On 4/6/15, I walked the course on my first ever round there. I took advantage of a GolfNow deal for $39, saving $12 from the posted rate (less the GN booking fee). Three others joined me, but they rode carts. Check in was easy, and the friendly attendant said I could proceed directly to the first tee, even though it was more than 20 minutes earlier than my booked time. Rather than taking the time to properly warm up, I proceeded straight to the first tee (after noting that there was a decent driving range, and a good size practice green) - next time, I will warm up properly. The starter was courteous, and offered some advice. Later in the round, the starter, serving as marshal, helped retrieve a cleaning towel that I had dropped between the 8th green and 9th tee.

Tee boxes were all covered with lush turf, though several (playing from blue tees) had unlevel surfaces, but nothing that couldn't be overcome by moving back a club length or two. Except for a few soggy areas on slopes, fairways were for the most part very good - lush turf where balls sat up in lies from which it was easy to strike crisp shots. Rough was sticky and thick, but in some places thin enough to allow for well hit shots - on 18th hole, I made a beautiful wedge shot from a sidehill lie in rough from ~100 yards, knocking the approach to 3 feet for a birdie (sank the putt!). Bunkers appeared to have ample sand - the one fairway bunker that I played from had fluffy sand, with some pebbles and larger rocks in the mix, but playable. The greens, which had been aerated in early March, seemed generally smooth and visually appealing. Most held well hit approaches, but some of the greens didn't allow shots to bite and stop, instead releasing, leaving for some long putts. Well struck putts held their line, but those hit timidly would veer away at the cup. As almost always seems to be the case, there were far too many ball marks left unrepaired on the greens, and lots of big divots left bare in the fairways.

While on the course, a marshal was spotted a couple times on the front nine, but never on the back. Iced water was available in coolers at various locations on the course, but there was not any drink cart service. Total time start to finish was 4 hours 30 minutes - kept pace with twosome ahead, and never felt pressed by group of 4 behind. An enjoyable layout that played a little tough with the wind. Recommended.

Played on Monday 3/16, as a solo walker without a reservation. Teed off at 12:00PM, taking advantage of twilight rate, further reduced due to recent greens aerification. Check-in was pleasant, and I was able to utilize driving range to warm up prior to the round - hit off matts, but range balls were of good quality. Spent a few minutes on practice green to hone the putting stroke.

This was my first round at either of the Los Serranos courses in maybe 15 years, and much has changed since my last visit. According to the starter, about 3000 diseased/dead eucalyptus trees were removed from the property, resulting in a much more "open" look to the courses. There was also much more bunkering than I remember, which better "framed" the appropriate landing areas, and guarded many greens - very picturesque. In general, the place looked spectacular, and it seemed a great bargain to play this course for only $24.

Tee boxes were clean and level, with good grass coverage, cut just right. Tee positions had been moved from the weekend, and it was obvious that the weekend's divots had been filled and repaired. Fairways were in fine shape, and balls sat up nicely, and rolled out well. There were some areas of muddy and/or bare ground (mostly near bunkers), but they were generally marked as ground under repair. Rough varied from lush to some bare spots, but wasn't generally penal, except for the area left of fairway on hole 15. Bunkers were all recently raked and a bit "crusty" but easily playable (I was in a fairway bunker and a greenside bunker - got par both times), though there were unraked footprints and shot marks evident (with ample rakes around every bunker). Interesting to note that the bunkers on North Course all had brown sand, while those on South Course had new white sand. Greens had been punched on 3/1 and 3/2, and were still in the process of healing. Even in this condition, the greens were actually quite good - visually appealing, without any bare spots or discoloration, though just a bit shaggy. The greens easily held well hit shots, and rolled true at medium to slow speeds. In another couple weeks, these greens should be fantastic!

POP was just under 4 hours.

While on the course, I did not encounter any marshals, nor see any drink cart service. However, with snack bar locations convenient to holes 7, 13 and 16, and ample water coolers at various tee boxes, refreshments were available as needed. All personnel encountered were courteous and friendly

This course is definitely back in my rotation, and should be given consideration by any who want to play in the Inland Empire.

