Played in group 1A of the Golf Moose / Vivid Golf / GK event here on Monday with mpisarski, stickboy, and John. Great to catch up with stickboy and fun times all around! Pace was typical for these events at about 5:00. Gorgeous day with only a slight wind.

Conditions are quite good. Greens were smooth, medium speed, and medium firmness. Full shots seemed to take a bounce before stopping, and you had to really get some good spin on shorter shots to get them to check quickly. Blue tee boxes were all nice; no issues. The fairways were really good – great coverage and just the right amount of cushion under the ball. Rough was mostly light, two-inch-deep bermuda but could get penal when the ball sank down in it. The two bunkers I was in were solid with plentiful sand.

I’ve lived within a couple miles of this course for the last 17 years but hadn’t played it since before the private club was established in 2008. Much of the back nine is routed across the hillsides, providing great views of Saddleback Mountain and the entire Saddleback Valley. The greens have some good contours and could get really challenging with faster speeds. Great day all around!

Played in group 1B of Monday’s GK/GolfMoose/Vivid Golf event with Johnny, Ron, and Mark M. What a treat to get access to this newly-redesigned and rebranded course, especially the Vista nine just a couple days after it reopened! We played the Vista/Canyon combo. Pace was quite slow at about 5:15, although we got a gorgeous day with temps that almost felt like summer. Huge thanks to Johnny for setting up such an amazing outing!

Conditions are very nice and vary slightly from the Vista nine to the Canyon nine. Because Vista just reopened, the greens are nearly pristine. They are very smooth, quite firm, and running medium-slow speed. The tricky part is that they were cut short and looked like they’d be quite fast, so we all struggled getting the ball to the hole throughout our front nine. The greens on Canyon were a little faster, but still slower than they looked like they’d be. I’m sure they’ll gain speed as they mature. Fairways were mostly great, maybe a tad long in a few areas. The fairway-adjacent rough is 2- to 3-inch deep bermuda and the ball often settled down, putting a premium on hitting the fairways. The rough around the greens and bunkers was a different grass – dark green, deep, gnarly rough that was beautiful to look at but you definitely want to avoid. Tee boxes are now labeled I, II, III, and IV. We played I and they were good. Many were very hard and sometimes it took some effort to get a tee in the ground. Bunkers were all full of new sand and very nice, although tough to get a feel for. On more than one occasion, I failed to escape in one shot.

Having played Braemar once prior to the redesign by Lanny Wadkins, I feel the new Mulholland Hills achieves a more open, natural feel as opposed to the extremely tight corridors I recall from Braemar. Most of the redesign maintained the existing routing, although a handful of holes play in a new order and some have seen significant changes in length and/or par. Other noteworthy changes include the addition of really interesting contours on the all-new greens and trendy bunkering featuring raggedy edges. The greens were really fun to putt and will be even more fun when they’re running a little faster. Oh, and I almost didn’t mention the aesthetic addition of exposed rock walls on several holes, including behind the green on Vista 1, Vista 3, Vista 4, Canyon 1, and along the fairway of Canyon hole 3. It’s a very cool look!

Hopefully Mulholland Hills joins a few other clubs with recurring Golf Moose events, because it’s a really fun and difficult course. I just ran through every hole in my head and can honestly say there’s not one boring hole on the course (Vista/Canyon, anyway).

Amenities-wise, I never made it into the pro shop, but the beverage cart came around several times and there are multiple on-course restrooms with ice/water stations at most of them. All employees encountered were very friendly, welcoming, and helpful.

Accepted a gracious invite from dconnally to play nine holes here this afternoon along with TomHooter. We played Course 1, which fittingly begins right below the clubhouse next to the practice putting green. Our time wasn’t until 3:24 but we teed off maybe 8-10 minutes early. Despite waiting on the group in front of us pretty much all afternoon, pace was pretty good and we finished nine in about two hours flat, with just enough sunlight. There was no one behind us, but maybe one or two more groups could’ve finished if there had been.

