Took the day off work to celebrate my birthday, and walked on to Washington National. I've always liked this course, but it had been quite some time since I'd been here. I'd heard that conditions weren't so great over the last few years, but I'm really happy to say that the place is in great shape right now. Greens were pretty firm, and rolled at a very consistent quick pace. Fairways were really nice to hit from, they always gave a really nice lie. Rough wasn't too long, and not very penalizing. Tee boxes were very nice, minimal divot damage and always flat. If there's a weak spot it would be the bunkers. I found a few of them, and while they do have a decent amount of sand they also have a few too many rocks. Customer service in the shop before the round was excellent, and in the restaurant after the round for lunch as well. The driving range is off mats here, but there's a nice chipping green and practice bunker next to the range that I took advantage of. The putting green next to #1 felt identical to the greens out on the course. Its a bit pricey, but with the Oki card rate that I paid (about $90) I feel that its worth it when you feel like splurging.

Played today at Trophy Lake for the first time in several years, and really enjoyed myself. Teed off right on time at 6:42 am walking with a buddy and paired up with a very pleasant riding single. We got around in a really fast 3:30. We waited on a couple of holes, but never more than a minute or two, and the group behind us was never pushing. Conditions tee to green are very good here, the fairways are really nice and always giving a good lie. They're firm, but not baked (at least not yet) giving a good amount of roll. Rough isn't very long, but it can be a bit sticky, and a little bit inconsistent in places. You're definitely going to feel the difference between it and the short grass. Greens are very good, they tended to be quick downhill but not rolling out uphill like you might expect. There was also the occasional bump, but nothing too bad. One thing we noticed over the course of the round is that as things warmed up and dried out, grain on the greens could affect a put more than you expected. Tee boxes weren't bad, although a few of them could be in better shape. I found several bunkers today, and while they all did have a decent layer of nicely raked sand, there were also a few too many rocks. I was lucky that none of them were really in play for me, but again I think that was my good fortune.

There's a decent grass range here to warm up on, and the nice, large putting green felt pretty much the same as the greens out on the course. I think they've got a short game area as well, but I didn't have time to check that out. We started so early, and played so fast, that breakfast was still being served in the clubhouse and that was pretty good as well. Trophy's a little bit pricey, and definitely hard to get to as it's on the other side of Puget Sound from Seattle, but if you've got the day to spend and you feel like a treat its definitely worth it.

Played Legion Memorial yesterday (6/1/2024) and had a really nice time. Me and a couple of friends were joined by a very pleasant single, and teed off just a hair behind our 7:15 am tee time. The four of us walked the course in a little over 4 hours, which felt a little bit longer as we were playing behind an rather slow twosome, that couldn't seem to keep up with the foursome in front of them. Conditions were really nice, it rained on us a little bit for the first few holes, but then things dried out and warmed up into a very nice day. Greens are very good, feeling a little slow at the beginning but definitely picking up pace as they dried out. They'll bump here and there, and there are a few too many pitch marks to fix, but not worse than any of the other munis around here. They're not super firm, so shots hold nicely. Fairways and rough are in great shape, giving a good amount of roll and a nice lie to play from. Tee boxes are a bit beat up, we played the whites which definitely see a lot of traffic. I didn't find any bunkers, but my partners hit some really nice shots out of the greenside bunkers so I'd bet they were pretty good. People in the shop and the marshals are all friendly, giving the place a real good vibe. Legion's a great value, and not leaving the rotation any time soon.

Played The Home Course this morning with a couple of friends for the first time this year, and really enjoyed it. Conditions are just as good as I remember, greens are rolling really nicely at a very consistent medium/quick pace. There's a pitch mark to fix here and there, but not nearly as many as most of the places I play. Fairways are awesome, they'll give you plenty of roll and always a good lie to hit from. The rough is in great shape as well, not too long or punishing. If you go way off line, you're in the long grass which is very hit and miss. You could get a good lie, or you might never see that ball again. I found the greenside bunker on #3, and it had a good layer of nice sand, and was well raked. Tee boxes were all flat, and for the most part pretty good. We played the blue/white combo, and you can tell from the wear on those boxes that it is a popular choice. We teed off right on time at 7:36, and I think we got around in right about 4 hours, 3 of us walking behind a couple of foursomes in carts. We waited here and there (nothing worth complaining about) and were never pushed, for a very comfortable pace. Warming up on a really nice grass range is always a treat, plus they've got a nice chipping green with a practice bunker, and two excellent practice putting greens that rolled just like the ones out on the course. Customer service everywhere (pro shop, restaurant, marshals) was excellent as well. You just can't go wrong with this place.

