Ventured out of my comfort zone (Admiral Baker-North) for a rare ‘Away’ round yesterday…accompanied by an even rarer course review…as I was looking to get some extra golf in this week. Took advantage of a ‘Hot Deal’ on a warm, desert-like day while being able to stick close to home so it was a win-win proposition. Last played here in 2014 and given the beating the golf course took during this year’s rain storms, I was apprehensive as to what to expect.

Stepped onto the first tee and immediately began to have second thoughts: namely, “What am I doing out here?”. The tee box was overgrown with splotchy, wispy turf and the general overview of the course didn’t look all that encouraging. Kept that same mindset through the first trio of holes but things markedly improved as I continued onward.

While there are remnants of the water damage that wreaked havoc earlier in the year, I have no major complaints regarding the overall conditions. Tee boxes have been over-seeded…thus explaining the extra long turf…but should be fine once mowed to a proper height.

Fairways were in good shape but soft; my ball picked up mud on just about every tee shot…with no rollout whatsoever. As a result, the course played much longer than the 6700 yards on the card. There were a few muddy spots in some fairways…some bare ones on others…but, on a grand scale, the turf was healthy and provided excellent lies.

Fringe areas on some holes were extremely thick due to the over-seeding, making shots from those spots quite challenging. Nothing unfair though…you just need to have the game to handle those scenarios. But be aware there were also areas where the lies were a little thin and tight.

Greens were the highlight…despite their speed being on the slow side, especially when putting uphill. And given the fact that there aren’t a lot of steep elevations on their putting surfaces, that says a lot. Still, putts rolled true but didn’t break as much as anticipated. Another positive point: I saw very few ball marks that hadn’t been attended to.

Only drawback was the bunkers; they were hard-packed, like concrete, making it just about impossible to hit any sand shots with even a hint of confidence. It was a ‘chunk and run’ kind of day…which is not the preferred method if you happen to short-side yourself.

Teed off as a single @ 1:00PM and wrapped things up three-and-a-half hours later. Was waved through a twosome on #2 and a group of three on #5 but ran into some extended waiting over the final six holes as things began to back up a bit. Want to mention that I walked and carried my bag; pace-of-play would have been much worse had I been in a cart.

At the end of the day, I was pleased with the overall playing conditions, in spite of the transitional maintenance taking place. May have been a bit of an annoyance but I applaud the effort and investment being put forth into improving course conditions.

Carlton Oaks will always rank as one of the toughest courses I’ve played and that experience is much more enjoyable…and fair…when the playing conditions are kept to an elevated standard. I’m hopeful the staff will continue to take the steps necessary in order to maintain playing conditions at a consistently high level.

Wow...what a disappointment. Played this afternoon...Monday... and can't recall ever seeing this course in such poor condition. Biggest issue is with the greens but let's begin with the tee boxes. Stepping onto #1, I received a preview of what was to come: quite a few of the boxes had bare spots that were filled in with sand...and teeing off on #2 felt as if I was standing in a bunker. While it was the worst of the group, many of the boxes were uneven with spotty turf coverage.

Contrary to the remainder of the course, the fairways were very good; no complaints there. Consistent turf coverage from tee-to-green and tightly mown, so club-to-ball contact had to be precise. Fringe areas were a bit of a challenge as there were different strains of grass encountered in certain areas. Wasn't in the rough but based on my cursory observations, it seemed pretty playable.

While the compromised condition of the tee boxes won't necessarily have much of an impact, if any at all, on one's score, the greens are an entirely different story. Numerous edges along the perimeters were sanded due to turf issues and the 'hearts' of a handful of greens were also severely damaged, with #3 being the worst. I know this sounds clichéd, but having to putt through that portion of the green was akin to rolling a ball over a washboard as mine quickly bounced and veered off line like you wouldn't believe. In hindsight, I'd have been better off using a wedge vs. putter.

But, as if that wasn't enough to contend with, the greens were covered with thousands of miniature spores that had been blown off the surrounding trees. So in addition to the badly damaged greens, I now had to deal with putting over these 'peppercorns', which basically eliminated ANY chance of keeping putts on line and up to speed, regardless of length.