Conditions are very nice! White tee boxes were all great, no issues. Fairways had uniform coverage of healthy green turf, providing nice lies. The rough also has good coverage and is 2-3 inches in most areas but deeper in a few rare spots. I was in a couple bunkers and they were in good condition with more sand than it felt like there was, if that makes sense. The greens were mostly smooth, medium to medium-fast speed, and very accepting of well-struck shots. As you might expect so late in the day, there were quite a few unfixed ball marks, but nothing terrible.

Course 1 is the longest of the three nines and is comprised of three par 3s, three par 4s, and three par 5s. From the white tees, the par 3s could use more variety in distance, but otherwise no complaints. The par 4s and 5s on this nine are very nice with a good mix of elevation changes and doglegs. I liked it quite a bit! Great times with David and Tom! Thank you for the invitation, David.

Played in group 1B of yesterday’s Golf Moose + GK outing presented by Vivid Golf with JohnnyGK, rgm2525, and Brian. We caught an absolutely ideal weather day with perfect temps, a little breeze, and gorgeous clear skies, which made it feel extra special to play this beautiful private course. POP was typical for these outings at 5 hours.

Conditions are very nice, highlighted by excellent, fast greens. They ran smooth and were more firm than soft. They accepted full shots well but it was difficult to get shorter shots to check. I would’ve liked to see fewer ball marks on the greens that were clearly from fellow participants in the outing – if we don’t take great care of these courses, they’re not as likely to invite us back. The overseeded, vivid green fairways were quite lush and maybe could’ve used a tighter mow; they didn’t provide much run-out on drives. The rough wasn’t deep but definitely made things more challenging than hitting from the fairways. White-sand bunkers were all quite good, even if my sand game wasn’t. Blue tee boxes were mostly great.

This is a really fun, challenging course with some beautiful holes set in what appears to be an amazing, active community. It feels special being out there. Highly recommended if you get a chance to play it.

Played here Monday in the Golf Moose/Vivid Golf outing run by Johnny. I was in group 1B with Johnny, Ron, and 1PLUS1, starting around 10:15 and finishing just under 5 hours later with no waiting all day but no one pressing us either. Excellent weather with extremely clear skies and very little wind until the last couple holes. As usual, food at Jack’s Den is tasty and well priced.

Conditions are mostly good to great with some great areas and other areas in need of some TLC. Fairways are probably the highlight, cut short with good coverage but sufficient cushion under the ball. Rough was in good condition and a little deeper than the fairways, putting a premium on keeping drives in play. White tee boxes were mostly good, although some seemed to have erratic mowing patterns – half of the ninth tee box (between the markers) was much longer grass than the other half. Bunkers were good but seemed a little wet, possibly still holding moisture from last week’s extremely heavy rainfall. Greens were mostly great – smooth, medium-fast, and accepting of full shots – although there are some dry/bare spots on a few greens that could use some attention.

The more times I play here, the more I really love the course, especially 7-18. We all had a great time. Thanks to Dove Canyon for being willing to open their doors to Golf Moose, and thanks to Vivid Golf for the great sponsorship. I helped run the putting contest and it was cool to see six people win a free polo by draining a really tough putt. If you ever get a chance to play Dove Canyon, seize it!

Played here yesterday in the first group off (8:30) of the GK Plays event with mpisarski01, Adam, and Kevin. Good times! We waited on the group in front of us all day, but POP wasn’t bad at just under 4 and a half hours.

Conditions are quite good for late September, highlighted by really nice fairways that provided good lies all day (although one of my drives did find a dry/bare spot). Greens are smooth, late-summer slow, and accept full shots well. Sometimes desert greens get a little furry in summer, but these were cut short and looked great, seeming like they’d roll much faster than they did. As a result, I had a hard time judging the speed on many greens. The rough had mostly great coverage and was a little longer than the fairways, but not very penal, except some areas far off line where taller grasses grow. (I found one such area left of 5.) Bunkers were nice; no issues to mention. Blue/white combo tees were all good. The starter mentioned they arrived Sunday morning to a mole hole appearing on the second green, but it didn’t affect me at all and I even forgot to go see how severe it was.

Great to see the return of GK Plays! I felt like Johnny was really in his element during the raffle and it seemed like old times – great to visit with some longtime GKers and meet new ones. I got some great prizes and had a super fun day.

