and trees or just plain OB that you have to navigate, and also avoid all the oil derricks that are still in operation around the course (but do give it some interesting character). Tee boxes were mostly in good shape but some a bit thin and the par 3s could use some love ... all flat and level though (we played from the blue tees). Bunkers were still a bit on the grainy side after the recent rains so I am reluctant to give them a poor rating but that's what this site is all about - the truth of the moment.

We had cart service multiple times throughout the day and that was good. There is a small snack shop open near the starter at the turn as well. POP was very interesting as I thought we were moving pretty decently most of the day but was very surprised when we were teeing off on the 18th hole that we were just over five hours. I suppose that's a good testament to an interesting and fun course that the slow play didn't detract from the overall experience that much.

You need to play this course plenty of times I think to really shoot some low scores here as a lot of the visuals can throw you off, but you'll have a good time doing it no matter what. I'm glad I finally had a chance to come back and knock it off my sub-100 list finally (mission accomplished!), but I know I have better rounds in me here and I intend to come back and make a better go of it.

Played a Friday round at Rec Park this past week after getting an 11:20 tee time for myself and two friends with a $75 rate (cart included). Two of us didn't walk but they could not adjust the pricing so that was a bummer, but I was hoping the rest of the course would justify the midweek cost.

And while the course actually held up to scrutiny and was playing a lot better than I expected it to, the POP was a total disaster at just under six hours and we had to rely on the maintenance gal in a cart to push the very slow group in front of us (who at times were well over a hole behind) because no marshal was anywhere to be found. And of course no cart service either (at least not that ever showed up with our group).

But as previously stated, course conditions are actually not bad at all. The greens were in pretty darn good shape all things considered, while the fairways had mostly good coverage and the bunkers had enough sand in them to look quite playable. The rough was manageable and while there were a fair share of dry or 'problem' areas, overall playability was not near as poor as I was anticipating.

I'm sure I'm not in the minority here thinking that Rec Park is and will remain the least desirable of the four main Long Beach courses, but it held its own this particular week in terms of course playability, however the other factors will certainly put a big knock on its rating and overall value.

Played last Friday in a Rancho Park Men's Club tournament at the home course and found the course to be in pretty good shape overall on what turned out to be the most perfect golf weather day you could ever want. It was stunning.

The clubhouse situation is still a bit of an embarrassment after so many years now of nothing actually being finished, so you're still limited to a food truck which gets its orders from a snack window near the driving range. It's highly impractical. The range itself is good but over-crowded and the ball quality has gotten pretty poor I've noticed.

My group played from the white tees this round which is still plenty of challenge at Rancho. The fairways were in mostly good, not great shape but there were plenty of dead or dry areas just off the main lanes. Bunkers were okay, while the tee boxes were level but not always greatly covered. The greens were definitely the highlight as I found them to be in good shape, rolling true and holding shots well. The were particularly fast on this day as well which befuddled many in my foursome for most of the afternoon.

I think Rancho could definitely benefit from some upcoming precipitation but it's still in good enough shape right now that if you get a time, don't hesitate to take it.

Headed back out to Diamond Bar this week with two friends including my buddy who is a member at Hacienda and had never played DB before. I was very curious what his thoughts would be after the round and he was quite impressed - calling it even better than another one or two local private clubs he plays regularly.

I definitely enjoy the course as well, especially with all of the new improvements and layout changes, but there are still some needs that should be addressed. First off, the freeway work is still ongoing and it's a real challenge on some of the holes in terms of noise and just distraction. I can't wait for all the road work to be truly finished to see this course at its best.

There were also no marshals at all on the course and at one point, while on the green at the 12th hole, we noticed two entire holes (15 and 16) were empty as a group of drunk guys casually rode down the fairway. They were literally holding up all the groups behind and my friend let them have it, but in truth, he shouldn't have to if the course is being properly marshaled. As the new Diamond Bar grows in popularity, this needs to be addressed to avoid what turned out to be a five-hour round.