On Saturday 3/14/15, I joined new GK'er GolfNRolf for an afternoon round at the View. I called in a tee time for 2:30PM, and we played as a twosome, Rolf rode a cart while I walked - my greenfee was $20 twilight. Amazingly, we got around the entire course in less than 4 hours and 30 minutes, even while playing the ninth hole twice. On most holes we had to wait briefly for the group of four ahead of us, and the group of two behind never really pressed beyond the first 4 holes. Weather was anomalously warm - 97 degrees as I drove to the course - but a nice sea breeze blew for most of the afternoon.

Pro shop attendant was courteous, and snack shop attendant sold me a good cold beer before my round, but discouraged me from buying another beer at the turn due to the taps "not being cold" enough. Good thing my father had a cold beer ready for me as I passed by my parents' home on the 11th hole. We did not see any marshal on the course, nor any drink cart service, but there were lots of teens drinking and smoking in the shade at various locations.

On the course, conditions were a mixed bag. Tee boxes were generally level, with good lush grass coverage, but many tee boxes were chewed up with unrepaired divots. Rough was not well delineated from fairway, and varied from lush and thick to bare dirt. I played from several bunkers, where sand was thick and pebbly, but very playable - I made a few nice sand saves. Unfortunately, most of the bunkers that I saw had numerous unraked footprints and shot marks, even with ample rakes (I cleaned up where others had not). Fairways had generally good coverage, with good lies in center parts of the fairways. However, they were hard in places, especially those holes played in the riverbed - we both hit shots that bounced and rolled from the middle of fairway off the edge into the rough. Note that the course has a local rule which defines the riverbed as a lateral hazard - I played several shots from the hazards. Unfortunately, there were many unrepaired divots in the fairways, and I found my ball deep in a divot on the 17th fairway. Too bad that the majority of players on this course ride carts but can't use the divot filler supplied with the carts. I didn't see any other walkers on the course.

Now for the best part of the course - the greens. Visually, they look very appealing. Uniform green, lush and smooth, without any bare spots or discoloration. All greens were soft, but not spongy, and held well hit approach shots, though many pin placements were very near the edges, making for some tricky approaches. Putts rolled true at medium to slow speeds. Undulations and the river make for some big breaking putts. Unfortunately, due to the pebbly sand in the bunkers, many of the greens had lots of loose impediments near those bunkers. And as usual, there were many unrepaired ball marks.

Given that I grew up on this course, I approach it with not the highest expectations. It served up an enjoyable round, especially for a weekend afternoon.

I played on Tuesday 3/10/15, taking advantage of their birthday offer - free greensfee, with a $15 cart fee required (must print coupon, and show proof of identification). Check-in was easy, and a cold, locally brewed beer on tap made it better! Teed off solo at 10:30 on another Southern California day that makes me wonder what happened to winter. The first two holes were like a dream - no players in front, and none behind. Then I got to the third tee, where 2 threesomes were waiting for the green to clear. A solo player joined me on the fifth tee, and played out the front nine. The rest of the round was very slow, and I joined the threesome in front of me for the final 4 holes. POP ~4 hours and 45 minutes. Cindy was working the drink cart, and she made passes 4 times through the 12th hole.

Played from the blue tees, which in some cases were way back! Tee boxes were in fair to good shape, with some being slightly unlevel, and some par-3 boxes being a little chewed up, but it was easy enough to find a good spot to tee the ball. I did not have to play from any bunkers except the fairway bunker on the final hole, where sand was thin but playable - all other bunkers appeared to have been raked and clean. Rough seemed to be a continuation of the fairways, except just a bit browner, and in places a little muddy. Fairways had good coverage, but were a little thin, and lies were generally good. Dry and thin resulted in long rollouts - on 12th hole, a mid-iron layup shot meant to stop at ~100 yard mark rolled to about 20 yards short of the green. The greens were in very good condition, in that sweet spot between soft and firm, receptive to well hit shots and rolling true at medium to fast speeds. As usual, there were plenty of extra ball marks to fix. Coots had left their droppings on the 18th green, but not the worst that I have seen.

Except for the pace of play, I find this to be an enjoyable layout with reasonably good conditions.

