Played in the GK event yesterday. I arrived early and got a detailed look at the facilities. First off, you will notice it is small, but folks are friendly and there's a good vibe here. There is a fire pit going near the first tee, offsetting the cool ocean breeze. There are three putting greens, the largest of which is to the left of the range and is suitable for chipping. Just below that is a three-hole practice area called "The Playground." The range is nice with lots of targets, and slopes severely downhill. Many of the hitting bays have Foresight Technologies launch monitors. I did not use it, but it is available for rental.

The course itself is short and challenging. It's target golf. Many areas are in need of some turfgrass management. There has to be some kind of water restrictions, because what grass I saw was stressed. The course is playable, but you kind of need to know where to hit and how far. Due to the severity of the hills and lack of deep rough, you could get "Goated." I guess it's a local term of having your ball roll off the fairway and down into a ravine. It happened to me a few times.

The greens were pretty nice. They tend to be small and because this is such a small course, many of the par 3 holes were perched on the side of a hill, making a good approach shot necessary. There were false fronts and steep hills that caused many shots to roll off and end up 40 yards away and 25 feet below the hole if it didn't just kick your ball into oblivion. Aside from that, the greens rolled fairly quick on the downhillers and had lots of subtle breaks. Many were kind of bumpy though.

Fairways, like I mentioned, were basically sub-par. I found only a few times I had to hit from dirt or a thin lie because there seemed to be a good root zone layer under the thin and somewhat dormant Bermuda grass.

Rough: hard to tell where the fairway ended and the rough began in most areas.I found a couple of areas of really decent rough and some areas that were either dirt of super thin coverage.

We played the white tees and they all seemed decent. Although the teeing areas were on the small side, they all were level and had good coverage with a minimal amount of divots.

The bunkers were really nice, but I wasn't in any. My playing partner, Dave, got a taste of the revetted bunker on Hole 1 and it was ugly (for his score). I liked the look of it and think more courses could do this. Very nice touch; kudos to Goat Hill for this.

Our GK event included a hot dog/sausage with a soda and chips. The guy running the grill was definitely busy all day long. It was decent, I was hungry, and this was basically all there was on course aside from the snacks inside the proshop. They do have a good selection of beers. Huge giveaways at the wrap up event celebrating 20 years of Greenskeeper.org. Big thanks to Johnny, Andrew, Linksoul, and Goat Hill Park!

Looking online I saw that this course had lots of openings for a Sunday morning. I called the pro shop and was told there would be no problem getting out as a single. The weather app I used said it was going to be pretty chilly at around 50° at 9 AM. However, the sun was out and there was no wind so it did feel warmer than the actual air temperature. I got there in about 40 minutes and was able to tee off immediately at about 8:45 AM. I caught up to a group of five golfers on Hole 2. They immediately offered for me to go ahead of them on hole three and after they hit they’re tee shots, waited for me to tee off. I caught up to a twosome on Hole 4, but they seemed uninterested in letting me pass or join them. Anyway, we cruised through the front nine in about one hour and 15 minutes. The back nine had a little bit of a back up and we finished that in about two hours.

The greens were good. They seem to run very fast, were soft, and held most any kind of shot.

The fairways were pretty good. Light green in appearance and a decent amount of roll out.

The rough was similar in appearance and cut nicely so it wasn’t very penal.

The bunkers were great. I was in a few. Early in the morning I encountered some heavy, wet sand, but later they did dry out and the sand was in great condition. It was very fresh, almost white, and soft with a nice texture. I might just aim for them next time!

The course is in great condition right now and I highly recommend it. I did not see a beverage cart but I think they do have one. It was good to get out and golf today on a moment’s notice.

Played today with the GolfMoose/GK outing. Great rate and venue. Thank you Johnny, Bakersfield CC, and GolfMoose! We started on Hole 1, playing as a group of five. We kept pace as it was your typical 5+ hour shotgun start round.

Greens were really nice. Medium fast, soft and rolling smooth. I noticed a couple small areas that had some repair work done on a couple of greens. Nothing is perfect but those areas were not near any pin placements.

Fairways were very good as well. I wish I hit more fairways because they had good coverage and a great mat of Bermuda grass that was mostly great to hit from; also the rough was very challenging.

Rough was very penal, especially on the front nine. You could walk right past your ball, it was that deep. Hitting out (for me) was a real challenge. I finally figured that punching out to the short grass was my best option.

Bunkers were in good condition. I was in a few. They had nicely groomed sand and the edges were trimmed very crisp.