Damaged greens are one thing but the stuff that has been allowed to collect on the putting surfaces is unacceptable. Unless you happen to carry a Shop-Vac or broom in your golf bag, forget about brushing them out of your line; there are simply too many to deal with. While this may be a seasonal problem, having the course maintenance staff out there with blowers would go a long way towards alleviating the problem.

The 18th hole has been shortened by about fifty, sixty yards with a temporary green cut in the middle of the fairway that features an 8" cup. Have no idea as to how much longer the green will be shut down but it's quite obvious they have their hands full re: maintenance and upkeep.

Teed off @ 12:15 as a single and finished up in about 3.5 hours or so. Played through a couple of threesomes on holes 5 and 13 but got held up from 14-18 by a slow foursome. Still, I was in no rush and enjoyed being able to play in solitude.

Mt. Woodson's rate...$47.00 with a cart...is a solid value under normal circumstances but I doubt I'll be returning after today's experience. I was so put off by having to deal with the junk on the greens that I felt putting was a complete waste of time. Certainly can't offer any endorsement at the present time...but 'buyer beware' definitely applies.

I’ve been through a few tough years recently…2021 in particular: near-fatal medical issue, two major surgeries, an extended recovery period, and plenty of time to contemplate what’s taken place. Set my sights on getting back out on the golf course if/once I got through it all and finally made that happen on Monday. After a couple of months at the range trying to find my swing, I ventured out for my first round of golf in six years…choosing my local favorite to put things in motion.

Speaking of recovery, the putting surfaces…which had been aerated about a month ago…were in excellent condition. While I had to tend to a few ball marks outside of my own (the more things change, the more they stay the same), the greens were smooth and rolled at a medium-fast pace. Plenty of opportunity to make some putts, provided you got the correct read.

Fringe areas were healthy but tightly mowed, so there’s no room for error in the technique department. Best advice I can offer is to opt for a low-bounce wedge or take the safe route with putter or hybrid if you don’t feel all that confident with your chipping/pitching prowess.

Rough has also been cut down but that doesn’t make it any easier to play out of. The Kikuyu was absolutely nasty and demanded clean club-to-ball contact in order to provide acceptable results. Keeping the ball in the fairway is the only way to avoid putting yourself in a situation where you could conceivably not have any idea how to navigate the shot you may envision.

And the fairways were in excellent shape as well. Saw no evidence of any compromised areas; given the fact that I walked the course, there was plenty of opportunity to survey the grounds. While ‘AB’ will never feature lush, private-club turf, there were spots where the grass resembled an emerald carpet…both in color and texture.

No complaints as far as the tee boxes go; they appeared level to me and showed minimal divot damage. Bunker sand…as usual…was soft and easy to play out of. Overall, I doubt the course could be in much better condition than it is right now.

Teed off as a ‘4’ @ 11:00 and finished @ 3:45. Had to wait here and there during the round but ran into a standstill while in the middle of the 13th fairway. Group in front of us had fallen a hole-and-a-half behind; good players…it’s just that they were taking their ‘match’ way too serious. Had they been able to keep pace, I think we would have finished a good 15-20 minutes earlier.

Rates were increased October 1st; the non-military civilian rate was $43.00 (optional cart is an additional $20.00). Considering all that’s taken place on the economic front over the past few years, ‘AB’ still offers plenty of value. Solid conditions, a challenging, fun-to-play layout, and an excellent restaurant…al for a very reasonable cost…especially when you look around and see what other courses are charging these days.

Not much more to add except that I highly recommend playing there right now. Hopefully conditions will continue to be top-notch.

Reluctantly decided to come out of hibernation and play for the first time in four months on Wednesday, 9/21, and found the golf course to be in very good condition from start to finish. The rain that fell Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning was definitely beneficial but it appeared to me conditions were quite good prior to the storm that made its' way through San Diego at the beginning of the week. I'll point to Weber2323's review from 9/10 as evidence of that fact.

