Played Monday. Weather cool. Course looks about as good as I've seen it this time of year. Fairways are tight resulting ... » More

Played Monday. Weather cool. Course looks about as good as I've seen it this time of year. Fairways are tight resulting in lots of roll. Ball sits up for perfect lies. Greens are very receptive and hold well. The greens are very tight , also, and as a result roll fast and true. POP was a little slow due to the MLK holiday. Good deal thanks to greenskeeper.org - $35 which includes range balls and the option to buy a sleeve of Pro V1's for another $5. It's a regular course in my groups rotation, and we are always treated well.
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Rode the Blues (6801/72.0/125) in 4H, 20M mid day. Paired up with DK & Eric, excellent guys to play with! Mid 60's, calm... » More

Rode the Blues (6801/72.0/125) in 4H, 20M mid day. Paired up with DK & Eric, excellent guys to play with! Mid 60's, calm and overcast weather.

Suprisingly good, fun to play layout with multiple holes that turn both ways. Rough around the edges typical LA County muni conditions.

Tees were poor. Mostly level but thin, about 3/4 grass and 1/4 dirt/seed.

Fairways were mediocre. Winter thin with hardpan areas and alot of unfixed divots. Made for some long drives.

Rough was a mixture of grasses, winter thin but mowed well.

Traps were mediocre. 2 were okay, 1 thin with dark brown dirt/sand. Raked by the maintanence crew in the morning. However, seemingly a high % of the players that regularly play LA County courses think the rakes they put beside the bunkers are for someone else to use?

Poa greens were very good bordering on excellent. Quick, downright fast on downhillers and smooth for poa. They were moist, you could leave large ball marks and back up irons on these greens.

Very basic carts do not have GPS or ports for electronics. No cart person. Busy range hitting off mats and it was busy at check-in. I would occasionally play here if I lived in the area. For the fun William F. Bell layout and very good greens I would tend to overlook the mediocre tee to fringe playing conditions.
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Went out Sunday,1/19 around 11:15 as a single joining a threesome. Cool, not cold, increasing overcast through the roun... » More

Went out Sunday,1/19 around 11:15 as a single joining a threesome. Cool, not cold, increasing overcast through the round, and only light wind, it was a good day to be out. As always, we are talking about winter conditions, but I was pretty pleased with the course overall. Focusing on the greens first, they were pretty clean and running about as fast as I have seen it there — nothing crazy, but definitely a nice quick speed that required some judgement. The rest was good winter conditions: tees generally covered and mostly flat, fairways had mixed coverage with rollout. Occasionally you might get a damp or thin spot, but other than the expected winter tightness, I thought the overall coverage and turf was quite acceptable. Rough was mostly not punitive and I missed the bunkers. One of the group complained about the firmness of the bunkers, but he was also something of a crappy bunker player. They looked firm but playable to me — not an uncommon condition.

The course was busy and the pace was on the sluggish side, with our group worse than the average. I attribute it to the other three playing a money game and taking more time on the greens — too much marking of missed putts and then waiting to putt out in turn. Unless there was an issue of standing on another's line or some such, simply finishing to hole-out once a player commenced putting would have probably made all the difference. We were a full hole+ behind at one point, but delays ahead of us towards the end of the round allowed us to close most of that up by the end. They were nice guys, and the situation was on the cusp, so I elected not to say anything. It was a 5.25 hr round and at the end we weren't far off the general pace.

Bottom line, I enjoyed the course and recommend it.
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I played using an $85 Underpar. The deal is good for Mondays only, so today was perfect with traffic being light due to ... » More

I played using an $85 Underpar. The deal is good for Mondays only, so today was perfect with traffic being light due to the holiday. Check in was easy but I had to email to them my Underpar voucher so that they could print it, as they required a hard copy rather than just seeing it on my phone.

The practice area had complimentary balls on the range and there was a good sized chipping area and putting green. I’m really glad I spent some time there because it gave me a good idea of the challenge I was in for. The cart was comfy and had an ice chest. There was no GPS, though, which was unfortunate as yardage markers were hard to find in the fairways.

I started on time at 9:40 a.m., paired with a friendly twosome. Another single caught up and joined us at the second tee. We played the Masters 9 first, followed by the U.S. Open 9. The Masters is fairly narrow, but not nearly as much so as the U.S. Open. Funny, though, I seemed to do better the narrower the fairway...more concentration, maybe. There are a lot of big elevation changes, dog legs and blind shots – all the things I like in a course.

