Played here today with a 1:44 tee time purchased late Friday night for $45. Paired with three really nice snowbirds who stay in this community when visiting from Saskatchewan. Started a couple minutes early and despite minor waits and a little logjam toward the end of the round, POP was good at about 4:20. Beautiful, hot day in the desert.

Conditions are really nice and the course is playing even better than it looks. Greens are excellent, smooth, firm but accepting of full shots, and medium fast. Downhillers can get away from you easily. Fairways are lush overseeded grass and provide great lies. The fairway-adjacent rough is semi dormant and possibly cut shorter than the fairways. Rough around the greens is much more lush, a couple inches deep, and in fantastic condition. This course has added lots of "native areas" since I played here last with some nice turf reduction efforts. Black tees were good. The bunkers I was in were good.

The layout here is a little funky in spots in both good and weird ways. Glad to find a good deal. Not sure if they haven't adjusted to the time change, but I was surprised to find $45 times at 1:44 when 1:20-something was like $85. Beware when you enter the community, though – they warn you that if you get caught on their radar cameras exceeding 25 mph, they'll mail you a ticket/bill for $200 and revoke your future access to the property.

Played here today with a 12:30 tee time using an UnderPar voucher for two. I was joined by Todd Herron (th_golf_photography on Instagram). Staff was great both in the pro shop and starter. The other twosome at 12:30 was concerned to be playing with others because they said they were beginners, so the starter sent us all to the first tee and said if no one else shows up, we can play as two twosomes instead of one foursome. That not only accommodated the beginners, but also worked out well for Todd and I as we took a million photos. Pace was pretty good on the front but more stacked up on the back, but I still think we finished in about 4.5 hours. With afternoon sunlight just getting good for photos, Todd talked to the pro shop and they eagerly let us drive around the back nine again so he could fly his drone and we could take more pictures. We tried our best to stay out of people's way and did so pretty effectively. Gorgeous day that got chilly in the last hour of daylight.

Course is in good condition, very green throughout. Greens are surprisingly firm for all the recent rain (especially considering how crazy soft they were the first couple years after reopening). They were about medium speed (guy in the pro shop warned us they weren't as fast as normal due to all the recent rain), very smooth, and accepted full shots pretty well. Fairways have good coverage and provided good lies. The rough is a mixed bag of long grass, deep clover, and other assorted tangly weeds you want to avoid. We each lost balls in the rough even when we had a good idea where they were – definitely premium on keeping the ball on the fairway. Blue tee boxes were mostly good; a few had lots of divots and some are uneven. Sand in the bunkers was good quality but each bunker I was in seemed like no one had raked all day.

We had a super-fun day despite neither one of us playing well. Check our IGs in the coming days for photos and video from Todd.

Played here today with a 12:30 tee time booked a few weeks ahead of time at their premium rate for times booked 2+ weeks ahead. That was the first twilight time at $54 and then I paid $16 more at check-in for a cart, despite the course playing as Cart Path Only today. (I would prefer to walk here but I'm having an issue with my foot when I walk courses lately.) No takers on my Meet & Play, so I got paired with a twosome and another single, a fun group. For Rustic playing CPO on a weekend, pace was surprisingly decent at just about 4:45 total. There were a couple annoying instances with CPO where the GPS mapping is poorly done and it would lock up my cart thinking I was off the path when I wasn't.

There are signs posted all over the place that Ventura County is installing a reclaimed water line through the golf course property and it sounds like they are at the county's mercy on it and have no control over it. It says they'll try to minimize disruption of golf, but ultimately it's out of their hands. There were big tractors parked between 10 green and 11 tee and a sign behind 10 tee saying the black and blue tees for 11 were closed, but I think that only applies when the workers are present. The tee markers were out so I played from the normal blue tee box.

Conditions are mixed and wintry. Greens are smooth, medium speed and quite accepting of full shots. My playing partners said all the recent rain has the greens much slower than they were a few weeks ago. The rain also has the large collars around the greens playing too soft. I thought I hit a perfect shot into 18 landing about 10 yards short of the green and it just grabbed and stopped right there. Fairways are dormant and some have little sprouts of green grass in clusters, giving them a bit of an unkempt appearance. They play pretty good, though, offering mostly tight lies. Not a whole lot of rough to speak of except around the greens. Bunkers were decent but several had no rakes for some reason (these weren't waste bunkers). Blue tee boxes were mixed; some had lots of divots and others were pretty good.