Played "The Loop" (holes 1 thru 5, available ~2.5 hours before sunset, for $13, including cart) on Friday 3/6/15. Joined new GK'er GolfNRolf, teeing off right at 5:00pm.
Tee boxes were in fair shape, with some unlevel positions and some divot damage. Fairways were fair to good, with generally tight lies, and again some divot damage noted. Rough wasn't too bad, leaving balls "up" with fluffy lies. GolfNRolf and I were both in green side bunker on hole 3, where sand varied from hard packed to fluffy, and fabric underlay was exposed in places (from hard pan lie, GolfNRolf was able to get up and down with a nice shot). Greens were soft and lush, very receptive to well hit shots. Though the greens appeared a bit bumpy and shaggy, putts rolled true at medium to fast speeds. As usual, there were scads of unrepaired ball marks on each green. I repaired at least 5 on each of the 5 holes played.
The new practice green is finally open, though I didn't have the opportunity to use it on this visit.

On Tuesday 3/3/15 I played El Prado Butterfield Stage, under fabulous weather conditions. Unfortunately, the driving range was closed on this day due to rain on the previous day, so my intent to get a proper warmup was thwarted. As usual, course staff were friendly and accommodating. Playing as a single, I got out at 11:45AM, and was able to stay close to the single ahead of me, and far enough ahead of the group of 2 playing behind me. I finished in 3 hours and 30 minutes.

As I have been noting recently, the fairways just continue to improve in appearance, coverage, lushness and playability, though there are still some bare spots and thin areas (generally out of the prime hitting areas). I took the time to thank the course superintendent for the good work he and his crew have done to bring both of the El Prado courses into better playing shape. The greens were a tad slower than usual, and in places a little bumpy, but generally very playable. Tee boxes were a little worn in places, but a good teeing surface could always be found. Rough continues to get thicker and more penal, placing a premium on hitting the good grass in the fairways. Though I managed to avoid any bunkers on this day, it was noted that several were muddy from recent rain.

Now if only other golfers would take the time to replace or fill their divots in the fairways and on tee boxes, repair ball marks on the greens, and rake the bunkers after playing from them! Those considerate actions would make the course better for all.

Played without a reservation as a walking single on 2/23/15, teeing off at ~10:25AM. Due to rain the previous night, driving range was closed, so warmup consisted of putting and free swinging. The starter sent me to the back nine first, as there was still some flooding around the seventh hole, the lowest point on the course. I worked my way around the back nine without seeing hardly a soul, but by the time I finished the back nine, they were sending groups off the front nine. I worked myself between a group of 3 and a group of 2 on the first hole, and was able to play through the group of 3 on the second hole. Playing at a relaxed pace, I finished easily under 4 hours. No drink cart service on the course this day.

Played from the blue tees (6,850 yards/124 slope rating/72.0 course rating). Tee boxes were level, some just a bit shaggy, with little to no divot damage - always easy to find a good spot to hit from (maintenance crews were mowing as I played, so shaggy tee boxes probably improved through the day). Greens were typical for El Prado - they held well-hit shots, rolled true at medium speed (some downhill putts were quick), but had far too many unrepaired ball marks; many of these older unrepaired ball marks have left ugly dark spots. Rough was as usual a mixed bag, ranging from bare dirt to fluffy grass that left balls sitting up perfectly, to thick, lush and penal, where balls were difficult to advance. The several bunkers from which I had to play had hard packed sand (no fluffy sand at all); some still muddy from rain.

Best of all were the fairways! The grass was green and lush, with good coverage all around, with balls sitting up nicely, except for a few spots where my ball ended up in unrepaired divots. I have noticed much improvement to the fairways here over the past several months, with current fairway conditions about the best I've seen here in recent memory. Amazing what only a little rainfall can do for a golf course!

I played Butterfield Stage on 2/10/15, walking as a single. I brought a bag of my own good used balls to warm up on the range, then worked on putting and chipping for ~15 minutes. After what felt like a solid warm up, I checked in and went to first tee - smooth as usual. Though the pace seemed slower than usual, and I was joined on 9th hole by a riding single, POP was still under 4 hours, teeing off at 11:45AM - there was a wait on nearly every tee.