The golf course was basically wall-to-wall green carpet, which isn't something I'm accustomed to seeing at AB-North this time of year. There may have been some isolated patches that were the exception but I don't recall taking note of it. As a result, fairway lies were great from tee-to-green on practically every hole. However, because of the recent rainfall, fairways were soft and, in some cases, a bit soggy, particularly the landing zone on #12. One thing I have noticed when playing here is that the maintenance staff is very proactive when it comes to protecting certain areas of the course and there were plenty of signs posted to divert cart traffic away from that portion of the fairway. Nice to see them make the effort to protect an area that was extensively resodded just a year ago.

As expected, the greens held extremely well yet the speed wasn't as sluggish as I anticipated. Granted, they weren't as quick as I've experienced...or would prefer...but I didn't find myself having to slam the ball on every green because of the rain, which is testament to how well the putting surfaces drain. And I didn't notice any footprints or other irregularities that affected the roll of the ball either, except for an unrepaired ball mark on #13 that kicked my 40-footer off line at the last second, costing me a birdie!

The fringe areas around the greens were flawless and in the best shape possible...and that goes for the rough as well. Definitely longer and thicker than usual, venturing off the fairway was not a good idea. In most cases, I found my ball sitting up, which resulted in some strikes high on the club face. Conversely, if the ball burrowed, advancing the ball an appreciable distance was almost impossible.

Only hit one bunker and the sand was surprisingly fluffy...even to a good depth...and very playable. Looked at a few other traps as I passed by them during the round and their appearance seemed to parallel what I experienced on #7.

Saw the beverage cart and marshal on only one occasion but it wasn't very crowded at all. We played as a foursome...teeing off at 2:00...and finished a leisurely-paced round in about 4 hours and 15 minutes. Despite the high humidity, it was a perfect day to play and the constant breeze...which seems to be a given here...kept us comfortable.

Not much to add except that the course is in excellent condition at the present moment and should remain so until aerification of the greens commences on October 3rd.

Made a late decision to play in Sunday's GK Event and was so glad I did. Cross Creek GC never seems to pop up on my radar...haven't set foot on the grounds in 10 years...but that may change after yesterday's experience. Not only is it one of the more challenging layouts in Southern California, the remoteness and solitude one feels is a welcome change from the run-of-the-mill housing tract developments that are all too common. Front and back nines each possess their own characteristics and personality, thereby eliminating monotony and boredom from the equation.

There's plenty of challenge wrapped up in the sprawling layout that will test all talent levels but be sure to select the proper tee box; despite the less-than-oppressive yardage numbers, I think the course plays longer than the scorecard would indicate. Mix in some soft fairways with a steady wind and you'll have plenty to handle.

Course conditions were good despite a few areas that were less than ideal but I'm willing to overlook those isolated flaws...thin tee boxes, wet turf, portions of the fairway that should have been marked GUR...because the greens were about as good as anyone could hope for. Smooth, quick, receptive to well-struck shots, they were an absolute joy to putt on and in excellent shape. I was especially cognizant of how easy it was to repair ball marks and how "clean" the finished product looked.

Whether it's through the efforts of the maintenance staff, the people who play here on a regular basis, or a combination of both, the presentation of these putting surfaces was impressive. I can deal with issues from tee-to-green on any course as long as the greens are top-notch, and that certainly is the case at Cross Creek. With the exception of some surface damage on Hole #2, they were just about flawless.

As alluded to in many other posts, the staff at Cross Creek couldn't have been more welcoming or accommodating. Despite being overwhelmed with food orders following the round, Brent and his staff were cheerful and pleasant, with no evidence of anxiety to be seen on their faces. It really was a nice way to bookend the day and this level of genuine customer service did not go unnoticed.

Thanks again to Johnny for putting Cross Creek into the GK Events mix; I've got to think the positive response from the consensus will definitely result in a return visit. And I'd also like to thank my playing partners, Kathie, Bill, and Wendy, for providing such wonderful company; it sure made for a fun day.

