Braving the heat, I headed to El Prado for the second time in 3 days. Arriving around a quarter to noon, I chipped and putted on one of the two open practice greens (there are 3 practice greens at this facility, as well as an all grass driving range). The practice green seemed very representative of the greens on the course. Without a reservation, I went to the clubhouse, where Greg gave me the option of which course to play, and honored the rate that I found on their web site.

Playing from the blue tees (6850 yards/126 slope/72.5 rating), I teed off at 12:15pm as a solo walker, and finished my round at 3:30pm (I let a cart riding single play through on the fifth hole, then kept pace with a quick group of 5 in carts). It was hot, with only intermittent light breezes. As is common these days (or so it seems to me), a member of the group ahead left several clubs at the side of the first green, which I gathered and handed off to the cart driver who returned from the second green, seeking his important tools.

The golf course was in decent shape, as is pretty consistent with both El Prado courses, given you don't come expecting "country club" conditions. Tee boxes were level, well covered with lush turf, and mostly well maintained. Kikuyu grass on some tee boxes was fluffy, but never too thick. There was always a good place to tee it up. Fairways were mostly good, except for some random areas where turf was thin, or weedy and barren. Turf was mowed, and balls generall sat up. I did not notice many divots that were not repaired. Rough, as usual, was variable. There were broad swaths of lush, grabby turf, some of which left balls sitting up, and thin, weedy stuff, and bare dirt, too. I had to play from only one greenside bunker, on the first hole. Sand there was wet, heavy and compact, but playable. All bunkers appeared maintained, some though looked fluffier than others. Greens were, as usual, the highlight of the course, and served to confound me, even though I seemed to have chipped and putted well on the practice green. Some greens still exhibited the obvious look of "recent" aeration, but they were smooth, and rolled quite well at medium-fast speeds. I consistently rolled putts 3 and 4 feet past holes. Best here to keep approaches below the hole to maximize scoring. Greens held well struck shots, and were firmer as the day progressed.

If you can accept that things are a little scruffy around the edges, El Prado is a fine value. Give them your business if you will.

I played as a solo walker on Monday 10/16, without a reservation, paying the $17 twilight rate. As always, check in was friendly and efficient, and I went directly to the first tee without warming up, starting my round a little past 11:30am. Weather was very hot and dry, with light breezes. Except for a very rude threesome who hit into me as I finished the 14th hole, and again as I teed off on the 15th, I did not encounter any other players during my round.

I played from the blue tees (6568 yards/71.3 rating/124 slope).
Tee boxes were level and well covered with lush turf.
Fairways were variable, with some thin areas around the margins, but generally even, lush turf in the middle. There were a few unfilled divots, but most appeared to have been repaired.
Rough was the usual mixed bag (as it always is here), with some lush turf and some bare ground.
I only found one bunker, greenside, and it was maintained, with soft, thin sand - easy to play from. The other bunkers that I observed appeared to have been maintained and stocked with enough sand.
As usual, the best part of the course was the greens. They were generally smooth, and free of notable blemishes, with the exception of hole 11, where it appeared that several sections of turf had been recently replaced. Greens were quite receptive, and on the softer side of firm. Putts rolled true, though a little slower than I am accustomed to at El Prado.
My round was completed in 3.5 hours, but would have been quicker were it not for the rude threesome that decided to play right through me on the 15th hole.

For my first round of golf in a very long time, I joined 3 childhood friends for an afternoon of fun. One in the group organized using a Groupon deal at $19 per player, including cart. Checkin was efficient, and we were given the first tee a little ahead of our 1:10 tee time, playing behind a group of 5 that included a young boy, but they kept pace with the group ahead. Play was slow, but we weren't in any rush - a relaxed vibe was the order of the day. We played from the white tees.

It was a hot, breezy day, and as usual on this course whose fairways are lined with cottonwood trees, any balls hit in the rough were a challenge to find among the shiny, fallen leaves. Tee boxes were in decent shape, generally well covered, with some unlevel ground, and some chewed up areas. Fairways were lush and well covered. I didn't play from any bunkers, but they appeared to be maintained. Other members of my group noted that sand was thin and hard. Rough was variable (lush at the edges of fairways, thinner away), with lots of rodent burrows. The greens were disappointing. I knew of the recent maintenance, but several greens still had sand and obvious punch holes. Some small bare areas were evident, and there were many unrepaired ball marks. For my taste, there was just too much variability in the condition of the greens from one hole to another.

