Rode the blues at noon in a little over 4 hours for $20 on a GolfNow deal. I’ve played a lot this summer and I mean a lot and I’ve played everywhere. These are the best greens I’ve played on. Better t... Continue »

Rode the blues at noon in a little over 4 hours for $20 on a GolfNow deal. I’ve played a lot this summer and I mean a lot and I’ve played everywhere. These are the best greens I’ve played on. Better than maderas in Poway. They held shots, rolled true and were extremely fast. Kudos to those that play here because there wasn’t a lot of divot damage either. The tee boxes were below average, fairways average. The trap I was in had very good sand. I also like the layout here. I highly recommend this course. It’s worth the fee to putt on the greens.

Teed it up here today at 7:30. We haven't played here for quite a while mainly because conditions have not been good. Reading recent reviews gave us hope. Upon arriving, the pro shop greeted us and ma... Continue »

Teed it up here today at 7:30. We haven't played here for quite a while mainly because conditions have not been good. Reading recent reviews gave us hope. Upon arriving, the pro shop greeted us and made us feel welcome. We paid $43 to play with a cart and were given a free lunch coupon. Great deal!! Now for conditions. They have shown huge steps in bringing this place back but but I think they still have a long way to go. The greens were the best part by far. They rolled true, were semi fast, held shots, and were a pleasure to putt on especially with all the undulations. The tee boxes were nice and level for the most part but were a bit lnconsistant in grass height. The course was overly wet (not sure why they do this) which made the bunkers damp and difficult. The rough here is definitely hit or miss. Hard pan, patchy, long, short, and sloppy. I thought the fairways were nice but thought the ball sat down a lot. It was real nice to see the dirt areas if front of tees being worked on. Aesthetically it will be more pleasing to the eye. They were adding walking paths and ground cover which will really make it better. Pace was great at 4 hours. All in all it was a great day on a much improved golf course. Keep it going Sterling Hills.......we'll be back.

Going to reiterate most of my review from last week when I played here with exception that it was in even better shape. Conditions simply are vastly improved from the previous ownership. This golf cou... Continue »

Going to reiterate most of my review from last week when I played here with exception that it was in even better shape. Conditions simply are vastly improved from the previous ownership. This golf course is now in great shape. Especially the greens and fairways (you heard right, the fairways). Only blemish is the bunkers sand yet not terrible and certainly playable.

Played with GK’ers GDR23, rgm2525 and abbacat on Monday 6/17 teeing off at 10:40am. Wendy played the forward tees while Gary, Ron and I played the tips. This is a very challenging Par 71, measuring over 6800 yards from the black tees. I enjoyed stepping back for a change but next time out going to play the blues tees there. I posted photos from my rounds 6/11 and 6/17 so you can see the layout. It’s got it all with a great variety of holes. Greens are tricky, undulating and shaped so the pins can be tucked away. They are all well-guarded green complexes. Tee shots are very demanding requiring shaping the ball around big trees at times and avoiding some hazards. Approach shots are mostly to elevated greens making this layout even longer. However there is nothing unfair about it and it’s a blast to play.

After the round Gary had to take off to get back to the Golf Development Complex for lesson but Ron, Wendy and I had a bite to eat that comes with your round. Nice selection on the lunch menu which come with chips. Good grub.

Highly recommended especially with the GK Coupon deal.

Played 6-18-19 late morning with John, Gary, and Wendy getting around the course in about 4 hours and 45 minutes with no waiting on the front side and then slowing down on the back. Tee boxes were in ... Continue »

Played 6-18-19 late morning with John, Gary, and Wendy getting around the course in about 4 hours and 45 minutes with no waiting on the front side and then slowing down on the back. Tee boxes were in good shape, a little thick on some with a few needing a bit of leveling. Fairways were very nice, lush and soft with minimal roll out, great lies, and good cushioning. Rough still needs a little help, some thin bare areas here and there but overall in much better shape then it has been in the past. Was in a couple of greenside bunkers that had decent sand but a little thin. Greens were in really good condition, semi-soft and mostly smooth with medium/fast pace. Really big improvements at this course from how it used to be. Hope they keep up the good work.