The conditions were excellent. Tee boxes were large and level with almost no divots or broken tees littering the area. The fairways were completely lush. Many, not all, had those great mower stripes – love that! Holes 1,3 & 9 on the Masters were CPO as were 1 & 8 on the U.S Open. I didn’t see any brown, bare or wet areas. I was in 4 or 5 bunkers. The sand was clean, soft and heavy- really easy to hit out of. The rough was beautifully consistent on the entire course, about 2-3 inches and dense enough that the balls didn’t sink in.

The greens were the killer for me. (I kept thinking of The Saticoy Club.) They were firm, crazy fast and didn’t hold shots very well. It was so hard to read the breaks. Balls rolled U-turns on several greens. It worked in my favor a couple of times though I can’t say it was intentional. There was one downhill putt that I barely tapped. The ball slowed to what looked like a complete stop a couple feet above the pin, then suddenly took off again, right off the green. We all chased balls on and off the greens. Honestly, it was just a bit ridiculous after a while.

Some nice touches around the course were water stations every 2 or 3 holes. The on-course bathrooms were clean and looked new. Most of the holes had all four tees grouped closely together. On the few where the forward tees were farther away, there was a ball cleaner there too. The routing was a little confusing on a couple of holes and we took some wrong turns but not a problem.

POP was great at 4:15. I would like very much to play here again and hopefully get a score I’d be willing to say out loud, unlike today’s ! Highly recommended.
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Good times at Sterling Hills Golf Club Sunday for the GK Cup 14 Final. Please see the Results thread in the forums.
... » More

Good times at Sterling Hills Golf Club Sunday for the GK Cup 14 Final. Please see the Results thread in the forums.

Overall the golf course was in good shape with the greens being in excellent condition. Fast, semi-firm and smooth. Challenging putting surfaces that can produce some very difficult pin positions. Loved them. I was also impressed with the fairways having hardly any bare spots and provided decent lies throughout. They were firm producing some nice roll out. If you know how bad the fairways were just over a year ago and where they are now, add to that this is January and not Spring/Summer when the fairways are at their best, you would be very impressed with the improvement. Rough had a mixture of grasses and cut just above fairway height. Bunkers had decent sand, not great, not bad, no complaints. Tee boxes mostly lush, sometimes thin, in decent shape.

It’s a fun challenging layout where hitting good approach shots and putting well is essential. Some fun reachable in two Par 5’s combined with challenging Par 3’s and some formidable Par 4’s.

Nice clubhouse that can host outings and weddings. Affordable small bar/grill with tasty food (I got the Philly Steak Sandwich). Good service all day with friendly clubhouse, marshals and on-course food & beverage. Worth the green fee for sure and even more so using the GK Coupon.

Was great fun being in the finals group with Mike, Mark and Nick. Looking forward to my next round here.

Recommended.
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Our foursome teed off today (1/20/20) at 9am on a chilly and breezy morning. By mid morning, the breeze stopped and had ... » More

Our foursome teed off today (1/20/20) at 9am on a chilly and breezy morning. By mid morning, the breeze stopped and had some sunshine late morning and early afternoon. The course is in full winter condition right now. It is quite playable but not aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

TEE BOXES - A little shaggy, but overall is good shape. 6/10

FAIRWAYS - Mostly brown/yellow with some green. However, they have enough coverage and cushion to provide decent lies. Some areas are thin and spotty, but mostly they are decent to hit from. 6/10

BUNKERS - Was in one greenside bunker. It had great sand in it. Very nice to hit from. 8/10

ROUGH - The rough was a hodge podge of mixed grasses and bare areas. Some of the rough right around the holes was lush and about 1-2 inches high. Most of the rough off the fairways was non-existent and very spotty.

GREENS - The greens were disappointing. They were in need of a cut; shaggy, and medium slow. The worst part was that many of them were quite bumpy. They were soft and held approach shots well.

