Finished off the Vegas weekend with a round at the always enjoyable Cascata. The original plan was to play Wynn but when they kept jerking me around when making reservations, we opted to play Cascata instead as my buddy hadn’t played it before. After playing the uber elite private country club on Saturday, Cascata was going to have to step it up big in order to impress my buddy.

The moment you arrive on site you know it’s a high end club the way they treat and greet you. Valet parking, clubs handled by attendant, concierge greets you at the door and walks you to the locker room where you have a personalized name plate on the locker. It’s first class amenities all around.

We had breakfast at the restaurant and noticed that the waterfall wasn’t running from the top of the course. They had to turn it off as part of the mandatory water reduction all Vegas courses have been ordered to do. Don’t worry they still have the bottom portion of the waterfall going so it still flows through the clubhouse.

Range is on all grass however the landing area of the range is now mainly dirt as part of the aforementioned water conservation.

Our forecaddie Jerry, was older but an absolute blast to hang out with all day. His reads were spot on but more importantly his personality was awesome.

Course conditions are what you would expect for a pricey course of this nature. Course just came out of over seeding so it wasn’t the perfect “10” all around but it was darn close. Give it a week or two and it’ll be there. Part of the reason is the recent heat wave set back the new grass which is designed for cooler weather.

Still the fairways were just short of a 10 as they were lush and green throughout. Only the occasional area was a little thin. Greens rolled nice and smooth at a fast pace. Greens 1 & 18 has some signs of recent repair work that hadn’t quite completely healed. The rest of the greens were great. They held well struck approach shots and had that perfect balance between challenging yet manageable when it comes to undulations.

Tee boxes were perfect. Level and lush with hardly a divot to be found. Sand traps were the only area rated under a 9. For the most part they were very good. However, a recent high wind storm blew a lot of the top layer of sand out of the bunkers so they weren’t as deep as you’d normally expect from a course of this nature.

Cascata is always a wonderful experience and a joy to play. This time around was no exception. The Ram were out in force throughout the day with a few getting as close as 40’ away from us. My buddy enjoyed Cascata so much that not only will we be back again but he want’s to make sure it stays on our regular rotation of go to Vegas courses.

Long time reader, first time posting!! It’s been 10 weeks since I last played but finally got out yesterday at one of my all time top 5 (maybe top 3) favorite courses. Southern Highlands CC is one of the top courses in Vegas so you expect top notch service and conditions. During the summer it was in horrible shape due to water cutbacks. I’m happy to report that things are back to normal!! Course is just out of over seeding and in fact carts were allowed on the fairway for the first day yesterday but not allowed in the rough.

Greens were lightning fast. They rolled super smooth and held well stuck shots. Easily a 9.5 rating. Fairways are near perfect and will be there in about a week. Very lush.

I was in four sand traps and they too are just short of perfect. Three of the traps were perfect and the fourth was just a tad thin compared to the others

Rough was 2” thick and very lush

Clubhouse is phenomenal and customer service is top notch for the most part. The starter was a bit rude and our caddie was so so but other than that everyone was great.

Always a pleasure to play here with the numerous water features and fantastic layout

I’ll make this short and sweet. Peter did a fantastic job describing the course and conditions. I would emphasize that the greens were definitely on the slow side. The subtle breaks made for a challenge to read. It’s a fun course for sure but certainly a ways off the beaten path. If you are headed to Tahoe or Sacramento, or just taking the super car for a drive on the beautiful backroads, do yourself a favor and take a detour to this track.

Time for an update for Bay View. Played yesterday afternoon behind a tournament which made things slow but not too bad. Conditions remain consistent at Bay View with everything being in the acceptable range. Greens rolled very smooth and held approach shots well. They seemed to roll a bit faster than normal as they can be on the slow side here. Whereas most putts rolled at a medium pace, uphill putts were really slow.

Fairways were a little thin but certainly playable and provided a reliable hitting surface. Bunkers and tee boxes were both ok. Again, nothing spectacular but definitely in the acceptable range. Golf carts have GPS and customer service is always great here. The remodel on the restaurant and pro shop is complete so gone are the portable toilets in the parking lot and temp pro shop set up. Everything is back to normal. They are still working on the range. Range is open as they are working on the landing area not the hitting end of the range. However I think the range is closed a couple hours a day during construction but I’m not sure.

Usually i can find a nice window for a fast POP but today it was at 4 hrs which wasn’t too bad considering we were behind a tournament. Given the conditions, cost to play and (usually) fast POP, this has become my go to course in the South/East Bay Area.

