Played Wednesday, 12 Sep at 11:06am, booked via GolfNow at $44 senior rate. GN also manages the bookings via their website. Friendly greeting in the pro shop and especially by the starter. A good start to the round.

Got off on time, paired with a friendly older couple celebrating their 4th anniversary. They were a little rusty, and we were lagging a bit behind a group with a 1-hole head start, but we did make it around in 4hrs 10mins total and more-or-less caught the group by the 7th hole. So, glad we weren't guilty of holding up those stacked up behind us!

Course was in very good condition overall, looked lovely with great views while playing, and no complaints. The course is not meticulously maintained, generally a little rough around the edges, but it is indeed very good.

Tees generally provided level tee areas and had very good grass coverage. Probably 3 holes where they had the white markers were a bit un-level, including their signature hole, the par3 14th.

Fairways were very green, cut well, and a mix of firm and softer areas. Did not get a lot of roll-out overall. Rough generally was only 1 1/2 inch or so, and was not too penal.

Greens appeared to have been verti-cut a few days earlier, but did not affect putts. Were receptive, and smooth putting at medium-speed.

Bunkers were decent, but with a thin, well-groomed layer of maybe 1/2" brown sand.

No cart lady on the day, but plenty of water jugs with cold water. Half-way house between 8th and 9th holes.

Pro shop staff indicated they will be aerating around the last week in October. The couple said they had played Chardonnay next door the previous day, and preferred Eagle Vines. So, get out and play now. Highly recommeded!

Played this afternoon, with a 2:32 tee time. Got a decent $45 'senior' rate via their website. Pleasant greetings by the starter/pro shop guys. Good service from the cart girl. Pleasant marshal was by a few times, keeping us posted on pace/progress in front of us. Good service after the round by Eric and his team in the bar.

Now, sadly the best part of the golf experience was that after 2 1/2 hours on our first nine (started on #10), things did pick up on the 2nd nine and we finished just under 4.5 hours total. This and the tees were the best part of the golfing experience.

Fairways and rough were in mediocre condition. Some decent green areas, but well-suffering from dried-out conditions and over-watering in large areas. Very inconsistent tight lies, but w/alternating patches of grass v. bare dirt v. overgrown fairway grass.

These conditions were far better than the greens, however. We saw about 1/2 that appeared to be punched only hours before we came by, not all were lightly sanded. They were not rolled, and the punch holes and attached debris provided enormous height variation from the base level of the greens. Needless to say, it was an adventure/nightmare. Very slow, and should likely be treated as an 'automatic 2-putt' they were so bad. Very slow, the ball would often literally bounce an inch into the air even after the speed was down from the putt, and/or careen off-line by 2-3 inches as it slowed near the hole. WHAT A MESS!

The greens that were not punched were still a bit bumpy, but manageable, and medium-slow pace.

The 'bunker renovation' that started in June and was supposed to be completed by the end of August. They did not meet that goal. There seems to still be at least 5, maybe 6 holes to go. According to a gent in the pro shop, he didn't think they'd be completed in anything less than 2 1/2 weeks. My guess is another month, maybe longer.

Not unhappy about playing TC today due to the rate and my love for the layout, but pretty disappointed with the lack of progress on the bunker renovations, sad overall state of the golf course (e.g., Costa Mesa and San Juan Hills are in MUCH, MUCH better, condition imho), and no warning on the punching of 1/2 the greens by any staff. From a golf course management perspective, they really do seem to just want to take everybody's money and treat golfers as basic punters at times.

Still glad I did not renew my Creek Card for 2018 and am soured on upping up for it in 2019 now. Will not look to play here again until well after they punch the course for the fall/winter season, November or December, I guess by the time things heal.

Got out on time at 1:39pm Monday, 8/13 at Crossings Club rate of $40 with a Father/Son twosome. POP was slow on the day, 4hrs 50mins.

While waiting on the 10th tee, decided to take in the great views from there and noticed the slo-poke culprits were 4 groups in front, as they were making the long drive in their carts to #12 tee, with two groups backed up behind them playing #11, and the next group in front of them were already on the 13th green, two full holes ahead. So, dang you 1:03pm group!!! ;-) Like I said, great views from there, you can see parts of nearly all of the back 9 from there!

Course was probably in the best overall condition I've seen it this year from tee to green. Doing a lot of watering, things are a bit soft in places. Tees were great. Fairways didn't provide great roll-out, but were cut nicely and always had a good lie. Rough was the most even/consistent I've ever seen at the Crossings, and very grabby of the clubhead.

Greens were soft and receptive, very well-watered, but did roll medium to medium-fast, or perhaps I just jammed a few too many past the hole, expecting them to be slower. Wasn't in any bunkers, but they looked great for the most part, though one of my playing partners ended up in an unraked footprint on #6, which he wasn't happy about.