Played AB-North on Wednesday, 4/20, and noticed a slight improvement in overall conditions compared to what I reported a few weeks back. Fairways are beginning to fill in with better coverage and more consistent lies than what's been prevalent through the winter months; tee boxes generally in decent shape as well.

Putting surfaces have definitely benefited from the recent top dressing process although they are still rolling in the medium speed category, with a few uphill putts requiring a little more "oomph" to get the ball to the hole. Did not see an abundance of unattended ball marks that needed attention but I did find myself fixing an additional three or four pitch marks per hole in addition to my own. Greens held very well, to the point where I was able to spin a couple of wedges back a foot or two; haven't seen that here in a while.

Putts rolled fairly smooth but I wasn't able to get anything of note to fall. Hit a number of putts, particularly from the 15'-20' range, where I thought the ball was going to find the bottom of the cup but that just wasn't the case. Typical of this course, however, as many putts have a tendency to take the break then straighten out at the last second or do something totally unexpected. There's a very fine line that separates a good putting round from a great one here; except for a couple of misreads, I was very pleased with my stroke and was never close to 3-putting, despite taking 31 putts for the round.

Only found the rough on two occasions and it was playable, although it took some effort to get the club on the ball. Fringe areas around the greens are also improving but there are still many spots where clumpy, uneven lies are prevalent, which made it difficult to keep shots from off the green, whether hit with a hybrid or putter, on line.

Bunkers are in need of some maintenance as the upper layer of sand appears to have thinned out considerably in recent weeks. Once one of the best features of the course, I've found recent forays into the sand has now become a guessing game; very hard-packed surface just below the ball that forces you to guard against blading the shot, thus making it very difficult to hit a high quality bunker shot. Nowhere near the Desert Willow disaster...thankfully...but still something worth noting.

As always, customer service level was fantastic...from check-in to dinner after the round...with on-course beverage cart and water service available on multiple occasions. Pace-of-play was excellent: teed off as a twosome at 1:19...following a group of three elderly gentlemen who were walking...and finished at about four hours and fifteen minutes.

The wind, which always seems to be omnipresent in the afternoon, was in full force for the duration of the round and probably the strongest I've encountered at AB-North. Knowing it has a tendency to swirl and change direction at a moment's notice, we were still amazed at how quickly conditions varied just from the tee shot to the approach on some holes. It really added to the challenge and fun factor and had us on our toes when it came to club selection but this is another reason why I enjoy playing here; the golf course always seems to play different from week to week to a certain degree.

Not sure if the rain that's projected to arrive next week will materialize but I believe it would be very beneficial given this recent spell of warmer than usual temperatures we've experienced. With summer fast approaching and winter now fading in the rear view mirror, I would expect conditions to continue to get better moving forward.

Had a nice time at the Desert Willow GK Event on Saturday in the company of Steve, Al, and Steve. Weather was very pleasant with some early round humidity in the air but once the anticipated storm front began to roll in, things cooled off a bit and the overcast skies I was hoping for blanketed the course.

As far as course conditions go, it was a mixed bag: fairways and rough were immaculate...as good as one could hope for...but I did encounter a few tee boxes in need of leveling. Sadly, still not fully recovered from the last round of aeration...whenever that was...the putting surfaces clearly didn't attain the standard set by the fairways.

The greens were okay, despite a couple of them not looking all that great (such as #1), but very sluggish speed-wise. In fact, our group was amazed at how "sticky" some of the downhill putts were on various holes, particularly the slope leading down to the cup on the Par-3 14th. However, despite their lack of speed, the greens did roll fairly true and without any discernible bumpiness.

Simply put, the sand traps were a disaster. Hard-packed with practically a non-existent "soft" upper layer, I was disheartened that the round came with a "disclaimer" that a bunker renovation project is scheduled to take place next month which, for all intents and purposes, made it an "enter at your own risk" proposition.

In looking at the overall picture, I was extremely disappointed with the total package presented by the Firecliff Course. It's a great layout with plenty of variety, challenge, and desert beauty, yet I was measurably let down by the current state of the greens and bunkers, especially after being led to believe we were in store for something really special, based on this March 8 quote from the 'Downsize or Reschedule Desert Willow Thread'...

