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.

Played here today joined by sparky14 with a 7:00 tee time. Paired with a twosome of nice guys. Started pretty much right on time and despite waiting on the group in front of us all day, POP was good at about four hours and five minutes. Cloudy, misty morning but no rain to speak of.

Conditions are good. Greens are smooth, medium-fast, and medium firmness. They accepted full shots well but felt firm when fixing ball marks. Fairways were really nice, cut short but still providing a little cushion under the ball. Rough was in good condition and probably 2 to 3 inches deep in most places, putting a premium on hitting the fairway, although I wouldn't say it's tough to hit out of rough; you just won't get as much spin on the ball. I was only in one bunker and it was great. No complaints with the blue tee boxes; all good.

Always a fun course despite the unfortunate routing in many spots. Recommended.

Played here this morning using my JC Golf Anytime membership. Had a 6:54 tee time but checked in shortly after the pro shop opened and they paired me with a twosome headed to the first tee right away, so we started a little after 6:00 and finished a little before 10:00. Cloudy skies started to clear late in our front nine; the view from the famous 18th was still a bit hazy but several back nine holes had clear skies and beautiful views.

Conditions are quite good throughout the course, although there are some exceptions. The greens were great: smooth, medium-fast, on the soft side and very accepting of full shots. However, they somehow lost the par-3 5th green and it's in absolutely terrible condition. Fortunately, whatever happened is isolated to just that one hole and the other 17 are all very nice. Similarly, fairway conditions are mostly all great, although there are occasional bare spots here and there. I think it was on the 6th hole I was in bare dirt right in the middle of the fairway. The rough is in mostly good condition and not very penal. Blue tee boxes were cut short but several are unlevel. Oddly, they had the tee markers very close together on almost every hole, maybe only 10-12 feet between them. I was in two bunkers that were both quite good.

I hadn't played here since an agonizingly slow round in 2014, so it was nice to be back, play quickly, and see the course in good condition. I had forgotten how disjointed the routing is, though. Despite that, definitely recommended right now.

Played South today with a 12:14 tee time using a free round included in my JC Golf Anytime Players Card membership. Even though it's a "free" round, Los Serranos' website charges you $2 when booking, which the pro shop said is non-refundable. Not a huge deal, but it also speaks to the crossed wires of Los Serranos being part of JC Golf but also having their own Players' Club membership. The starter asked if I was ok playing alone and offered to have me start early, but a minute later he added a twosome to play with me. We started at 11:52 with no one in front of us and played the first six holes in about an hour and 10 minutes. Then we caught up to groups ahead and pace for the rest of the day was quite slow, finishing in a little over four and a half hours. My two playing partners bailed at the turn. We all rode and played the white tees.

Conditions are good! The greens are somewhat unusual in that they are in very nice condition but deceivingly slow. They are smooth, extremely soft, and slow to medium-slow in speed. Long putts were very difficult to hit hard enough to get to the hole. It's rare to see greens in as nice of condition as these but rolling so slow. Some spots were so soft that it felt like I was sinking into the turf. I suspect they're overwatering in anticipation of higher temps expected later this week -- and summer on the horizon. There were quite a few unfixed ball marks that I repaired, but that's not the course's fault. Also, the fifth green had some bare spots around the front edges. Fairways had good coverage and provided nice lies all day. Rough wasn't too penal, just a bit longer than the fairway. I think I was only in one bunker that was filled with nice, thick, heavy sand. White tee boxes were all good.

I've always loved this course and it didn't disappoint today. I'm not sure I'd ever played the white tees, which changed the course pretty significantly in spots. I'll go back to the blues next time, but the other two guys were playing white and I haven't played much lately, so I was fine with white. Definitely recommended, but eat your Wheaties to get those putts to the hole.

Played here yesterday in group 1B of the Vivid Golf event operated by GK. The addition of a putting contest before play officially started was really fun, despite my two pretty pathetic attempts. The event was very well organized and started right on time. Beautiful day in a fun group with Johnny, Ron, and Anthony.