Aside from the slower play, a great day out on this lovely course. Saw the cart girl 3 times, including once on the back side, which is rare. Just wish they had a marshal out, which we never saw.

The bar and players lounge patio area has been closed for more than a month now, and they are not sure when it will re-open. Evidently their liquor license did not properly include that bar area for all these years and was pulled. So, that's a bummer right now. An after-round unwind with beer/food on the patio in the summer was about as good as it gets, with views and fires. They must be losing some serious $ by not having it at the moment, so hopefully it will re-open soon!

Played yesterday, 1 Aug on a warm and sunny afternoon. Friendly greeting in the pro shop. Sent to the tee immediately after checking in 20 minutes ahead of my 1:05 tee time, as the twosome I was to play with had just teed off early due to a gap in times. So, no time to warm up. Never really waited much until the 6th hole, but more so on the back9, with a final POP of 4hrs, 30mins.

Course was pretty much the same as my last time out here, except the bunkers were not very well cared for. Was in a handful, and was in 3 footprints and plugged twice, and the right greenside bunker on #10 was firm and damp. Otherwise, the sand was great! ;-)

Unlevel tees with mounds to deal with at the white markers on #s 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 12, 16.

Fairways and rough was pretty much OK, but some spots of the fairways have been heavily watered, with thick kikuyu over soft turf, making for very grabby conditions in spots. You really had to play the ball back a bit in the stance and hit down on the ball to stand a chance of clean contact.

Greens were good, very green, soft from watering, pretty smooth putting at a medium pace and holding shots decently. Usual number of unrepaired ball marks to deal with. Very pleasant cart lady was hanging out behind #8 tee.

As I reported today in a 'What'd you shoot August 2018' forum post, highlight of the day was a hole-in-one on #7 (166 yards) by one of my playing partners. Very cool to watch go in!

Played Monday, 7/30 at 1:45pm starting as a foursome during a stretch of light play. POP was 3:50, with only a few short waits later in the round waiting for the group in front to clear the green (we were on the tees with a golfer who could bomb it). Group behind us was easily a hole behind. Good day/pace for an enjoyable round.

As the course is nearing the home stretch for the Will Jordan Costa Mesa City Championship, the grounds crew was very active. However, the course conditions were a mixed bag, primarily due to wildly inconsistent lengths of rough ( 1" - 6"+). Fairways also were a mixed bag, with recent re-sodding leaving a ring of bare spots between the repaired sections and the rest of the fairway. Really looks bad, but only an issue if your ball ends up there. The typical mix of good kikuyu grass coverage, bare spots and alternative grass/greenery persist. Was a 50/50 chance of a good lie in the fairway on the day.

Tees were good, and they had the blues either up front or back, to avoid the primary teeing areas, letting them heal up.

Greens were the best part, cut nicely, and starting to have a real 'look' like they are ready for the tourney. They were receptive, rolled pretty smoothly at medium speed. Tricky breaks/green reading, as usual. By the 13th hole, we were down to 3 golfers and we all made birdies on the par4 13th - a first time I've been a part of that! My putt, at least, was indeed a 'tricky' 12 footer, with a L-R side/downhill breaking putt. :)

A good day out. But, glad I am not playing the course this weekend in the tourney. Fairway and rough conditions present enough inconsistency that you will have some bad lies after hitting pretty good shots. Still do recommend the course for normal play.

Played Black Gold on a hot Thursday afternoon, 26 July, taking advantage of a special $39 'beat the heat' e-mail deal they sent out a few days earlier. Teed off about 2pm w/Larryq2001, following a few other twosomes. POP was just at 4hrs, with a bit of waiting on the group in front. Seemed like a lighter day of play than usual, surely due to the heat.

The course was in pretty good overall condition, surviving the heat a lot better than I did!

Footing on and around the greens was soft from a lot of watering. But, it seemed to be the right amount, and did not find any spots where water was pooling/bubbling up when walking.

Course was mostly green and cut well, but the rough is of course suffering from a bit less water. Tees were pretty firm, though fairways did not provide the most roll due to softness/watering, but did provide good lies and decent footing. Even with an abundance of watering, there were some small burnt-out areas in a few fairways, including #9 and #13, and a few areas around several greens. Minor issue, given the challenges of the heat they are dealing with, and slopes/contours of the course.

Was in a greenside bunker on #3, and the sand was medium-weight. In a fairway bunker on #11, and sand was OK, albeit softer than I'd like in a fairway bunker.

Greens were nice and green, receptive, and mostly smooth putting. Ball rolled at medium speed for the most part. Great service in the bar/restaurant afterwards. No cart lady on the day, but fortunately we were prepared. It is nice that they load the cart cooler with ice when they queue them up. Really enjoy the course, and watching Larry hit the ball so consistently well is a treat.

