As always, had a great day out with Larryq2001 on a sunny and warm Monday afternoon, joined by two nice young men. Friendly greeting in the pro shop and starter. Teeing off at 12:08pm, POP for our group was about 4hrs, 15/20mins, with minimal waiting throughout the round.

Course conditions a bit better than 5 weeks earlier, most notably, the greens were darn good finally! Cut well, they rolled nicely at medium to medium/fast pace at times. Good, green coverage, best I've seen the greens since October 2016. My putter was very happy, setting a personal best with an insane 14 1-putt greens, so no complaints from me on the greens, but the cups were a bit beat up on a few holes.

White tees and Green tees were together at the Green tees marker for 16/18 holes. Very good coverage, cut nicely and level lies. Fairways were cut short, very firm and provided excellent roll-out off the tees, and very good lies. Rough was lush and a bit penal for me, as the ball sat down a few times. Course was very green for the most part, but did see some small browning areas in both the fairways and rough at times. Will likely continue as we head into the summer.

Was in one sand trap behind the #4 green - advise against EVER going in that one, as the shot back to the hole is a bit unnerving. Sadly, it seemed that at least 3 people and one sasquatch were in the trap without raking their prints. Sand was otherwise decently soft, but I still had my usual sand troubles.

Cart lady was by twice, and saw a marshal several times as well. The lovely Martine took good care of us in the bar after the round.

As Larry had indicated, we were able to grab a $52 pre-paid deal on TeeOff.com, which is even better than the typical creek card senior rate. First time I've seen a rate that low here besides when the course was punched. Recommend golfing here right now.

Played Thursday, May 3rd at 2:24, teeing off as a 3some with a hole open in front of us. Friendly greeting by pro shop staff and starter, who got us straight out in front of a 4some that were not ready to go, though they had an earlier tee time than us - they actually suggested we go ahead. Lovely, sunny day with a 1-club wind. Waited a bit on the 4some in front after we eventually caught up to them on the 6th hole on-wards, but POP was a very acceptable 4hrs 15mins!

Main point of the review is to say that the greens, aerated on 4/9 & 4/10, are slowly coming along, but still likely need a full 2 weeks to be close to 100% healed. Greens were very bumpy and very fast, so putting was an adventure.

Course was otherwise in pretty good shape, a little better than the norm for this course, with only real issue for me was the severe R-L slant for the white tee box on #4. Fairways were pretty lush, with the normal or slightly less marked GUR. Rough was was cut short and not penal.

Bunkers looked good to me - had the best view by staying out of them the whole day. One of my playing partners visited multiple ones, and though he had his struggles, the sand seemed like it had a nice fluffy layer. He made a great 'out' on a plugged like in a front bunker on #17, so it was manageable.

The enjoyable Trixie was around 3 times, but never saw a marshal. Really do enjoy the variety of shots/challenge on this course. It's nice when POP moves along like it did.

First time playing the Vineyard at Escondido on Monday, 4/30. Joined up with couple from NJ at 12:37pm for an enjoyable round on a cloudy, 2-club windy day. Must say that I found the course to be a fun lay-out with plenty of water holes on the front and a bit on the back, too. Tight-ish driving holes throughout. Was driving the ball well, and hitting 13/14 fairways on the day did help my enjoyment of the course!

Teeboxes were level, and nicely green. Other than having a foot in a divot or two on the short par 3s, don't recall any un-level tees.

Fairways were really nice and lush, with no bare spots that I recall. A bit longer than I would prefer, mostly good lies and decent roll prevailed. Rough grass along the fairway and near the greens were pretty consistent, about 2-3 inches and were only a bit penal. One of my playing partners did lose a golf ball in it, however.

Was in one green-side bunker on the 3rd hole (hidden behind the green) and the sand was just fluffy enough, and made a sandy - miracles do happen.

Greens looked great and were very green upon approach. Held shots well. They are about 93.7% healed from whenever they were punched recently (GK has a 'good to go' green rating on them), with fairly inconsequential hole remnants still visible. Greens looked faster than they were. Other than hole#2's pin placement on a slippery crown near the front of the green, the rest of front-side greens were mostly 'slow' to medium-slow. On the back nine, the greens were a bit faster, I'd say mostly 'medium' speed. I think the elevations and undulations on the back help the greens drain quicker.

