This review is very late. Played Oak Quarry on March 1, 2018 and this was the first time I was disappointed. Probably no fault of Oak Quarry but entire fairway is yellowish in color. It was just visually very unpleasant. Spoke to the cart guys after the round and they said they've had several straight days of frost delays and due to the cold winter conditions, it has been like that for a week or so but they expect the fairways to start recovering as weather warms up.

Tee Boxes - The tee boxes in some holes were chewed up and thin but mostly level with good coverage.

Fairways - Dormant

Rough - Actually green and lush. It just felt better hitting off the rough than the fairway on this particular day.

Green - Greens were great and putts rolled smooth. Speed seemed to vary between holes.

Regardless of the conditions, I love the layout at Oak Quarry so I'm looking forward to going back after the winter is over.

Played the 12/9/17 GK event joined by Keith (sixpez) and Gus (adigitalg87). Regardless of where and when, I always have a good time at GK events and this one was no different.

I want to start by saying I had really high expectations of this course. I don't play high-end resort courses too often and I went in expecting Aviara-like conditions... just because that is the only high-end resort course I've played.

Tee Boxes - Flat, lush, and well groomed. Some divots but very good overall.

Fairways - I was hoping to see a solid green fairway throughout the entire course but visually, it wasn't what I hoped for. However, playing conditions were very good. There were some soggy spots on the fairway but mostly fairway conditions were great and you are likely to have a great lie.

Rough - The rough was hit and miss for me. There were some areas where I had a decent lie but I wasn't able to get the club through, and some parts where the rough played almost like the fairway.

Bunkers - I was in a couple greenside bunkers and these were the best bunkers I've seen in a several months. They were filled with fluffy soft sand. It seems like golf courses don't care too much about their bunkers as most I've played in recent months had bunkers that are full of little rocks, muddy (despite course being dry), or hard packed like a cement.

Greens - Greens seemed very tricky and some downhill putts were very fast. Some greens were a little sandy and bumpy. I would just say a little above average. I probably expected a lot better and honestly, I think I've seen some LA County courses having better greens.

To summarize, I'd say, the course didn't meet my expectations and unless I got a great deal, I probably wouldn't pay rack rate to play here.

On a sidenote, I had a little confusion finding the course on my golf GPS Android app. The Legends course turned out to be "La Costa Resort & Spa - South."

Teed off at 9:41 am on July 2, 2017.

Check in was smooth with the friendly staff. The range ball dispenser needed the magic touch from one of the staff. I usually don’t hit range balls before teeing off but wanted to take advantage of Goose Creek’s awesome practice facility. They have grass range, large putting green, and chipping area with a bunker. I really wanted to practice my bunker shot but there was a small puddle on one side of the bunker and there was one guy hitting a full bucket of range balls in the other side of practice bunker.

Tee Boxes – Smooth, flat, and lush.

Fairways – Tiny bit disappointed because last time I played here (2.5 years ago), the fairways were all green with no dry brown patches. Don’t get me wrong. Fairways are still a lot better than most courses in the area but my expectation of Goose Creek was way up there. I’d say 98-99% of total fairway is lush and green but I just remember it being 100% green. There were just a few small and some bigger brown patches here and there.

Rough – First cut rough was lush and green. Deeper rough varied in different areas.

Bunkers – Bunkers were nice and soft. Few LOOKED hard but it was just the appearance of very top layer and it was nice and soft underneath.

Greens – Disappointed. On the slow side and little bumpy. I was given an explanation from the marshall that they were letting the greens grow a little bit because they are hosting some big SCGA event following week and they will be making the greens real fast.

Overall, I’d say conditions were well above average but may be not up to par with Goose Creek standards. Still very enjoyable and worth the green fee.

Played Oak Quarry on Sunday, June 25th, day that got as high as 104 degrees. Never saw the group in front or behind us so it felt like we had the entire course to ourselves. Teed off at 11 am and finished in just under 4 hours.

I always enjoy playing Oak Quarry and today was no different. The conditions are great most of the time and service is great. I have mixed feelings about one starter (a skinny older gentleman) who usually seems very cranky but he was in a great mood this day. He was smiling and making jokes. Maybe he gets overwhelmed when it is busy and gets cranky because golfers don’t listen. Anyways, conditions were what you’d expect from Oak Quarry except I feel like there was a small improvement on the bunkers since the last time I played.