Overall it was another glorious day at Rustic. (I almost holed out from around 240 yards on 16, where my downhill 3-wood into the wind approach shot stopped about 12 inches from the cup. That was fun.)

P.S. Had the "Oink" Burger in the snack shop before the round. Really tasty!

Played here today with an 11:30 TeeOff.com "Deal" time for less than $32 after promo code. Arrived early and the course was very busy. I guess both the Men's Club and Women's Club had tournaments this morning, and then regular play resumed a little past 11:00. I was paired with three other singles and we started pretty much on time. Pace was very slow. Lots of waiting and about 5:10 total POP. It was a gorgeous day with ideal temperatures early on, and then around the 12th hole a cold breeze rolled in, but it was still pretty. (Around the fourth hole, the course ambassador drove up and told us he had someone call and complain that we were playing too slow. A couple of guys in my group were Skylinks regulars, so we all thought he was joking because we'd waited on every shot to that point, and had to wait on each tee at least 5-10 minutes. He wasn't joking, though, but believed us when we said we were waiting on every shot, so he went off to hopefully find the culprit. I don't think there was any one "problem" group. It was just a busy day.)

Conditions are mixed. Greens are pretty slick despite quite a few ball marks and imperfections. They are quite soft and accept full shots well. They ran mostly smooth but my group did get a few bouncy putts. Fairways are dormant bermuda with mostly good, thin coverage, providing very tight lies and tons of roll out on low trajectory drives. Rough was patchier and less consistent than the fairways. Quite short. There were some bare spots in the rough. It seemed the rough around greens was maybe a little more lush/green than elsewhere. Also, some wet, muddy areas around some greens were marked as GUR with little stakes. All the bunkers I was in were good but maybe a little thin. Blue tee boxes had lush green grass but varied from decent to good, with sandy spots on the lesser conditioned ones.

As a teenager, I used to play here quite a bit because it was easy to show up before sunrise and get out as a single. At some point in the '90s or early '00s I stopped playing here and then became sorta defiant after the 2004 renovation and dramatic price increase. Having never played the "new" version, I barely recognized anything today. I think the changes were more significant than I was aware. I found the greens quite compelling to putt and I enjoyed the round quite a bit, despite the dismal POP. Definitely recommended at the rate I got; full fare, not so sure.

Played here today with a 10:20 TeeOff.com "Deal" time for $65 after 20% promo code savings. Checked in, rolled a few putts, and then talked to the starter a few minutes before 10:00. He said those fantastic words of "You can go off now by yourself if you want." Weirdly, the front nine was mostly empty and even taking my time, I finished the front in 80 minutes. Then there was a threesome on the 10th tee who invited me to join them. Back nine as a foursome was obviously a bit slower, but not bad. Total POP three and a half hours.

Conditions are pretty good. Greens are slick, fast, and medium firmness. They are very patchy looking but it doesn't really affect putts except on a few holes when the patchiness equates to thin spots. (The 8th green was the worst I saw of this.) Fairways have mostly good coverage but it seemed they weren't mowed today. Definitely longer than I would expect, but not to the point of being penal. Rough was a little patchier but mostly good coverage, and not too deep. I was only in one bunker and it was thin and wet. (It was a fairway bunker, so maybe the greenside bunkers are better.) Tee boxes had decent coverage but many are lumpy. Overall conditions are pretty good.

The Shark GPS in the carts reminded me of the Seinfeld episode when his manager keeps warning him of all these little details to prevent him from "freaking out," but then she drives him crazy with all her warnings. No complaints otherwise. Recommended at the rate I paid, especially seeing it got me home in time to watch the end of the Waste Management and all of the Super Bowl.

Played here today with an 11:33 tee time. Paired with three singles. I rode and so did another guy. The two others walked. Started a couple minutes early and POP seemed fine to me but I was surprised to see it took 4:45 to finish. It was a beautiful day with all the cloud cover disappearing by about our 6th hole.

Conditions are good. Greens are firm, medium-fast and mostly smooth. They do not accept full shots well, although I played terribly and didn't give them many chances. Fairways have mostly good coverage, maybe a little thin in spots and wet in others. Rough was mostly in good condition and long enough to impact shots but not too penal. I was in two bunkers and they were both decent; one was a little thin but not bad. Blue tee boxes were a little patchy in spots but good overall.

