Golf Course Reviews
Golf Course Reviews: California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Florida, Hawaii!Played today, Sat 8/3, knowing what to expect from a course that was underwater a good bit of the winter.
As expected, fairways were not great: Mixture of some grass, many bare spots, weeds and rarely a good lie.
Rough could be thick or non-existent.
Greens were nice, in good shape and soft.
Bunkers were ok, but some have grass growing in them. I saw piles of sand so maybe they are getting ready to work on them.
Range balls were good, the staff I interacted were nice. There was a Marshal and a beverage cart.
It is still a fun track to play with friends.
As expected, fairways were not great: Mixture of some grass, many bare spots, weeds and rarely a good lie.
Rough could be thick or non-existent.
Greens were nice, in good shape and soft.
Bunkers were ok, but some have grass growing in them. I saw piles of sand so maybe they are getting ready to work on them.
Range balls were good, the staff I interacted were nice. There was a Marshal and a beverage cart.
It is still a fun track to play with friends.
Played here again and don't know what happened to the place. There are many fairway areas that are dry, brown, dead or dying, the 9th hole especially. Some tee boxes just looked like they threw the tee markers in an un-mowed area near the tee boxes, with some having 5-6" tall weed plants growing in it. But the worst of all are many of the bunkers. They have grass/weeds growing in them and the seem filled with mostly pebbly-rock, not even sand. We wouldn't even hit out of some of them because we didn't want to damage our clubs. The greens, as always, are a frustrating challenge. I spent extra time on the practice green only to find the greens on the course to be much slower.
I overheard that they are starting to address bunkers and irrigation and I hope it is soon as the conditions are deteriorating fast and it's not even hot yet.
All that said, it's still a fun track and the staff is great.
I overheard that they are starting to address bunkers and irrigation and I hope it is soon as the conditions are deteriorating fast and it's not even hot yet.
All that said, it's still a fun track and the staff is great.
Played 01/17/24. Staff was great. Fairways are terribly inconsistent. Some areas are thick, some are hard-pan, some areas are dirt and there is often no real delineation between rough and fairway. Greens were OK and so slow it was tough to make yourself putt it hard enough. Trees are in excellent shape and excel at knocking balls down. Pace of play was a zippy 3:45 and that was a pleasant surprise.
Got to play a quick round here today for the first time. The greens were surprisingly nice. Great pace and well maintained. The tee-boxes are understandably in pretty rough shape as it is a par 3 course. No divot mix on the course so no way to patch anything if not using the mat or a tee. The rough is super patchy the farther you get from greens, but in all honesty, you're not really supposed to be that far away on these short par 3s. Around the greens it's great.
The range is short (~225-ish) but it is perfectly serviceable to warm up. Putting and chipping areas are nice as well as is the staff.
All-in-all, this is a super fun course for kids and those starting out, as well as a great practice loop for those of us who need to work on the short game.
The range is short (~225-ish) but it is perfectly serviceable to warm up. Putting and chipping areas are nice as well as is the staff.
All-in-all, this is a super fun course for kids and those starting out, as well as a great practice loop for those of us who need to work on the short game.
Played this course for the first time ever on Thursday. Despite my all-but-non-existent short game that day, this place has instantly become one of my favorite courses ever. An often challenging but fair layout, beautiful scenery, great staff, good pace of play, serious greens. Local knowledge is definitely worth a stroke or 2 per side as this is not the usual grip it and rip it public course. The greens are quite sloped and are a good ways back from being punched 10 days ago or so, but I never figured them out this first time around. The greens were soft, and I went from full-on plugging a ball on my tee shot into hole 2, to leaving putts 6 feet short, to having it run way past the hole. It may have been my highest 3-putt total on any round in recent memory, but that's mostly familiarity. I'll get it next time, and the deer didn't seem to laugh at me too much as they looked on. All in all, it was a great day at a great course. If it wasn't 130+ mile round trip from me, I'd play here at least once a month.
Me again, 2 years later...New holes have settled in. Some of the rough around some of the bunkers is really nasty, thick stuff which is as it should be. Depending on where tee markers are set, level spots on the tee box with grass can sometimes be a challenge to find. Grass in general was good, fairways were fine, greens were pretty smooth and pretty nice and would be even better if more people would actually fix their ball marks. I still love this course as a place to work on my game.