Tee boxes were mostly in good shape, except for a few (like hole 15) that were shaggy and in need of a trim - otherwise level, free of excessive divot damage. Greens were better than they looked, mostly rolling true at medium speed, except where putting from above the hole; those putts were quicker. Some of the greens looked like they needed to be cut. In a turn from the usual, I didn't find any ball marks to repair, other than my own. Rough was the usual mixed bag, varying from bare dirt to thick, sticky stuff. Bunkers (I found 3 of them) all had unraked foot prints and shot marks (playing behind the El Prado Men's Club - why don't they rake the bunkers?); surfaces were hard packed with thin topping of sand, playable with the right stroke.

I play El Prado quite frequently, and I am happy to say that the fairways today were in the best shape that I have seen in the past year. They looked noticeably better than in January 2015. Yes, there were bare spots and thin patches, but overall, they were green and relatively lush, especially in the prime landing areas, with balls sitting up nicely for approach shots. Now if only southern California could receive some beneficial rain, maybe these conditions would further improve.

Played on Saturday 1/17/15, teeing off just before 1:00PM. My buddy handled check in and bought lunch and some drinks prior to my arrival - smooth start with a good hot dog and a cold beer. On the first tee, my buddy and I were given the option of pairing up with another twosome at ~12:40PM, or playing behind a threesome. Since a third was going to join us after the turn, we elected to play as a twosome, so waited to play after the threesome, and teed up right around 12:50PM, after putting and chipping around the immaculate practice green.

Pace of play was the worst feature of the day, as groups were backed up on each tee of the front nine, but play opened up on the back nine, and we "sort of" finished, playing the last two holes in darkness (around 5:30PM).

Course conditions were quite good. Tee boxes were generally level to somewhat unlevel, with lush conditions except for a few areas that were chewed up, particularly on par 3 holes. However, there was always decent teeing ground to be found. Fairways were generally lush, with only some minor divot damage, and good lies in the green grass. Rough was generally lush, varying from green to brown, but only about 1 inch deep - balls in rough sat "up" for the most part. Bunkers looked in good shape (raked, with no mud or standing water) - the only bunker from which I played had a decent, thin layer of brown sand over a hard packed base. The greens were in good shape, green, soft to firm, and held well struck approach shots. Late in the day, spike marks left impressions in the slightly damp putting surface, but didn't seem to affect putts. In an exception to the rule, I found few ballmarks that were left without repair - as always, I repaired my own and any others I found within reason. The greens rolled true at medium/fast speeds.

This is a course that, except for the bottleneck of holes 3 through 8, I enjoy playing. The layout features some challenging tight holes, some easy wide open holes, and some holes with dramatic elevation changes. With a decent green fee during the week, I wouldn't hesitate to play here again.

On 1/14/15, I went to the course without a reservation, and was accommodated to play as a walking single - went straight to the first tee to get ahead of a foursome, starting right at 10:00AM. Weather was spectacular, mid-70's with little breeze. Ended up walking 36 holes today, and finished just before sunset; first round completed in 3.5 hours, while second round was played on the front nine twice due to an extremely slow single that wouldn't let me get around him.

Conditions on the Chino Creek course were noticably better than on Butterfield Stage course, which I played and reviewed the previous day. Tee boxes were all generally level and lush, with some divot damage. Fairways were pretty good, green and relatively lush, with some minor bare areas. Rough was a mixed bag - green and lush in some areas, brown/dormant in others, and bare dirt in other areas. There were some muddy areas around the water courses, especially the lowest fairway area on hole #2, and also on hole #7. On the back nine, holes #10 and #17 had plentiful mud on the lower fairways near the creek. Greens were in pretty good shape, looked good, rolled true at medium/fast speeds, and held well struck approach shots. They were a little damp, and as usual had many ballmarks left unrepaired. The only bunker from which I played had decent granular sand, but many bunkers were hard packed and still wet from the recent rain.

For 36 holes of golf, I paid $37 - $27 for the morning round, and $10 for the afternoon replay. As usual, I feel this is a good value.