The course lost some trees in the recent storms, and lots of them are still sitting there all cut up. Several trees down the right side of 3 have opened things up over there, and then the last big tree on the left on number 8 is gone. That's a big difference maker because that tree pinched the fairway and also blocked out any shots into the left-side trees.

As usual, definitely recommended.

Played here today to finally record my first round of 2023. $90 TeeOff.com "Deal" time minus 20% promo code, so $72 for 12:03, cart included. Pretty sure all four spots were sold but only me and another guy showed up, so we played as a twosome, behind a threesome, behind a foursome. As a result, we waited quite a bit but overall POP was good at around 4:00. Ideal weather with very little wind and gorgeous views of snow-capped San Jacinto and San Gorgonio.

I wouldn't be surprised if these are the nicest conditions I play all year. I can't think of any knocks against conditions. Greens were smooth, medium-fast, and accepted full shots well. Almost everything except the very edges of the course are beautifully green and lush. Fairways were great, probably a 9. Rough was really nice too, about 2-3 inches deep, just enough to possibly make things difficult if you don't strike the ball cleanly. I was only in one bunker and it was fantastic. Silver tee boxes were pretty much pristine.

I've wanted to play here for 30+ years but never had. Really wish I had sooner, because it's a great course. They started us on the 10th hole, and 10-12 are definitely the highlight of the course, climbing up a mountain and ending with a severely downhill par 3. I think I'd prefer to encounter those three holes in the middle of the round instead of right out of the gate, but the rest of the course is solid, too. There are some gentle elevation changes you don't often find on desert courses. I enjoyed it much more than I expected and definitely look forward to playing here again. The overall club seemed really nice, too, with beautiful tennis courts and a pool. The driving range is for members only, but there is a hitting bay if you need some full swings to warm up. There's also a nice chipping green and practice putting green. Highly recommended.

Met up with Joe from my favorite golf podcast, Chasing Daylight, here today while he was visiting Palm Springs from Vegas. We used the twosome special on the course website for an 11:08 time at $88 each. Started right on time, paired with a cool single. Starter gave a nice spiel about all the course amenities and sent us on our way. As a threesome behind a foursome, we waited most of the day but POP was good overall with about 4:15 total time on course.

Conditions are quite solid. Greens are medium slow but smooth and accepting of full shots. Seems like maybe they're afraid to cut them too short still. Starter advised us they don't break as much as they look like they will, and he was correct. Overseeded fairways and rough were dark green and pretty lush. Good lies in the fairway and the rough wasn't too penal. Championship tee boxes were good. Bunkers were some of the best I've played in a long time, full of lots of soft, high-quality sand.

This was my first time playing here. At first I found the layout just a little bland, but the more we got into the round, the more I liked the course. No. 12 is a long par 3 with a great green that funnels any shots to the back-right low area. No. 13 is a cool par 5 right across the street from Palm Springs Airport, arguably closer to planes than Skylinks ever gets at LGB. 15, 16, and 18 all form a nice closing stretch. Only potential knock is that 3 of the 5 par 3s play similar distances; a little more variety would be cool. Definitely recommended. Beautiful clubhouse and all the staff we dealt with were great.

Played here today in the lead group of GK's 20th Birthday Bash. Great times with Andrew and Phil! We all rode. The group in front of us moved pretty well and we had short waits all day except for 14, where they were still on the tee when we arrived. Total POP was around 3:40.

Conditions are a little rough around the edges but very playable. Greens are mostly smooth, although some still show signs of recent aeration. They are medium to medium-fast and also medium firmness. Downwind/downhill/downgrain putts can get away from you easily, so be careful there. Fairways have good coverage but you're not guaranteed a great lie, but mine were mostly good. The rough can vary from thick grass to total bare spots/hardpan. Black tee boxes were decent. I wasn't in any bunkers but they looked good. It had been about two years since I was here last, and I love seeing the continued improvements they make to the course. They've added lots of revetted bunkers and also added railroad ties around the two fairway bunkers on 12.

The BBQ on the patio/firepit was awesome and I loved my hot dog. Really delicious.