In any case, this course has potential to be good, but on this day (Sunday 10/15) it could have been better. Note the quirky layout, in which you play away from the clubhouse until the 12th hole, then pass the clubhouse in the middle of a very long trek to the 13h hole. There is a refreshment shack convenient to the area around the 3rd tee and 11th green, but it was closed at the time we played. Also lacking was reliable water fountains - only found 2 on the entire course, and their flow was little more than a dribble.

Played alone as a single this afternoon, hanging behind a slow threesome who were behind a twosome - just didn't feel like pressing/passing, so just hung back. The twosome following me never had to wait long for me. My round was complete in ~4 hours. As usual, service was friendly and courteous. Before my round, I hit a small bucket on the all grass range; always a nice feature of El Prado. Practice greens (there are 3) were representative of the greens on the course.
Playing from the blue tees (6850 yards/72.5 course rating/126 slope rating), I walked and had ample opportunity to observe the course conditions. For my part, I was pleased with the overall conditions of this course.
Tee boxes were level, maintained with lush turf covering all of the teeing grounds. They had been freshly mowed, providing those nice alignment stripes that look so cool on TV; except they weren't that neatly groomed. Fine enough for this municiple course.
Rough, especially between the tee boxes and the start of the fairway displayed the weakest aspect of the course conditions on this day. Many of these intermediate areas were virtually barren - bare dirt, with burrows, and scattered weeds. Rough on left and right sides of the fairways was the typical stuff here; variable depending on where you find your ball. It could be pristine, ball up, or bare dirt, or clumps, or burrows - it's all there. The fullest and deepest rough was found outside the aprons surrounding each green.
Fairways were in good shape overall, with a few thin areas noted here and there. Generally, lush turf (just mowed, so there were lots of clippings in all fairways. Essentially every ball in fairway sat up.
Bunkers appeared to have been recently maintained. The only bunker from which I had to play was greenside, and it exhibited clean, brown sand that allowed for a fine shallow blast shot.
The greens were the highlight of the course. They all were covered in fine turf, with smooth surfaces. Well struck shots did the drop and stop within a couple feet. Beside my own, I only needed to repair a few ball marks. Putts rolled at mediumish speeds, and were true - I sank a 42 footer for birdie on the #1 handicap 8th hole. Most greens had very nicely cut, smooth collars, from which it was easy to chip or putt.
El Prado needs some love - give them your business if you are looking for some no frills golf.

Played an afternoon round with Nickesquire on Monday 6/13, without a reservation. We were able to play as a twosome, walking and playing from the blue tees (6440 yards/70.4 course rating/131 slope rating). This hilly course is somewhat challenging to walk, especially as the second round of the day. Pace of play was good, with no waiting, and we finished just under 4 hours - pleasantly surprising.

This was just my second time playing on this Ted Robinson, Sr. designed course. Lots of elevation changes, fairway bunkers, sloping fairways, mature trees and elevated greens to contend with. Overall, conditions were fairly good.

Tee boxes were generally level, with lush turf. Good teeing ground was easy to find. Some minor divot damage noted on par-3 boxes, but mostly maintained. Each of the par-3 tee boxes had a container of sand to fill divots.

Fairways were mostly lush, with some thin spots noted. There were also a few areas of muddy ground, especially at the base of slopes.

Rough was playable, thicker in some places than others, with good coverage. Under the many trees that play a big part in defending this course, rough tended to be a little thinner.

Bunkers were visually appealing, with the clean white sand contrasting nicely with the green fairways, greens and rough. Depth of the sand was good, such that the typical play was a blast shot. There were ample rakes placed around the margins of each bunker, and all were maintained.