I was happy to have the opportunity to play today with Johnny, Gary and Ron. I had last played here about 5 years ago. I didn’t remember many specifics of the course but I could see right away it was... Continue »

I was happy to have the opportunity to play today with Johnny, Gary and Ron. I had last played here about 5 years ago. I didn’t remember many specifics of the course but I could see right away it was in much better shape than back then. I was immediately taken with how pretty the course is with the variety of vegetation and the many beautiful Jacaranda trees in full bloom. The red tee boxes were divot-free and there were only a few areas of uneven footing and long grass. The fairways were in great shape, very green, with great coverage and cushioning. The greens were awesome. There were lots of undulations, multi-tiers, ridges, valleys and backstops. It was not a good day for sinking putts but it sure was fun trying. I really enjoyed the course with its good variety of holes. It was totally worth the 2.5 hour drive from OC and I look forward to playing again soon.

Rode the Blacks this morning 6/17/2019 around 10:40am with John, Ron and Wendy(great people to play with if you ever get the chance to). We had a super time on a beautiful day for golf with just a lit... Continue »

Rode the Blacks this morning 6/17/2019 around 10:40am with John, Ron and Wendy(great people to play with if you ever get the chance to). We had a super time on a beautiful day for golf with just a little bit of wind on the back nine and mid 70 temps. POP was 4 hours 45 minutes with no waiting on the front and some waiting on the back nine.

Had not been out here in 14 months. This course is in good shape and in much better shape today than my previous rounds out here. Lee Harlow and his staff are doing a great job with this course and I would recommend that you go play Sterling Hills now.

The greens were in very good shape, hardly any ballmarks rolling medium to fast pace with a nice smooth roll. Some of the green complexes have some potato chip swales and undulations which I love and makes putting here fun and challenging. They can tuck some of the back pins in challenging places on some of these bigger green surfaces. Rating the greens an 8/10.

The fairways were really nice and pretty much the most improved area on this course. Just awesome great coverage with your ball sitting up nicely. Did not see any bare spots. Fairway rating 8/10.

Tees were very lush, some of the teeing grounds were unlevel but were big enough that you could always find a level spot. Rating 7/10.

Was in greenside bunker on #18 that was well raked and easy to hit out of.

Rough looked to be uniform, semi-lush and in good shape with few problem areas.

Would love to see one more par 5 out here. I love courses with 5 par 5's and Sterling Hills only has 3 of them with two of them being the last 2 holes. They have some scoring holes out here like 4, 7, 9, 16 and 18 and some hang on tougher holes like 3, 14 and 17.

Staff here was super friendly, they have a range, huge putting green and with the cooler temps in Camarillo, current nice shape of the course and the new GK coupon I can see this course getting a lot of play.

Recommended

The last couple years many golfers have passed on playing Sterling Hills despite it's great layout due to poor playing conditions (me included) … I am very happy to report not only are those days gone... Continue »

The last couple years many golfers have passed on playing Sterling Hills despite it's great layout due to poor playing conditions (me included) … I am very happy to report not only are those days gone due to new ownership but the golf course is currently in very good shape. So much so, I’m making it my home course.

Had a blast out there Tuesday 6/11 and only see turf improvements continuing. It’s a closer drive for me than the Ventura/Oxnard courses from Thousand Oaks plus better weather. I think anyone coming over the 101 Camarillo grade to tee it up should be consider playing it. They got great deals which include cart and a quality lunch entrée for less than most standard green fees in the region. This place is a steal.

