This might sound stupid, because I've never been to Scotland let alone played the Old Course. But when I'm at Olivas Links, I sense that it's a similar feeling to playing St. Andrews. I love the long ... Continue »

This might sound stupid, because I've never been to Scotland let alone played the Old Course. But when I'm at Olivas Links, I sense that it's a similar feeling to playing St. Andrews. I love the long views across almost the entire course broken up by colorful natural areas, and the late afternoon sunlight brings out so much character in the contours. So it's no surprise I had a great time at the GK Plays Sunday afternoon. Great company with Johnny, Kevin, and Jeff!

Conditions are excellent. Greens are smooth, medium to medium-fast speed, and accepted full shots well. Fairways have good coverage and provided good lies all day. Fairways and rough were green and mostly great, although I did see some occasional bare spots in the rough. Blue tee boxes were good. I don't believe I was in a bunker but they looked good for the most part.

Every time I play here, I wish I lived closer so I could get out here more often. Highly recommended. Thank you Johnny and all the sponsors for the great prizes! Love my new Linksoul tee and polo.

I played yesterday in the GK outing. Big thanks to Johnny GK and Olivas Links for a wonderful outing in the relatively cool coastal climate of Ventura, CA. I'll take 75 degrees over the inland heat an... Continue »

I played yesterday in the GK outing. Big thanks to Johnny GK and Olivas Links for a wonderful outing in the relatively cool coastal climate of Ventura, CA. I'll take 75 degrees over the inland heat any day this summer. Additional thanks to Linksoul and OnCore Golf; Johnny, I really appreciate all the Linksoul clothes I have received over the years! The OnCore golf balls (I got the Vero X1) were pretty nice as well. I will most likely get myself some. Appreciate the discount through GK! I also want to give a shout out to Mary, the beer cart attendant, who comped me a beer when I was out of cash! Unfortunately, she does not take credit cards at this time.

Olivas Links is in good condition. True, there were a couple of areas that looked like it had stressed turfgrass; maybe due to heat or inadequate sprinkler coverage. However, those areas were few and far between. Overall very nice conditions from tee to green. I saw a couple of the iconic wind-blown pine trees have bitten the dust. Too bad, but the skeletal remains indicate what once was.

Greens: 8/10 Good roll with an occasional spot that needed some love. They were soft and running on the medium fast side. The softness did necessitate the fixing of the occasional ball mark. These greens are very nice. Lots of undulations provide good challenges for your green reading skills.

Fairways and rough: 7/10 There were occasional areas that needed some attention, but overall the course plays great. Good turf grass coverage and root zone to take a divot, if that's your thing. Nice roll on many drives; several of my topped tee shots ran out way further than I expected. The rough is great as well. I'm talking about the rough that sees a mower. Anything outside the mowed areas are hit and miss. If you end up in the deep kikuyu grass, you might miss finding it. They can call it an ESA, or Environmental Area, or Natural Area, but I would rather they made it all turf grass and hit it with a mower. The game is slow enough without a bunch of us traipsing around looking for errant shots.

Tees: 8/10 We played the Club tees (Wendy on the Players). All seemed very level and lush. No complaints there.

Overall a great experience here. I hit balls at the range and practiced putting on the very large and undulating PPG. There are additional chipping areas including another green with a bunker to practice from. The course can get very busy and despite 10 minute tee time intervals, it still took nearly 5 hours to complete the round. Keep that in mind if you come out on a Sunday afternoon.

Olivas Links gets it. It's all about the grass. Every time I play here, the greens fairways and rough are in good shape. The grass has good roll but also spongey enough for confident shotmaking. B... Continue »

Olivas Links gets it. It's all about the grass. Every time I play here, the greens fairways and rough are in good shape. The grass has good roll but also spongey enough for confident shotmaking. Beyond the rough, the lay of the land is very seasonal and can be punitive.

It's a good variety of hole lengths and difficulty that normally the offshore breeze has a say in.

The GK event here didn't disappoint. Had a good group with good weather at a good course that was in it's usual good shape.

Played in the last group of the GK outing with Jeff, Mark and Mr GK hisself. First, the course, which I found in overall excellent shape. Tees more level than I am used to was a treat. On the occasion... Continue »

Played in the last group of the GK outing with Jeff, Mark and Mr GK hisself. First, the course, which I found in overall excellent shape. Tees more level than I am used to was a treat. On the occasions they weren't perfect, they weren't off enough to require any real adjustment and the coverage was always good. The fairways were very nice on the whole with good coverage and a good amount of runout. While rare, there was the occasional anomaly as evidenced by Johnny finding his ball in a four foot sandy patch surrounded by perfectly nice fairway. A low percentage fluke, but it happened. Rough varies from natural areas to thick grass patches to playable, so there is a lot of variety in the possible outcomes. As far as bunkers, given the long and intimate relationship I developed with one in particular, I'll let a more objective reporter fill you in on those. It was an "it's me, not you" relationship. The green-side areas were in nice shape, tending towards the tighter side for most chips. The greens were excellent — clean, good speed, visually interesting with the right amount of variety and challenge. Otherwise, the very local coastal layer burnt off as the event was commencing. So it was sunny, the temperature was comfortably cool with an ocean breeze that built to about 2.5 clubs and died off by round's end. The event was well organized. The unlimited range balls was cool and something I needed to get myself right before the round. The practice facilities and options are very complete and the merchandise handed out beforehand was awesome and appreciated — love my LinkSoul shorts. Add in the excellent company and it made for a highly enjoyable all around experience. Thanks to Johnny for putting this together. I loved it.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed playing Olivas Links for the first time on Friday June 24, 2022. It’s a new favorite and we’d gladly make the 2-hour drive from our hometown to play it again, and woul... Continue »

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed playing Olivas Links for the first time on Friday June 24, 2022. It’s a new favorite and we’d gladly make the 2-hour drive from our hometown to play it again, and would probably stay in a hotel or Airbnb room to play it early the next morning, as we did this time. Loved the layout and how green and lush the course is, no complaints about anything. Played it in 4 hours with two elderly gentlemen starting at 6:30, and the round flowed smoothly with no waits. Great practice chipping area and bunker, who cares if it doesn’t have a proper clubhouse, we don’t.

