Got out today in a foursome in which I was invited to play, with a 10:00 am start. The course conditions overall were pretty nice with the big exception of the punched and sanded greens. Did I know about them because of the GK alerts? Yes, from early in the week. And as soon as I found out, I reached out to my hosts to let them know, suggesting they check with the course and see if they wanted to reconsider. They did call the course and whomever they talked to minimized the extent of the aeration to the point of suggesting "they should be fine by Friday". They were not, they lied and an upscale facility like Industry Hills should do better. When I saw the first green —medium sized, sand-filled holes and a topcoat of sand over the entire surface — I elected not to keep my score for handicap submission. We still had a nice time, but this goes as black mark against their customer service in my book. We might still opt to play if we know the greens will be rough, but give us an honest choice when asked directly. I was not aware of any discount either.

All that aside, with the snow on the mountains and the post-storm clouds, the views were excellent.

Out on Friday, 1/3, as a twosome joined by another and starting at 12:12. Very briefly, I think the conditions here are pretty good and consistent throughout. Good, green coverage everywhere and I don't recall any thin areas through the fairways. Rough is mostly manageable and fairy consistent if you stay out of the wilds, bunkers were in good shape and groomed, and the greens were clean and a good quick speed. My minor issue would be a few of the tee boxes could be a bit closer to level. The major issue on the day was pace. We were approaching 5:00pm and just finishing the 14th hole. With the conga line still ahead of us and the sun gone, we knocked off there because we were close to the clubhouse with no chance to finish more than a couple more holes at best. Attribute it to the holiday surge as I've never had pace like it at this course and it was obviously packed out there. Customer service is friendly and the starter lady works her butt off. The canyon setting is particularly scenic and the conditions are solid. Recommended.

Hit Soule park today 12/19, for the first time in about 30 years. i never played it a lot, but the times I did when I was living in the area gave an appreciation of it as solid and scenic course. The Gil Hanse makeover was something I wanted to check out and I finally got around to it. I was not disappointed. Very nice conditions all around with some Hanse touches, like the extended close-mown areas beyond the official fringes to extend the putting options. Fairways tended to be more open and reasonably forgiving, offset with character to the greens complexes which often had significant contours to consider. Local knowledge helps because being on the correct side of the green or below the hole frequently made a big difference in your chances to score well, but often you couldn't see/gauge that from the fairway. Summarizing: tee boxes fine, fairways nice, rough not very punitive, bunkers in very nice shape, greens also in nice shape, reasonably quick and generally challenging. There is a nice flow to the course and the surrounding hills and mountains create a very attractive and somewhat dramatic setting. Pace was fairly steady, if a touch sluggish. We teed off a little after 12:00 and were the second to last group to finish on 18 with just enough daylight.

I didn't get to try it out, but the clubhouse has been improved and the restaurant there has a good reputation as a place to eat. It has open areas and places to perch with sightline to the course. Basically a cool spot whether a golfer or not. GDR25 has praised the place for its overall value and the quality of the course and I have to concur. I also have to find excuses to get back here more than every 30 years or so.

In Solvang for a few days, teed off @noon on Tuesday, 12/17. A beautiful day to play, I caught the single ahead of me on the 4th hole and we continued together. Per my previous reviews, I don't think this is the most interesting course around – generally flat and fairly straight forward – but the setting is very scenic and the conditions are pretty good all around. Good conditions tee to green with rough more often benign than not. I also found the bunkers well maintained with good sand. The greens were particularly clean and putted well at a reasonably quick speed. Behind some foursomes, the pace was about 4.5 hrs which seemed more sluggish than it needed to be, but it was as good a place as any to spend the extra time taking in views of the surrounding landscape.

An additional note: I took my wife and in-laws down to the course restaurant the previous day for lunch for the first time. Good food and service in a nice setting. There is a patio area outside that is a great setting for dining but it was chilly that day and only indoor dining. I don't know if it is otherwise used this time of year, but a great spot in warmer weather. Breakfast and lunch during the week with early dinners on the weekend. The Christmas decorations were off the hook.