Played Monday, 7/23 teeing off as a 3some about 1:45pm. Slow POP - 4hrs 45mins due to four unsociable 2somes playing in front of us!! Starter asleep at the wheel, but I've played slower rounds here.

As has been mentioned in Mesa Linda reviews, they are trying to get the courses ready for the Will Jordan Costa Mesa City Championship on August 4/5. The greens are very wet, and - no kidding - water bubbled up when you repaired ball marks on some of them. They have various projects going on, and recently added sod in a few fairways on a handful of holes and this is currently roped off/GUR. To me, it doesn't seem like these turfed areas will be 100% playable in under two weeks. So, if you're playing in the tournament, good luck. Also, if/when you land short of a green, the kikuyu nearly always grabs it, takes one or two short hops and dies short of the green.

Hit 12/13 fairways on the day, and conditions were pretty typical, but cut shorter/nicer than normal on the day. Mostly good lies, but there are still burnt out areas with bare dirt/inconsistent weeds in a number of fairways and rough areas.

Tees were really nice on the day - they usually are here. Avoided all traps on the day, so nothing to report. Greens held shots well, but were quite bumpy from softness and play. A few cups were mangled beyond recognition and had plenty of ball marks to deal with. Medium speed. I am told by a former CM City Champion winner that they will let the greens dry/firm up as the tourney approaches.

Cart girl came by once, and happy that the snack shop was open at the turn for a cold one (pretty warm out there), which is not always the case later in the day. Went for a few beers after the round, and when I came out 90 minutes later, the sprinklers were going full bore for as far as the eye could see... it was dark, so could only see parts of 3 holes. :)

Played Saturday, 7/21 at 3:00pm, Crossings Club late rate of $40. Friendly reception in the pro shop and by the starter. Paired with a quick twosome, POP was very good for the weekend, 4hrs, in spite of short waits throughout the round. A lovely, 70's sunny day, with a 1-club wind most of the day.

Course is slightly improved over last month - no wet spots around the green apron areas to deal with, so shots didn't die in front. Tees, fairways and rough were all pretty nice, with some choppiness in the rough to deal with. Fairways rolled out very nicely, and provided mostly good lies.

Was in 2 well-raked greenside bunkers, and the sand was fluffy medium-weight and nice to hit from.

Greens were fully recovered from their small punching last month, held shots well, and rolled at medium speed. A few bumps and spike prints to deal with due to late play.

Cheery cart girl came by 3 times, and there was a guy grilling burgers at the 1/2-way shack, so plenty of bevvies and food available during the round. Looked like they had a wedding reception after the round, and had closed the bar and patio to golfers. :( Course is in great shape right now, highly recommended.

Played yesterday, 12 July on a lovely sunny afternoon. Friendly greeting in the pro shop and starter. Went out with two friendly guys as a 3some about 10 minutes ahead of our 1:57 tee time. Short waits throughout the round, POP ended up being 4hrs, 20mins.

Main improvement in the course since last month are the that besides a few unhealed punch holes, the greens are fully healed and rolled pretty nice overall, at medium speed. A few too many footprints for my liking, creating bumps, etc., around the hole on certain soft greens, however. It was late in the day. Greens were well-watered, held shots well. A few greens do have some spots with inconsistent grass coverage.

Fairways and rough pretty typical for the tract, and generally good roll-out and lies. Did notice a bit more non-kikuyu growth in the fairways and rough. Seems to be natural weed growth winning a war.

Was in a few greenside bunkers. In a rarity for me, sand presented no issues, so I guess it was good. Medium-weight, good base and mostly well-raked. Was in the fairway bunker on #13, and it was a bit wet/muddy.

Course is a decent value, $39 incl. cart via their website. Good food, great service and a decent solo singer/guitar player on the patio for happy hour after the round. Was singing a Bob Seger song upon arrival. MGOBLUE!

First time at Arrowood GC, a nice Ted Robinson Jr design. I like a number of his father's courses, so was very much looking forward to the round.

Played on the 5th w/Larryq2001. A bit of a mix-up with their own website booking system. Oddly, booked and confirmation sent for a 1:18pm tee time, but their printed tee sheet had us down for 1:27pm. Slowed the check-in at the pro shop and w/starter, where things seemed a bit disorganized. Things were running an additional 12-15 minutes late. Not a big deal, but glad I had my confirmation ready. Friendly enough guys, we did get out just about 1:40pm. POP seemed slow while we were playing, we were waiting throughout, w/POP at 4hrs 20mins, I guess about all you can expect on a busy afternoon.

Overall, really enjoyed the course and the layout. Thought there'd be more water, only recall 16 and 18, both very picturesque and challenging holes. The 16th green complex, with a far right pin placed behind a bunker and very close to the water hazard, is particularly gnarly to deal with on your approach shot! Found the back9 a little more interesting than the front.