"OH BTW - the course is in fantastic shape, the best its been in 10+ years according to Desert Willow's tournament director (who is a friend so I know he is telling the truth)." (Johnny GK)

This certainly isn't on Johnny...we all know how hard he works to secure the best sites for these events...but rather the tournament director who made that statement. Have things changed that drastically over the past four weeks or had conditions in recent years deteriorated to the extent that what I encountered on Saturday is the best they've been able to offer in the last decade?

I understand the need for on-course maintenance can oftentimes infringe on the playability and quality of a golf course but had I known things were not as "fantastic" as advertised, I most likely would not have made that last second decision to participate.

And now to complete the trifecta! Had an enjoyable day with Abbacat on a beautiful Easter Sunday afternoon at Temecula Creek. Booked through the JC Resorts website and secured a 2:00pm tee time for a $45.00 rate, which was an outstanding deal when you realize we managed to squeeze in 26 holes.

No need to go into much detail here as Wendy basically covered it in her review but I will endorse the observation that the Stonehouse Nine was in markedly better shape than the Creek Nine, most notably the greens. Very similar in appearance to the putting surfaces at Marine Memorial, they were nice to putt on and held well-struck shots.

Although not slated for aeration until May 10, there were a couple of greens on the Creek Nine that showed evidence of a recent punching and the fringe on #2 was hard as concrete. Speed-wise, they were definitely slower so it took a little more force to get the ball to the hole.

Another sore spot was the poor condition of some of the tee boxes, with #6 on Creek being the worst. Not sure if it's a lack of sunlight due to the surrounding trees...a similar situation prompted the removal of some trees and the addition of a new rear tee on #7 Stonehouse a few years back...but the tee box was muddy, torn up, and extremely uneven.

With on-course traffic being relatively light, we were able to move right along and also indulge in some extra practice shots during the round. To me, this is the best way to work on certain aspects of one's game, especially around the greens under "real-time" scenarios, and I welcomed the opportunity to do so. I like nothing more than playing 18 holes and then finding a remote green out on the course to practice my short game.

Ownership appears to have its' main focus on the lodge and restaurant facilities these days, recently completing a $2.5 million renovation to the dining area and they're not quite finished. Admittedly, this is a very nice 'Stay & Play' destination and the quality of the food...as well as the pricing...is definitely "gourmet" level. It's also worth noting that the service and friendliness level I encountered from the moment I set foot on the property was second-to-none.

However, it would be a shame if the powers-that-be have elected to forego investing the dollars necessary to keep the golf course on that same level. Perhaps that's next on the agenda, as the Oak-Creek-Stonehouse Nines offer three distinct challenges and should be on a par with the other features of the resort.

Again, due to unforeseen issues, this is another late post. Played Admiral Baker-North on 3/17 and found it to be an eye-opening experience as far as how playing conditions stacked up against Marine Memorial, which I had played a day earlier. Since AB-North has basically become my home course over the past year or so, I've been generally pleased with conditions, willing to overlook some shortcomings due to my satisfaction with the fairly consistent presentation/playability of the greens along with my fondness for the layout.

However, after playing at Camp Pendleton, it's become apparent that AB-North seems to be wallowing in mediocrity as conditions have failed to improve over the past couple of months. The patchiness of the fairways still exists while the greens have gotten slower, bumpier, and frustrating to putt on. For whatever reason, there's always a few pin positions cut extremely tight to the fringe on a few holes on a weekly basis but now they've become downright ridiculous. I don't mind a tucked pin here and there but cutting it into a slope that has an automatic ball return built into it makes no sense whatsoever.

I realize we're still in the grasp of a major drought and various strains of turf respond differently but, with that being said, it's apparent I'm disappointed with the conditions, especially after I have been promoting this course for some time now via my reviews. Granted, this summary is almost two weeks old, but I'll probably look to play elsewhere for the next few weeks until I'm aware that some semblance of improvement has taken place.

