I've played here for over 25 years and I never seen this course in this poor of shape. Fairways are average and very thin in many areas. Also noticed that they are very bumpy and even when finding the fairway after a nice drive, you'd get a bad lie. But that wasn't the worst part... the areas surrounding the fairways, they've let go so badly and all have turned into hard pan. It could be watering restrictions in the county? But honestly they were awful. Tee boxes unlevel most places...some ok. The greens rolled great and were firm and fast for an early morning round. I've loved playing this challenging course over the years... but won't return until I hear they've fixed this issue. If I wanted to play off hard pan I'd play Victoria. Very disappointed in the shape of this county gem.

I think Los Verdes is one of the nicest golf courses the county offers. They just finished a major irrigation upgrade. I was told by the superintendent that the county will be upgrading one course a year. Los Verdes was the first with the new sprinkler system along with a pricey computer (controls watering levels) that goes with it. The course and it's players a reaped the benefits. It's lush and green and the old dry spots are going away. The fairways that used to be thin, have grass on them now. The greens are doing great as well. The greenskeeper there has done a fantastic job. I've played this course the last 15 years and it truly has never looked better. The sand is tough there. I play in the morning during the week and sometimes they haven't been raked when we are out there. Some are soft and some are hard. They plan to grind the over-grown tree roots and fix the tee-boxes in the next phase. Over-all, they have done a fantastic job.
Now playing the course. First, let's just start by saying DO NOT play on the weekends there. It is loaded and extremely slow. If you can, play during the week. Come out early and put your name on the waiting list. I'd suggest 5:30-5:45 a.m. You'll be out in less then an hour. Make a tee-time for the following week then. There is some course knowledge needed. The greens are tricky. Sometimes you think you're putting uphill and it ends up you're downhill...and vice versa. The greens usually break towards the water...keep that in mind when reading the break. When the greens are at their normal speed...they run between an 8 and a 9. Spend sometime on the practice green. This will help immensely. Good luck and enjoy one of California's best public golf courses with oceans views.

El Dog is looking great! The greenskeeper there has done a amazing job. This course really shines in the Summertime. Get out there early and you should have a 4 hour round. I played a week and a half ago out there and it was beautiful. With the rough growing up a bit and the greens rolling beautifully, this is the time for El Dog! Go play and tell me I'm wrong.

With the rain we've been having...this course will be a lake for a while. It has severe drainage problems, even after they put a bunch of money to try and fix it. Avoid playing probably until February... as long as the rain eases off here within the next few weeks. It will need a month to dry out.

great golf course... many views.... can't beat the price.... get there before 7 a.m. weekday mornings and on the weekends... forget about it!

It's funny to read what some folks have to say...First off, El Dorado is a great public course. If you haven't played it, I would suggest you do. It's not for the high hanicapper though. Mid-Low handicaps would enjoy this golf course the most. It's not all that long of a golf course.... but has many mature tree's, that give it a feel of being narrow. The moist a.m. fairways don't give you much roll. Also, at times you'll find that they've let the rough grow up a bit. So, if your off the fairway, it takes a little bit of time to find your ball. This, in turn, would cause the 5-6 hour rounds. When I play out there, it's always in the morning, get there at about 6-6:15 and you'll get out no later then 7:00. Just avoid the weekends(fri,sat,sun). Rounds are very slow during that time. The greens keeper at this course does an awesome job. One of the reason you'll find that the green's get marked up is... yes people don't repair their ball marks, and the the course is moist in the a.m. and usually the best golfers are out there then... hitting and beating up the greens. Don't play there in the rain. The one draw back of this course is the drainage. I think at one point, years ago, El Dorado, was actually a lake. So you'll find that it doesn't drain as well as other courses in Long Beach.