The prize table was absolutely bonkers. In addition to the usual abundance of Linksoul gear, $25 GolfMoose vouchers, and OnCore balls, there were special prizes for this 20th anniversary celebration including a $500 Linksoul gift card and a $100 GolfMoose cert, plus a bunch of wine provided by Phil (GKer Zachary). Plus everyone pretty much won a sleeve of OnCore balls on the 9th hole. Plus one group won a free foursome to return to Goat Hill Park. Amazingly, I was the first name called in the raffle and I nabbed that $500 Linksoul gift. Thank you so much Johnny GK, AndrewZ28, Linksoul, and Goat Hill Park! Also, congratulations to dconnally for capturing his third GK Cup title!

An amazing day befitting 20 years of bringing golfers together. Thank you Johnny for everything!

Played here today with a 10:10 TeeOff.com "Deal" time that popped up on Friday for $52, including cart. Started right on time behind a twosome. I was paired with a threesome of nice players. POP was great at just a bit over 4 hours. Perfect weather and beautiful day.

Conditions are nice. Greens are medium-fast, pretty slick on downhillers, mostly smooth, and medium firmness but accepting of full shots. My well-struck full shots mostly ended up about six feet behind the ball mark. (The 14th green was weirdly soft underfoot, almost like the whole top layer of grass had become detached from the ground below. Hope nothing's wrong, because I love that green and that spot on the course.) Fairways have good coverage and provided nice lies for the most part. Kikuyu rough can make you work a little bit more but also tends to "tee" the ball up a bit more than the fairways. Nothing too penal. Blue tee boxes were probably the low point. Glad I was able to use a tee on many of them. The bunkers I was in were great, full of nice soft sand.

As others have mentioned, the clubhouse is all fenced off and the starter/check in desk is operating out of a trailer. The big clock is turned off. (Stuck at 10:05, which scared me when I suddenly thought I'd somehow lost track of time en route to the course.) The putting green near the driving range was closed today, but the two out near the parking lot roundabout were open, but seems like it'd be a long walk out there. The black and blue tee boxes were all back in place from the last review on here. Recommended.

Played here for my first time today. Earlier this week, a single spot for 10:40 popped up on the LA City Golf booking site, so I nabbed it. $44 green fee + $16 for cart. Check in was smooth but as our tee time approached, the pro shop kept calling two of the players booked at that time, who never showed up. So he stuck another single from the wait list with me and another single already on the tee. I rode, sharing a cart with the wait list guy. The other guy walked. Started right on time and POP was good at around 4:15. We never waited until the last two holes got a bit bunched up.

Conditions are mostly good. It's a lot of "good, but..." Greens are smooth, medium-fast to fast, and medium firmness. The "but" is quite a few ball marks and some greens seemed to have small bare spots. Fairways are green and have good coverage for the most part with some less than ideal areas. Rough varies from bare spots to about two-and-a-half-inch deep turf. Black tee boxes were mostly good, but a couple weren't. Bunkers were very well maintained, but some only had a very thin layer of top sand over a very firm base.

Unfortunately for me, it was my third consecutive round playing in very strong winds. As a result, there was lots of tree debris (pine needles, mostly) on the course. I enjoyed the back nine more than the front. In spots, it reminded me of a little nicer Green River. Overall, a solid course and recommended conditions.

Played here today with a TeeOff.com "Deal" time for 11:56. For the last few days, Las Vegas weather forecasters have been acting like the Storm of the Century would hit today around noon, so this morning I called the course to see if they planned to be open. They said yes, so I asked if I could possibly get out earlier, and they said to come by around 11:00. I showed up around 10:25 and was sent directly to the first tee to join another single just about to tee off. We were stuck behind a foursome who took forever on every green but pace was still good. Another single joined us on 10, and we finished in a little under 3.5 hours total. Got rained on a little bit but not too bad, although the winds were howling all day.

Conditions are mixed. Greens are a patchwork of different types of grasses, leaving them a bit bumpy. They are around medium speed and medium firmness. Fairways are the highlight with great coverage of overseeded rye. The rough seems to be kikuyu, some where the ball sinks down in and other spots are thinner. Gold tee boxes were really nice. The bunkers I was in were well maintained but a little thin on sand, but not bad.

First time playing here. It's a very old-school traditional layout dating back to the 1930s. There's not much trouble lurking other than trees lining the fairways. Very flat. One hole is across the street from Siegfried & Roy's compound (look for the SR gates), which was cool to see. Their "Deal" times are a great value in a city where golf is getting increasingly more expensive. Good place to get some golf in but by no means a destination course.