I played Harding Sat 4/19. Good news bad news, the course isn't in good condition, very dry though out. BUT the greens are being punched 4/22-23. Hopefully with less play, things can recover. I like Harding for an LA City muni, but not so much as it's sister course Wilson.

I didn't use the range, I've heard it was upgraded. Smallish short game area (supporting 2 courses.) Plenty of putting areas.

Check in (they did ask for my DL before allowing others to check in) is easy in the pro shop. The restaurant that took years to get a facelift is open & seems to be flourishing! The snack shack in the middle of the course that serves both courses from various holes is open too.

Tee boxes; bad. Uneven, hard, dry, with spotty grass. Probably the same for past 40 years with the exception of hard & dry.

Fairways; Some were decent, many had small patches of dirt, with gopher hole damage rampant. Many had been filled in/repaired with dirt, but poorly done. Spring Gopher season?
"Gophers- the little brown, furry rodents!" Yup, need Carl out there...

Rough is anything from shin high weeds to bunchy weeds & dirt patches, all with Gopher holes. So dry it's easy to hit out of.

Collar areas mostly good.

Bunkers ok, at least consistent hardpan with a few inches of sand on top. Oh well, they are meant to be difficult.

Greens beat up, some bumpy, others not bad. All have plenty of unrepaired ball marks. More than anyplace I've played. Speed was medium, but a couple were furry & slower. Punching this week is needed.

The previous review mentioned the big missing tree right side of 16 or 17 & was spot on about it. Short par 4 was like a slight dogleg because one had to hit a fade around the big tree. Draw/hookers were in trouble. I'm one of them, many times I missed into the trees left. Now it is just a short wide open hole. One of my buddies had a 30 yard pitch to set up his birdie & I had an 80 yarder to set me up for my only birdie. With the flag in the front or middle the hole is just too easy. Bummer!

POP; 4:30. Not bad for a sat. 8*30 start time.

Nice carts with GPS & BT Speakers.

Overall, not in recommendable condition, but better than nothing & hopefully after the greens being punched they will get the rest of the course in better condition.

Played Balboa this past Sat, 8*40 tee off (On time.) POP was 4*25, could be better, but not bad for a Sat. Balboa is part of the LA City muni's. Large tree lined course, no water hazards.
Big Range (Mats) & short game area.
Decent carts with GPS & Speakers.

Tee boxes ok.
Fairways; filled it nicely with a mix of grasses, better than I recall here in a long time.
Rough; mixed bag of grass, weeds & broken branches. Near the fairway ok, got worse further astray.
Collars around greens shaved tight, good coverage.
Greens; Med speed, good coverage. Soft enough to stick & spin.
Bunkers; fairway are mostly hard pan. Greenside decent, a few were being worked on.
They don't have bev cart service out here. They had a beautiful girl selling snacks & beer/soft drinks at the location in the middle of the course where the cart paths cross (the old Snack bar area), it may be 7th hole on front & 14th or 15th on back. But, she doesn't open until 11am. I believe the restaurant that serves both courses is open for breakfast & lunch. I didn't go in.

Overall the course is very playable, & fun, although not a tough challenge. I would recommend. The City res system now charges the city card holder $10 at time of reservation. No shows lose the $10 PER MAN. At check in, they charged I believe $57 (Green & cart fee.) But, it was really $67 with the $10 they had already charged. A bit confusing, but we'll get used to it.
FYI; The LA City courses all are on the Noteefy app. I haven't used it yet, I'm hopeful it will work.

I played The Dam Sat 2/1. Growing up, in the SFV, I've probably played this course more than any. Been a while though. Overall, especially after the winds, I was happily surprised that it was in good muni shape.
The Restaurant is open at 8*30, so early tee times bring your own... Newer carts with nice GPS & Bluetooth speakers also slow carts to a crawl near the clubhouse-Boooo. No cart service, but you pass the restaurant at the turn. Range is large, good for warm up, plenty of short game space.
Tee boxes- not great, but adequate.
Fairways- Decent coverage, dormant-semi dormant mix of grasses.
Rough- Some areas thicker than others, mostly dormant so not very penal.
Greens- Most are large. Lots of ball marks, but good muni condition. Running medium speed.
Bunkers- Pretty good shape.
Collars- some chewed up, most decent.
The Lake near the 16th fairway has been empty (cement bottom) for a long time, ugly!
POP- 4:20 teeing off at 8*20. Just right here.

I recommend this LA City course, not a CC by any means, but a fun muni!

Played Friday 8/9. This 1st timer loved it. Beginning to end like a CC experience. Check in easy. We used a new up to 120 day advance booking system. It ran an extra $10, but worth it for a guaranteed Fri morning summertime tee time in N SD County ($120). About twice the rate of Oceanside or Marine courses nearby. IMHO worth it for the awesome conditions.