Tee Boxes – Green, lush, mostly flat, not too many divots. I have to point out that on this day, blue tees were moved up from their usual location.

Fairways – Visually, it’s not as green as I would like it to be on some holes but other than a few small brown spots here and there, fairways are in great condition.

Bunkers – Last few times I played Oak Quarry, I felt, along with other reviewers, that bunkers could use some improvement. I was in three bunkers this day and I felt like there was some improvement. The greenside bunker on #4 (the long L-shaped one right before the hill which I seem to go into every time I play this course) was much softer than I remember it being. Also, I didn’t see all the little rocks that are usually in that bunker. I like fairway bunkers to be a little harder so the ball doesn’t get buried and fairway bunkers on #12 and #16 were just that.

Greens – I feel like greens at Oak Quarry don’t break as much as they look. Other than that, greens held shots well and were smooth. Maybe a little slower than what you’d expect from a course of this caliber.

* The marshall (the same gentleman that I mentioned as the starter above) came around several times, and he offered iced water which is very much appreciated.

Played 2/5/17 @ 10:35 am

Tee Boxes - All tee boxes had great coverage of lush grass and were level. There were few holes with some unrepaired divots but you could easily find a good spot to play your tee shot.
Fairways - A few brown spots here and there and some GURs clearly marked. Otherwise, the fairways were lush and green. There were few small muddy areas.
Rough - The first cut had good coverage. The rough in general had good grass coverage but many areas were muddy from the recent rains.
Greens - Greens were excellent. I didn't find many ball marks and putts were rolling nice and smooth.

Unfortunately, I can only play weekend mornings so I can't get out to Black Gold as often as I'd like to but thanks to the GK Coupon, I hope to play there few times before the coupon expires. The location is convenient and probably one of the best courses in northern part of Orange County.

Played on Sunday, 8/21/16 around 9 am. This was my first time out here. I thought the clubhouse and the land/hardscape was in a really good and updated shape for a city course. (Assuming it is a city owned course.)

Tee Boxes - They were mostly level and although quite a bit of unrepaired divots, especially on par 3s, it wasn’t difficult at all to find a good spot to tee off.

Fairways – Mostly in good shape. Some brown spots here and there but definitely above average condition.

Rough – Rough was hit and miss. There were decent amount of rough with tall thick grass as well as completely bare areas. Be careful if your ball is sitting on bare dirt as it might be on top of tree root.

Bunkers – Also hit and miss. I was in one fairway bunker and two greenside bunkers. The fairway bunker was little packed and the ball was sitting up nicely. One of the greenside bunkers didn’t look like it had nice fine sand but it was soft enough so when my ball landed, it was completely buried. The other one was quite packed and hard. I felt like I might hurt my wrist. I didn’t like them but I guess I deserve to be penalized for hitting into the bunker. :)

Greens – Greens were pretty soft and it felt like they rolled differently between holes. Some unrepaired ballmarks but nothing unusual.

Overall, I had a great time and I think $62 including cart on a Sunday morning was very reasonable.

Played on 8/7/16 @ 9 am

What a nice day. This was one of the rare times where I didn't encounter any wind throughout the entire round. There were just some nice breeze. Very enjoyable day at Oak Quarry.

Customer Service - I must have arrived at the same time as many others. Nobody came to pick up my bag but that's not a big deal anyway. Check-in process was easy and fast.

Conditions - I could write a lengthy review about conditions but I would be repeating everything scratchman said on his review posted on 8/4/16. Greens were just a bit slower than I expected but in good condition except for un-repaired ball marks which is really no fault of the course. Bunkers were in horrible shape. Luckily I didn't get into any but just looking at them had me shaking my head and each time I passed one, I was glad I wasn't in it. Some were hard-packed and some looked more like gravel than sand.