Walked on as a single this morning at Bellevue, and got paired up with a couple of decent guys. Another single caught us and joined up on #5. Conditions here are pretty good right now, although the greens are a tad slow. They were punched a couple of weeks ago and are still a bit bumpy. In another week or two they should be much better as they do look relatively healthy. Fairways are pretty good, offering nice lies to hit from and a decent amount of roll out. The rough is healthy as well, and not very punishing. I didn't find any bunkers today, but they looked good and played really well the last time I was here. Some of the tee boxes are pretty bad, but that's just how it is here as they don't get enough sunlight with all of the trees. Pace was really good, we finished in just under 4 hours, never waiting and never pushed. Service in the pro shop and restaurant excellent as always here. All in all an excellent Sunday morning.

Played the final round of my Florida holiday trip this morning at the Biltmore, a course I've played a few times where I've always enjoyed myself. Today was really good, I was grouped with 3 members, a nice couple and single, with all 4 of us walking in about 4:15. We teed off right on time at just after 9:00. Conditions were very solid, the greens had been watered and sanded but I thought they rolled pretty well at a medium pace. I did have trouble with them as they dried out and the grain really seemed to start taking effect as the round went on. Fairways were in great shape, offering lots of roll and a really nice surface to hit off of. Rough wasn't too much longer, and you could find some bare areas if you strayed very far off line. I found a couple of bunkers, and they were very nice to play from with a decent layer of fine sand over a firm base. Tee boxes were decent for the most part, a few are a little bit chewed up but it was never hard to find a decent spot. Wind was up about 2 clubs worth, so there was plenty of challenge today.

I always enjoy this course, it was designed by Donald Ross back in the 1920's, and I think the layout is just awesome. Its a great walk, with houses only around the outer edges of the property. There also aren't very many holes that run parallel to each other, it really took a great deal of imagination to come up with this routing. The rack rate for the visitors from out of town is very steep though, so I must say I'm not sure the value is there. I had great time today, but I think if I lived in the neighborhood I'd be saving this one for special occasions.

Round 2 of my Florida swing happened at Osprey Point this morning, where I played the Hawk/Falcon combo, teeing off just a few minutes ahead of my 7:28 tee time and getting around in just about 4 hours, walking with 3 locals. This was another course I'd been looking forward to trying, and it did not disappoint.

Greens looked terrible, but actually rolled really well at a solid medium/quick pace. If people did a better job repairing ball marks, it would go a long way to making them look a bit better. I was quite surprised at how rarely I saw my ball bounce. They are definitely a bit on the firm side, playing for a little release worked really well for me. Fairways were nearly perfect, with tee shots rolling out nicely and always giving a good lie in the short grass. Rough wasn't too long, but long enough to make me work a little bit when I found it. Tee boxes were very nice, always level and clean. One of my partners did say that the bunkers are the weak spot of the course, being inconsistent. I was lucky enough to not find any of them today so I can't speak from experience. The range was closed early in the morning, so while I didn't get to hit any balls ahead of the round I did take advantage of their short game area, which is very nice. The huge practice putting green is also excellent, speed there seemed to me to match the course's greens very well.

I could tell I was in the right place when I arrived at the starter's desk and he commented how jealous he was of me being able to walk and carry my bag. I know walking's my quirk, but it felt so nice to be part of walking foursome, on a course that's laid out really well for it. The course has a great mix of short, medium, and long 4s, good variety of 3s, and a couple of 5s that are reachable if you're hitting it long and straight. I'm playing 4 times on this trip, and while I had 3 courses in mind I wasn't sure where the 4th round would be. Immediately after the round I went ahead and got another tee time here, I had such a good time I've got to do it again.