Range; has track man avail, otherwise average. Carts; comfy with GPS. On time (9:30) start.
POP; 4:20.

Tee boxes; flat & well manicured. Kind of a high cut of grass.

Fairways; Beautiful, lush plenty of run out. Some tight with others more wide open.

Rough; Well manicured also. 2-3" some maybe little higher. Not killer, but a bit penal.
Some "native areas" mostly red staked, canyon & scrub not conducive to finding a wayward shot. Signs warning of Rattlers. Beware.

Greens; awesome other than some ball marks. Rolled med. Looked like faster than they were.

Collar areas; really nice, a little too thick to putt off, but easy to pick a chip.

Bunkers; Some deep greenside, great sand. Little harder fairway bunks, but enough sand to pick it clean.

Restaurant was closed after the round for a memorial service. Since my buddy hit a wedge 30 yards over the 9th into the patio area it was probably best we couldn't go in...
Snack shack near range, 1st & 10th tees was fully stocked bar, snacks & Gatorade ect. Cart girl was around twice.

I will be back & of course recommend.

Played the Dam last Sat 5/4, 8:20 start. I've been playing Hansen for 30+ years & it's in pretty good condition now (as are most courses after the rainy winter.) For those that haven't played it, there is a range, hitting down into a valley/dip from mats. Good for warm up, not so for dialing yardage in on clubs. They have decent putting & chipping areas. Restaurant opens at 8*am on weekends. I didn't go in this time. They have full bar, NO BEV CART on course. After 9th you do pass the restaurant. On to course conditions;

Tee boxes are fair, usually a flat area can be found with good grass coverage.

Fairways are in great muni condition, as good as they get. A pleasure to hit from.

Greens are ok. They were punched a month ago & haven't healed as well as most would. Hansen Dam has always had an issue with the Greens healing slowly. No idea why. Still cleaning sand off balls, but the ball rolled ok, if you hit it. Speed SLOW.

Collar areas are shaved back from the greens up to 10 yards giving the option to putt from off the green if desired. Near perfect condition.

The Rough is mostly good, can get into some weedy bunch grass in some areas, but mostly 3-4" cut, penal but not killer.

POP was 4H 35. Slow front, picked up nicely on the back. No Marshalls at LA City course.
Starter was friendly, they do require ID now (fallout from Bot Res disaster?)
Carts are near new. They have GPS & Bluetooth speakers. Comfy seats.

Overall I recommend. I'll be back in a few weeks before the real heat of summer. Enjoy it.

Played Griffith Harding on Sat 4/6, 8*30 tee time. No wind, cool early but a beautiful day for Golf! With respect to the recent tee time uproar, I got my tee time as always by being on the computer at 5*59am 9 days before. I don't know if the "Bot Brokers" got scared off or I got lucky... They did ask for my ID at check in.
Tee Boxes; good coverage, large enough to find a flat spot, many could use some leveling.
Fairways; Really, really good!. Maybe as good as I ever recall here. Thank you rain.
Rough, also great shape, many areas have a 5+ yard 2nd cut. The real rough could be few inches or 4-5" with clover.
Greens med-Fast, very nice condition. Bummer aeration in a couple weeks.
Collars & surrounding areas also good shape.
POP; 4:45. Seems like a long day, but it wasn't awful at all. My 1st time out in 10 months after a shoulder injury, so maybe it was gonna be good no matter the POP!
The Restaurant is back open, a big plus. Good food, not cheap, but not crazy either. They did a nice job on the remodel with a big bar & better tables/chairs. No bev cart on course. Pass a snack shack in the middle of the course a couple times.
I recommend. Look out for aeration!
PS weekend early rates (before 9am) are $69 with cart. And the old route up the hill from the Forest Lawn exit of the 134 is closed. Have to drive in by the Zoo.

Played on Sat 4/15, tee 8*00am. Beautiful day for Golf. Breeze started off shore turned on shore at least 2 clubs by 18 (kinda the norm.)
Large range (Mats). Nice chipping area & putting areas, 1 near each of the courses 1st tees. Tee Boxes; Are large enough to usually find a flat spot.
Fairways; I am very surprised that the fairways are dry, more like mid summer. Always thinner lies on this course even with good grass coverage.
Rough: Ranged from usual slightly higher than fairway to ridiculous 8+" high huge patches of clover that ate balls up. Some areas had weeds (in back of hole 11 green) 2' deep. C'mon, it hasn't rained in 2 weeks!
Greens; punched about 10 days ago are healing nicely. Greens are slow, otherwise aeration not an issue.
Collar areas most cut short & good. Bunkers decent.
Cart girl came by 2x. Good friendly service everywhere. 4:30 POP.

Although not in top condition, it's still a go. Greens should be Prime in a couple weeks.

Played Vineyard on Sat. Less than 2 weeks since the aeration. Perfect weather as usual, cool breeze off the Ocean!
The good news is that #13 is back to a Par 5 (it was a par 3 since at least June thru August.)