Played Spanish Bay this morning at 9:30 and a couple weeks ago with a mid afternoon tee time. For the most part the course remains in great shape except for the sand traps. The greens are rolling very nice. Today they rolled at the perfect medium-fast pace. Last time they seemed a bit slower but that could have just been because the round was sandwiched between two rounds at Spyglass which has wicked fast greens. Greens at Spanish Bay today were a tad firm. Oddly enough pitch shots would check up but approach shots were 50/50.

Fairways are excellent. Given it’s in the heart of summer, the fairways are lush throughout and present a perfect combination of roll out and a great hitting surface.

The weak point of the course are the greenside bunkers. The sand is wet, thin and firm throughout. I was in six alone today and only one was nice. The others ranged from poor to manageable. No problem with the tee boxes. Level and lush.

POP is always in the 4.5 hour range. Even though my play was less than stellar it was a picture perfect day without a breath of wind and the ocean was flat as can be.

Where to begin? I’ll start by saying that this was the first time playing this course for both me and my buddy. Whereas the conditions were average (at best) and the course is completely flat (very walkable) it does have some charm! I don’t know why but I really liked this layout. The holes were fun and unique with multiple dog leg variations with holes turning left, right, Par 5 “S” shape, a horse shoe Par 4, some water hazards, including a little lake with sailboats and forced carries over barranca. I don’t know who designed the course but they got creative and did a great job!

As for the conditions, well…. Did I mention it was a great layout! lol, Conditions were all over the place. the greens looked like a gravel pit but surprisingly rolled very smooth at a medium fast pace. I wish I could blame the lack of a birdie on the greens but sadly it was all me in the form of miss reads or just bad putts. The greens held approach shots well. I will say the front nine seemed firmer than the back nine. Most of the greens were single tier with modest slope but there were a few double tiered greens that made it difficult if you were on the wrong level.

Fairways were a bit of a disappointment and easily the weak link of the course. Numerous brown, dead, and thin areas throughout the entire course. Rough was more of just patchy un-mowed grass that with a good lie was a pleasure to hit from and in the dirt sucked!

Bunkers were one or the other. The first two were super nice with a plethora of fluffy sand (albeit not raked from the morning golfers) and then the last two were hard pan dirt.

Tee boxes were level with decent enough coverage.

I don’t know what the POP was as we were talking shop and just enjoying the day. We waited on every tee shot but that was mainly due to my buddy being a long hitter (300 yard drive range).

So the big question is if I’d recommend this track? I guess it all depends on the circumstances. For me, I’ll definitely play it again just because I liked the layout. If you only have one round in the area, there are better options.

Played Laguna Seca yesterday afternoon on what was naturally and expected a busy holiday weekend round. Conditions have declined slightly but still overall not bad and much better than years past when everything was hit and miss. Greens actually rolled fairly smooth. Given it was an afternoon round finishing up at 6:30 PM the greens held up well (3 birdies on the day helps with the ratings). Greens rolled at a medium pace that I suspect wasn’t as slow as they seemed. But after playing Spyglass twice last week everything feels slow. Greens were a bit firm but held well struck approach shots.

Fairways remain consistent. Think of a typical average (but decent) muni course and that’s what the fairways are here. In fact the entire course could be considered your average muni course. Most of the fairways had decent lush coverage. Only a few thin spots here and there.

Rough seems to be growing in, as in narrowing the fairways. Not sure if it’s my imagination or if they are getting ready for a tournament. Anyway, the rough isn’t too bad. Only about 1-1.5 inches thick and the ball sits up pretty well. Only real downside is lack of roll out if you hit the rough.

Sand boxes were decent enough. In fact I played Spanish Bay last weekend and the bunkers at Laguna Seca were in better shape. Main issue was players not raking them. I was in three or four bunkers and all had multiple footprints. There are plenty of rakes for each bunker so please start using them folks.

The main downside to the course is the kikuyu grass surrounding the greens. It’s hard to be consistent with your short game trying to navigate this stuff. POP was just over 4.5 hours which actually isn’t bad for a holiday weekend. I walked and this is a stern walk for sure. Doable for anyone in shape but definitely a no go for those with knee problems, etc.

Laguna Seca has always been one of my favorite layouts and with the new owners the conditions match the price point.

A co-worker invited me to join him and his buddies here yesterday. Ever to try a new course, I accepted the invite. This is basically your average muni course, albeit with slightly higher prices. The course sits at the bottom (canyon) of two ridge lines so it’s pretty much dead flat the entire way. I walked and this is a super easy course to walk as the transfers are very short in addition to it being flat.

Layout was ok. A few creative holes to make you think, along with some straightforward holes. It’s fairly tight off the tee for the most part with thick forest and vegetation areas boarding the outside of the exterior fairways. There was a couple of creeks that ran the inside of a handful of fairways to also tighten things up.