Note: My rating reflects the late summer conditions, less than two weeks before they close for maintenance. I know the course will be much more lush and greens will roll faster post-overseed.

Played here in group 1B of Monday’s Golf Moose/Vivid Golf/GreensKeeper.org outing. Just a spectacular day all around! Huge thanks to Johnny for allowing us to gain access to places as special as The Saticoy Club.

Conditions are excellent. The greens were smooth, accepting of full shots, and medium-fast speed. I’ve seen them faster here in the past, but these were great. Fairways might be the highlight right now with a uniform smoothness to the turf that not only provided perfect lies all day, but looked fantastic to the eye and really accentuated the contours of the course. The rough varied from semi-penal to extremely penal in spots where it got really deep and juicy. Bunkers were well maintained and had sufficient sand. We played the blue/white combo tees and all tee boxes were in nice shape.

I fell in love with this course the first time I played it in 2014, and that love only grows each time I return. It’s an amazing place and I feel extremely fortunate to have spent the day there trying to capture its beauty with my camera and being challenged by the course. Thanks again to Johnny and Vivid Golf for providing exceptional opportunities like this!

Played nine holes here today on a gracious invite from dconnally. We had a 2:52 tee time on Course 3. We were supposed to be paired with another twosome but they started early just as we were arriving at the first tee, so we played by ourselves. Group in front was very quick and we were being rushed a bit by a foursome behind us, but we finished in less than an hour and 40 minutes. This nine is the shortest nine of the three, with only one par 5 that is just 440 yards from the tips, so it’s almost an “executive” nine.

Conditions are decent. Greens rolled smooth at about medium speed and accepted full shots well. The ninth green had some bare spots on the far left edge. Blue tee boxes needed a good mowing, as I kept finding areas of thick, spongy kikuyu that made it difficult to gain good footing and determine how high the ball was teed. It didn’t seem like they were differently mowed than the white boxes, but David speculated that the whites get more use and were likely stomped down more. Fairways were pretty good; maybe a bit on the thin side. Rough varied from thin to thick kikuyu, meaning there’s definitely a premium on hitting the fairways. I was in two bunkers; one could’ve used some more sand and the other was pretty nice.

Despite living within 10 minutes of this 27-hole facility most of my life, this was my first time playing here. This course doesn’t waste much land, with parallel fairways stacked right against each other in spots. There are some nice contours and elevation changes. The greens are quite small and didn’t seem to hide many tricks – what you see is what you get. Looking forward to seeing the other two nines at some point as well. It was great catching up with David and finally playing this course I’ve driven by a million times.

Played the Canyon and Ranch nines here today with an 11:30 TeeOff.com “Deal” time. After a 20% off promo code, I paid less than $58. More like “Steal” Canyon at that rate! Checked in the shop around 11:00 and then the starter in the staging area was very friendly and offered to let me either play at my time as part of a foursome, or start early by myself. I opted for playing alone and hit the first tee within a couple minutes. Didn’t catch anyone until around the 12th hole, and then things were pretty slow for a while until I was able to play through a group on 16 before zipping through 17 & 18. Total POP was great at about 3:25, often taking my time to take pictures or practice chips and putts after holing out.

Conditions are decent to good. Greens are the highlight, running smooth, medium to medium-fast speed, and quite accepting of full shots. Fairways are pretty firm and have mostly good coverage, but I did find some bare spots. Rough varied from light to thick Bermuda where the ball would sink down and cause some issues. Blue tee boxes were mostly good but some were a mix of grasses and a bit clumpy. I was in two bunkers, both of which looked decent at first but probably could’ve used more sand once I played my shots.

This was my first time here and I’d wanted to notch it off the list for a long time. It’s a decent course but not quite as impressive nor dramatic as I anticipated. Could be the summer conditions or midday lighting that just didn’t “wow” me much. There are some nice elevation changes on the Canyon nine but no one hole really captivated or excited me.