NOTE: Received word from someone who played AB-North on 3/29 that the greens have been recently top-dressed and the sand still remains to a certain extent.

Late with this post due to "technical difficulties" between my cell phone and GK's operating platform a couple of weeks ago. Was in no mood to re-write the entire review at that time but felt it would be beneficial to put something "on paper" so here we go.

Venturing out of my comfort zone on 3/16, I played Marine Memorial for the first time since November 2015 and was very pleased with the overall playing conditions. Although this course will never fall into the "plush" category, turf coverage was uniform and plentiful with very few bare spots. It's still basically winter conditions but the ball sat up nicely in the fairways throughout the round and, as a result, I was able to make much better contact with the irons compared to what I encounter at Admiral Baker-North.

Tee boxes, generally speaking, were good but there were some that required moving around a bit in order to locate that elusive level spot. Don't recall the Par-3s being chewed up with divots so finding adequate turf was not an issue at all.

Rough has gotten longer...which seems to be the norm everywhere else these days...so it took some force to dig the ball out of a few deep lies. The taller height of the rough really did a nice job of framing the fairways, thus providing a distinct landing area to shoot for from the tee. It also served to "pinch' some of the landing zones quite effectively so accuracy was definitely more of a factor this time around.

I was quite impressed with the playability of the bunker sand despite having my reservations as I got fooled by the dark, gravel-like appearance. Once setting foot inside, however, I found the texture to be almost like beach sand with a fluffiness that extended well below the top surface. Thanks to such player-friendly features, hitting out of the bunkers was one of the highlights of the round.

Saving the best for last, the greens were in excellent shape...smooth, devoid of ball marks, and moving at a quick pace...I thought they were close to "private club" quality. Composed of a different grass than what's featured at AB-North, they resembled tightly-napped carpets and the putts rolled smooth and true. Shots into the greens had a tendency to release a bit with the exception of some high-lofted approaches but that was to be expected given the lack of any recent rain.

Pace-of-play for two was just under four hours and I was able to play a second 18 solo despite an initial 12:50 tee time. Didn't see anything other than twos and singles out there so it was very wide open, which made it easy to fly around a second time in about 2.5 hours.

Marine Memorial is a solid no-nonsense track that requires just about every shot in the bag in order to post a low score despite it's failure to grab your attention visually. The maintenance staff seems to keep conditions at a consistent, better-than-average level, it's quite economical to play here even if you have no military affiliation, and the remoteness of the course keeps you far removed from any outside intrusions. One of my favorite layouts, I look forward to playing there again soon.

NOTE: Greens were aerated on 3/22 and 3/23.

Got out for an afternoon round on Thursday, March 3, and found course conditions have "deteriorated" to a certain degree vs. what I've come to expect at Admiral Baker. Fairways are still hit-or-miss but I'm noticing more patches of very thin turf and, in some cases, bare dirt, which is reaffirmed by the amount of mud I'm having to clean off my golf ball. While there may be some small fairway areas where the turf is good, those spots are few and far between, which has now put me in a "lift-clean-and-place" mindset. Not sure if it's part of the maintenance plan but I also noticed some areas of the course were oversaturated with watering as well.

This was also evident in the sand traps; texture was soft and very playable on #5 yet I found the trap on #9 to have a slightly firmer base. What really threw me, however, was what I encountered on #15. While playing a 30-foot greenside bunker shot, I actually sent a divot of packed sand onto the green; it looked like a six-inch strip steak had landed just a few feet from my ball. I had no idea the base was so wet and compact prior to hitting the shot but it was right there staring me in the face when I looked at my splash mark. Must say, I've NEVER seen that in all my years of playing.

The rough is a bit taller than what I saw last week and the week prior; anyone's guess if it's by design or the mowers not having made their rounds yet. In addition to the increase in depth, the combination of clumpy and bare lies make it tough to get a clean strike on the ball. For distance shots, a fairway wood appeared to be the better choice vs. a hybrid or long iron.