Greens were bumpy and rolled on the slower side of medium. Most greens were single tier with a traditional back to front slope. A couple were tricked out with multiple undulations. Fairways were in decent shape and I expect that this is the best they’ve been in for a while. Enough rain during the winter to thoroughly water them and they haven’t dried out from the summer heat yet. Tee boxes were all level but the par 3’s were beat up pretty bad. Looked like the tee markers hadn’t been moved in a couple weeks. I somehow avoided all bunkers. There weren’t any fairway bunkers and only 1-2 smallish greenside bunkers

POP was super slow (5.5 hrs). But as the kid in the pro shop said this was the busiest day he’s ever seen in 3 years. My buddies cousin who joined us said he’s been playing Redwood Canyon for 20 years and never seen it that busy. He said he frequently would go out mid week after work and have the place to himself.

Customer service was excellent. Kid in the pro shop was very friendly and helpful. An interesting tidbit is the driving range in which you hit into a pond/lake. I was told they have floating golf balls but I think that’s hogwash. I didn’t see any floating around and the range was busy. The balls felt normal so my guess is they drag the bottom twice a week to retrieve the balls. Curious if anyone else has seen or heard of this?

Would I recommend this course? If I’m invited to play here again, I’ll go. Otherwise I will book elsewhere when in the area.

Played Torrey North on Wednesday as the last round of the San Diego swing. Overall the conditions are pretty good. Fairways are great. Nice and lush throughout without any thin or brown areas that I saw. Greens, were flowering but still rolled fairly smooth albeit at a much slower pace than Aviara. Not sure if Aviara greens were that fast or Torrey was that slow but a huge difference between the two. Tee boxes were level with ample coverage. Bunkers were also great as you would expect from a course of this quality. Rough was absolutely BRUTAL! Not that deep but super sticky and would grab your club.

I’m not a huge fan of the layout as there are only a few interesting holes. Most are just dead straight with little to no trouble. I get the no trees between the fairways as it keeps the view opened up to enjoy the scenic ocean below. But some dog legs here and there would hurt. Put in a water hazard on the par 5’s for a forced carry on second shot? Something to make you think. Just my opinion is all.

No trip to San Diego is complete without a round at Aviara. Tee’d off at 8AM in the thick overcast marina layer which never lifted all day. As anyone who has read my reviews, knows, I absolutely love Aviara and it’s a top 10 personal course. Course layout is challenging yet fun. Full of beauty with great conditions to back it up. Today was no exception. The course is just short of perfection.

Greens which are large in size, rolled perfectly smooth at a nice fast pace. Greens held well struck approach shots well. Fairways were super lush and a nice deep emerald green throughout. Because fairways were wet from the morning dew and watering, they didn’t offer superior roll out but enough.

Tee boxes were laser level with perfectly mowed lush grass. Sand traps had ample sand that was a bit wet early on then dried out nicely, presenting a perfect bunker shot opportunity.

Initial rough was decent enough but about a foot in it got a bit patchy. The one blemish on the course. Customer service is always top notch at Aviara.

I can’t wait to play it again soon!

Yesterday’s afternoon round was at Coronado. In two words LOVED IT! I’ve had this course on my to Play list for a few years now and I finally got out yesterday afternoon. The course did not disappoint. The views are awesome. Starting off on the first few holes with the Coronado Bridge in the background as well as the Naval ships. From there you continue through the flat, easily walkable parkland style layout that has some water hazards mixed in to keep the aesthetics flying while navigating mostly straight forward holes until you get to the back nine which has a couple of strategic holes including the horseshoe par 5 which even though I took the long way around on the outside, I nearly claimed the OGBC back from Long4par!! But not to be this time. From there you circle back to the bay and follow the water (as in the water is 10’ from the edge of the fairway) back in to the clubhouse. Views of the marina are plenty full.

Condition wise, the course is in excellent shape tee to green. Greens are modest in size and undulations. Enough to keep things from being boring, but mild enough to let beginners have a fair shot at a two putt. They rolled very smooth at a medium to medium fast pace.

Fairways were great. Lush and green throughout along with offering good roll out on drives. Bunkers had plenty of sand in them and tee boxes were nice and level.

Price was very reasonable especially given the location, views, and playing conditions. I will definitely play this course again!! I took plenty of pictures which I will upload in a day or two!!

Played Riverwalk this morning with a 7:30 AM tee time. This was my first time playing here and the short version is, the course is ok but I don’t know if I’d play it again. Not because the course was that bad condition or layout wise, it’s just that it was average all around and for my once a year trip to San Diego, there are better courses at similar price points that I’d rather play.

Greens are fine. They rolled smooth at a medium pace. I had a completely different experience with the fairways than Long4par. Most of the fairway areas I was in were thin and patchy. Layout wise, the course had a number of water features and forced carries so that was good. Again. If I lived in the area, I’d put it in the rotation but for me, it’ll be a few years before I play it again