Conditions are very nice. The greens had been verticut and lightly sanded that morning, but I don't think it affected putts at all. Greens rolled very true and fast. They were on the firmer side although well-struck shots would stick and hold. Fairways had good coverage and provided tight lies. Personally, I'd prefer a little lusher turf on the fairways. The rough was deeper but not too penal. Blue tee boxes were all good. I was in a lot of bunkers and they were all very nice.

This was my second time playing here, and I gained a deeper appreciation for the course this time. This is a demanding test with numerous water features, some good risk/reward holes, and significant slope on many greens. While mostly a residential course (although the homes are set back quite a bit), there are a few holes on the back nine that touch the native hillsides, and that's where the course shines brightest, imo. Definitely recommended if you get a chance to play here.

Played in group 1B of yesterday’s Vivid Golf/GK private club outing here. Gorgeous weather and great times with Johnny, Steve, and Ron. Pace was pretty typical for these events, around 5 hours from first drive to final putt. We stopped at Jack’s Den to pick up lunch and the on-cart ordering system makes it quick and easy, and the food is good and affordable. All club staff I encountered were great.

Conditions are good, highlighted by fast, firm greens. They were very smooth and quick, and even well-struck full shots took a bounce before stopping, and shorter shots and chips were very difficult to get any bite. The 8th green had some bare spots and curiously, they opted to cut the hole very near those areas. Fairways had good coverage of dormant bermuda but were thin in many spots, providing very little cushion under the ball and putting a premium on a clean strike. Rough was a little longer but not overly penal. Tee boxes and bunkers were both good, not great.

I really like how the course layout gains momentum throughout the round. The first three holes are generic, housing-tract holes (although 2 & 3 are both really tough par 4s), then the interest level amps up for the rest of the front nine. I think the course shines brightest on the back nine, though, and the whole back nine is fun and beautiful — 10, 11, 16, 17, and 18 are all standouts. All in all, a really great day and definitely recommended anytime you get a chance to play here.

Played here today with an 11:20 TeeOff.com "Deal" time. I was trying to see as much of Death Valley as I could before my tee time, and then Google Maps took me to the wrong spot, but just by one street. Fortunately, there were very few people out there when I arrived just a few minutes early and the very friendly pro shop attendant said I could start on my own anytime I wanted. I hit a few putts and headed off, playing the front nine in about an hour and 15 minutes. Then two groups were in front of me on No. 10, but I played through them both and finished the back in a little under an hour for a 2:11 total POP. Ideal weather day; just gorgeous and perfect temps.

Conditions are okay, but it appears the storm damage from 2023 caused lasting problems in some spots. The 12th green is nearly all dirt, but still rolled pretty smooth. Most of the greens seem to be semi-dormant bermuda rolling about medium speed and smooth, despite not being super pure. Full shots stopped quickly. Fairways were nice with good coverage of light green bermuda. The rough is deeper bermuda that is penal when the ball sinks down in. Some holes had some bare spots and trouble spots on both the fairways and the rough, but luckily I avoided those. Very few bunkers on the course, it seemed, but the one I was in was pretty good. Blue tee boxes were fine.

This was my first time here and I found it to be a very charming course. I reminded me a lot of the Legends Course at Tahquitz Creek Resort (formerly Palm Springs Muni). It also reminded me a little bit of Soboba Springs in spots. I think that nostalgia for those two courses added to the charm. It's a much more difficult course than you'd think looking at the yardage. For one thing, the ball notoriously flies shorter at such low elevation, and then on top of that, there aren't many "mid-length" par 4s. They mostly seem to be 400+ or less than 330, so those longer ones play long.

There's currently a Golf Moose voucher to play here anytime for $50. Keep in mind, though, that there's a $30 per car entry fee to Death Valley National Park that gets you access for an 8-day span, I think. Definitely glad I played here once and I would like to play here again sometime.