Walked the blues this afternoon 4/25/22 at 120pm with my buddy Matt joined by a nice single who bailed after 14 Holes. Pop on a busy Monday was 4 hrs 40 minutes under 75 degree weather with a strong ... Continue »

Walked the blues this afternoon 4/25/22 at 120pm with my buddy Matt joined by a nice single who bailed after 14 Holes. Pop on a busy Monday was 4 hrs 40 minutes under 75 degree weather with a strong 2 club wind at times. A beautiful day for golf.

Have only played out here once since the end of last summer and you can tell the course is transitioning nicely into lusher fairways and rough, lush tee boxes and the greens are just almost completely back from their maintenance several weeks ago.

The biggest difference are the native areas just off the cartpaths. They are gorgeous yellow dandelions and flowers and very lush vegetation that will eat up errant drives like my drive just right of 7 Fairway today. I remember thick vegetation when this course first opened and that's what you have now which is awesome visually and a good test of golf.

Greens were mostly smooth with just a minor bump here and there. Within the next week they will be even better. Rated 7.5/10.

Fairways starting to get to paspullum lushness. Mostly all green and in good shape. I would say Olivas has some of the better Fairways anywhere from May to September. Rated 8/10.

Tees were lush, level and in good shape. Rated 8/10

Was not in any bunkers but my buddy was in greenside bunker on 17 that had perfectly raked sand.

Rough is a nice dormant brown contrast from the emerald green Fairways and in good shape. Rated 7/10.

Looking forward to many summer rounds out here as conditions continue to get better and better as summer approaches.

Highly recommended.

Rode the Blues (6530/71.6/127) with Bnaso and a very nice H/W twilight in 4H, 10M. 60, overcast and windy, consistent 2 club wind all afternoon. Felt more like 45-50 with the wind, especially as it wa... Continue »

Rode the Blues (6530/71.6/127) with Bnaso and a very nice H/W twilight in 4H, 10M. 60, overcast and windy, consistent 2 club wind all afternoon. Felt more like 45-50 with the wind, especially as it was getting dark at the end of the round. Tee boxes good coverage, winter thin and mostly level with some divots. Fairways mostly winter thin with numerous GUR areas. Many holes have collection areas with lots of divots. Rough mostly okay coverage, mowed low and what I would also describe as winter thin. Traps were nicely groomed with fine grain sand. Large greens were almost back to normal. Still somewhat bumpy and medium speed. I had a poor putting day, but it was me, not the greens. Customer service usually limited but always very friendly here. Excellent layout, mostly flat, very walkable. Bare bones amenities, clubhouse is a trailer, no Drink cart. No GPS on the basic carts. Good driving and chipping practice area. Prices are reasonable. Always fun to play. Recommended.

Walked the Blues (6530/71.6/127) with t8fish twilight in slightly more than 4H. 60 and breezy. Completely overcast/foggy made it challenging to follow your shots. First time I have played here since... Continue »

Walked the Blues (6530/71.6/127) with t8fish twilight in slightly more than 4H. 60 and breezy. Completely overcast/foggy made it challenging to follow your shots. First time I have played here since 2018 and all I can say is WOW, what happened to Olivas? This was definitely the poorest condition I have seen this course in since it opened after the renovation 15+ years ago. Tee boxes mostly thin, good coverage and mostly level with some divots. Fairways mostly thin with numerous GUR areas. Rough mostly thin with okay coverage, mowed low. Was not in any traps but they looked okay. Large greens were punched 3 weeks ago and have not recovered well. Medium speed and bumpy. Excellent layout, fun to play. Mostly flat, very walkable. Bare bones amenities, clubhouse is a trailer, no Drink cart. Good driving and chipping practice area. Customer service usually limited but always friendly here. Prices are reasonable. Recommended.

Played 3/5 pm on my way down from the Central Coast. Thought there might be a few cancellations, marvelling at the boiling pot of Pacific Ocean as I headed into Ventura. The gale was pushing me hard... Continue »

Played 3/5 pm on my way down from the Central Coast. Thought there might be a few cancellations, marvelling at the boiling pot of Pacific Ocean as I headed into Ventura. The gale was pushing me hard to Ojai, but my Catholic upbringing pointed me to Olivas for the full measure I deserved. Hadn't played here before, but Greenskeeper reviews were positive and it was just off the freeway. Got out of the car at 1:30 and at 1:40 the foursome on the 1st tee waved me through. Pro shop was in a trailer, very friendly and low key. Fairways were well-covered and mowed tight. Tees were good. Bunkers were well placed sirens, calling to my ball on every downwind tee shot. Greens were medium speed with lots of character; they were just long enough that the 2.5 club wind didn't blow your ball off them. There was lots of slight mounding around the greens so you had to be preciise with that low runner required to reach the green. Even though it's a flat course, IMO each hole stood out. I never felt like "I just played this hole." The trailer pro shop really belies the quality of thee course and conditions here. Thought this was the closest thing to Scotland at an affordable course I've come across and really enjoyed it. I played 18 with a father and son after playing 14-17 again. They were kind enough to let me join them as it started getting dark, They had just moved from LA County. They were playing the courses in the area and he expressed he was a little disappointed so far. Now, I've only played Rustic, Ojai and here, but I thought, "Geez, I gotta start playing some LA golf."