Greens are in excellent shape. Smooth, medium/fast and holding shots. Fairways provide great lies with only occasional bare spots which most bare spots have been re-sodded, rough is mostly lush, tee boxes in good shape and bunkers not great but certainly playable with mostly firm sand (they are planning on doing some greenside bunker improvements with new sand). During August/September the fairways will struggle due to some of the cool climate turf they are phasing out but in general all other aspects of the golf course should be better.

We’ll be launching a GK Coupon weekday deal soon so be on the lookout for that. I’ll be posting some GK Meet & Play posts when I can sneak out other than my planned rounds.

Check out the photos I posted. Hope to get some rounds in with many GK’ers here.

As a single I was paired up with two fun guys that made the round enjoyable. Had a 10:30 am tee time on Monday, 3/25. The weather was perfect; upper 60's with a light wind around 10 to 15 mph. I hadn'... Continue »

As a single I was paired up with two fun guys that made the round enjoyable. Had a 10:30 am tee time on Monday, 3/25. The weather was perfect; upper 60's with a light wind around 10 to 15 mph. I hadn't played this course for about 2 years, due to the very poor conditions. I'm glad I gave it a try. the conditions have improved nicely. Although the course is not immaculate by any measure, it is in good condition to play. I would say it's a little better than a good muni course. The fairways have greened up fairly well, and there are many good lies to be had. Although not real lush, there is enough padding under the ball for a solid lie in most cases. There are some bare areas, but they are in the minority. The rough along the fairways is mixed. Some very lush areas about 1 - 2 inches and some thinner, more bare lies. The greens had been punched a few weeks ago. But I didn't notice it much. The greens were mostly smooth and medium fast. The rough around the greens was quite nice, about one inch in height and lush. The greenside bunkers were a mixed bag. I was in 4 bunkers. Two of them had plenty of good, firm sand. The other two had only compacted dirt in them. There is a nice variety of holes on this course, making it interesting to play. The all-in cost of just over $42 included golf, cart, small bucket of balls, and lunch after the round. I walked the course, so didn't use a cart, and I didn't eat after the round, so I didn't take full advantage of this deal. But, for $42 it was still a fair price to me. As the spring moves forward, the course should get more lush and nice. I recommend this course.

Played Sterling Hills on Sunday 1/13 between the rain on Saturday and Monday. I hadn't been out to Sterling Hills post-drought and since they started doing a lot of work on the course. I was very pl... Continue »

Played Sterling Hills on Sunday 1/13 between the rain on Saturday and Monday. I hadn't been out to Sterling Hills post-drought and since they started doing a lot of work on the course. I was very pleased with the progress they seem to be making. Lots of GUR marked off allowing the grass to take root and grow in. A lot of areas that would never be in play (i.e. between tees and landing areas) have been cleared out completely and either kept bare or allowed to grow out with vegetation. It seems like they are being very conscious of the areas that need work and water (fairways/greens) and focusing their efforts where it makes the most difference.

Greens were in very good shape. Soft after the rains, but running very smooth. The greens here are fairly large and tiered. Downhill putts required good touch to get the ball close.

Fairways are in good winter shape. Not very pleasing to look at, and a little muddy after the rain, but plenty of roll and good lies to be had.

Rough is mixed. Some deep grabby stuff near the greens. A mix of lush, thin, bare areas the further out you got.

Sand was not good after the rain. Lots of standing water in the fairway bunkers and very firm greenside bunkers. They may be doing their job of helping with fairway drainage, but they are not fun to play from.

Tees were level but had some bare areas and divot damage, especially on the par-3s and shorter par-4s.

This is a great value as they are trying to be the home of "all-inclusive" golf. Rates included greens fees, cart, range balls, and a full-size entree at the restaurant. Pace of play was right around 4.5 hours as a riding 3-some stuck behind a 4-some.

I really enjoy the layout and mix of holes at Sterling Hills. When conditions were so far below average, there was just no reason to play here with so many other quality courses a short distance away. However, if conditions continue to improve into the spring, and they stick with their pricing model, this will be one of the best values around.