First post-pandemic round at Westlake, having played countless times over the years. Still using distance controlled balls on the range (boo!). Greens recovering from large-hole punch last week, still sandy. Tee boxes are awful. Hard to find a level lie that also has grass. Fairways spotty as I hit several drive in the fairway only to find myself on dirt, hard pan or mud. The staff is always great. As is common with the COVID thing, there are no rakes in the bunkers, so ending up in one is an extra level of fun playing up against where someone else dug in.
The big change coming is this: The 9th hole is going away. Apparently someone hit a ball into the pool at the hotel next door and the hotel sued. I guess it doesn't matter that the course has been there since the mid-1960s because now it's suddenly a concern. So the 1 par 5 on the front (Hole 6) is under construction to become a par 4 and a ~175 yard par 3. What is hole 8 will be hole 9. The new tee and green is seeded and growing in. It looks nice and not as out-of-place as the new 'new' 17th hole with the bunkers that are not like any others on the course.
Still a good practice course, especially if you like par 3's (there are 7) and hate par 5's (only 1). At least one tee-box (Hole 13) is being redone and it would be great to see them address more.
The big change coming is this: The 9th hole is going away. Apparently someone hit a ball into the pool at the hotel next door and the hotel sued. I guess it doesn't matter that the course has been there since the mid-1960s because now it's suddenly a concern. So the 1 par 5 on the front (Hole 6) is under construction to become a par 4 and a ~175 yard par 3. What is hole 8 will be hole 9. The new tee and green is seeded and growing in. It looks nice and not as out-of-place as the new 'new' 17th hole with the bunkers that are not like any others on the course.
Still a good practice course, especially if you like par 3's (there are 7) and hate par 5's (only 1). At least one tee-box (Hole 13) is being redone and it would be great to see them address more.
First time here in many years. What a fun course! Holes are challenging yet fair, even from the white tees. Greens are great. Great practice facilities with grass driving range. Putting aside a few obnoxious people ahead of us playing a radio while we putted and their driving right next to greens and all over the teeboxes it was a great day. We plan to come back for sure!
Played 4/12. Tee boxes were really, really hard. Like breaking tees hard. Fairways and tee boxes thin, greens were nice. Comparatively, Balboa was in much, much better condition a few weeks ago when we played there. No marshals on the course whatsoever, so lots of waiting with groups way out of position, but I guess that's to be expected here. One of our group parked by the driving range and had their car broken into. Good times.
Played 3/22. First time in a long time. I know it's a very busy public course, and it is what it is. The process of getting out is pure chaos. Starters are overwhelmed, customers/players were difficult and often rude. People trying to change groups and courses last minute, b$tch y singles demanding to get out, trying to know who goes when, carts brought up one at a time, leading to confusion as to who gets what carts. Chaos.
As far as the course: Greens were great! Smooth, true and fun. I had many crummy lies in fairways due to uneven turf. Sometimes I had better lies in the rough at times. But totally playable. Tee boxes were OK. Avoided the sand all day, so nothing to report there. Surprisingly, we got around in a little over 4 hours on a Friday aternoon. I always enjoy playing out here since I get to so rarely.
The biggest surprise was the driving range. Last time I was here, it was a dirt field that you hit into from mats not much softer than the concrete. Now it is fantastic, and worthy of being a destination-range. Very, very nice. Cash only on the machine unless you pre-pay for a key. Bring single bills.
One tip to patrons here: Please play from the appropriate tees. 'The tips' are for skilled players with single digit handicaps, not people who think they need to play from the tips. There is no associated enhancement to your manhood, and you are indeed a source of jokes and ridicule to the group waiting behind you as you walk into the adjoining fairway to play your next shot. Also, quick update on the laws of probabilities: If your drive went 240 yards, and you are 260 yards from the green, there is likely very little chance that the folks on the green ahead of you are in any imminent danger from your next shot. As much as those of us behind you would look forward to commenting as you play your third shot from 50 yards short of the green you held us up to wait clear, please go ahead and hit to keep it moving. This course is great for all skill level of golfers, please have some consideration for everyone else.
All in all, it's always fun to play out here. Not crazy difficult, super convenient, affordable and the people are a gas to watch.