Played 36 holes walking as a single on 1/13/15. Finished both rounds at or under 3.5 hours, even though play slowed to a crawl for a few holes on back 9 for both rounds. Weather was generally good, with temps around 70 and intermittent gusty winds up to ~30mph (comfortable in shorts and short-sleeved shirt). Highlight of the day was seeing a bald eagle fly directly overhead while playing hole #3 in the morning.

As usual, check in was easy and friendly - no reservation, just walked on. The starter advised me to finish my warm up bucket in time to take first tee before 9:50AM in order to be in front of a threesome. Got to the tee and teed up just in time for the threesome (which had turned into a foursome) to see me hit a good drive. Maintenance crews were working around the course, including bunker on first hole, where my second shot came to rest. Most bunkers were hard and some still had standing water from the recent rain. Tee boxes were level and mostly lush, with some divot damage. Fairways and rough were a mixed bag, with some areas green and lush, other areas dormant, and still other areas bare - I played several shots from bare lies. Mud from last weekends rain was a problem around the creek areas on holes 1 and 2, 10 and 11, 13,14 and 15; also mud a problem in front of fifth green. Greens were in decent shape, except for the usual abundance of unrepaired ball marks. Surfaces were a little damp in some areas, and shoe marks were evident later in the day. Putts rolled true at medium to quick speeds, depending on location below or above holes.

The drink cart made passes on the front and back during my first round, but I didn't see her during my second round. The marshal (Greg, always friendly) was seen during both rounds, and he reminded me if ever there is a problem on the course, the pro shop is just a phone call away (too bad I didn't see him until after the problem below).

Only complaint is the extremely slow play of the senior men's club members who were in front of me on the back nine during my early round. From the tenth through thirteenth holes, I had to wait on this group of 3 (2 riding cart, 1 walking), on every shot. The guys in the cart cruised along beside the walking player, showing absolutely no interest in the concept of ready golf. The thirteenth hole was the worst, where I waited on the tee for at least 10 minutes, then waited in the fairway for at least five minutes after they completed the hole, while they tallied scores, cleaned clubs and arranged their golf bags greenside. Meanwhile, there were 2 groups of 4 waiting behind me to tee off. Thankfully, this inconsiderate group was done at the thirteenth hole (shotgun start, I presume), and I breezed along once they were out of the way.

For the day, it cost $36 -
to hit a small bucket of range balls ($4), play a morning round ($22) and an afternoon replay ($10). Nice value!

I played El Prado Chino Creek on Wednesday 12/10/14, and again on Monday 12/15/14. There is much evidence around the course of the recent rain storms, with the low lying areas around the creeks, water courses and lakes being muddy. The worst impacted areas were marked as ground under repair. Since I walked the course, most of the problem areas were easy to get around. However, for those riding carts, be aware that there are many areas roped off to prevent cart access. Thus, many holes playing as "cart path only" (even though many of these holes don't have cart paths). The course management and other golfers would appreciate cart riders keeping carts out of restricted areas.

Another point to note is that the maintenance crew has begun work to eradicate, or at least control, the red imported fire ant infestation. These introduced ants are a big problem throughout the two El Prado courses, and the recent rains have really made their presence evident. Hopefully the eradication efforts are successful.

The rains have done wonders for the fairway grass - it is lush and much more filled in than earlier in the year. Soft fairways really limited rollout on tee shots, so the course played longer than usual. Most of the tee boxes are lush, some maybe in need of cutting, but all essentially level. I managed to avoid any of the bunkers, though they generally appear playable. Rough has gotten rougher, and a little tougher to play from (reason to keep it in the fairway). As for the greens, contrary to what another review stated, I found the greens to be generally firm, and as usual receptive to well hit approaches. The greens were mostly smooth, and rolled true at medium speed. There seem to be an abundance of dark spots on many greens, presumably from ball marks not being repaired. I always repair my own, and any others that I can get to within reason.

My earlier round was completed in 3 hours 10 minutes, while the later round was completed right at 4 hours.

As usual, if you can accept the limitations, I recommend El Prado (either course) if you are looking for good conditions at an affordable price.