Ran a really fun Golf Moose / Greenskeeper.org Private Course outing Monday at Los Coyotes CC. Saw a bunch of GKers there, great playing conditions, good weather, excellent service … all smiles. Fantastic staging set up for an outing.

Played with GKers rgm2525, hammer74 and tomokir. Awesome time despite playing terrible. Made a “That’s Golf” crazy downhill breaking birdie putt on #17 to put little Neosporin on my scorecard. LOL.

Conditions cart path only featuring soft, smooth, medium speed greens. Lush, not cut (understandably due wetness) fairways that provide next to no roll but never a thin lie (full lush coverage). Thick sticky 4 to 6 inch rough which was difficult to find you ball in and especially hit from. Well maintained tee boxes and bunkers. Looks like they might be in the middle of a sand replenishing project as some bunkers had fresher, more white sand than others.

Check out the new PHOTOS I posted. Come out to our Monday, Private Course outings :)

I highly recommend Los Coyotes CC as a course to consider to host your outing or become a member.

Joined again by GDR23, mark_6m and mpisarski01 we had a great time. The winds only let loose big gusts a few times but for the most part very manageable. Birdie Chain Battle part 2. We played the white tees because we did not feel like playing 6700+ yards in the wind. I normally always play the blues so the whites was fun change … LOL - Classic Club still beat me up.

Everything about the layout at Classic Club is BIG and challenging. Hit a ball towards a fairway bunker or water hazards and you’re likely going to be in it. Play well be rewarded. Play OK or Poor prepare to be punished. It’s a former PGA Tour course that once you play it you feel like you played a big league track.

Conditions at Classic Club were near immaculate. Greens smooth, fast and holding shots. Fairways lush with some dry spots. Rough lush and cut down to just over fairway height. Bunkers excellent with high quality sand and well groomed. I still miss the Pac-Man bunker on Hole 5 - #bringpacback – check out the photos I posted. Pac-Man was replaced by what looks like Goggles now. LOL – Tee boxes in fantastic shape. Speaking of tee shots, it does not get much better than Classic Club. So many inspiring shots out there to hit.

Prior to the round I presented Classic Club with the GK Year Ending 2022 Best Playing Conditions for all of Southern California. Hats off to their crew and all the capital golf course improvement projects completed. Don’t miss out on playing Classic Club in 2023.

Highly Recommended!

Day two in Palm Desert started with an early morning 7:20am round on one of my very favorite courses Desert Willow Golf Resort FireCliff Course. Joined by GDR23, mark_6m and mpisarski01 for a tremendously fun round of golf. I missed out on the Birdie Chain Battle at Palm Valley CC the day before so was pretty pumped before the round. Great weather in the morning, wind never kicked up before we finished our round, golf course was in immaculate shape and such a fun layout. Even for a Tuesday with high winds in the forecast the tee sheets for both FireCliff and Mountain View were packed. I’m looking into setting up a GK Guru outing at Desert Willow Golf Resort in March or April. Playing Desert Willow Golf Resort always delivers. Check out the PHOTOS I just posted.

I’m looking into setting up a GK Guru outing at Desert Willow Golf Resort in March or April.

Highly Recommended!

Had the pleasure playing the Challenge Course a couple hours after our outing completed.

Prior to teeing off GDR23, mark_6m and myself hit balls and enjoyed a delicious lunch. The club only takes credit or debit cards for outside guests.

It was difficult for me to believe the executive Challenge Course, also designed by Ted Robinson, Jr, was the more raved about and preferred by the members track to the beautiful Championship Course I just played. Well, I’m a believer now!

In over 35 years of golfing this is one of the most enjoyable shot making courses, and certainly #1 executive course, I have played. 14 of the holes feature gorgeous water hazards very much in play. Many of the Par 4’s are risk/reward tee shots for long hitters to go for the green but I doubt those go-for-it decisions would be made in a serious scoring round. Water is everywhere! I had 11 pars … but on the flip side when I found a water hazard, 3 doubles and 2 triples. Never a boring shot or putt out there.

The greens are all small, medium-fast, smooth, firm and very undulating. If you miss the green I hope your 60 degree wedge is on for a delicate pitch or demanding bunker shot. Dial in those wedges before your round because your round will be loaded with short demanding fun approaches. Fairways, Rough, Tee Boxes and Bunkers all immaculate. CHECK OUT the photos I posted.

Highly Recommended!