Spending the holidays in the Miami area with family, and played my first round of the trip this morning at Miami Lakes (formerly known as Shula's). I really wanted to like this course, but I just didn't have as much fun as I'd hoped I would. The course itself is pretty good, but I found the customer service just not quite up to it.

The greens here are really nice, they had a few poorly repaired pitch marks but in general rolled really well, at a medium/fast pace. Most of them are a bit elevated, making for some interesting shots around them. Nothing unfair, but nothing really easy either. Fairways were pretty good, and rough not too much higher making it not much of a penalty. Tee boxes were very beat up, and bunkers not maintained very well at all. The design is pretty interesting, the front nine is pretty straightforward with a few dog legs here and there, while the back nine has water all over the place, in play on almost every hole. Wind was up, varying between 1 or 2 club's worth which made for several really tough shots.

As I'm writing this review, I almost want to play it again because there's just so much potential here. But I just don't think I can. I'd called on the phone a few days ago to book the tee time, and confirm that I could walk (which is allowed all day during the week, according to their website). When I arrived, my tee time apparently hadn't actually been booked. The woman in the pro shop was able to fit me in and verify that I could walk, I just had to wait about an extra 30 minutes. I went over to the range to hit balls, and hit a small bucket off of what was one of the worst mats I've ever had to use. I noticed later that they would have let me use the grass area, but honestly that didn't look very good either. I went back to the putting green (which was very nice) and worked on that and a little bit of chipping as well.

About 10 minutes before my time, I walked over to the 1st tee to check in with the starter, and I arrived there before the 3 some I was grouped with. The starter then essentially demanded I go out in front of them since I was walking, implying that I'd be holding up play and he had a bunch of leagues going out behind me. I wanted to argue the point, but I decided to let it go. I was a bit bummed as I'd never played here, and kind of wanted some company to help watch shots with the low morning sun, get a little local knowledge, etc. I stewed about it as I played the front 9 as slow as I could in order to not push the 4 in front of me, and found myself getting over it by the time I made the turn. As I made the turn, I wanted to go into the pro shop and grab a beverage to carry for the back 9, but there was about 6 guys waiting in line to check in, and only the 1 woman at the counter to take care of them. Restaurant was closed, so I gave up on that and walked over to the 10th tee to find a new threesome there teeing off in front of me. I played behind them for a few holes, waiting on every shot, and getting pushed by a group behind me as well. Thankfully they let me through on #14, and I finished the round at a normal pace. If things were being run at the start a bit better, and I could actually book a tee time, I'd go back. But I'm not so sure I'll take the chance, knowing there's a bunch of other really nice places to play around here.

I'm on vacation with the family in Ventura this week, and I got out to play Olivas Links twice, teeing off right on time at 7:20 Tuesday the 23rd and 7:10 Thursday the 25th. The first round I walked with 3 other singles, 1 walking and 2 riding and for the second round I walked with 1 other walking single. Pace was great both days, finishing in just under 4 hours.

Conditions here are really nice, greens are a bit soft but roll pretty well. I was expecting a few more bumps then I got, as many of them don't look very good with all of the old pitch marks that they have. I did find myself fixing 2 or 3 extras on most greens. Pace was medium, although downhill putts ran out a bit more than I expected. They're soft enough to hold most shots very well. Fairways are awesome, every time I was on short grass I had a perfect lie to hit from. There were a few spots that looked very sketchy, but they never came in to play for me, and most of them were actually marked as ground under repair (I never see that in the northwest). Rough isn't too long and not very punishing, but if you get really wild and end up in the native areas you might get a great lie, or lose a ball. Tee boxes were a bit uneven here and there, but not bad at all. Markers had been moved away from the worst of the divots as well. Over the 2 rounds I only found 1 bunker (greenside #3) and it was a bit thin but not too bad.

