This will be short. Got out 9am Friday 7/8 as a single walking joining a pleasant middle aged couple riding. Haven’t been here in years and really enjoyed it as conditions are very good all around. Everything from teeing grounds through the greens was clean. Some occasional, small, brown areas on otherwise green fairways were only visual — the hitting surface was good and the fairways felt almost spongy to walk on. Missed the bunkers but they appeared OK. The green and cut portion of the rough was not overly long but it was thick and could be grabby. Otherwise a lot of wild areas to contend with. Greens were a good quick pace but not too quick — appropriate for the slopes and contours. Course was reasonably busy and it was a tad over 4.5 hours to finish.

An interesting, challenging course in a beautiful vineyard setting. Highly recommended.

Played in the last group of the GK outing with Jeff, Mark and Mr GK hisself. First, the course, which I found in overall excellent shape. Tees more level than I am used to was a treat. On the occasions they weren't perfect, they weren't off enough to require any real adjustment and the coverage was always good. The fairways were very nice on the whole with good coverage and a good amount of runout. While rare, there was the occasional anomaly as evidenced by Johnny finding his ball in a four foot sandy patch surrounded by perfectly nice fairway. A low percentage fluke, but it happened. Rough varies from natural areas to thick grass patches to playable, so there is a lot of variety in the possible outcomes. As far as bunkers, given the long and intimate relationship I developed with one in particular, I'll let a more objective reporter fill you in on those. It was an "it's me, not you" relationship. The green-side areas were in nice shape, tending towards the tighter side for most chips. The greens were excellent — clean, good speed, visually interesting with the right amount of variety and challenge. Otherwise, the very local coastal layer burnt off as the event was commencing. So it was sunny, the temperature was comfortably cool with an ocean breeze that built to about 2.5 clubs and died off by round's end.

The event was well organized. The unlimited range balls was cool and something I needed to get myself right before the round. The practice facilities and options are very complete and the merchandise handed out beforehand was awesome and appreciated — love my LinkSoul shorts. Add in the excellent company and it made for a highly enjoyable all around experience.

Thanks to Johnny for putting this together. I loved it.

Got out as a single with a few ladies from the Penmar women's club a bit after noon on 6/24. I noticed more dry patches than I think I've ever seen there, although this wasn't a problem. Mostly it was playable, closer to the teeing grounds and really not an issue. Maybe because of the marine air I've always found Penmar's fairways surprisingly green and full for the traffic it gets, even as other courses are stressed, so I noticed it. That having been observed, the fairways overall were fine and conditions were good. Rough could vary but was generally green and more on the full side. I missed the bunkers so no comment there. The greens were nice — clean and rolling medium quick. I underestimated the speed more than once but nothing tricky about them. Pace was sluggish but that is expected here. You don't usually hit Penmar for a "quick" nine which is actually a bit of the charm. Chill out — you have a nice ocean breeze, typically nice company, and an undemanding but fun layout. The open air character of the revamped restaurant makes it a nice hangout. Now that I think of it, while the layouts are very different, the vibe is a kind of west side equivalent to the scene at Roosevelt. Not a bad thing at all.

I've actually been out at Altadena twice this week including this afternoon — a 5:00pm tee off with my buddy. It's been over a month since kmersola's fine review for which I have only one correction (probably an auto-correct thing) that Altadena's sister course is Eaton Canyon, not Eagle Glen. Last time I reviewed the (grass) driving range had been down from wind damage but it has been back in service for a few weeks now. I thought there were several things worth noting in the current conditions. They were punching the tee boxes and fairways when I was out earlier this week, and when I was out today a worker was out throwing seed where needed. With the exception of the odd thinner patch, the fairways were generally lush to a bit shaggy. Similarly, the rough was thick in many places. I took these to be good things — conditioning maintenance that will hopefully enhance the conditions. It seems like they actually trying to give the course a little love and left me with a positive feeling of anticipation. With the current, predominant lushness around the course it feels like the course is getting healthier and that it will be better than usual conditions here when they trim it all down. As it is and on the day, there were some heavy patches in the fairways as well as mixed rough, much of it heavy. My buddy reported his bunker experience as very firm. The greens are in very good shape and have been since recovering from aeration. The surface is very consistent both as to visually and performance and the look is almost velvety. They are running a touch on the sluggish side of medium but smooth and I think the pace will pick up over time.

As usual, this is hardly a destination course and I agree with kmersola that Roosevelt is nicer, but for what it is worth, Altadena is a decent regulation nine with two par 5's, not an executive course. Getting out for $10 — less than a medium bucket — with plenty of daylight it was good deal and a lot more fun than pounding on the range. With a little bit of time for the conditioning to take effect and some sprucing up with the mower, there is a chance that in the near future the course could end up in as nice shape as it has been in several years — elevating from the dog-track state of recent memory to a serviceable little nine with quite decent conditions and very nice mountain views. I'll keep you posted.