Ran a Golf Moose/Greenskeeper.org Private Course outing last Monday on the Palm Valley CC Championship Course. Weather was excellent, golf course in immaculate condition, staff very helpful and organized, simply a great event I plan on doing again.

A Ted Robinson Jr design with as you guessed beautiful water hazards and Palm trees everywhere. The facilities and the golf course are classic elegant Palm Springs vibe. 36 great holes of golf out there, top-notch service and staff. Check out the PHOTOS I just posted.

Thank you everyone that attended and Palm Valley CC for doing a great job hosting us!

Highly Recommended!

Joined mark_6m, GDR23 and rgm2525 Monday 2/13 for an awesome day of golf at Sandpiper Golf Course in Santa Barbara.

Now is the time to and likely the rest of this Spring to go play Sandpiper GC. With all the rain the cool temperature turf for this time of year is looking stunning. The greens are running fast and smooth. Fairways lush with good lies. Rough lush just off the fairway playing 2 to 3 inches and easy to escape from. But if you find the secondary rough mind as well start a search party for your ball because it is deep, at least a foot, thick fescue. I love it when they have the secondary rough long and untamed like it is now. Fits with ocean cliffs ambiance. The visuals are gorgeous and it puts a big premium on hitting a good drive. Bunkers are in OK shape, better than in the past and very playable. Well cared for they just could use some better sand. Tee boxes great shape.

IMO – given the bucket list reason to play the course is 6 to 7 fantastic ocean holes 5,6, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. Holes 10, 11 and 13 are absolute have to experience golf holes. Now with the golf course in super shape its another reason to go for it.

My favorite time to play Sandpiper GC is in the late afternoon. Just give yourself time to finish 18 holes within 30 minutes of sunset because it sets right there over the ocean. The patio has beautiful views and the food is very good.

Always a pleasure to play here. Highly Recommended.

Second time running a golf event at The Huntington Club and even better this time around. All the accolades of my previous review back in April 2022 plus perfect weather and an excellent conditioned golf course.

Great day teeing it up with rgm2525, kmersola and jjrauen. So fun when GKers can make it to our Golf Moose / GK Private Course events.

Check out the photos I posted.

Greens in terrific shape and tricky to putt on. Medium Fast/Smooth/Mostly Firm.

Fairways, mostly kikuyu/bermunda providing excellent sitting up lies but little roll out. Lush/Full Coverage.

Rough, mostly kikuyu/bermunda, about 1 to 3 inches, mostly lush but the ball tended to sit down.

Bunkers, good sand quality but not to the standard of the rest of the course. On hole 12 we came accross a bunker renovation. Need to learn more about it. Still decent acceptable conditions.

Tee Box, all in good shape, lush, cut and level.

Definately going to keep booking outings here.

Highly Recommended.

Organized a Golf Moose / Greenskeeper.org Private Event at Las Posas CC last Monday 1/23 as a reschedule from early this month due to weather and not only did Las Posas CC live it up to its exclusive secluded expectation, it exceeded it.

First from an organizers perspective, the staff is fantastic, the small clubhouse is perched for a beautiful view during check-in/warmup, the cart staging area, driving range, practice sand/pitching, practice putting are all located in close proximity making it very easy to keep track of players.

The course layout is a blast. I’d be hard pressed to describe the layout better than previous reviewer’s kviser and mark_6m but as they say a picture is worth a thousand words and I snapped a bunch. Please check out the photos I posted here.

The condition of the course was outstanding. Greens medium fast, rolled smooth, held shots, very enjoyable. Fairways lush, groomed and showed very little oversaturation. Las Posas CC appears to drain very well. Rough was lush, about an inch or two longer than the fairways and presented some challenge. Bunkers were mostly recovered from the rain although a little firm. Some of the bunkers have low lips and I could not help to think how much Rob1563 would have been tempted to try rolling a shot out – LOL. Very well maintained. Tee boxes all in great shape, groomed and level. Overall for January and recovering from rain the place was still near immaculate. Its only going to get better.

We had beautiful weather and a great time. Fun as always teeing it up with rgm2525 and mark_6m. (another GKer had to cancel day of)

Any chance you can get to play this course go for it. If you are looking into a membership they have a waiting list but reach out to them anyway.

Highly Recommended

Another review to catch up on and another Golf Moose / GK Private Event to report on.

My first time playing or running an event at Canyon Crest Country Club 12/19. The golf course over exceeded my expectations as far as fun layout, with new bunker sand and overall very good condition for December. The tournament services on our day were below expectations with improvements coming for our next outing there … like new carts and plenty to go around, transportation up and down the steep hill to the driving range, and better prepared when we arrive.

