Joined the SCGA at a delayed outing at The Saticoy Club Monday March 27th. Enormously disappointed to arrive and find the wind was howling, consistent 15-20 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Given I had driven 70 miles to play and had developed a head cold, I wasn't happy.

However, the sun was out and what a golf course. This is one I would definitely love to play regularly. Course just seems to flow with the land and I found it to be tough but fair. As one would expect from a Private course, conditions were very good across the board. Tee boxes were flat with good grass everywhere and it was very easy to find a spot to tee it up. Fairways were excellent, still had some roll and lies were very nice. Rough could be be very thick in spots, lost ball on first hole with a tee shot that wasn't that bad. Was concerned that it was going to a long day of looking for balls, but that was the only one I lost. Greens were very nice, not overly fast unless you were above the hole. Bunkers were a mixed bag, some had white fluffy sand, but a few were still recovering from all the rain. I felt the bunkering here was awesome with the higher grass around the bunkers adding to the aesthetic.

Playing as a three-some with Todd Jonland and MD Rich we had a great time. Pace was slow as usual and it took us about 5 hours 15 minutes. I will do everything I can to get on again at Saticoy, just love the layout, conditions, and the environment.

Highly Recommended.

Was able to snag early morning times at SF the last 2 weeks, so figured I should update GK on the conditions. They will allow singles to make tee times, but you must call and cannot book online. Played Tuesday Feb. 7 and Monday Feb. 13th. Both times tee'd off before my scheduled times of 7:20am and 7:00am, respectively. Pace of play was good at 4:13 the first round with no one in front or behind of us. Our 3-some were having our challenges causing the somewhat slow time. Monday round done in 3:40 playing as a 4-some, love that.

Conditions for both rounds were generally good. Tee boxes level and no problem finding a good spot to hit from. They place the tee markers fairly wide here on most holes giving you plenty of space to find a good spot. Fairways appear to be dormant Bermuda, providing lots of rollout and nice lies to hit from. Rough not very thick and won't prevent a poor shot from rolling into the ESA around many holes. Bunkers excellent with lots of fluffy white sand. Greens fairly hard with some ball marks, fairly smooth with consistent medium speed. Generally hold wedges well, longer irons will rollout a bit. Second round greens seemed less marked up.

Front 9 layout is okay, but you can find trouble fairly easily. I rate the back 9 just below spectacular with the reservoir just about full after all the recent rains. All houses are well back from the course and pretty much out of sight.

At $125 for a weekday it is a little pricey (welcome to the OC). Second round got a Senior discount paying $90 and $6 for about 25 range balls. A little better deal, but $6 for below average range balls is a bit annoying.

It is now in my rota of courses and I recommend if you don't mind overpaying a bit.

Participated in the Golf Moose event on Monday December 19th. Joined Scott, Chris, and a fourth gentleman whose name fails me at the moment. My apologies. Really conflicted on this review as I appreciate the work Johnny does at Golf Moose and GK. Price was only $59 and I should have lowered my expectations at that price point. That said, it was a beautiful day playing golf with some good dudes.

The layout is interesting and it would help to play it a few times. Conditions were fine with the greens being the highlight. Tee boxes were generally very thin, occasionally just dirt. Fairways were generally thin dormant Bermuda, acceptable to hit from and giving good roll-out. Rough was pretty uneven but rarely very penal. Bunkers were a mixed bag, some good, some fair. As I mentioned greens were the highlight and if you were above the hole - forget it (very slick).

The organization of the event by the Club was very poor. Clubhouse closed, only restroom available was by driving range until you got on course. They didn't have enough carts forcing some players to walk. Huge respect to Johnny GK for taking one for the team and walking. Ran out of range balls long before it was time to mount up.

For $59 I feel I got reasonable value, but throwing in close to 2.5 hours of driving and I wouldn't bother playing here again unless it was free. If I did live close by at $59 I would do it again.

Big thanks to Johnny GK for his work on these outings!

Joined the Golf Moose outing at Spanish Hills on 11/28. Been about 25 years since I last played here and all I could remember was how difficult the course was. Paired up with Husband and Wife, Kathy & Bill, and Todd Jonland (sorry if I got the last name wrong). Three great folks to enjoy a day on the links.

Arrived early to make sure I had time to warm-up, but small range (mats) and putting green were not ideal for a large shotgun. That said, I did have have time to hit enough balls to get loose and get a feel for the greens. Turns out the greens were definitely the highlight of the day, very smooth and quite fast.

We went off a few minutes after 11am and started on Hole 1 a severely downhill par 4 that I promptly birdied. Should have quit at that point, but I am a glutton for punishment. Conditions were generally good, which I would expect for a private club. Tee boxes were generally flat, but had some divot damage, fairways were dormant Bermuda - not gorgeous, but good to hit from. Rough wasn't much of an issue either positively or negatively. Bunkers were in nice shape for the most part, I think one bunker was a little low on sand. As I mentioned previously the greens were excellent, quick, but receptive to shots. I believe they were Bent Grass, which is a rarity in SoCal.