Got a Friday 4:00pm start with a buddy and were paired up with a middle-aged, husband/wife couple. I had been out at Woodley recently with a 3:50 start and managed to get 18 in and was cautiously hopeful of doing it again. For me, this course is the epitome of muni and as someone who frequents munis, that is not necessarily a pejorative. It's about basic golf, enjoyable but not always pretty. I was happy enough with the conditions. Teeing grounds were generally level with coverage. Fairways here are mostly generous, had reasonable coverage on the tight side and a fair bit of rollout. The grass quality is inconsistent visually and otherwise with occasional brown areas, but few actual bare areas. I found it all pretty playable with mostly good lies. The rough was almost, (how should I put this?) nurturing. Mostly grown in, rarely punitive and in some cases even teeing the ball up a little, so little stress there. I was in a couple of bunkers and quality was fine other than the lack of people raking the sand. Fortunately, I missed the footprints. The green-side areas were good for short shots. The greens themselves were soft, showed visual remnants of past aeration and ran at a good medium quick with the occasional muni bump but looked bumpier than they played, which was good.

Mixed skill levels in the group didn't prevent us from maintaining about a 4-hour pace. As dusk was encroaching the coupled peeled off after the 16th while my buddy and I finished out 18. Depth perception becoming an issue at the end, we got it done. A pretty straight forward and forgiving course currently, I was in the mood for it and enjoyed it. It's not pitch and putt and no course is without its challenges, but I wanted room to focus more on sorting out the quirks of my swing execution than those of the course and Balboa fit the bill. Basic stuff but enjoyable @ $32.50 total for both of us walking. Nice weather, good company, got it done. What's not to love? It's golf.

Played Friday 5/20 as single joining a two-some, teeing off a little after noon. The guys I played with were pleasant enough. I hadn't been out to SA in a while and I thought the course was in good shape in terms of playability. Tee boxes here are pretty level on the whole with most having good coverage and a very few less so with some exposed dirt. The latter not an issue for me if it's level, I'm using a tee, and the thin conditions are exceptions to the general trend. The fairways mainly offered good, green lies with the rollout a little reduced by it being a little damp on the day. You could find the occasional brown hard patch if you looked around, but they were mostly random, small isolated spots and I don't recall dealing with a poor lie in the fairways. The rough was consistent and minimally punitive except where you caught the odd sandy or dirt area. Green side areas were good for short shots. I was in one bunker and it was on the firm side. Visually, the greens were less than pristine, but they actually rolled pretty true at a medium fast that is on the high side for this course and so seemed quicker.

It was a heavy, grey day with little wind and a few moments of mist, but nothing that required donning more the polo shirt I was already wearing. The pace was a little sluggish on the front and the par-3 eighth was a choke point with a two-group backup. The back nine moved a little better and the round probably took something over 4.5 hours. I wasn't in a hurry to be anywhere else. Bottom line, I enjoyed the course, the company and my less than stellar round. Recommended.

Looking for a weekend tee time late in the week I grabbed a single spot at Woodley for 3:50 on Saturday the 14th. Just wanted to get out and accepted that 18 might not be in that time frame but, somewhat surprisingly, our foursome did 18 in just about four hours. Conditions were actually pretty good all around. Playing from the whites, teeing grounds were level and coverage was fine. The fairways were on the firm side, also with pretty good coverage and fair rollout. I don't recall being in the fairway at any point and having a lie issue. Rough was pretty consistently playable so between the wide fairways and forgiving rough, the opportunity to have a good round was expanded. I don't think anyone in our group visited a bunker, so no intel there. The greens were good, clean, minimally marked and looking like they should run medium but were a bit quicker than that. Green-adjacent was pretty good for chipping and pitching.

I was the only one dumb enough to walk and it was over 90º when we started but it was subsiding at that time of day as we progressed to sunset. The pace on the front nine was pretty much unimpeded. The Back nine was relatively more congested but not by much, and the 4-hour final time was a pleasant surprise for all of us. I don't go out of my way to play here — much less than once a year typically — but I was in the mood to play someplace with legitimate length that would allow more margin for error to build up some confidence. Oh, and there was tee time available — duh. Woodley didn't disappoint. Shot my best score in at least couple of years. The guys I played with were pleasant company and pretty good players as a group. As the sun and temps went down, the full moon came up to complement an orange sunset so it was a really nice finish to a good round. Open, predominantly flat and good for walking, the expansiveness may not have the more classic visual interest of a contoured course, but there is an interesting, more spare aesthetic to it that I enjoyed as a change of pace. Recommended.

Played Friday 5/6 as a two-some joined by a single, teeing off @ 3:40. Not going to get too detailed. The course is in nice overall shape and they generally keep it clean. The greens are in nice shape, running medium fast which seemed slower initially because the greens here more often are on the quick and tricky side. The main anomaly to the normal conditions to be aware of is that they are rebuilding the tee boxes for holes 7, 8 and 11 — all par threes. On 7 the temp tee box is to the side of the regular location and so the distance is comparable. On the other two holes temp tees are pushed forward. And they aren't doing it halfway. In each case they have graded the full teeing area and laid down sand. You can see that the finished products will be very level and expansive as to providing room to move the markers around. They should be very nice but a while before playable. No seed or sod on them yet.