After the round, I inquired about playing the Vineyard nine as well, which looked wide open. The pro shop guy said sure but wanted to charge me $50. Considering that’s almost what I paid for 18, I passed, especially knowing from Jay’s reviews below that I’d already played the two best nines. Overall, definitely worth what I paid but I couldn’t recommend it at full rack rate, which for me as a non-San Diego County resident would’ve been an absurd $152. Even the $102 county resident rate is a bit steep for a weekday, imo.

Played in group 1B on Monday with Johnny, Ron, and Steve. Great times! Event was well organized and pace of play was decent. Beautiful day and the course looked gorgeous!

Conditions are great. Greens were smooth, medium-fast, and accepted full shots well. I didn’t see many ball marks. Fairways were excellent, full coverage of lush kikuyu providing good lies all day. Rough was also in good condition; most was not too penal but there were some spots where the depth of the rough definitely impacted contact. I was in a few bunkers and they were good, although my escapes from them were not. White tee boxes were solid all day, no complaints.

I’d only played here one other time on a day where the sun never really penetrated the cloud cover. Sunny conditions brought it to life a bit more and I enjoyed it even more this time. The layout is solid yet unspectacular; lots of strong holes but very few that are especially memorable or exciting. The 1st and 18th holes are probably my two favorites, and it’s always fun to play a downhill par 3, which Western Hills has two. Definitely recommended right now.

Played here Monday June 16 with an 11:15 tee time, with my wife riding along as a spectator. I've been using all my JC Golf Players Club card benefits before they expire later this week, one of which was a "bonus" coupon to play here for cart fee only. I asked the starter if it was busy, and when he said it hadn't been for the last hour, I asked if we could play by ourselves. The starter deferred to another employee who said no, we were scheduled with a threesome, and sent us to the tee. Turned out the threesome had a few riding spectators as well and also wanted to play alone, so they suggested we go ahead. Total POP wasn't too bad at just about 3:30, but the vast majority of that time was waiting around.

Conditions are good. Greens were medium speed, softer than they were firm, and very smooth. Fairways had good coverage and provided nice lies. The rough was a mix of grasses of varying conditions; some bare spots, some sticky kikuyu, some crabgrass, among them. I was only in one bunker and it had plentiful sand but could have been better maintained. Blue tee boxes were mostly fine.

This was my first time here and it's a really fun little course (par 62). The most surprising element is how much tilt is in these greens. I feel like executive courses often have mostly flat greens to cater to beginners, but these have some significant slope, even if there aren't all that many interesting internal contours. I had a couple chips and even short putts get away from me that rolled well beyond what I expected. A few holes play up against the mountains, which are probably the most memorable spots on the course. The rest snake through the resort buildings, so there are rarely parallel holes. There are some funky mid-distance holes that the card lists as Par 4/3, which is always confusing to me. I'm not sure who's to say if you play it as a par 3 or a par 4. Overall, I had a good time and would recommend this place to anyone seeking a more-interesting-than-normal executive course in a nice, picturesque setting.

Played here again today with a 7:03 tee time. I'd seen that the Southern California Golf Community Facebook group had a few groups teeing off earlier, so when I overheard the starter saying their 6:36 group was only going to be three, I volunteered to start early and got to meet a few great guys from the group. The group right in front of us was well behind the group in front of them (the entire par-5 10th was open in front of them), but POP wasn't too bad at just a smidge over four and a half hours.

Conditions are very similar to when I played here two weeks ago, except the par-3 5th green is much improved and I didn't encounter any bare spots in the middle of fairways today. Greens were smooth, accepting of full shots, and medium-fast. They seemed to get faster as they dried out toward the end of our round. Overall, they are very nice. Fairways have great coverage and provided good lies all day. Rough is in a little lesser condition but still quite good and not too penal. I was only in one bunker, which seemed to have an interesting maintenance approach where the edges of the bunker were pretty firm but they had added ample sand in the lowest areas where balls come to rest. White tee boxes were mostly good but a few were severely slanted. Again, the tee markers were very close together (less than 10 feet apart, despite plenty of room to have them wider) and at least one hole (15) had them placed in a weird spot that had us aligned with a big bush blocking the left side of the fairway.

I played great and had a great time. Definitely recommended.