As usual in these events, the pace was abysmal at just under 5 hours. I have come to expect that and since I paid $79 to play an excellent layout with good conditions it was not an issue for me. My thanks to my playing partners for making a long day enjoyable. I will definitely play here again when I get the chance. Recommended!

Big shout out to Johnny GK for the work he does on this events. Bravo Sir!

Joined the Golf Moose group on Monday out at Dove Canyon. Outing was well run and we started on time. I have learned that these outings that are well attended have miserable pace of play and this fell into that category. Round was about 5 hours and with the warmer temperatures it made for a long afternoon.

Conditions were okay, but far from pristine in my opinion. Tee boxes generally acceptable with some divot damage and mostly level. Fairways were very nice to hit from with decent roll-out. Greens were medium fast in my opinion, but I was disappointed in the large number of poorly or unrepaired ball marks. If I was a Member here I would be irate that folks can't do a better job repairing their ball marks. Bunkers with excellent with lots of fluffy sand.

I really enjoy the layout of Dove - LOTS of elevation changes and only a couple of holes felt funky. For a private course I was not wowed by the condition of the course, but maybe that is due to lack of water and summertime heat.

Definitely recommended, just would like to play it at a normal pace.

Ventured out to Cross Creek this Monday August 1 with a 7:40am tee time. Arrived early as I wanted to warm-up, but there was no staff around (which was a theme throughout the day). After a few minutes someone arrived and I got setup with a cart. Guy mentioned a starter would get me when it was time to tee off. Never saw any starter and people seemed to be going to the first tee randomly. Went to first tee around 10 minutes early and noticed 2 gentlemen teeing off, asked them their time and it was 7:20, so I decided to wait. They were clearly struggling so I hung back a little. They continued to struggle and on the 3rd tee a Father/Son two-some caught up to me and I had them join me. Two nice guys and we had an enjoyable round finishing in 3 hours 50 minutes.

Conditions were generally good across the board, but the greens were soft and slow, which was understandable given the warm summers in Temecula. It had been years since I played here so very little recollection of the course. I really enjoyed the layout, but it does have some quirks that could be more easily managed if you played the course frequently. The two-some in front of us ultimately sped up and we did not wait on them the rest of the round. So that was a big positive. Great views of the local vineyards and there are houses near the course.

Tee boxes generally level, some divot issues and unevenness, but never had trouble finding a reasonable spot to tee from. Fairways generally good to hit from with decent rollout. Rough was a bit hit or miss, but would stop a ball from rolling into an unplayable area. Greens were generally smooth, consistent, soft, but quite slow. Bunkers were in excellent shape with lots of sand.

Even though this was a long drive for me and there was almost no service (or cell service), I enjoyed the round and at $68 I felt it was a bargain. Highly recommended.

A little late with this review, but joined the GKers at San Vicente Golf Resort. Very interesting location in a part of SoCal that I had never visited and I have lived here my entire life. Missed out on the pregame, but that is my fault for not checking my email. Doh! Given that we didn't pay for range balls I was fine with a low quality range. Honestly, this is not a destination resort in my opinion, but the food was good, the place was clean, and the golf was well above adequate.

From my prior reviews you know pace of play is of critical importance to me. We were in the 3rd GK group and the round was almost 5 hours and we were the slow group. I will leave it at that to protect the guilty. Very frustrating.

Conditions across the board were acceptable with the greens and bunkers being very high quality. I personally like the layout, lots of elevation changes, lots of trees (which provided much needed shade), no 2 holes alike, and enough challenge to keep things interesting. Tees were a little beat up, but was always able to find a good spot to hit from. Fairways were very nice to hit from and gave decent roll-out. Rough was not overly penal, but was a little patchy. As mentioned previously greens and bunkers were excellent with consistent speeds throughout.

I would like to play the course again, but need to combine it with a couple other courses in the area as the 2-hour drive from the South Bay each way to play a 5-hour round did not leave a good taste in my mouth.

As a side note I stayed at the on-site hotel. Definitely nothing fancy, but clean, quiet, and a large room fit the bill.

Recommended.

Hello, out Friday June 24th for a round at Coyote Hills with a 7:10am tee time joining 3 other individuals that play frequently at Coyote Hills. I will preface my review by saying that this is not one of my favorite courses as I find the front 9 very claustrophobic. The back 9 has grown on me as I have played here more often recently.

Called to the tee before our time and tee'd off a few minutes early. My playing partners should give a clinic on playing ready golf. I struggled at first as I found the start at Coyote very challenging and I was having difficulties keeping up with my partners. Courses conditions were acceptable but for $119 on a Friday, they should be more than acceptable in my opinion. Tee boxes had good coverage and were generally level with a few thin spots, fairways were very nice and provided good roll-out, bunkers actually had sand and were good to hit from, greens were very soft with large divots made when hitting anything remotely high, as a result there were a fair amount of ball marks. Green speeds were not overly fast, but seemed consistent throughout the round.