Overall, I highly recommend the course right now, given the $ value and overall conditions. if the greens were a bit faster, I've give it top marks overall. Really is a fun layout.

POP was 4hrs 15mins, with the front 9 taking only 1hr 50mins - the cart GPS system warned us that we were not on pace, we should've taken 2 hrs!?! I found that message funny. The group in front of us bogged down on the back 9 for 5 holes - they were playing the blues and should've been playing the white tees. They did pick it up on 14th hole after they noticed two holes in front of them were wide open, so it could've been worse. Only saw a marshal on #16, and by then they were moving OK.

Played Thursday, 4/26, as a 4some, teeing off about 10 minutes behind schedule from our 1:12pm tee time. The group in front picked up speed, and 2 of them dropped out at the turn. We were then the long-pole in the tent on a day of light play on the course. POP ended up at 4hrs 20mins, so not too bad for this course. Lovely day, but clouds came in later and cooled things down - bring a jacket, etc., even when its nice early - just in case.

Course is still greening up from 2 weeks ago. Fairways were cut a few days ago and provided somewhat better roll. Greens were verti-cut in the last day or two, but did not seem to affect the roll. Ball rolled nicely and at medium-fast speed.

Tees were great and the two bunkers I visited had very soft sand. Rough is still choppy, resulting in bad lies.

Marshal was buy numerous times, checking POP, and cart-girl came around several times. Course is a few weeks away, perhaps a month - tops - to being in great condition overall, imho.

Played Thursday, 4/12 at 1:12pm, on a very windy but sunny day. POP was good w/no waiting until the 14th and 15th tees, adding at least 20 minutes to the 4hr 45mins round.

Course is pretty similar to my last visit about 2 weeks ago, pretty good condition overall, but should get better moving towards summer. Fairway grass is starting to grow/green up, and had not been cut recently. Definitely cost me roll-out off the tee ball. Greens were very receptive, lush and smooth, putting at medium speed mostly. Did spot a nasty-looking fungus on #12 green and at least one other one.

Tees and bunkers were all good/no issues, and similar to last time out. Rough was pretty choppy, presenting some very bad lies.

Now managed by JC Golf instead of KemperSports, the reservation system has been changed over, making clear you will be charged $25 for each no-show. Employees are now paid by JC Golf, as of March 1. Speaking with a member of staff in the pro shop, he indicated that the 'Crossings Club' will give way to the JC Card/membership at some point later this year. The Crossings Club membership is good through December 2018.

The JC Golf Card memberships are 12-month annual, based on purchase/anniversary date. The JC Golf Club Cards are significantly more expensive, but do potentially offer a few more 'free' rounds, depending on option. As I understand that the course is still owned by the city, it will be interesting to see what happens to local(s) resident pricing, etc., next year. The Crossings does not yet show up as a course option to play for JC Golf Club members, via their website today.

Played Monday, April 2nd, teeing off about on time at 1:22pm on a cool, cloudy day with mostly a 1-club wind. Our three were joined by a single. Play moved along pretty well until #13 on the back nine, then we waited on each hole until #18 tee. POP was 4hrs 30mins.

Friendly greeting by staff in the pro shop and starter. Fee was $35 for the senior rate, including a cart.

Greens were punched in early March and were very nice, pretty much 100% healed less than 4 weeks later. Ball rolled smoothly for the most part, and were medium/medium-fast at times. Held shots well.

White tee-boxes were mostly cut short and were very firm, a challenge to get the tee in some times. Very thin areas, but a few were lush. Unable to get a level area to tee off from on more than a handful of holes.

Fairways and rough were a hodge-podge once again. Mostly firm, decent roll-out, thin lies but patchy grasses all about. Did get some mud on the ball 1/2 dozen times.

Rough was long and sometimes spongy. Decent enough lies, but you needed to go at the ball with a sweeping angle of attack, else you'd pop 'em up, as our single found out repeatedly on #12.

Was in one bunker, but two swipes at it. My playing partners found them a bit more often. Overall, the sand was well-groomed and was fairly heavy-weight sand.