Customer service was excellent in the shop both days, as well as from the beverage cart on Tuesday (I didn't see the cart out on Thursday). Range is off of mats, and the ones I used were in good shape. They've got a really nice chipping green here, as well as a very good putting green to warm up on as well. Both of these greens felt like a pretty accurate reflection of what you got out on the course. Tuesday is their maintenance day, so play was starting from #10. I thought that would feel weird, but it didn't really bother me at all. The 18th hole here is a much better finisher than the 9th, but it actually felt relaxing to get some of the tougher holes after the turn out of the way early.

There's a lot to like about Ventura county and I'm so happy I got down here for this vacation. This course especially makes me wish I lived down here, if I did I would be playing here all of the time.

Played Legion Memorial this morning for the first time in a very long time, and enjoyed the round quite a bit. A couple of friends and I walked the blue tees, teeing off right on time at 6:30 am and finishing in about 3:50 for an excellent pace. We did wait here and there, and I felt pushed just a tiny bit here and there, but all in all pace really was close to perfect.

Conditions were pretty good for a muni, greens were a little bit slow, and bumped a bit here and there. They certainly looked terrible, as they were a ton of unrepaired or poorly repaired pitch marks on most greens. They held most any shot quite well, my partners and I rarely got huge bounces on shots into these greens. Fairways and rough were very nice to play from, with the heat they're definitely watering a lot to keep the place green so there are a few wet spots but nothing very extreme. I didn't find any bunkers, but one of my partners did find a few and he was able to hit some really nice shots out of them, so I'd bet they were pretty good. Tee boxes here are quite a bit better then a lot of the places I normally play. Customer service was very efficient in the shop, and a marshal was out checking in on the pace as we got near the turn. The restaurant wasn't open for anything at the turn, so if you're playing here early in morning on a weekday I'd recommend coming prepared.

I'm a little bit conflicted about this place, I was a member of their mens club for several years, and I have some great memories playing here. They've done a pretty significant redesign, and I can't quite make up my mind whether or not I like it. The nines have been flipped, and the old #10 is now #1, which works really well. But, #2 (which used to be #11) is a really tough par 4, and I thought it was much better to have that hole in the middle of the round, once you've had a chance to really get into your day, especially since there's no driving range here. The current #9 was an awesome finishing hole, I feel like having it in the middle of the round just isn't quite right, and the old #9 is just gone, and I really liked that hole. It was just a short par 3, but it had an awesome greenside bunker and they could put some tough pins on it. They're using its green as a practice chipping green, which is nice, but I'd really rather be trying to hit an 8 iron into it, at a tucked pin behind that bunker. With the current conditions and decent price, I think I'm going to have to try and give this configuration another look or two this summer as it really was nice to check the place out again.

Walked the blue tees at Coyote Creek this morning with a friend, and enjoyed the round quite a bit. We played as a two between 2 other twosomes, and we were probably the first few groups out so pace was excellent, just about 3:25 to play 18. The couple in front of us were in a cart and must have been playing polo, we didn't see them after they walked off of the 1st green and the group behind played right about at our pace, they were almost always there but not pushing us. Conditions were pretty good all the way around, with the exception being that they were putting an insane amount of water on the course it seemed. I can see them wanting to protect the place as its really hot for us up here today, and only going to get worse for the rest of the week. But, it was a bit weird to have your ball get some incredibly hard, huge bounces in some spots, and then almost plug with your next shot. My 90 yard wedge into #2 landed on the front 3rd of the green with a visible splash.

Greens did roll pretty smooth, and on the quick side. With all the water they were definitely holding shots very well. Fairways and rough were good, just a bit inconsistent with regard to water. Tee boxes seemed a bit better than normal here, although the par 3s had a lot of divot damage. I didn't find any bunkers so I can't comment on their condition. Friendly service in the shop and at the turn as always. For the member rate of $39 to walk on a beautiful warm day it was definitely worth it.

This is a rather late review, I played Bellevue both days last weekend (7/16/22 and 7/17/22) in a couple of different Mens Club events. Course is in pretty good shape, with the weather finally getting dry and warm the course is playing firm. Greens run at a medium pace, and are a tad bumpy. They hold shots pretty well. Fairways and rough are decent, bunkers very nice and tee boxes can leave a little to be desired. I played pretty early both days so pace was fine, and customer service is always good here.