Super short review. Teed off Friday 11/15 from the whites. Course is in nice winter conditions. Some odd dirt or thin stretches mostly in out of the way places, the coverage is mostly good. Hit one bunker and it was OK. Greens were quick side of medium and in good shape. Perfect, invigorating, Cali winter day with spotty clouds, clear, cool air and even a spot of rain. Dug it. Recommended.

Went out Friday 11/8 @1:25 as a single joining another single and twosome. Played the whites. Teeing grounds are not problem here. The fairways, even when the coverage is good, tend to be a riot of various grass colors, patterns and species that can still offer a good hitting surface. Currently it tends towards tight grass areas mixed in with stretches resembling dried river bottom with little matting and the odd dirt stretch. A poster child for muni golf. Despite that, and the fact that I may have moved my ball in the fairway at least once to get some grass under it, most of the time I didn't find it an issue and the lies were playable. But then, I have a shallow swing with little divot. So now you are forewarned, although there is the bonus of some extra rollout if you play here. I have long passed from "easy" to flat out "golf slut", so I was OK with it and enjoyed the round as far as we got. Rough was short and not a factor, and I missed the bunkers so no comment there. Greens were actually in pretty good shape and reasonably quick. The real drawback for me was that the pace was slow — we were on a five hour pace with under 4.5 hrs of light. We managed to get through the 14th before knocking off. I don't get over here often so I can't say I'll be back soon, but would still play it again without much hesitation but also without any illusions. So not necessarily a recommendation, but a nod to golfers like me who are willing to happily play a little dirty.


Epilogue: The others were in carts and departed as I started hoofing back from the 14th in the gloom. Checked my bag and confirmed i had working glow balls, so angled over to the 18th to play my way in what was now complete dark. Making out enough silhouette to know where the middle of the fairway was, a decent driver and two 5-woods left me somewhere in the right rough about 100 yds out, under an overhanging tree. The distance was a pure guess, the green location was suggested by some glare from lights near the clubhouse and the pin was invisible. Fourth shot was a punched five iron that rolled nicely and settled in what seemed like the front of the green, with the hope of being on. The glowing ball was easy to see but I had to get to within about ten feet to even see the red pin — and my ball a foot from the cup. Knocked it in for one of the more unexpected pars I've ever scored. A little thrill/satisfaction as compensation for the holes I didn't get to play.

Got out for a 1:00 Friday start as a twosome plus a twosome all riding and playing the whites. Hadn't been out to MM for a while and really enjoyed it despite my erratic play and a poor score. Teeing grounds were consistently level and in good shape throughout. Fairways had some thin patches and heavy divots scattered about but the predominant conditions were good — green hitting surface, more tight than lush. The rough was generally green, pretty consistent and not overly punitive, but enough to factor in and impact your shot. There are wilder areas to impact or lose your ball if far enough off line. I was in a few bunkers and I found them as good as any I've played in a while. They had a rough textured surface but, barring the odd footprint, actually had a nice give to them. The green surrounds set up well for the short shots and I particularly enjoyed the greens on the day. They were clean with interesting and challenging nuances, but I especially enjoyed the speed. Definitely quick and demanding some touch, they didn't go over the line to stupid/twitchy fast. Really enjoyed them as a fair challenge.

My guess on pace is under 4.5 hrs. We were mostly out of touch with the forward group, only waiting on one par three, and the group behind never caught us, so we were in a comfortable zone/pace. Set on its own high point, the elevation changes within the course make for interesting play and provide plenty of inspiring views of the San Gabriels and surrounding lowlands. It gives this public access course a special dimension and late afternoon light makes it more dramatic. The range and practice green are well maintained, the latter matching the course speed. The service is efficient and polite and the dining facilities are extensive with a large wedding going off as we finished. Definitely recommended, we both decided we need to play here a bit more often.