Starter - I'm in full agreement with mpisarski01's remark about the starter. I will detail my experience and let you decide whether he was just rude or his actions were acceptable. For those of you know Oak Quarry, after you check in, you drive up to the range, putting practice area and starter window. Then the starter sends you up to the first tee. People are usually very engaged in this area as they are stretching, practicing their putting, joking around with their buddies or getting introduced to new people they've been partnered/grouped with. I happen to be right next to the starter when he called our group to park our carts right behind his cart with the red flag. The other two players in my group were at the far end of the putting green and didn't hear well what he said. I called them over to move their cart but they thought we were called to go up to the first tee. While I stopped behind his cart, the other two players drove past his cart and when they were about ten feet past his cart, the starter and I called them to stop at the same time which they did. He may have meant to just get his message across clearly to them but to me, it sounded like he was yelling at them. He yelled "no, I said right behind this cart here! Get back down here!" As they made a u-turn and started driving down, the starter was shaking his head and spoke to himself, which I heard clearly. "Jeez, why are they circling around. Just back down." We didn't make an issue out of it because we didn't want to ruin our day but this is not the first time I thought this particular starter was very rude.

To end this review on a positive note, the marshall came around quite often and it was a nice touch for him to offer cold bottled water. I just wish they weren't so tiny. :)

Played on 7/31/16 @ 11:22 am.

Tee Boxes - Mostly level with good grass coverage. Unfilled divots here and there but no trouble finding a good spot.

Fairways - Lush with a couple spots marked G.U.R. Unless I drove right by them, I didn't see any hard pans or large areas of brown grass that you normally see in Southern California public courses.

Rough - Rough is what rough should be. Good coverage of grass and easy for golf balls to get buried. Even if the ball isn't buried, the grass seems stronger than other courses I've been to. Unlike some GKers, I don't know all the types of grass and how different each one plays but it felt like it was harder to get club through the grass.

Bunkers - I was only in one green-side bunker and it was filled with nice fluffy sand. All other bunkers seem to be in good similar condition. No fault of the course but several un-raked.

Greens - I've seen the greens faster at Black Gold but this particular day, greens weren't that fast but still rolled true and smooth. Still a lot faster than a typical Southern California municipal course. Several unfixed ball marks but that's expected.

The layout is really fun with great overall conditions. If you know the course well and land your tee shots in good spots, you can get some crazy runs down the fairway and have a look at eagle on most par 5s.

Had a tee time on Sunday, 7/17/16 at 9:08 am. Teed off around 9:30 am. Pace of play was just about 5 hours but it was probably our group that was slowing down the pace. Sorry if you happen to be behind our group on this particular day.

Tee Boxes - Mostly level with good coverage. No problem finding a good spot to tee off.

Fairways - There were some bare brown spots here and there but mostly in decent condition. I did encounter a GUR sign located between the edge of fairway and a fairway bunker one hole but it didn't have ropes around it so I couldn't tell whether it was the fairway (which looked good around that spot) or the bunker that was under repair.

Rough - Most 1st cut was decent and good coverage. But outside that, the condition is hit and miss. A lot of bare areas and tree roots hidden underneath. However, you are supposed to get penalized for not hitting your shots onto the fairway, right?

Bunkers - The ones I got into were in decent shape. Most bunkers were smooth and raked. They were not compacted like some I've seen on other courses.

Greens - For a busy SoCal city course, I thought the greens were in good shape. Not terribly slow but not too fast. There were some but not too many unrepaired ball marks. No bouncy putts or putts that change direction all of a sudden.

The weekend morning rate I paid was $66. I'm not sure if I'd come back to play at that rate. Most public courses in this caliber charges between $45 and $55 with some deals to be found online. At $66, I think you can find better courses.

Played Saturday, 1/2/16 at 9:00 am as a single joined by two very nice gentlemen. Felt like our group waited after each shot but still ended the round just under 4 hours and 40 minutes. I have played this course once before and couldn't remember anything bad about it and while driving to the course, I wondered why I never went back.

Tee Boxes - Mostly lush and flat with quite a bit of unfixed divots on all par 3s. However, if you don't mind backing up a foot, should have no problem finding a decent spot to play your tee shot.

Fairways - For the most part, fairways had decent coverage with lush grass. A few brown spots here and there. One hole had a rather large patch that was being repaired but it at edge of the fairway and it probably doesn't come into play.

Rough - The rough is lush with good grass coverage if you are within a couple yards of the fairway. If you are way off the fairway, you shouldn't be playing there anyway so I won't comment on how difficult it is to find your ball even with the help of a home owner who is enjoying his morning coffee in his backyard.