Aside from a few quirky features, the course provides a good challenge and some interesting holes. Greens can be very nice. I really need to figure out what clubs to hit on the uphill par 3s.

Played Saturday, 3/31, teeing off 12 mins past our 2:48 tee time on a busy day. We made it to the middle of the 18th fairway in near-darkness when the marshal told us to pick up and head in. We got in several more holes than I expected, so a good afternoon in spite of the delay and overall slowish play.

Pretty similar condition overall from last week, as expected. However, the greens were cut nicely on the day and the cups were not so mangled. Pace of greens were still medium/medium-slow and provided for some bumps. Much better than last week, but need a good rolling.

Fairways still good and the rough was lush, dense and penal.

Was in two bunkers on the day, and they were somewhat improved, providing a thin layer of topsand. Did see several wet/crappy looking bunkers, though, including the front greenside bunker on #11, and front-left bunker on #15, which was as bad/worse than when I was in it last week.

Heard the staff telling a brand new 2018 Creek Card purchaser that TC has now taken away the 'free birthday round' from the former list of benefits. Confirms my previous decision to not renew, I guess. A good day overall at the Creek. Look forward to a return visit in six weeks or so.

Played today, Friday 3/29 at 1:12pm for $40 via their website as a Crossings Club member. Joined by another single and a twosome, had a great time on a sunny day. A bit of a wind throughout, about 1 club. POP was good on the front, 2.25hrs, but slowed down on the back, for a total POP of 4hrs 45mins.

Main report is that the greens, punched a month ago, are 95% healed. Only noticed the #3 green as having some filling in to do...the rest were really nice. Greens overall, were receptive, lush and smooth, putting medium-slow to medium speed. Really needed to give putts a poke and bang them into the back of the hole, but they were rolling true. We did that as a group, and it was fun, with some exciting birds and pars.

Tees were nice and level, and good grass and footing. Fairways and rough still mostly dormant, decent lies with very good roll-out in the fairways. Bunkers were a bit firm in the two I was in, but others had some fluffy lies.

Cart lady was by 3 times, Marshals were making their rounds, and we mostly played without waiting until the infamous slow-down on the par 5 #15. Our cart then died, and a young man came out with a replacement on #17 green. I got some extra exercise on the severe uphill transition between #15 green and #16 tee, and my cart partner got his on the next, while I got a push from our playing partners in their cart.

The barmaid took good care of me after the round, running the entire show between the bar and patio. Pretty impressive on a busy evening.

Absent from the course since October, took advantage of a free twilite round on Friday, 3/23 at 2:16pm, via points earned on my Creek Card over the past year. Joined by 3 other singles, they played the blues for the most part, and I played the whites. POP was slow, finishing just at 7:00pm, POP 4hrs 44mins...w/2.5hrs on the front.

One of the guys in the group has played the course throughout the winter. Asking him about playing conditions, etc., on the 10th tee, he said the course was easily in the best condition he's seen it during that time. Overall, I was pleased with the conditions considering the entire property was punched less than 4 weeks ago and some of the recent reviews.

Tee boxes were very green, nicely cut, with good solid footing. Long grass around the tees and rough generally, seemed to be cut on Friday, or the day before. Some grounds crew were actively cutting the rough during the round on various holes.

Fairways were really good, mostly lush and green, and provided decent roll and good lies. In spots, you could see the healing from the punching last month still filling in, so there is more improvement possible. A family of deer made their showing on the 13th hole, as usual.

Was in one greenside bunker on #15, and it was damp and firm, with no top layer to get underneath the ball with the club.

Greens need more / different care. However, there were no signs of 'punching' and the grass density looked very strong. They were soft and held shots well. It did not seem like they cut the greens on Friday. Cups were very mangled and rounded from play. Putting speed was mostly slow/medium-slow. To say that the greens were 'bumpy' would not be sufficient. The length of grass was very inconsistent throughout, with various patches of green outpacing the length of other bits, resulting in a highly irregular putting surface on every green. Hopefully, the TCGK has a plan. It seems that as the soil firms up, they can lower the mower cut length and roll the greens in the near future. I know they have struggled with 'thin' grass on the greens previously, so it seems that there is now a strong root base to work from (fingers crossed).

