Made it out to Camarillo Springs (2/21/21) . A warm and very windy morning through to the afternoon. A slow day to say the least. First off, Camarillo Springs at one point was a place I used to love to play. I had not played it for some time and was eager to test it out. I had heard all sorts of stories about what was happening here. Is it going to 12 holes, will it be shut down permanently, or will it be restored? As I checked in, the clubhouse is basically empty, indicating that a change is coming soon. After checking in I putted on a recently punched practice green that seems to be much smaller than I remember. Before teeing off I spent some time talking with the starter. Who indicated that the plan was to develop the property into a 12 hole course, however recently a new investor has plans to restore the course and is even considering turning it into a private access course. He claimed that there is much optimism from this investor that a restore without becoming private is still on the table. This course needs help sooner than later. I am saddened by how far this course has fallen. The Tee boxes are completely with out grass and not level. The fairways at times are playable but are very thin. The sand is a mix of dirt and rocks with occasional mud. The rough is not rough, very thin grass and full of rocks. The greens are about the only thing on this course that is taken care of, I would rate them a 6/10. Just above average. The driving range is falling apart as well. The side netting has some holes and the back netting is now almost completely gone. Hole 13 sits well within range for you to get whacked while teeing off. The massive pole holding up one of the nets has fallen down and it seems like it has been there for some time. The saddest part of this story is that Camarillo Spring has so much potential, truly a great piece of land that with just a little bit of love and money could become gem, but it could also become just another housing complex.

Rode the Blues today on a GN hotdeal at $56. Which I took because it was about 100 dollars cheaper than usual. I got to the course right on time and was hurried to the 1st tee, there was no starter so I waited for my group. Except no one ever showed. Finally another person joined and off we went. We finished in exactly 4hrs after passing 2 groups that were taking their time. The tee boxes are in good shape, the fairways are in winter conditions and are very hard but playable. The sand was soft and the greens were fast, and tough to read. The greens are not forgiving here, very difficult to stop your ball. Angeles National is a very difficult golf course, it got me good today. I struggled to find the fairway and if that happens here you are in deep trouble. Overall, I would recommend playing here if you get the deals. $156 is a lot for what you get. There are some brand new nice carts with GPS but there is no cart lady. There is bathrooms on both sides of the course but the pace of play is typically slow. The range was packed with people. Looking for a challenge, Angeles National is it.

Made it to Sierra lakes today (1/31/21). Turned out to be a really nice day in terms of weather, no wind when we played but you could tell it was just about to start. Sierra Lakes is in pretty good conditions for the winter time. The fairways are exactly what you would expect from a course that deals with with frost and then wind. It had absolutely down poured here earlier in the week and there was some standing water in spots, not in play though. The tee boxes were in good shape, a little hard at times but level. The sand was still a little wet but had been dragged so it wasn't too bad to get out of. The best part of the course has to be the greens. They ran true today, held the ball nice, and hardly had any blemishes. I was generally happy with Sierra Lakes, and that was because I played one of my best rounds in a long time. However, there are some unfortunate aspects to this place. The first real problem I have with S.L. is the cost, $89 is a little steep for what you get. I think this course should be more around $50. The second is the pace of play. Even as the 3rd or 4th group out we waited on just about every shot, and finished in just under 5hrs. How could this be? The Marshall had no care in the world as he passed us 5 times to say "hi". The amount of people waiting to tee off when we made the turn was a little disturbing.
On another note, the drink lady found us on the 12th and she does make an incredible Bloody, I needed one today, not for my game but merely to pass the time while waiting to hit....should have made it a double. I recommend this course if you don't mind paying a price above its worth and you you don't mind playing slow, potentially.

I was able to play Alhambra today, walked the Blues. The course held up very well from the previous storm. Greens ran true, they were not fast though(it rained hard here last night). The fairway's are a little hard, and some of the lower spots are a little muddy, as expected. The tee boxes were about what you would expect this time of the year but I was happy with what was hitting from. The sand traps were not very soft but I played excellent from them today so I will not complain. Alhambra is a pretty good deal at $28 to walk, and an easy course to walk at that. I always struggle on the back nine here, but still a fun course. One of my playing partners travelled all the from Santa Monica, he said its totally worth the green fee, and the pace is great, he plays Alhambra all the time. I would say he is correct we finished in under 4 hrs and that was with our senior group member cart dying on the last hole so we had to push him up the hill. Recommended for the price.