Tees were good. We played the white tees (the Blue markers were not being used today).

Great old school country club vibe and neat 60’s looking neighborhood driving in. The clubhouse looks enormous compared to all the older single story homes in the surrounding area. I got there late enough that I had no range time; however, the range looked great and the practice putting green looked nice as well. The snack bar only accepted cash, so thanks again to Johnny for picking up my beers!

I played Rancho Park last Saturday with SR714 in a match for GK Cup 19. Decent muni conditions overall at one of LA's best courses. It was very crowded and pace of play was on the slow side, so don't be in a hurry as this is one of the most popular courses in Los Angeles. The Restaurant and clubhouse is under construction. There is a trailer for the starter and a another for the snack bar. No cash accepted here. WTF?

This is an old course with wonderful, mature trees. There are no water hazards; the only real hazard here is the deep rough, trees, and the driving range. I'm not sure what the problem is with the range fence, but you really need to play a brightly colored ball on Holes 9 and 18. Hole 9 was not as bad, but Hole 10 had white range balls blanketing the fairway all the way across.

Greens: My impression is they are very small targets. They ran much faster than Olivas' did the week prior. I would call the speed as medium-fast. There was a decent amount of subtle to not-so-subtle breaks. I did fix a number of ball marks on most greens as they were soft.

Fairways: A mix of kikuyu and Bermuda grasses. A good amount of roll and decent coverage. Soft enough to take a good divot, even in the areas that appeared dry.

Rough: There was a good amount of turf coverage, even under most of the trees. It was deceptive, but finding a ball sometimes was a challenge as the turf was about 2 1/2" deep in many areas.

Sand: I visited a bunker or two. The sand was basically a thin layer of fine, white sand over hardpan.

Tees: We played the Blue tees and they were level and lush.

I believe this to be one of LA's top courses; Steve got us a GolfNow deal at $50 each, riding. It was worth it, but I'd loathe to pay much more.

I played here on Sunday, August 14, as part of a small tournament. Good overall conditions and wonderful weather. Add in the early afternoon breeze and it almost felt a little cool with low 70 temps. There's not a lot to add to Gary's review as conditions remain very good. There were some areas of the fairways that seemed to be overly wet, but most likely it was due to overnight irrigation as we were off early in the morning.

Greens: Smooth and rolling at a medium pace, but picking up pace later in the round. Occasional ball marks, most notably on the front half of Hole 7. The greens were soft and fixing ball marks was very easy; I'm just not sure why some people just don't seem to bother.

Fairways: Good amount of roll, but still very lush. There were a couple of areas that were roped off and the occasional thin area. It was fairly easy to take a divot and I did fill many with the sand bottle provided on the cart.

Rough: There's not a lot of rough. Mostly you will find a small amount of rough, then immediately it changes to deep, unmowed, "natural" areas. It ranged from 1"-2" where it was mowed to deep and forget about finding your ball in the unmowed areas. Once you get into the "natural" areas it was really a crap shoot. You might find your ball and it might have a good lie or be completely unplayable. Good times, right? You can only blame yourself if you end up there. There are a couple of dried up lakes that you could play out of if you find your ball, so that can be nice.

Tees: We played the white tees and they all were level and lush. Par threes had a fair amount of divots, but the teeing ground is rather large so it was easy to find a good place to tee up.

Sand: Good overall sand quality. There were some damp areas but they remained playable.

Olivas is always a good choice in the summer to escape the inland heat. I really like the layout of the course and people here are friendly.

Played here yesterday with Nickesquire. I would like to start out by giving Simi Hills a big thank you for customer service! First, we had a 6:40 am tee time, but Nick was going to be late. The starter, Jack, was very accommodating and gave me an option of sending me out as a single or seeing if another twosome at 7:30 would like to switch. We made the switch, and everything worked out there. Later, on the 10th tee, we were approached by staff who asked if anybody lost a phone. I had no idea that I dropped my phone, and this really was super helpful! He waited to see me open it up to verify it was mine.

I really like Simi Hills as there are a variety of holes with elevation changes, medium fast undulating greens, and an interesting layout. Overall conditions were probably a 7/10. We played the Gold Tees, walking for $28 Senior rate.

Greens: Medium fast and soft enough to hold most any good shot. Not many ball marks, but I fixed a few here and there.

Fairways and rough: A good mix of Bermuda/kikuyu. Cut enough on the fairways to get you some roll and just thick and long enough in the rough to make it interesting. There are some areas that are not irrigated any more or have little coverage so expect to see some bare ground if you are hitting wild shots.