As far as the course: Greens were great! Smooth, true and fun. I had many crummy lies in fairways due to uneven turf. Sometimes I had better lies in the rough at times. But totally playable. Tee boxes were OK. Avoided the sand all day, so nothing to report there. Surprisingly, we got around in a little over 4 hours on a Friday aternoon. I always enjoy playing out here since I get to so rarely.
The biggest surprise was the driving range. Last time I was here, it was a dirt field that you hit into from mats not much softer than the concrete. Now it is fantastic, and worthy of being a destination-range. Very, very nice. Cash only on the machine unless you pre-pay for a key. Bring single bills.
One tip to patrons here: Please play from the appropriate tees. 'The tips' are for skilled players with single digit handicaps, not people who think they need to play from the tips. There is no associated enhancement to your manhood, and you are indeed a source of jokes and ridicule to the group waiting behind you as you walk into the adjoining fairway to play your next shot. Also, quick update on the laws of probabilities: If your drive went 240 yards, and you are 260 yards from the green, there is likely very little chance that the folks on the green ahead of you are in any imminent danger from your next shot. As much as those of us behind you would look forward to commenting as you play your third shot from 50 yards short of the green you held us up to wait clear, please go ahead and hit to keep it moving. This course is great for all skill level of golfers, please have some consideration for everyone else.
All in all, it's always fun to play out here. Not crazy difficult, super convenient, affordable and the people are a gas to watch.
Played on a very windy Saturday. Front 9 pace was not good, clocking in at close to 3 hours, but we made up a bunch of that on the back where we never waited to hit. Had not played here in many, many years and I found the course overall to be in excellent shape and a fun layout. Fairways had grass and offered good lies, the rough made you want to be in the fairway. But I was kinda blown away by the greens. Some of the best I've seen on a public course. They were quick, smooth and held approach shots well. Very impressed. There is even a GPS system in the carts. My only comment-worthy reservation would be the bunkers. Some were thin layers of sand over more compact material, others where quite fluffy. But some had larger rocks as part of the sand that could definitely gouge a wedge. But all things considered, it was an excellent day and I am looking forward to playing here again on a calmer day.
Played 9/1/18
Have not played here in years. Staff is excellent, clubhouse great. The greens are fantastic. Lush, fair and smooth. The rest of the course is really regrettable.
Tee to green: Some teeboxes are thin and uneven, others have a top layer of grass so thick that you can't tee the ball up high enough, even with really long tees. There seems to be no telling what you're gonna get hole to hole.
Fairways. In their defense, they appear to be trying to re-seed some areas, but these are among the worst fairways I have played on. On many occasions, a drive straight down the middle lands you on hard pan or really thin or bumpy lies. Signs asked us to keep the carts in the rough on some holes, but it is usually impossible to tell rough from fairway. As I said, I've not played here in several years, so I don't know if they had some kind of major damage, or if the course was abandoned for a while, but the fairways are a patchwork of different grasses of varying coverage when there is grass. Very different than I remember it. Bunkers seemed to be either great and fluffy, or a thin layer of sand over a hard base. Yet the greens were exceptionally good. Luckily, we were just out playing a casual round for fun, so $50 with a cart, balls and a really good burger seems a reasonable enough deal. Not somewhere I'd go on a business outing.
Have not played here in years. Staff is excellent, clubhouse great. The greens are fantastic. Lush, fair and smooth. The rest of the course is really regrettable.
Tee to green: Some teeboxes are thin and uneven, others have a top layer of grass so thick that you can't tee the ball up high enough, even with really long tees. There seems to be no telling what you're gonna get hole to hole.
Fairways. In their defense, they appear to be trying to re-seed some areas, but these are among the worst fairways I have played on. On many occasions, a drive straight down the middle lands you on hard pan or really thin or bumpy lies. Signs asked us to keep the carts in the rough on some holes, but it is usually impossible to tell rough from fairway. As I said, I've not played here in several years, so I don't know if they had some kind of major damage, or if the course was abandoned for a while, but the fairways are a patchwork of different grasses of varying coverage when there is grass. Very different than I remember it. Bunkers seemed to be either great and fluffy, or a thin layer of sand over a hard base. Yet the greens were exceptionally good. Luckily, we were just out playing a casual round for fun, so $50 with a cart, balls and a really good burger seems a reasonable enough deal. Not somewhere I'd go on a business outing.
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