A good friend and I met up to play Fullerton as the 2nd group out(a single went out before us and was running from hole to hole, strange), 1/18/21. Not many people around this morning and we had the course to ourselves. As of right now, Fullerton isn't in great shape, there is almost no level shots anywhere on the course. The fairways are chewed up, there is a mix of several types of grass and divots have never been fixed. There was no way to know what would happen when you hit the ball. I found it so hard to get the ball up in the air off of the fairway. The rough is pretty much non-excitant. The greens were painted earlier that day so my right hand was green after a few holes. The greens were very difficult to read today, each one was a different speed. We spent time after each hole trying different putts, after all there was no one behind us. We started to realize that each hole created a different green issue, some were hard and dry and others were wet and soft, and some were painted green so much it gave you a poor read. The tee boxes were without question the worst I have seen ever. There was no grass on a few holes, and some I could not get a tee into the ground. That actually was not as bad as the fact that they are not level, the biggest pet peeve I have with courses. If I can't get level footing then I struggle with my drives. A course like Fullerton has a lot of dog-legs, and some elevation changes, so the un-level tee boxes helped cause me to struggle even more than I needed (not good today). The sand traps were the best part of the course today, soft and very playable. While most of the course was wet in the morning, the sand somehow remained fluffy and easy to get the club under. The front office guys are always great at getting you on the course asap, kudos to them.

I know this seems harsh, but I will always review a course with honesty. I have played here a few times before and the conditions were much better. Overall, I like the course layout, it presents challenges without really being all that difficult. This course is my nemesis, which only makes me want to go after it again. The question of should you play here or not really depends on what you can get the green fees for. I believe we overpaid at 39 to walk and 14 more to ride, I think 20 to walk is about right. This course can get backed up later in the morning rounds on weekends as well. Til' we meet again Fullerton!

Made it to Sterling Hills for the first time today 1/9/21. A rather cold morning turned into a warm windy one. This course is both challenging and fun, it's also in very good condition overall for the time of year. The pace for a Saturday morning was fine, we could have moved faster but throughly enjoyed the round and did not rush. We finished in just under 4 hours, never caught the group ahead of us and the group behind us was walking so we never saw them either.

The greens are in very good condition and roll true, not super fast but a lot of undulations and different tiered greens. Some dicey putts to say the least.. There was some standing water on a few holes but the maintenance guys were working on it as we played. Come to think of it every where went we saw guys getting this course in shape. I appreciate a course that does this, it really pays off, makes you want to come back. The starter, the marshals, the maintenance guys, the clubhouse head, and the bartender/food servers were as good as it gets. The fairways and rough have seen better days but still provide great hitting conditions for the winter. The sand traps were good, and the tee boxes were in excellent shape.

Sterling Hills is a good deal for the weekend rate. 70$ gets you a small bucket, a cart, and a meal. They had two options for the early guys at the turn, sausage or bacon breakfast burrito. This was the perfect sized burrito to eat on the go. First time I have been served breakfast at the turn, and (not gonna lie) loved it.

Sterling Hills is highly recommended, and I will be back.

I decided to work on the short game with my 10 year old today(1/4/21) at the Old Arcadia Par 3 and practice facility. This place had been one of the places I used to go as a kid. The check-in was smooth and easy and we were off in no time. It did not appear that anyone was close to us at first but we did catch the old ladies club by the 10th tee. This is the only pure par 3 course that I have seen that allows people to rent a cart. At first I was sure this was for seniors but later found out just about anyone can rent a cart. Why you would need to rent a cart other than for physical reasons is far beyond me. The course is only 1947 yards, with every hole about 100-120 yds. The two longest are 153 and 134. While walking to each hole I noticed another pin of a yellow hue just off the back of each green. I had no idea that they allow foot golf to happen on this course while people are playing regular golf. To me this creates chaos, as balls are rolling in front of you, some people are in carts, and others are playing 3-5 balls a hole. Not ideal.

While I do not agree with foot golf being used at the same time as regular golf, the Arcadia Par 3 course is a fun little par 3 with well taken care of greens. Some of the mats need to be replaced, but the driving range is nice and those mats appeared brand new. They also claim to use the best practice balls on the range anywhere in LA county. Not sure what these guys have going on here, but if you are looking to get the short game going, practice at a decent range, or play a round of footie... this is the place for you.