Got out Friday 10/25 as a twosome joining a twosome on a 11:50 tee time my buddy booked earlier in the week. The short story is that all the tees are still moved up forward of the regular tee boxes throughout the course. The customer service here is usually very good, but neither my buddy nor I recall any mention of the adjusted tees when we checked in. It was the regular price so it should have been made clear. 24hourgolf had called out this situation in a previous review, but I had forgotten and didn't think to check GK since the time was already booked. The closed tees look good so I'm only guessing they will be available fairly soon. I accepted it for what it was t get a casual round in, but I recommend calling ahead or waiting until you see an updated review. Otherwise, the course conditions were OK but a little below par relative to what I usually find here. Know before you go.

Friday 9/20, 2:15, me and a buddy tee off from the whites with two singles taking the blues. As SA goes, overall conditions are good and recommended with a few notes. Fairways are mostly in good shape but on a couple of holes on the back nine, there are sections roped off where they are repairing/replacing the sod — the 13th and 14th, if I recall correctly. If you hit into the GUR, take your drop and move on as there is plenty of available non-GUR fairway and I didn't see it as a big issue. It is good to see the attention to improving/maintaining the conditions. Bunkers have a thinner layer of soft sand over a firmer base — balls tended to sit up. Greens were not pristine but had no serious issues, ran pretty true at a good medium/quick pace and were fine and fair by my standards. Busy Friday meant a sluggish pace, we got around in something like 4:45 and were probably the second to last group to have enough light left to comfortably finish.

Went out today 9/17 with an old friend who works part time at this course and two of his buddies with about a 10:30 start. After not playing this course in probably at least 25 years, this is the third time I've played it with my friend in the last several months. With enough contour to be visually pleasing it is pretty level overall and a good walking course. It has its challenges but is open enough to encourage optimism and feels playable with options to go high or low on approach. Two played from the blues and two of us from the whites, and I don't recall any teeing issues all day as to coverage and being pretty level. Good start. The fairways here are generally a little wider, tighter lies and a fair amount of roll with bit of a links feel about them. They were in good shape. Rough was mostly not too punitive. I was in a few bunkers and they ranged from firm-ish but clean and playable to damp, to the point of almost mud — I observed much more good than bad from a distance. Green surrounds were good for short game but could be on the tight side. I putt from off the green numerous times. The greens themselves are in pretty nice shape with a frisky pace, as munis go.

The course was busier than usual with a sluggish, but mostly steady pace to the tune of about 4.5 hours. Food in the cafe afterward was decent. Based on conditions and playability, definitely recommended.

The second of two rounds with my NY visitor was, again, at a course I enjoy but hadn't played in a good while, teeing off at 11:20 on Saturday, 8/3 with a pleasant young couple. Not Rustic Canyon but solid muni conditions. Teeing grounds all good, nice coverage on the fairways, rough was generally playable just off the fairway but definitely stretches and sections that were thicker and grabby in the mix as you moved off. Bunkers looked OK but I missed them and can't comment accurately. Green surrounds were good for short game and the greens themselves were in good shape, ran nicely, but not quite as quick as the fast practice green — enjoyable to putt on. The temps were up from our previous round but do-able in a cart. Pace was a reasonably steady five hours. Something classic about the Griffith Park complexes that I really enjoy, I wasn't disappointed. Recommended.

As an aside, the difficulty in getting reservations in the city system, particularly on weekends, was the reason I hadn't been to Harding in a while. I wasn't even trying. For this round I did the usual ready at 6:00 am on-the-dot first available booking day, and secured the time despite my fumbling. Don't know if the new deposit requirement is making the difference, but it seemed a little more forgiving this time rather than being immediately shut out if you didn't nail a time in thirty seconds. A little encouraging.

This is late, but will be brief. My buddy visiting from NY and I got out last Thursday, 8/1, for an 11:20 start with two senior locals who were good company. I hadn't been here in a good while and it was nice to get back. All around conditions were solid and consistent from tee to green. Bunkers, rough and beyond can vary and get wild depending on how far you go — anything from sitting on dirt/sand to short grass to instantly lost in thick stuff. It's Rustic. The greens were reasonably quick and clean, but not as touchy fast as they can be. While warm with only light breeze at best, it wasn't the hottest of the week and we got lucky on the back nine with a high cloud cover that dialed back the sun and made it fairly pleasant — really all we could have hoped for. Pace was a little sluggish at around five hours but mostly steady. Recommended.