Ventured out for a rare away game with an invitation from a high school buddy to join him at SJH at 130pm on Monday, 4/6/26. It was a sunny, breezy day with a steady SW wind of 10-15 mph. We went out on time as a twosome bracketed by foursomes.

Conditions were standard SJH – tight fairways with good coverage and mostly good lies, benign rough, flat tee boxes with not too much divot damage. I wasn’t in any sand but no complaints from my playing partner. Greens were fairly firm and turf depth was thin, with ballmarks (many on all greens) exposing a damp, fine-grained muddy soil beneath. Greens rolled well at medium-fast speed – many greens had substantial breaks right around the hole. Speeds were consistent across the course. Over the past few years several of the greens have been rebuilt/relocated, holes abandoned to development or flooding and rebuilt elsewhere. The triangle of holes at the far point of the back nine (holes 13-15) are some of the newer holes and have the best turfgrass of any part of the course.

Driving range is across a busy street, reachable by car but make time allowances for the logistics. Small snack shop at the turn was out of many menu items by the time we came through. We saw the cart girl a couple times on the front and back. We didn’t push the group ahead and weren’t pushed by those behind us, finishing the round in just over 5 hours.

Clubhouse restaurant area was very busy and this appears to be quite a local social hub. They remodeled the old clubhouse several years ago with more emphasis on community appeal and local event venues.

The kikuyu is not my favorite, but today it was cut fairly tight and very playable.

Played 18 holes (Course 1/2) getting ready for Las Posas GK/Vivid event, on the back end of several days of northeast winds and sunny, dry days. Course was dry and greens were dry and firm, not holding shots well and slick to putt, especially downhill. Generally good conditions, but bunkers continue to need more sand and regular deep grooming – greenside bunkers with very thin sand layer over a packed base results in bounced/bladed recoveries. I think course 2 has some of the most interesting holes of the 3 nines – the stretch from Course 2 holes 4 thru 7 are visually appealing and challenging to your game, with uphill approaches to trapped greens and slopy, slick putting surfaces.

Played 9 holes (Course 3) starting to gear up for the Las Posas GK/GM/VIVID event. Will have to do better going forward as I hit maybe 2 or 3 solid shots all day. Only some good breaks and making a few putts I normally do not make kept the final total from being ugly.

Conditions remain good. With the recent occasional rain and cooler temperatures, the fairways and rough have greened up and filled in quite a bit, so large bare areas are rare. Greens have pretty good coverage, although most are pretty firm and low-trajectory shots (like mine) have long releases, Ball marks on these greens are generally small – that does not excuse all the unrepaired marks on every green(!). I was not in any sand traps. Tees are generally level and well-grassed; tees on the par-3 holes are more challenged, although players appear to be making use of the sand bottles on the tees.

POP was right around 2 hours. The first tee was busy and I feared a slow round, but we moved fairly steadily, with only short waits on most shots.

VERY late review. An unusual round (for me) away from Laguna Woods GC at my first GM/Vivid outing at El Camino CC in Oceanside on 2/9/26. Paired with Ryan, Scott, and Mike and a better group could not be had – I think we all enjoyed the round in spite of a well-distributed array of poor shots and missed putts.

El Camino has a fairly similar group of holes that play mainly up and down the hillsides and canyons surrounding the course. Many holes are straight and flanked on one or both side with OB stakes to discourage hitting into the surrounding homes. Most greens are perched up above the surrounds without a lot of tiering; only a few holes have distinct tiers. Occasional fairway traps, with most greens being well-trapped, and some traps set well below green level. Fairways had good coverage and the ball sat nicely. Rough was short and pretty benign. Tees were level and provided good hitting surfaces.

None of the holes stood out for me as memorable, or tricked up for that matter. Everything is right there in front of you. My main concern is the firmness of the greens and the speeds which the club maintains. I’m an advocate of players being offered a chance to make most putts – the speeds on these greens, especially downhill, were pretty silly. A tapped putt above the hole rolled out 15 or 20 feet. For me, that’s not fun. It’s beyond challenging, just discouraging.