As I mentioned previously, my partners were ready golfers and we finished the front nine in less than 2 hours. Caught up to folks on the back and did more waiting, but still finished 18 in a little over 4 hours. Pace of play is a big issue with me and these folks showed how it is possible to play quickly without rushing. In fact, the older gentlemen took a lot of practice swings. However, there was no idle chit-chat between holes, if you were ready you hit regardless if you were away or not (and there was no danger to your playing partners). The woman (so sorry, never really got her name) was a Ready Golf Champion, frequently walking ahead to hit her ball but not interfering with anyone. If she was ready to putt, she putted. My hat is off to you folks and I told them so after the round. Well done and thank you.

I recommend Coyote Hills, I just wish the conditions were a little better for the amount paid or for the conditions the rate was a little more reasonable. Go play!

Played El Do Tuesday morning with a 6:30am tee time. Arrived to find out range is closed until 11am on Tuesday's, then opens to use on the grass. El Do is installing Trackman, so I am interested to see how that works. Actually tee'd off a little before 6:30am and was paired up with 3 really nice singles.

I have a love/hate relationship with El Do, love the challenge of the layout but it continually eats my lunch. Honestly feel the course is far more difficult than its rating/slope. Tight fairways that sometimes force you to work your ball even from the fairway to have a go at the green, lush kikuyu rough and fairways (that limit roll) that cause the course to play much longer than advertised.

Conditions here are far better than nearby Skylinks and lots of maintenance was underway. Tee boxes generally flat with some divot damage, fairways great to hit from, rough spotty, but could be very punishing, greens while bumpy had limited ball mark damage, bunkers were the weak spot with very limited sand (like every course in SoCal.)

Pace was a real positive, tee'd off early and finished right on 4 hours. Rarely saw the groups behind or in front of us. Even though my play was not satisfactory, it was a fun round.

Recommended. El Do one of these days I am going to get you!

Played Skylinks earlier today, June 6 with a 7am tee time. Actually got out early and finished in under 4 hours. We did wait on some shots, so credit the gents I played with for the appropriate pace of play. Sadly, that is where the good news ends.

Range had new mats (yea), but range balls are getting very worn. Out to the course: Tee boxes were severely chewed up and greens had recently been sanded making them very slow. They were also very hard. Lots of bare spots in the rough and the bunkers I was in had no sand. Fairways were generally in pretty good condition.

We did see a lot of maintenance being done so hopefully conditions will improve. I play here regularly but it might be time for a break given current conditions.

Played Rio Secco on Friday June 3rd with a 7:30 tee time. Part of the Double Down package with Cascata, $599 to play both courses. Tee'd off right on time with another single, playing the white tees. I did notice that the front nine was much shorter than the back nine and that figured significantly in my enjoyment.

While not as spectacular as Cascata, Rio Secco is pretty darn nice and I probably enjoyed the layout a little more than Cascata. Elevation changes weren't quite so severe and I just found it a little more forgiving. Conditions were almost as nice with smooth greens, great fairways, level tee boxes, and sand in the bunkers (yahoo). I will play here again.

My only complaints are the pace of play and the difference in difficulty between the 2 nines. To take over 4 and a 1/2 hours as a 2-some is painful. We played thru one 2-some that didn't belong on the course and then caught a 4-some that had no clue about golf etiquette continually parking a cart in front of the green.

Played the white tees, which were about 3,000 yards on the front 9 and 3,400 on the back 9. Furthermore, it seemed the back 9 had many holes playing into that day's wind. When I play again, I would play the white tees on the front 9 and move up to the gold tees on the back 9.

Highly recommended!

Ventured out to LV to tick this one off the bucket list. Interesting location, seemingly not near much of anything. Booked the Double Down which includes Cascata and Rio Secco for $599, ouch! I read the prior reviews for Cascata and had an idea of what to expect. It really is over-the-top and well run experience. Course was obviously in good shape and it is an impressive layout with lots of elevation changes and the fore-caddie is enormously helpful. For the money I paid, I felt conditions were acceptable but not pristine. I remember one green had some spots without grass, but it did not affect play. Fairways were like carpet, tee boxes were good, and bunkers actually had sand (what a pleasure). So much undulation in the greens kind of hard to say there were fast, but if you were putting towards the valley, they were speedy. Greens were very true with little ball mark damage.

Pace of play was 4 and 1/2 hours, but we weren't waiting and no one was waiting on us. There are some long drives between holes.

Is it worth it? The regular rate is $549 and in my mind it is over-priced. Add in Rio Secco for only $50 more and it is a lot less painful. I will say I put less value on amenities and the forecaddie than someone else might. Also, with a four-some and only 1 caddie he was sometimes challenged to help us all. Not his fault in my opinion. Glad I did it (a 40 on the back nine helps), but not sure there will be a second time.

More on Rio Secco in that review.