Greens remain in decent shape although I was very disappointed in the speed...if I can use that word ...as they were as slow as I can recall. Noticed a bit of sluggishness the previous week but it was more pronounced yesterday, to the point where I left quite a few putts short and that's not usually the case. And although rolling at a medium-minus pace, the greens did not hold that well. There were a few exceptions...my knockdown 5-iron on #14 backed up a foot...but most shots had a tendency to roll out on the firm greens, including a towering 6-iron on #13 that I thought would "drop-and-stop".

The fringe areas, as noted in my previous reviews, are still choppy and uneven. However, after making a concerted effort to utilize the bounce on my sand wedge as opposed to trapping the ball with the leading edge, I was able to hit a number of very good pitch shots. However, hybrid or putter are still the safer bets until these areas fill in and provide a more uniform, cushioned surface to play from.

Pace of play was right at 4:30 despite the initial impression we might be in for a slow day. Playing as a foursome sandwiched between another four and a group of three, we ran about 6 minutes behind pace for most of the round yet closed the gap by the end of the day. As always seems to be the case here, we eventually had to wait on a few tee shots as we approached the turn and closing holes but those were minor, uneventful delays that had no impact on our enjoyment level. Beverage cart and water service passed by on a couple of occasions during the course of the afternoon as well.

I'm not aware of any impending aerification due to take place anytime soon and hope the greens will be back up to speed when I decide to play here again. Although I was let down by conditions as a whole, I'm willing to look past the shortcomings if the greens are where I expect to find them. Unless you take a similar point of view, then I probably won't be lobbying for you to get out there and play Admiral Baker any time soon.

Took advantage of the February Special Offer...as well as ideal weather conditions...and got a couple of rounds in at AB-North this week. Teed off "early" (for me) on Monday @ 10:10 and found pace-of-play to be an issue at 4 hours and 55 minutes. Not sure if this is the norm at this time of the day but the course was obviously booked and played like it.

Taking this into account, went with a 12:16 tee time on Wednesday and had better results with a 4 hour and 30 minute elapsed time yet it was about 15-20 minutes longer than it needed to be. Mixed group of four ahead of us took their sweet time over the last 10 holes...while blaring country music from their golf cart...and we suffered as a result (having to deal with their choice of music as well as the snail's pace-of-play).

Overall, golf course is playable but the greens are the only redeeming feature at this point; still in good shape although I did see a few putts bounce at the point of impact. Didn't happen to me but to others in the group and I'm inclined to put the blame on their putting stroke rather than the greens themselves. However, spike marks (yeah, even in this age of plastic spikes and spikeless shoes) and other imperfections definitely had an effect on some greens.

Fairways are spotty with a variety of grasses/lies to be encountered. Found myself bumping the ball on more than a few occasions in search of a decent lie as there are quite a few bare spots out there with little or no turf. Tee shots were also prone to picking up mud on the ball as a result. These fairways are usually in much better shape during the summer so keep that in mind...and I'd toss the tee boxes in the same classification.

Fringe and collar areas around the greens are horrible and the uneveness of the turf resembles a washboard; it's almost as if someone went in and brushed something against the grain to create these annoying ridges. Not sure how to describe it although ragged comes pretty close. No uniformity whatsoever with regards to type of turf and coverage; there's absolutely no chance of hitting any delicate flop or chip shot. Many areas seem quite damp and soft so less-than-perfect contact results in a chunked shot. Even putting from off the fringe is a crap shoot since the random clumps of fescue will turn a simple putt into a game of pinball if the ball happens to come into contact with one or more en route to your target.

Beverage and water service were very good on Monday but lacking Wednesday; didn't see the mobile water jug until the 13th hole. Luckily I had my own thermos but went longer than I would have liked between refills. Given the warm temperatures, this was not a positive situation.

For $30.00, including cart, AB-North is in decent enough shape to make this an attractive proposition but the golf course, in my view, "shows" itself better in the summer months. Without overseeding, the fairways are a potluck of sorts in the winter time and the fringe areas, as mentioned, are exponentially worse and causing quite a bit of frustration for me. I'll either have to temper my expectations...and temper...or hold off until conditions improve as the summer approaches.