Played Santa Anita on a random Saturday GN hot deal at 6:20AM 1-2-21. How and why this deal popped up was a mystery while I was looking for a tee time 2 days prior. I showed up to the course around 6, and the starter says, they accidentally clicked the button for the hot-deals and after I bought the round they shut it down. A few minutes later I was teeing off in pitch darkness. There was a guy 2 holes ahead who plays every Saturday with glow balls and tees off as soon as the course opens, sometimes around 5:30Am. Somehow I caught him and we played the front in about an hr, the back took almost 3. Santa Anita loves to send the 9 hole groups out on the back and so there will be slow second half to your round. The course right now is in very good winter conditions, the greens are fine for the most part, a few holes were a little spotty. The fairways and rough provided good hitting opportunities. The Tee boxes have seen better days, and could use a little leveling. The staff here is very good, the fact that they didn't cancel my time and let me roll out before the regular group that plays every Saturday at 6:40 is well appreciated. The course for the money is good, but the slow pace if you don't get out early would really bother me.

Santa Anita is not a very difficult course but there are some shots that make you think. Some longer par 3's, and a few reachable Par 5's. I recommend this course if you can get a deal.

We were able to get out to Enagic 12/26/20 on a very calm and warm morning. The course was a little crowded, as expected the day after Christmas. While our POP was just over 4 1/2 hours, we didn't feel like we waited all that long. Right now I would say this course is in very good shape for winter conditions. The fairways and rough are in great hitting shape, and they even look good. The greens were decent, some are being worked on and had sand on them, others had some wear from foot traffic. The tee boxes were moved around a little and some of them were chewed up.

Overall, I would recommend playing Enagic. It is a fun course that has some challenging shots, but also some holes that you know you can score on. The staff is friendly and engaging. They did an incredible job of timing the golfers and spacing out play. They also have a set of brand new golf carts, and those are very smooth. They have GPS and the seat dividers in case you play with someone outside your family. The cart lady passed us 4 separate times and she even had hot food available. The rate was $100 but we were able to use the local rate of 75 which made it worth it.

Made the trek out to CrossCreek today 12/22/20. Rode the Blues, (71.2/132) Tee'd off at 8:10 and finished right after 12. We could have been done much faster but the group in front of us decided to play a scramble amongst themselves and they were pretty slow. The course is in very good shape considering the cold and wind that had been happening over the last few weeks. The greens are in ideal conditions, the fairways don't look great but they the best I have played since October. The sand was soft in most places, (I was only in 2 bunkers and they were good) although some did look wet. CrossCreek should be on your bucket list if you live anywhere near here. If I lived close by I would join the mens club, because the 3-year deal they have is a steal. The best part about this course is the price, $54 to ride.

CrossCreek is a gem of a golf course in terms of looks. The layout is both really fun and challenging. The views are exceptional, and the homes within view are what California Ranchers dreamed of when they bought property.

Everyone from the clubhouse manager, to the starter, to the marshal's were encouraging and funny. They certainly understand customer service here. I would rate them a 10/10. The cart girl found us 3 times, and while today I was not drinking, as usual, it was nice to know she was there.

Do yourself a favor and play CrossCreek.

I was able to get out to Rustic for an afternoon round. For some reason they were not running carts today so the entire course was walking. If you plan on playing anytime soon I would call to find out what is going on with the carts. Rustic is not a course that is very hard to walk, but I know many people refuse to do so. I have to say the pace of play wasn't great but that is not the courses fault. Some people walk and play slower than others. Id say we waited on more than half our holes, especially down the back 9. We made it the 18th tee when it was pitch black. While that is frustrating, playing any amount of holes at Rustic is worth it in my opinion. The more I play this place, the more I appreciate the challenge. Today there was little wind, and that made scoring much easier. The greens were in very good shape, and the fairways were pretty much dried out but still good enough to play on. The tee boxes were in great shape.

Played 11/28/20 on a cold but calm morning, 3rd group out. The last few reviews nailed it. This course is going down-hill, fast. The fairway is frost bitten and the rough is now an unknown mix of dirt and grass. The tees are not level. The greens are just OK. If you chose to go here, take a step back and imagine how nice this course was just few years ago when it was private. The layout is ideal for a great course, but is not even close now. If it hangs around til Spring/Summer then I would go back, but until then I wouldn't play again unless its a really good deal. I have a feeling that sometime in the next few years this will be a brand new track home community....without a golf course.