Greens were good, but could have been better, if not for the recent aeration of 12 of the 18. The small gage holes were more of a visual hindrance than anything. Given a few weeks to heal, these greens should be in fine shape for the start of summer. All greens held well hit shots, and were in between soft and firm. Putts rolled true at medium to medium/fast speeds. Putts from above the hole were difficult to get close. One issue of note was the poor condition of collars around several greens - thin coverage, to bare dirt - still a problem as mentioned in previous reviews.

With the elevation changes, blind shots, ample bunkers and mature trees, this course provides a good challenge. Recommended.

I joined Nickesquire for an early morning round on Monday 6/13, my first ever time playing this course. Weather was cloudy, breezy and cool. Sprinklers were running on many of the holes, as we played. There were only a few other groups out on the course, so our pace of play was very relaxed. Playing from the blue tees (6134 yards/69.1 course rating/122 slope rating) and riding a cart, we finished right at 4 hours.

Since this was my first time playing the course, and Nick's first round there in many years, neither of us knew the preferred angles of approach. The course is devoid of any fairway bunkers, but all par-4 and par-5 holes are lined with mature trees, and fairways tend to be on the narrow side. The green complexes provide the defense for this relatively short course.

Overall, I found course conditions to be pretty good, but with certain aspects that needed attention. For instance, many of the tee boxes had lots of divot damage that had not been maintained. There were a few muddy spots in fairways that should have been marked as GUR. Though I didn't have to play from any bunkers, Nick reported that sand was thin. Some of the greens rolled a little bumpy.

Tee boxes were generally level, and mostly lush. It was easy enough to find a good place to tee the ball.

Fairways were nice - green, mostly lush, freshly mowed, with just a few browned out areas with thin turf. Balls sat up, making for nice play from the fairways. Most divots appeared to have been maintained.

Rough wasn't very penal, a little thicker and deeper than fairways, but thin or bare in some places.

Bunkers (from which I didn't have to play) were maintained, with coarse brown sand.

Green complexes were, in my opinion, the best feature of the course. They are large (enormous in some cases), with margins that pinch in and expand out, creating "hour glass" configurations, and many options for interesting pin placements. There is slope and subtle undulation on most. Some have steeply sloped false fronts. They were visually appealing, generally smooth and soft, accepting well hit shots. Putts rolled at medium to medium/fast pace, and true on most putts. There were some big breaking putts, especially on those tricky front pin placements. Too bad the guys ahead of us weren't repairing their ball marks.

This is a course that I have been interested in playing for quite some time - glad that Nick extended the invitation to play. Now I want to give it another go, as this course is offers ample opportunity to score well if you can hit the shots. Nothing fancy, but definitely recommended.

I played this course for my second round of the day, as a solo walker during the afternoon Monday 6/6, paying $14 for unlimited golf. As usual, pro shop staff was courteous and friendly. There was not any drink cart service during the afternoon.

Teeing off at 2:40 pm, I was briefly joined by a cart riding single, who got out ahead and joined another. Thus I played solo, and even with some traffic on the course, finished in 3 hours 50 minutes. I played from the blue tees (6850 yards/126 slope rating/72.5 course rating).

Course conditions were just OK, in my opinion. It is obvious that the course allocates water where it matters most - on the tee boxes, fairways and greens. Tee boxes were variable - some were not level, and the par-3's were quite chewed up with divots; they were generally lush. The fairways were mostly good, with lush, freshly mowed turf, except for some browned out and thin areas. Rough was the usual mixed bag, best adjacent to fairways, and rougher (thin, dry and in some places bare dirt) the farther you were from the fairways. I did not have to play from any bunkers on the day, but they appeared to have been maintained.

The greens were pretty good, except for the presence of far too many fresh ball marks and other damage that was not repaired. There were also many putter impressions, as well as dents from careless dropping of flagsticks. Aside from those problems, surfaces were soft and smooth, accepting well struck shots (with huge ball marks). I spent far too much of my day fixing unrepaired ball marks and other damage from inconsiderate players ahead of me. Putts rolled true. Depending on position above or below the hole, putts rolled at medium fast to fast speeds.

Recommended, with the usual caveat that you don't have country club expectations.

I played as a solo walker on Monday 6/6, without a reservation, paying $14 for unlimited golf. As usual, pro shop staff (Dennis in particular) was courteous and friendly. Drink cart service made several rounds.