Very much agree with the two most recent, mostly favourable reviews on course conditions. Fairways still showing signs of punching, not much affect on lies, but they were very dry and provided excellent roll-out, too much, really, if that is possible. Of course, one level area just short of a par3 green, was heavily watered, leaving my tee shot well short, as it rolled nowhere.

Tees were very green and level. Rough was not too long nor penal. Greenside bunker on the 1st was medium-weight sand and good condition. Was in a fairway bunker later, and sand was very thin and easy to hit an iron out of to the green.

Greens were very nice, rolling mostly smooth and medium-fast. Firm, and holding shots moderately well for level approach shots. If the approach was to a green below, they held very well, and less so for uphill approach shots. They are fairly large greens, with ample undulation. Really liked them overall.

Overall, a good day on a hot day on the course. Cart lady only came by once early, and saw her by the clubhouse at the turn, but never on the back9. Friendly Jack came by with a bucket of ice water on the 10th, and we later came across an empty ice water bucket, perhaps at the 14th tee. Became a bit of a grind in the heat. Several loos in key positions were handy.

After the round, the guys in the grill were very friendly, and in spite of just shutting down the wood-fired brick-oven, 10 minutes later, they re-stoked it and made us and another group a few $10 pizzas, which were very tasty, and went well with their $15 pitcher deal.

Looking forward to heading back to Arrowood soon. Biggest negative was the 90 minute drive from Huntington Beach (60 miles), most of the time consumed over the last 15 miles. If it wasn't for this, I probably would've bought their Palm Card on the day.

Played Mesa Linda on Monday, 7/2, going at as a 2some at about 1:40pm on a sunny, 70s day, with up to a 1-club wind. Friendly greeting by Andrew in the pro shop.

We breezed through the first 8 holes at a good pace, but caught a very pokey foursome on the 9th hole. They had let two other 2somes and a single in front of us through, but decided to not let our 2some play through for 4 holes, in spite of us being right behind them. As we finished the 13th - they were only 75 yards off the 14th tee - we noticed a 3-hole gap back to the 9th tee, and decided to go back and restart the back 9 to be at a better playing pace. Worked out great, as we got to enjoy a few extra holes, with no waiting, until play was backed up on the 17th tee, with the pokey group still on 18. POP for all that (22 holes) was 4hrs 15 mins.

Course is mostly in pretty good shape. Blue tees were great. Rough typical, not too penal, bunkers were medium-weight. Fairways provided decent, but not great roll-out, and were actively being re-sodded in parts, with at least 3 holes where fairly large portions of the fairways were 'under repair', including most of #14. Easily the worst part of the course on the day. Noticed they have lost some more trees since I was last here in April, and still no clue what their plan is for the crappy bare-dirt mound they created six months ago, left side of the par5 5th hole.

Greens were fantastic yesterday. Cut pretty close, they were rolling mostly smooth at a medium-fast pace. No visible remnants of any punching. Greens also held shots well.

Played The Crossings on Thursday, 6/28, teeing off about 1:40pm with larryq2001 on a lovely, mostly sunny and 70s day, mostly calm, with up to a 1-club wind at times. Friendly greeting in the pro shop and by the starter. $40 Crossings Club member rate.

Teeing off as a 2some, we were then paired up with the 2some behind us, as the starter sent them up to join us as we teed off. A nice couple, he had a real good scoring day, but they were both a bit pokey. Hubby had an excessive pre-shot routine that got pretty tiring to watch. A single played through at the turn, and our POP ended up at just about 4.5hrs. Although no one was pressing us, should've been less, as we lost sight of everyone in front by the 12th hole. :(

Course was in very good overall shape. White tees - all good and level. Fairways rolled out very nicely, and provided good lies. Only issue for me, with a few approach shots landing short of greens, the aprons were over-watered up to 30 feet in front, meaning no extra bounces, leaving plug-n-play, muddy balls, squishy turf and tricky chip shots to front pins.

Rough in a few spots was very dense and grabby, at least a club penal, and in other areas was a more typical choppy coverage, where the ball would sit down, but the grass/shot was a bit more manageable. Was in 3 greenside bunkers, which was good, as I was trying out a newly-modified SW. Sand was pretty decent, mostly a new, fine sand, but with not too much - about 2 inches, to get to the base. Had one 'fried egg' lie on the par3 14th.

Seemed that about 1/2 the greens have been re-punched a few days earlier, with slightly smaller holes than a full punch, but not the tiny ones. No sanding was evident, I can't say that putting was affected too much, but greens were slow putting uphill, and medium-speed overall.

Great service after the round by Katie in the bar, with good food, too. A fun round, and it was fun to watch Larry play a very good scoring, and consistent round. I estimate the greens will be fully healed in 7-10 days.