I've seen this course in far better shape - even in the winter. Right now it's just OK and wouldn't pay full rack rate.
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Played 1-20-20. Read a review by amiller with a rating of 4.3 and thought it must be a mistake. After playing today I mu... » More

Played 1-20-20. Read a review by amiller with a rating of 4.3 and thought it must be a mistake. After playing today I must agree. Not the course I have always loved so much. Thin everywhere so the rough was not bad. In many ways the best lies were in the rough. Tee boxes were dry and thin and they had the markers so far back that often your back foot was out of the tee ground. On the par 3's it presented a special problem as the ball would sit with an uphill lie. Sand was hard packed with lots of rocks. The greens varied in speed from so slow downhill putts stopped dead to slick enough your putt went past the hole and rolled off the green. A couple greens had large spots where the grass was gone and just a dirt patch. Very disappointing to see this course in this kind of condition. Lots of houses going in and it seems they are more focused on expanding the housing than caring for the course.
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Played a four hour round Sunday early morning with some frost still on the ground. The staff is always the best and the... » More

Played a four hour round Sunday early morning with some frost still on the ground. The staff is always the best and the small pro shop had everything a golfer needs. The practice facilities are somewhat small but well kept and adequate. The tee boxes were a little beat up today more so than usual especially on the par 3's. The fairways have very good coverage on most holes with a couple having gur and damp/wet sections. The rough is great and short enough to locate your balls in and hit from. The traps were all very well groomed with many having damp wet sand. The greens are always the best part of the course and were today. Most rolled at like speed with a few being quicker than most. The greens held shots well but many have subtle breaks that are difficult to know unless you've played a few rounds here. The carts are top notch and the food is also good. The rates are exactly where they should be for what is offered. Always recommended
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Teed off Saturday, 1/18, just after 11am finishing in 5:05. About what I would expect for a late morning weekend tournam... » More

Teed off Saturday, 1/18, just after 11am finishing in 5:05. About what I would expect for a late morning weekend tournament. The greens we in good condition rolling medium/fast speed and held shots. The fairways had mostly good coverage with some winter thin spots. The rough was good along the fairways and around the greens. The length was enough to affect shots but not to penal. The bunkers were in good condition with no complaints form the group (other than our play). The tee boxes were fair to good. A few tee boxes were a bit thin on grass and mildly unlevel but playable. Good track with nice variety. Good practice facilities, good food, and friendly staff.
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Played Sunday in the Men's Club tourney. Gorgeous morning with views that included a glimpse of the Channel Islands in ... » More

Played Sunday in the Men's Club tourney. Gorgeous morning with views that included a glimpse of the Channel Islands in the Ventura/SB area. The views of Malibu and Catalina were crystal clear. Cool Santa Ana wind at the start that calmed down in the mid-morning.

The course is playing firm and fast. Pretty dry overall but with decent grass cover and they have been able to maintain some areas that they seeded last year to make the course look better. And catch some wayward shots like left on #2. That said, there are many dirt areas between holes, such as between 6 and 7, and several areas on the back nine. Generally good conditions though.

The greens were outstanding and very quick. There were some tough pin positions. We had a couple of balls roll back from the back right pin position on #4, including one player whose ball went two feet past the hole then rolled back about 15 feet or more. Wind aided but showing the speed of the greens. They rolled great though.

Nice coffee shop with plenty of TVs to watch the games. The servers are great also.

Recommend right now, just know going in that it is not going to be a fast round.
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Out early as usual on a more temperate morning. Not very busy as expected, so enjoyed a nice easy walk without any pres... » More

Out early as usual on a more temperate morning. Not very busy as expected, so enjoyed a nice easy walk without any pressure from the typical glute of singles in carts rushing to finish to get to their jobs.

Greens rolled very well, not as quick as when the temperatures were so cold earlier in the month. Plus more receptive to holding shots. Fairways still too thin, which makes it much tougher to hit crisp irons and particularly wedge approaches. Bunkers & tee boxes still in nice shape. Rough continues to be an issue.

Big changes planned for this course next year, but for now, I'll continue to enjoy it as it stands
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Joined the Gk final yesterday and these are my two cents.

Tee's- good coverage and a plenty of tee's to choose f... » More

Joined the Gk final yesterday and these are my two cents.

Tee's- good coverage and a plenty of tee's to choose from. Minimal divot issues only on the par 3's.

Fairways- Cut short and firm which provided lots of roll out. On hole 4 the layup area had a left to right slope and with the roll we had a few balls land in the center and roll off to the right and into the water. I was very displeased with that one.

Greens- Firm and fast! If the superintendent decided to mean they have some very tough hole locations on these greens. With the speed they were tough to keep any down hill putt within 5 feet. Even though they were firm and fast I had many occasions with excess spin which made for an exciting day.

Rough- Multiple types of grass and coverage that was mediocre which left for some tough lies all day.

Sand- I was in 3 traps and the first two were on hole one. The fairway trap was hard pan and difficult to get under the ball. the two green side bunkers were decent but could use a little more sand.

Overall this is a fun course and I do recommend just don't expect immaculate conditions. I think it deserves more of a 6.5 not 5.6
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