Service here is always personable and efficient, pace was a little over four hours and our timing was very good as far as daylight and getting 18 holes in. An esoteric point, but when playing this course late in the day, if you have enough light to get halfway through the 17th hole, the lights from the range will provide enough illumination to finish up through 18. We didn't need it, but nice to know when squeezing in that round later in the day with crowded tee sheets all over. A shorter course, but highly recommended for what it is. Enjoyed the round and the single was good company who fit right in with us.

Took a friend passing through town out to Roosevelt for on Tuesday 3/22, joining a single and another two-some. Really very nice conditions for what it is. The teeing grounds are generally pretty level with good coverage and they've done sod work on a number of them to make them rather lush right now. Nice to see the work and results. Fairways here are a little tighter than usual given it is winter, but still good coverage and I find it more complete and relatively thicker than many places I play. Rough really varies from a little longer than the fairway and playable if you get an up lie, to some serious underbrush in spots and pine needles if you go a little further astray. The bunkers had some stray dips and footprints and could use grooming, but there was more clean space and the sand quality is good. Short game areas varied from light rough to tight lies. The greens were nice — a pretty clean, healthy surface with minimal ball marks, running medium quick.

A touch on the warm side it was a very nice day to be out there. With the exception of the usual backup on #6, in this case two groups worth, the general pace was pretty good. The group was pleasant, I pointed out the iconic LA features to my buddy and everybody expressed appreciation for the course. A few weeks left before they punch the greens, the place is a cool little gem and I recommend checking it out.

I have points to use up on my LA City card and grabbed an 11:55 start on Friday 3/18 as single joining a two-some and another single, all walking. I don't recall any issues finding a suitable spot to peg it in the teeing areas — mostly covered and level or close enough to it. The fairways are a mashup of grasses that grow at varying rates, so the closer to having been mowed the more consistent the surface. On the day a cut was probably due and a little lumpy. That said, mixed or not, it was generally covered, wintery firm with a fair amount of rollout. The rough was not particularly thick or that much different from the fairways and usually not at all penalizing. The run-ups to the green generally made for tight pitching lies while around the greens it was just a little more forgiving. I was in a couple of bunkers where the sand leans more towards heavy than fluffy, but otherwise fair, reasonably clean and playable. I personally did not see any I would describe as dirt or close to it as previously reported, but maybe I missed those. The greens were firm enough to leave minimal pitch marks, running mostly true at a decent medium quick pace that overall wasn't as brisk as the practice green.

It was a good day to play — clear, warmer than usual with no impacting wind. It's flat and a good course to walk. Pace was very good at right around four hours on a busy public course. Almost surprising, really. All the guys in the group were friendly and, except for me, young and hit the ball far if not always straight. It was also a nice surprise that I could use my points for the range balls, so I was nothing out of pocket on the day. It's muni golf, not in peak condition but more than acceptable and I recommend it as such.

I played Altadena last Friday with a buddy. It was maybe the second time I've played there in recent months, prior to which I had stayed away for well over a year — a testament to my disenchantment given how convenient it is to me for casual rounds. What follows here is rendered moot by the fact they heavily punched and sanded the greens since Friday, but seeing how severe my most "recent" review was and not having posted the last couple of times out, I needed to do at least a quick update. Of note is the current absence of driving range access. A wind storm a few months back took down about six poles on the right side and it has been closed ever since, but I knew that when I booked the tee time. Overall the course itself has recovered from the desperate and partially bare dog track that sent me away. It has its usual stretches of thin and bare, usually extending out immediately in front of teeing areas, but the fairways are mostly green and playable. The greens were decent, firm and on the quick side with some bare patches only on the edges of the par-3 8th. Missed the bunkers entirely. Based on the review thread, I seem to be about the only GKer who ever plays the place but, for what its worth and once the greens recover, it is now good as a practice track at twilight rates which is usually the standard it maintains. I needed to find someplace on short notice and it was one of the few places that had tee times available, so as Carl would say, it's got dat going for it.

The length and layout made it a perfect walking course for nine holes for my buddy, and with no big expectations, it worked out well for us.

Late review #2 from my sister's visit was Sandpiper on 2/24. Cool, very clear conditions in which the mild starting breeze built to two clubs and died the last few holes to finish in calm. There have been recent reviews and this is consistent with them in that the overall conditions are very good right now with very fast, true, challenging greens. Of note, the bunkers tended towards the thinner/firmer side and there seem to be more extensive areas of rough that have been allowed to grow to an evil, ball-devouring length. The exception to a nice outing was some kind of work site (irrigation?) going on right in the middle of the par-5 fifth fairway. As one had to play around it, it was pretty disruptive — multiple workers, parked vehicles, fear of hitting one of them, etc. — but I'm pretty sure that was a one day (or less) thing. Otherwise, a beautiful course in good shape. Recommended.