Teeing off at 11:00 am, without anyone ahead or behind, I played at a relaxed pace. There was some traffic on the back nine, but I still finished in 3 hours 25 minutes. I played from the blue tees (6568 yards/124 slope rating/71.3 course rating).

Course conditions were actually quite good, in my opinion. It is obvious that the course allocates water where it matters most - on the tee boxes, fairways and greens. Tee boxes were level and lush, with only minor divot damage on the par-3's. The fairways were mostly good, with lush, freshly mowed turf, except for some browned out areas. Rough was the usual mixed bag, best adjacent to fairways, and rougher (thin, dry and in some places bare dirt) the farther you were from the fairways. I did not have to play from any bunkers on the day, but they appeared to have been maintained.

The best part of the course was the greens - they were in fine shape! Surfaces were soft and smooth, accepting well struck shots (with huge ball marks, at least in my case). Refreshingly, I didn't find many unrepaired ball marks. Putts rolled true. Depending on position above or below the hole, putts rolled at medium fast to fast speeds.

Recommended, with the usual caveat that you don't have country club expectations.

On Wednesday 6/1, met Nickesqire for a day of golf, using a voucher that Nick had purchased through underpar - awesome deal at $20 for me. Shout out to Danny the cart attendant, who charged our cart and filled the cooler with ice while we took a quick break to grab a bite off course. There wasn't any drink cart, nor any restaurant, but there was ample chilled water available throughout the course.
Note that the numeric rating seems a bit lower than my overall impression - just off the cuff, I'd give it a solid 7.5, better than the 6.9 that came out of my survey.
I played from the blue Championship tees (6328 yards/69.6 course rating/117 slope).
Course conditions were solid, on a track that I found moderately challenging, but fair. This course is pretty much wide open, with fairway bunkers guarding most landing areas, and some deep greenside bunkers. The native areas and dry washes provide more defense for the course. Luckily, the wind wasn't too much of a factor.
Tee boxes were mostly lush, with some divot damage on par-3's, but most divots had been filled. It seemed that most boxes on the 4 and 5 par holes were slightly crowned in the middle, but level ground was available close to the markers.
Bunkers had ample sand, some coarser than others, but generally maintained. Rakes were plentiful around each bunker. Sand was on the heavier side, damp from watering. Several fairway bunkers proved difficult to escape because of their depth - trying a long iron to advance was my mistake, where a short iron would have been the smarter play.
Rough was generally cut to about an inch, and easy to play close to fairways. The farther off the fairway, the deeper it was, transitioning to native areas further off the fairways.
Fairways were generally lush, with some thin and browned out areas, but overall quite nice to play from - if only I could find the short grass more often. There was some divot damage, but most had been filled with divot mix which was readily available throughout the course.
Greens were in good shape, generally firm and smooth, with few ball marks. Well struck shots held well, but chips and pitches hit low would roll out. Putts rolled true, at medium speed, slowing from morning into the afternoon.
I look forward to playing here again, especially if a good deal can be had.

Played my second round of the day on Monday 5/23, mid-afternoon as a walking single, joined by a cart riding single. Played from the blue tees (6568 yards/124 slope/71.3 course rating) in 3 hours 5 minutes, never having to wait after the slow foursome ahead allowed us to play through on the second tee. Course conditions were certainly playable, and slightly better than on Chino Creek on this day. Greens were smooth, soft and accepting of well hit shots, and rolled true at medium to medium fast speed. There were many ball marks left unrepaired by others - I fixed my own, and many others. Tee boxes were mostly level, with good coverage, but on holes #5 and #7 the blue markers were playing up near the whites as the back tee boxes are being rehabilitated. The rough was the usual mixed bag- lush, deep and penal in places, mowed down in others, thin to bare dirt in others. I didn't have to play from any bunkers, but they appeared to be at least maintained. Fairways were mostly good, with lush turf, but there were some areas of thin coverage. A solid value, especially considering the unlimited play policy for Monday.