Cart girl was by 4 times, the marshals were by at least 3 times. Plenty of cool water in the jugs, helpful on a mostly warm and sunny afternoon.

Though I've made the decision to not renew my Creek Card for 2018, I do look forward to playing Tijeras Creek again soon, but at $10 more per round. Will reconsider the TC CC in 2019. Love the layout, its fun and a good challenge, and the staff always treat golfers with great courtesy.

Played Mesa Linda on Monday, teeing off about 1:40pm on a rare warm and sunny day (so spoiled). Friendly greeting in the pro shop by one of the assistant pro's, Andrew. A group two ahead kept things slowed down, we waited throughout, and our 3some finished in 4 hours.

Course was similar to last time here, fair to pretty good condition overall. Things were not as firm, and somewhat less roll, but not much. Greens still not hold shots very well. The bunkers were pretty much hard pan with a dust cover-layer. My playing partners and I pretty much thinned and air-mailed every shot. The clubhead easily bounced off of the surface into the ball. Hard to dig down into it.

Greens were slower, a bit bumpy, and about medium-speed. They were not as smooth nor as fast as the putting green on the day. Tough pin placements throughout the day, the slower greens meant less hazardous putting overall.

Saw the cart girl twice. The marshal hovered nearby some groups, but never saw him talk with anyone. A good day out overall.

Played Friday, 3/16 at 1:30pm, $39 w/cart twilite rate via their web site. My playing partner and I were joined by another twosome and teed off a little ahead of schedule, teeing off about 1:25pm. Had short waits on most holes/shots. Things picked up a bit on the back 9, as two players dropped out ahead of us, and we finished in 4.5hrs.

Course conditions were very good overall. White teeing areas were generally good and cut nicely, but a few had unlevel areas to deal with, including #s 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15. Worst feature of the course. They did resolve the unlevel teeing areas on #s 14 & 18 last year, and those areas are really nice, notwithstanding the divots on the par 3s.

Fairways were pretty typical condition for the course - good, generally cut shortish. A little softer than usual due to the recent rain, but still provided good roll-out and decent lies. Well-marked GUR areas in most cases. Rough was cut short, so not too penal when you were just off the fairway. Further away, the rough became unkempt, dry and bumpy, and provided challenging lies.

Was in a good sampling of bunkers, including on #s 2, 5, 6 (fairway) and 8. Sand was very consistent and good. A little deeper than I would like before you got to a firm base - about 2", the sand was medium-weight. Needed a little more clubhead speed for a good shot (I will try to remember this point for next time, as I ended up barely getting out of a few).

Greens weren't the smoothest I've seen here, nor the fastest (thankfully). But, they were in very good shape, very green, and held shots well. Medium-fast on the day, really a pleasure/challenge to putt on. Made some, missed some.

Trixie, the notorious and enjoyable cart lady was by several times. Always a pleasure. The friendly starter was making his marshal rounds later, and saw him on the 11th. Weather ended up being nice enough - no rain on the course, certainly chilly for parts when the wind was 2-3 clubs at times, but when the sun was out, had to take off a layer.

Played Monday, 3/12, teeing off about 1:30pm, first off for the new twilight time. Finished in 4hrs 40mins, with short waits on most holes, beginning on the par3 7th. May have been an outing earlier, as the 10th tee was packed w/6 carts when I drove in to the parking lot.

As for course conditions...oh, what a difference the rain makes. Course conditions were OK, but not great overall. Mainly, the greens were slowed down to medium-speed and were fairly soft and bumpy. Ball did not roll straight often. Much different than the last few times I've played here and on the smaller Mesa Linda course last week. As to be expected, they held shots a bit better.

White tees were the norm, pretty decent, but two were chewed up/thin (8 & 15). Fairways did not roll as much due to the damp conditions, meaning longer 2nd (and 3rd) shots. Rough was a bit penal, as it is growing longer and thicker.

Was only in one bunker, in front of the par3 17th. Was very damp, mud-like heavy sand. Got a report from one playing partner that the other bunker left of the hole was the same condition. Others I was nearby in the round looked much better.

Have not seen a posting for greens aerification, but expect that will be coming within the next month or so.