Tees: We played the Gold tees. They were fairly level and had good coverage of turf.

Bunkers: We found a few and they all had good sand which was well groomed. It was easy to hit from them.

Cart service began sometime after 9:00 on a Friday, so that's a plus. Being less than an hour drive from my house, and offering senior rates on a Friday will get me back out here soon.

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.

I played here today with the GK/GolfMoose event. Not a lot to add to the previous reviews. Mostly great conditions from tee to green. We played the Silver/Medal tees, all level and lush. Fairways and rough in great shape with good thick turf. Bunkers were just okay with footprints and thin, damp sand. Greens were very nice. There was one small area on one of the greens that looked like there was a problem, but it was nowhere near the pin placement. I had a great time today and I enjoyed the group I was placed with.

I played here last Thursday; the going rate for resort guests is $150 for 18 holes. I played the Kings and Lakes nines, first out at 7:00 a.m. POP was about 3 hours. The course is in pretty good condition from tee to green. No bare areas were seen. Sand looked decent and groomed. Greens ran faster than the ones at Makani. There is a nice practice area: all grass range and a small chipping green with a bunker.

There is a replay rate at $69, but I was not able to take advantage of it due to my back got a spasm on the second hole and did not get much better as the round progressed. It is nice to be out first thing in the morning at this course because there are a lot of golfers who look like they have never played golf before. I think it is weird, but it's their money.

I played here last Tuesday, first out; paid about $129 with range balls. They would not let me out until at least 7 a.m. The starter was nice, but in no hurry. I got out ahead of the other golfers as a single around 7:10 and finished at 10:15.

The course is amazing and in good shape right now. I played the Member tees: 6012 yds, 69.4/132. All good conditions with level tees, good grass coverage tee to green, and easy pin locations. The greens ran slow with a lot of grain. I had a one-foot putt that turned left and missed, lol!

Overall, I liked the course and the layout. I might have gone back, but one week of vacation did not allow the time to really golf a lot. I did see some discounted tee times on Teeoff.com and was very tempted to return here for about half of what I paid, but it would be later in the morning and very likely a much slower pace of play.

I recommend this course and it has some very nice scenery for the west side of the island, as it is more tropical in appearance than the resorts down on the beach (I stayed at Waikoloa Beach Golf Resort). It's also a little bit cooler in temperature so that's a plus.

I played here last Wednesday evening, teeing off around 5:05 pm with a buddy from work and one of his pals. Overall, the course looks pretty nice. It is fairly lush from tee to green. That's something I haven't seen at this course in years. The greens ran on the slow side; you have to really hit firm putts, especially uphill. Fairways and rough were all in as good as condition as I can recall. Hole 9 fairway used to be a wasteland, but it's coming around. The barranca that bisected the hole has been filled in and no longer much of an issue, although still a marked hazard. Tees were almost all level and lush. Lots of divots as this course is mostly par 3s. Sand was plentiful, but bunkers needed some TLC, as the few I was in were crusty and had unraked footprints. Not bad for the $25 I paid to ride. A slower walking twosome on the back nine prevented us from finishing and that was a little bit of a bummer.

I played Friday afternoon, riding as a single, 2:15 tee time. No wind at all on this day; it is a factor as it does get windy here. I paired myself up with another single at Tee 1 and we played at a good pace until hitting a backup on Hole 3. One group of three let up pass, but the real backup was three groups ahead of those guys there was a fivesome of local yahoos dragging ass. Amazingly, I was not at all upset with the situation. My playing partner called the starter and we ran some ideas around. The course was just crowded and skipping ahead wasn't an option. We got our change to pass the fivesome at Hole 14 tee. Overall POP was 3:45.

Overall course conditions were lush. The weather is getting hotter and they are watering a lot. There were some overly wet areas and those were not clearly marked, so there was some cart damage in a couple of spots. However, it was minor.

Greens: The ran fast and smooth.

Fairways and rough: Good rollout and great turf under my ball in almost all cases. Some areas of rough were very lush around the back of some greens.

Tees: We played the blue tees and all were level with the exception of Hole 7 which was slightly tilted to the left side.

Sand: All the bunkers appeared to have a nice layer of white sand. I was in three, and had no trouble hitting out.

Great local hangout for a relaxed round of golf. The starter is very relaxed about afternoon golf times. If it is not busy, you could just go. The bar and restaurant seem very busy so that is usually a good sign of decent food/service. They have a great selection of beers on tap as well. It looks like I'm going to be coming back here more often as the days get longer.