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 w... » More

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.
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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 cour... » More

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.
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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 wi... » More

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.
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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 c... » More

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.
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Out 1:30, 7/17 as a twosome joined by a single. I like this course but rarely get out to play here, so it was a nice treat for a mid-week round. Condi... » More

Out 1:30, 7/17 as a twosome joined by a single. I like this course but rarely get out to play here, so it was a nice treat for a mid-week round. Conditions are very good. No problems with the teeing grounds to start. Fairways were more consistently grown in with some cushion than any I've played in a while. They set up well. Where grass, the rough was well grown in and the ball could sit down bit and cost you. Otherwise there are extensive areas of wood chips and some bare spots to contend with. I was happy to miss the bunkers here, which are dramatically shaped, tending to be deep and nasty. The sand seemed fine but I observed a lack of follow-up raking that left a fair amount of footprints — lazy or PO'd golfers not cleaning up. Green surrounds were good for short game and the greens were very nice. They didn't give up pitch marks easily but neither did they seem overly firm. Reasonably quick but not as fast as the previous review. Some of the greens a have a lot of slope and too fast could get stupid quickly, so I found them challenging but very fair.

Pace was about 4.5 hours and we had smoke and ash blowing our way for about an hour due to the Newbury fire before they knocked it down. I usually walk but this course has enough hills I rode for a change. Props to the middle-aged single with us who walked with his cart, but he was obviously beat up by the end. The course is in very nice shape with an interesting variety of challenges. Definitely recommended.
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