Bunkers - I found several greenside bunkers and they were filled with soft sand. Not happy I had to play in them but they were probably the best bunkers I've played recently.

Greens - As previous reviewers have stated, the greens were among the fastest I've played. Barely touched a 6 foot downhill putt and it went at least 5 feet past the hole. There were a large number of unfixed ball marks but it seems to be the norm anyways.

Overall, I would recommend and wouldn't hesitate to come back. If you get email specials from Donovan Daily, it is definitely worth the promotional rate.

11/16/15 - Played the Blues (6642/72.5/132) with Nickesquire in little less than 4.5 hours teeing off @ 7:20am. Took advantage of the all you can play voucher from UnderPar.com. Originally booked the Players Course at 7:10 and planned on playing Celebrity in the afternoon but when I told the pro shop our plan, they recommended we play Celebrity in the morning because there is a tournament in the afternoon on that course. The service provided the pro shop and starter was great.

I was surprised how busy they were considering it was a Monday but later found out that this is their peak season and they are busy every day of the week. However, pace of play wasn’t an issue.

The Celebrity Course on this day was cart path only. The course features great landscaping with great hardscape features. There are flowers in some roughs and I wasn’t sure if I could get inside those areas to search for a ball or not. I typically try to breakdown my reviews by tee box, fairways, rough, bunker, and green but in this case, I’m just going to keep it very simple.

A 10 of 10 in my books.

Already looking forward to my next opportunity to playing Indian Wells again.

Played on 10/17/15 at 6:52 am. Originally had the tee time reserved for two players at $68 taking advantage of their advanced booking rate. A friend's friend ended up joining us who is a Men's Club member and we were able to play for $55 guest rate.

Not sure if anyone playing here Sunday (10/18/15) will read this review but note that the I-10 east is reduced to one lane at Sierra so it can get quite backed up if you are traveling that way. Take the 60 freeway instead.

Tee Boxes - We played the blue tees. I would say 16 tee boxes were very green, lush, and smooth. The other two tee boxes were in decent shape but if you tee off just a foot or two behind the markers, you should have no problem finding a very good spot to tee off on. Glanced at the white and red tee boxes while on the cart and they all seemed to be in very good shape.

Fairways - There was one spot marked as ground under repair on hole #2 but it's a small area so it probably won't come into play. There were few other patches here and there marked but they were more towards edge of the freeways so it doesn't really impact your play unless your ball somehow magically lands right in that spot. Besides those patches, all fairways in very good shape. I think people feel obligated to fill their divots because the course is in such a good shape.

Rough - If you find the "grassed" rough, it is very playable. Not terribly deep and very lush. If you find the hillside, good luck finding your ball and if you walk a foot into the hill, be prepared to have a lot of scratches on your legs.

Bunkers - I was in one fairway bunker and it was somewhat hard. It was still wet from the morning dew. Greenside bunkers seemed to be in very good shape. A lot of sand. I had a very tough time in two of them due to the moisture but I can't hit out of bunkers even when they are soft and dry so I won't comment on them.

Greens - This was my third time at Oak Quarry and greens seemed to be the slowest I've seen them but it's probably the moisture. Speed did pick up at the back nine but I still think I've seen the greens here faster. I personally have no preference so I don't know if it's good or bad. Besides the speed, all greens were in very good shape and putts rolled smooth. (Except for that one time where I thought I hit a perfect putt with perfect speed from about 40-50 feet out and it goes over a poorly fixed ball mark a few feet from the hole and slightly changed direction. Ugh!)

Customer Service - Service here has been great all three times I've been here. When you arrive, they will come to your car, offer to take your clubs for you and by the time you check in, your bag is already loaded on the cart with your name on it. I tipped the guy $5 as he was picking up my club because last time I was here, I couldn't find the guy (probably went to load someone else's bag) so couldn't tip him. I'm not quite used to hospitality like this at golf courses so I hope I didn't tip too little. Check in couldn't have been better due to the discount I got. :)

Beverage Cart - Maybe it was due to the weather cooling down and playing in the early morning, I saw the beverage cart only once on the back nine. The other two times I've played here, I probably ran into it 2 times on the front, and 2 times on the back.


* On a side note, Oak Quarry drives me crazy because it raises my expectations of what golf course conditions should be and the next time I play my usual course, I will probably be complaining about conditions the entire round.