A couple of very late reviews. Played 9 holes (Course 1) with GKers Itslikeimsayin and TomHooter on 1/30/26, then tried to play 18 holes (Course 1/Course 3) with GKer lkmckin on 2/5/26. Tee times are hard to come here by if you don’t jump on them immediately (available 7 days in advance), so in both rounds we got later start times and limited light. The round on 2/5 was scheduled for 1:30 pm, but the tee sheet was running late and we were behind a deliberate foursome; we finally jumped ahead of them by skipping holes 2&3 on Course 3, then raced to finish 15 holes before the cart return deadline. Thanks to Mark, Tom, and Lindsay for joining me for these rounds.

Conditions continue to be pretty solid as we go through a mild, damp winter. Greens coverage is good with a few scattered bare spots. Green speeds are usually pretty constant through the round; uphill putts need to be struck solidly and downhill putts, especially to the SW, can surprise with rollout. Greenside bunkers usually have adequate sand, a firm base and adequate playing layer. Fairway coverages are good; rough can be cut low and playable or deeper/bushy/juicy and be difficult to effectively move the ball forward. Tees are generally flat, set wide, and provide a good hitting surface. Some show a lot of divot damage. As with most courses, many players fail to fill divots and repair ballmarks on greens.

Joined Johnny and a familiar cast of characters to resurrect (hopefully) GK Plays outings at Mountain View on Saturday morning, 12/20/25, in perfect golf weather – warm, sunny, and almost no wind, playing on a course in wonderful condition. Tee times ranged from 9:30 to 10:30am and we went out on time with few groups in front of us and without anyone close enough behind the final group to cause any waiting.

Conditions were very good throughout the course, which presented as a shimmering green against the muted tones of the surrounding desert environment. Fairways had wall-to-wall coverage of firm turf that gave excellent lies. Coverage in the rough adjacent to fairways was 1-2 inches deep and somewhat wet at the start of the round, but was very playable; if you got too wide there were scraped dirt areas and scattered rock fields to navigate. I was not in any bunkers, but playing partners looked like they had good lies with sand having a fairly shallow playing layer of firm sand. Tees were well-marked and all level and provided good peg opportunities. I hit from the turf on the par-3s and had perfect lies available.

Greens were challenging from the standpoint of firmness and quickness. Most ballmarks were very small and full shots released significantly. Downhill putts had significant rollout and all greens have many subtle small breaks that surprised all of us through the day. Coverage on the greens was excellent and speeds were consistent throughout the day.

Saw the cart girl once on the front and several times on the back side. Restrooms are well-marked and clean and all have water/ice stations. Carts with good-quality GPS, comfortable with ice chest and ball/club washer. Staff was very helpful from bag drop to coordinating the start to receiving golfers after the round.

Great to see old friends again and meet new GKers. I’m hopeful that the GK Plays can take off and be well-received by the SoCal GK community. Playing fun, well-conditioned courses like Mountain View helps to enhance the experience and increase anticipation for future events. Thanks to Johnny for all he does.

Played all 3 nines over the past two weeks, including my first full 18 holes in 6 months on the 1-2 combo on Wednesday, 12/10/25, trying to get better prepared for the GK Plays Desert Willow on 12/20. With the cooler weather and no rain in 2+ weeks, the courses are dry, fairly firm, and play fast across the close-cut fairways. Lies in the fairways are not lush but generally good. Rough has thinned out with the dry spell and is generally easy to hit from. Greens are dry and pretty firm – approach shots generally leave only small ballmarks. Greens roll well at medium+ speed and are dangerous downhill as speed must be controlled. Some greens have scattered bare spots/damaged turf. Traps are in only OK condition with firm, thin playing layers being the norm. Tees can be spongy and somewhat uneven, but are generally OK to hit from. Ongoing issues include no on-course monitors to move play (although generally 9s are completed in just over 2 hours); unrepaired ballmarks and sand raking (common everywhere, I guess); and questionable playing etiquette from too many members.

Course 3 again on a beautiful, pleasant day. Time change has pushed everyone to start earlier, and the Club Championship was finishing up so many fivesomes packed across courses 1 and 2.

Conditions are similar to previous reviews. However, several greens on course 3 had scattered bare spots. Greens are pretty firm and quick despite the recent aerification in late September – beware the downhill putt or the extended rollout. Tees look like they’ve recently been thatched or whatever – many areas of ruffled grasses. The short par-3 4th had a hitting mat set up to one side for all tees as the main teebox was being worked on. Fairways and rough are pretty short and tight – both have many/scattered thin/bare spots that make for tight/difficult lies. Traps continue to be very firm with only a very shallow surface layer.