Played Monday 5/23, mid-morning as a walking single, paired with a cart riding single. Played from the blue tees (6850 yards/126 slope/72.5 course rating) in 3 hours 50 minutes, having to wait on the walking threesome ahead on nearly every hole. Course conditions were decent, certainly playable. Greens were a little shaggy and bumpy, showing signs of a very recent aeration (small holes punched, but no sand used). Another player later in the day told me the greens were punched the previous week. The greens were soft and receptive, and rolled true at medium speed. Tee boxes were mostly level, with good coverage, but some were shaggy, and there was some divot damage on the par-3's. The rough was the usual mixed bag- lush, deep and penal in places, mowed down in others, thin to bare dirt in others. I didn't have to play from any bunkers, but they appeared to be well maintained. Fairways were mostly good, with lush turf, but there were some areas of thin coverage. A solid value, especially considering the unlimited play policy for Monday.

After driving to El Prado to find a tournament on the courses, I had to locate another place to play. Recalling that there have been some recent, decent reviews for Green River, I decided to give them a call. Shop attendant told me the course wasn't very busy, and that as a single it would be easy to accommodate me. It had been many years since my last visit; back when this facility featured two 18 hole courses, the Orange Course and the Riverside Course. Since my youth, I had played this facility many times, and I knew that the course would play windy, so I was prepared for that. I spent some time rolling putts on the enormous putting green, which was representative of greens on the course. While I didn't use the range, it appeared to be all grass, but going into the afternoon wind.

Check in, without a reservation, was courteous and friendly. Though I announced my intention to walk, the nice young woman in the pro shop informed me that it would cost just $5 more to ride - I paid $20 to walk. Another single, who rode a cart, was paired with me. We teed off at 12 noon behind a slow twosome. With no idea of the routing of the holes combined from the two old courses that I knew, I elected to play the blue tees (6634 yards/71.6 course rating/123 slope); the course offers four sets of tees. It was May gray all day in the canyon, and of course the winds blew, as they always do - sometimes 2 clubs into the wind. Comfortable walking weather, in shorts and short sleeves. Luckily, the slow twosome quit after the 4th hole, then it was wide open until hole 15. POP fine at 4 hours 5 minutes. No drink cart, but a snack shack, at the turn, sort of.

I must say that I'm not, at least after just one round, impressed with the routing of the course, but I'll give it another go. Having two long par-3 holes in the first four can definitely create bottlenecks. More yardage markers would be a plus - on some holes, there are poles to indicate 200 and 150 yard distances in center of fairway, and there were red 100 yard marks, but these were not apparent on all holes. I could have used a phone-based yardage app, but elected to walk off yardages, or just guesstimate. The course is very walkable, without too much elevation change on the first twelve holes, all of which are on the old Riverside Course. However, over the final six holes, all of which are the remnants of the old Orange Course, you will find some elevation changes on holes near the clubhouse. And there are some lengthy walks from green to next tee.

Conditions were generally pretty good, probably better than I experienced due to all of my time spent hitting out of the rough and trees. This is a course where you need to find the fairway, and avoid the many mature trees that line the fairways, some blocking fairway approaches on dogleg holes.

Tee boxes were generally lush and well-covered, with limited divot damage. However, many tee boxes had uneven ground.

Rough was variable, in some places lush and fluffy, or clumpy, in other places thin, and in other places there was bare dirt. Fortunately, leaf litter was minimal, so the rough was "clean" such that all of my errant shots into the rough were found. It was possible to advance long irons for distance from the rough.

Bunkers were in good shape, with maintained sand that was on the thin side - I was able to execute shallow blasts from the 2 bunkers that I played from. Bunker margins were well defined. I didn't like how rakes were placed in the bunkers; better if they are left around the margins.

Fairways were lush, freshly mowed, with very little divot damage - a highlight of the day. Balls sat up, making for crisp iron contact.

Greens were mostly good, with some exceptions. Aprons and collars were mowed close, allowing for easy chipping or putting. Surfaces were generally firm, but accepted and held well hit shots. Putts rolled true on the mostly smooth surfaces, at medium to medium-fast speeds. There were unrepaired ballmarks on most greens, but they were mostly shallow. Several greens had accumulations of sand near outside edges, presumably from most recent aeration(?)

This course is worthy of consideration, but know that the wind always blows here. This is no frills golf, in a scenic setting.