Overall still a fun event with a great price, beautiful December weather, fun private course in good shape.

I walked the course with GKers rgm2525, sparky14 and Kramnetto2. Great guys. We were told the course is walkable, and it is, but it very hilly so be ready to take it on. Greens in very good shape, rolling mostly smooth, mid/fast and holding shots. Fairways were semi-dormant bermunda/kikuyu turf providing full coverage with exception to some thin/bare small areas found some of the holes. Rough, same as the fairways but a couple inches higher, mostly full coverage. Bunkers, all new white sand, look beautiful and play very well. Tee boxes, all in good shape, mostly level and fun to play.

We’ll be back from another outing here in the Spring after they get their new carts.

Recommended

So late on this review post but happy I’m getting to it because I really liked this course.

Teed it up with GKers pgamez, SeveB and Michael on a cool breezy day in Chula Vista on 12/5. This outing followed our GK 20th Birthday Celebration the day before at Goat Hill Park GC making for fun filled two days. Rgm2525, GDR23 and myself ran this event as part of the Golf Moose / Greenskeeper.org private course outings. If you ever plan on having a golf outing here the staff and facilities are excellent while the golf course is outstanding. Even though I understand the course has lost over 300 over the recent years, the track, especially those green complexes, are a blast. The greens are super smooth, fast and hold shots, perfect. The bunkers have the most consistent quality playability I’ve experienced. The rest of the course is in very good shape with full semi-dormant bermunda/kikuyu light green coverage. If I lived in San Diego I would jump on every opportunity to play this very exclusive club. Thank you everyone that came out to this outing!

Sunday, played Laguna Seca GR for the first time. Went out as a foursome at 1:00pm with cart. Alex326, rgm2525, me and a single named Jeff that joined us. It’s a hilly course but certainly walkable however my knee was sore and did not want to chance messing it up before our Quail Lodge & Golf Club round the next day. We finished in under 4 hours with no waiting.

I thought it was a great layout. Tons of fun shots to try there. Good views and challenging. I would play it again based almost completely on how much I enjoyed the layout. It came to my attention on hole #8 that hole #9 here at Laguna Seca GR is considered the second toughest Par 4 on the peninsula by Alex326. I escaped it with bogey. Check out the photos.

But the conditions are nowhere near Monterey expectations. Mixed bag but mostly significantly blemished turf irregularities on the putting surfaces. It was very difficult to figure out the speed and lines given the bumps. Some greens smooth and beautiful which gave a glimpse of the potential golf experience the course could provide. Fairways with mixed conditions from lush to thin. Overall good shape and decent roll out. Rough, basically the fairways but an inch or two longer. Easy to escape from. Bunkers, awesome designs and placements but sand quality lacking. Mostly thin lies with just enough sand to play your shots from. Tee boxes were mostly level, some divot damage and cut fairway height. No problem playing from them.

Fortunately had time to explore the driving range which thankfully we had a golf cart to reach. I did see the golf course bringing golfers back and forth which is appreciated. The range is very dry, rough around the edges but man I loved it. It’s a big grass range secluded up in the hill. Practice bunkers, terrible sand but that’s expected in the context. Check out my pics.

Overall, Laguna Seca GR as worth checking out for the first time, would be back soon if the greens were nice, super fun track.

Up at Quail Lodge & Golf Club for my annual trip to Monterey Monday 11/14. Really fun day with GKers, rgm2525, alex326 and deepsea14. Golf course was immaculate as expected. Even better shape than last year. Greens were pure. Running medium fast, very smooth and holding shots. Fairways were like carpet with only a few blemishes. The primary rough was paona turf as are the greens, tees and fairways. It was cut 2-3 inches but the secondary rough, the nasty dense fescue lining the bunkers and hazards was up to foot deep and very penalizing. As challenging as the bunkers are to play from you are much better being in the sand than on the edges of those traps. The bunkers, perfect, excellent sand, well groomed and beautiful. The bunkers are the center piece of Quail Lodge & Golf Club’s design. Take a look at the photos I posted and you will soon see. Tee boxes in excellent shape, level, lush and groomed.

Service was fantastic all day. Friendly and professional.

We did not have an opportunity to eat at Edgars but from all past experiences it’s superb.

Anytime you see a Play and Stay deal to experience Quail Lodge & Golf Club its worth considering. If you’re in town for a few rounds, put Quail Lodge on your list.

Highly Recommended