On the positive side, the recently punched greens are looking quite well but I fear that the message about fixing ball marks is not being stressed enough. The greens are all in great shape if weren't for so many little pock marks everywhere from lazy golfers simply not bothered enough to fix their damage. I think I fixed at least two or three on each hole (and I played so poorly that I know none of them were mine!). It's a shame because they could really be top notch with just the slightest amount of attention from the clientele.

Fairways are in good shape with a few thin/dry areas, but for the most part you're getting plenty of good lies. When you're off with your shots though, there are a lot of mulch and wood chip areas between holes that are going to give you a hard time. Tee boxes were all in good shape (played the blue tees) and the rough was very playable and fun. The bad? The bunkers are very thin. I tried to play a standard bunker shot on the second green and my club bounced on the surface just underneath to rocket out fifty yards. I played all subsequent bunkers as chip shots instead to keep my sanity. This needs to improve.

We had great cart service all afternoon and that was quite nice, while the carts themselves are very basic with no GPS or any other specialty items. The snack shop across from the starter is pretty good but had a limited selection on this day because the cook called in sick. Whatcha gonna do?

So definitely a few wrinkles that need ironing out but still Diamond Bar is a much-improved facility that was more than worth the $65 greens fee. A very good value still for the nice golf experience overall that was provided.

Played this Sunday in the Rancho Park Men's Club tournament of champions which is held yearly at the fabulous Ojai Valley Inn. When I played last year, my game was much sharper so I played the blue tees, but the game's been pretty poor this year so I was in the flight playing from the white tees this time around. Not a problem - should be fun!

I always love this course for its unique and fun layout with some very target-oriented and memorable short holes to start, followed by some parkland style on the back nine and then a big finish with some truly memorable holes. Conditions always seem pretty prime here and this time around was no exception.

My group had a 10:00am tee time and you could not have asked for a more perfect early autumn afternoon. We rode in the very nice carts with a solid GPS system and hit the ground running. Speaking of running, the greens were running really nicely - and quite fast. They were in pretty great shape and I enjoyed them very much to the tune of a 29-putt afternoon. The tee boxes on some holes were a bit uneven, but for the most part they were fine. Fairways were in nice shape with the occasional thin spot but optically they looked quite nice all around. The rough was mostly playable and the bunkers varied a bit from hole to hole but none of them were unplayable. I wouldn't call them fluffy though, either.

One disappointment? On a very busy and warm Sunday afternoon there was never one hint of cart service for the entire day, and there's really no convenient snack shop at the turn. Apparently there is a market en route to the 10th tee box but you are also fighting for a quick in and out with every other guest at the resort - not ideal.

But despite that little annoyance, still had a wonderful day out at OVI and will always happily return for this event every year ... if I qualify!

First round back since three weeks away on vacation so a buddy and I thought Balboa would be a great place to ease back into the game. We were correct.

We snagged a 10am tee time this Sunday and rode while playing the blue tees and paired up with two, fun older gentlemen - a good time was had by all. It was warm but there were some nice patches of cloud cover that really made it ideal temperatures to play.

Course conditions are about what you would expect right now at Balboa, although to be fair I was concerned it was going to be even more dried out than it actually was. I found the greens to be in pretty darn good shape actually, holding shots well and rolling pretty consistently.

The fairways are not all covered but there are plenty of good spots in the right hitting alleys. You're still going to find some thin and dry along the way, and even some roped off GUR areas (perhaps needed a few more to be honest), but nothing too bad to complain about any more than this. The tee boxes are definitely beat up but they're level and adequate. Bunkers were a bit crusty on the top but actually had more sand underneath than expected, so not terrible.

Carts are pretty well appointed and they have a very good GPS system to help you out, but Balboa as a course is pretty straight-forward with no water features, no elevations and nothing but trees and a little bit of length on a few holes to trouble you. I was thrilled to come back after a long hiatus and play my best round of the year so far.