Generally, always a good pace and amenable to a relaxed play.

Back out to LWV, this time to Course 3 (the shortest 9) at 3pm on Wednesday, 10/29/25. We managed to pick the hottest day of this week when mild Santa Ana conditions sent temperatures into the low 90s. As a result, many fewer players and we fell behind a quick twosome and were occasionally pushed by a single playing multiple balls (I think).

Course conditions remain similar to those described previously, but with the hot weather period making the fairways (and rough) thinner and drier. Traps remain a challenge with most having a very thin playing layer over a firm base. Greenside bunkers with high lips are especially challenging. Tees are fine. In the warm weather and hot breeze greens are firmer and faster – a lot of shots release over the back, and downhill putts are WHA??!!

Challenging mainly from the standpoint that my short game continues to be ghastly!

Back out to LWV after a month away from the clubs, playing Course 1 (the longest 9; 3 par 5s, 3 par-3s) at 1:15pm on Thursday, 10/23/25, on a pleasant sunny day with surprising afternoon breezes. This course usually beats me up with the combination of length, kikuyu turf, bunkers fronting greens, and my general lack of skill, especially the short game. The first tee was crowded ahead of us and we got off a few minutes late, but few groups behind us. These courses usually move play along fairly well, and POP today was just over 2 hours for 9 holes. We waited only occasionally for a few minutes on some tees and in fairways.

Fairways generally have decent coverage, although you might find a variety of grasses in close proximity. Rough is much more of a crapshoot, ranging from lush kikuyu, thick-stemmed kikuyu that’s been roughed up by equipment or chance evil, thinner/shorter grasses, or even bare spots. Especially in the kikuyus the ball can sit down or get into holes/slots within the grass, challenging recoveries. Many rough areas fronting greens can be thin-to bare, making for tough chip/pitch lies. Weirdly, rough beside/behind greens is mostly pretty lush. Tees are level and set wide, affording ample area to put your peg.

Overall, greens had good coverage and rolled consistently. In the afternoon breeze and bright sunshine, greens that were more exposed to sun/wind or on crowns were noticeably firmer and faster than other greens, especially on downhill putts! – our group was left with a number of 5-8 foot comebackers. Traps continue to be firm with only a shallow playing layer, OK in fairway traps but more difficult around the greens.

Overall still solid conditions, fairly low stress with few holes on property having OB in play and almost no marked penalty areas. Good for a relaxed play if you have access.

Played 9 holes on Course 2 yesterday at 3pm, joining a local for a relaxed round on a pleasant, breezy, sunny day. LWV is in their maintenance cycle right now – Course 1 is closed this week and we could see some of the sanded greens during our round. Course 2 will be closed for punch/sand next week, and the greens on 2 today were pretty firm and released most shots. Lots of ballmarks on the greens as it appears players are letting next week’s maintenance take care of their damage. Course 3 will be punched the week of 9/22, and the par-3 course the following week.

A blustery wind made things more challenging yesterday as many of the lower-handicap holes play uphill and/or into the wind. Decent pace of a little over 2 hours for the nine – Course 2 is the most spread-out of the 3 nines. Overall conditions were consistent with earlier reviews.

Finally got out to the par-3 course at LWV on Wednesday, 8/20/25, around 10am. Never been here before and was expecting a crowd, with all the golfers in LWV. But it was sunny, hot, and muggy, and there were only a few scattered groups on the course. It's walking only here - carts are not allowed, except for pull carts, so I'm sure that contributed to the light useage that morning. There’s a small clubhouse with a starter shack – there are no tee times, you just show up and get in line to play.

The course is set in a multi-fingered drainage area in the midst of scattered housing, with a central pond and the holes playing down toward or up away from the pond. Distances range from 80 to 130 yards. Some of the elevation changes are surprising. 2 holes have forced carries over fingers of the pond. Greens are small and don't have any real undulation; a couple are fairly slopy. But if you are on the green you have a chance to make a putt.

Tees are small and showed a lot of divot damage; sand bottles are not available. No real fairways and the grass is lush, thick kikuyu, so chipping and pitching can be challenging. A few of the greens are fronted by surprisingly large sand traps - I was in one, with a very firm base under a thin playing layer. Greens had been punched recently with small holes and partially sanded, but rolls were good and speeds consistent.

I’m guessing the course gets more play when the weather gets cooler.