The Greens are recovering really well, with the exception of #6. The collar had quite a bit of diseased looking thin & bare spots. Some on the green too. Looks like it was punched with bigger holes. Other collar areas on the course are cut short & are in good condition.

The Fairways are mostly good. Some dryer spots, but still grass under the ball. The rough is thin, not tough at all unless your unlucky behind a big weed. Bunkers are a mix of decent sand & hard/rocky. They need some attention. For those that haven't played here, pretty wide open, but lots of water especially last 4 holes. Signature 18th Par 3 Island hole always into a stiff breeze...

The pace of play was just over 4 hrs (9*30 tee off), not bad for a Sat. Saw the drink cart at least once. You also drive by the Grill after the 13th. Grill is really good with full bar. Staff is efficient.

Overall one of my fav's to play. #13 as a par 3 really hurt, but back to Par 5, is a great risk reward hole. Showing some signs of a long summer, but still a good value. I'll be back.

Played Olivas on Friday 8/5. 8:30 tee time, last group of a small tourney. We started at least 20 mins behind. Which means with 10 minute tee times, they snuck 2-3 groups out before our tourney. It showed with a backed up 2*45 min front 9. No grill or bar area here. They sell drinks in the golf shop/trailer. Drink cart is out & about.
Olivas has a nice grass range & short game/sand area.
Tee boxes are large & flat...BUT, with a huge range of tee placements available, they placed many in sanded areas. I guess who ever did it isn't a Golfer.

Fairways are beautiful, like carpet. The few small bare spots were GUR clearly marked. The best I've played on a muni course. A couple buddies compared them to Palm Springs area fairways, a huge compliment.
Rough is med short & gets spotty further from the fairway. Quite a bit of "Nature area", no carts but you can hit from it if you can find it. Again really well done.
Greens med fast, again, really nice. Collars are mowed short, allowing bump & run or putting from off the green. Great condition.
Bunkers, I was in one, adequate sand. All I saw were groomed nicely.

POP; as I said earlier was very slow. We finished in about 5:15.

Other than pace, a perfect day. Breeze off the Pacific always great. Course wonderful condition.
I wish I could get good tee times more often here! Highly recommend.

Played RR Lakes today Thur 7/28, 8*00am. As always, the weather was beautiful!
The course has greened up, much more watering being done & it looks great.

The Tee boxes are huge, one can always find a decent spot to hit from.
The Fairways are really nice, a bit wet here & there.
The rough was not terribly penal, unless getting way out in the weeds.
The Greens are very good. To be picky, wish they were faster.
Collars mowed really short. Putting from 10-15' off the green very possible.

The drink cart came by a few times. The crew at check in are always good.

Carts are nothing special, no GPS.

Huge grass driving range & nice short game area.

Grill is very good, basic stuff done well & reasonably priced.

Overall I recommend. Beat the heat on a course that's in prime condition.

Played Vineyard Wed 6/1, 9*00am start. Buddy & I joined by a single. Perfect weather (usually is here) warm with a cool breeze off the ocean.

The Pro Shop has a sign saying Hole #13 (par 5 running alongside the Hotel & Cowboys practice field) has been reduced to a Par 3 until further notice. They said too many balls in the hotel. I'm thinking lawsuit. I hope they put up nets or something, it was a great risk/reward hole over the lake. The USGA has adjusted the Slope/Rating.

The Tee boxes are huge, so I can always find a level spot.

The Fairways are ok, not lush but typical muni. Coverage is good, but thin. Some fairways on back 9 were brown & being re-sodded in spots. Looks like they needed more water. Rough is not much higher than fairway grass & usually good lie near the the fairway, after that a mixed bag. Not very penal.

Greens are decent, probably 9 on stimp. I wish they were faster, but they want them this way; slower greens= faster play.

Bunkers on the front had lots of new thick fluffy sand. The back was mixed, some with big rocks. But decent.

POP; just over 4 hours.

Recommend. I always come back, interesting course & can't beat the perfect weather.

Played Sterling today, 5/2, 10*45am start. Check in & Starter nice people. I mentioned I'm with the GK website.

Tee boxes were in very good condition.

Fairways were nice, a bit thin, not super lush, but good coverage. Rough not very deep, easy to hit out of. Rough near outskirts of the course gets dicey, mixed long weeds ect, but it's really far out.
Greens were firm. Rolled really nice, med-fast. Collar areas cut very tight, in great shape. Allows for the putter from sometimes 15' off the green if one doesn't trust a wedge.

Bunkers fine, with an inch or 2 of loose sand on top of firmer ground.

POP was around 4 hours. No drink cart on a Monday, don't know about other days. "Free" lunch with green fee. Food fine, although I would prefer $5 off green fee instead.

Overall Sterling is in pretty good shape & I had a good time. I recommend & I'll be back!