Joined Johnny and a familiar cast of characters to resurrect (hopefully) GK Plays outings at Mountain View on Saturday morning, 12/20/25, in perfect g... » More

Joined Johnny and a familiar cast of characters to resurrect (hopefully) GK Plays outings at Mountain View on Saturday morning, 12/20/25, in perfect golf weather – warm, sunny, and almost no wind, playing on a course in wonderful condition. Tee times ranged from 9:30 to 10:30am and we went out on time with few groups in front of us and without anyone close enough behind the final group to cause any waiting.

Conditions were very good throughout the course, which presented as a shimmering green against the muted tones of the surrounding desert environment. Fairways had wall-to-wall coverage of firm turf that gave excellent lies. Coverage in the rough adjacent to fairways was 1-2 inches deep and somewhat wet at the start of the round, but was very playable; if you got too wide there were scraped dirt areas and scattered rock fields to navigate. I was not in any bunkers, but playing partners looked like they had good lies with sand having a fairly shallow playing layer of firm sand. Tees were well-marked and all level and provided good peg opportunities. I hit from the turf on the par-3s and had perfect lies available.

Greens were challenging from the standpoint of firmness and quickness. Most ballmarks were very small and full shots released significantly. Downhill putts had significant rollout and all greens have many subtle small breaks that surprised all of us through the day. Coverage on the greens was excellent and speeds were consistent throughout the day.

Saw the cart girl once on the front and several times on the back side. Restrooms are well-marked and clean and all have water/ice stations. Carts with good-quality GPS, comfortable with ice chest and ball/club washer. Staff was very helpful from bag drop to coordinating the start to receiving golfers after the round.

Great to see old friends again and meet new GKers. I’m hopeful that the GK Plays can take off and be well-received by the SoCal GK community. Playing fun, well-conditioned courses like Mountain View helps to enhance the experience and increase anticipation for future events. Thanks to Johnny for all he does.
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Played all 3 nines over the past two weeks, including my first full 18 holes in 6 months on the 1-2 combo on Wednesday, 12/10/25, trying to get better... » More

Played all 3 nines over the past two weeks, including my first full 18 holes in 6 months on the 1-2 combo on Wednesday, 12/10/25, trying to get better prepared for the GK Plays Desert Willow on 12/20. With the cooler weather and no rain in 2+ weeks, the courses are dry, fairly firm, and play fast across the close-cut fairways. Lies in the fairways are not lush but generally good. Rough has thinned out with the dry spell and is generally easy to hit from. Greens are dry and pretty firm – approach shots generally leave only small ballmarks. Greens roll well at medium+ speed and are dangerous downhill as speed must be controlled. Some greens have scattered bare spots/damaged turf. Traps are in only OK condition with firm, thin playing layers being the norm. Tees can be spongy and somewhat uneven, but are generally OK to hit from. Ongoing issues include no on-course monitors to move play (although generally 9s are completed in just over 2 hours); unrepaired ballmarks and sand raking (common everywhere, I guess); and questionable playing etiquette from too many members.
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Course 3 again on a beautiful, pleasant day. Time change has pushed everyone to start earlier, and the Club Championship was finishing up so many five... » More

Course 3 again on a beautiful, pleasant day. Time change has pushed everyone to start earlier, and the Club Championship was finishing up so many fivesomes packed across courses 1 and 2.

Conditions are similar to previous reviews. However, several greens on course 3 had scattered bare spots. Greens are pretty firm and quick despite the recent aerification in late September – beware the downhill putt or the extended rollout. Tees look like they’ve recently been thatched or whatever – many areas of ruffled grasses. The short par-3 4th had a hitting mat set up to one side for all tees as the main teebox was being worked on. Fairways and rough are pretty short and tight – both have many/scattered thin/bare spots that make for tight/difficult lies. Traps continue to be very firm with only a very shallow surface layer.

Generally, always a good pace and amenable to a relaxed play.
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Back out to LWV, this time to Course 3 (the shortest 9) at 3pm on Wednesday, 10/29/25. We managed to pick the hottest day of this week when mild Santa... » More

Back out to LWV, this time to Course 3 (the shortest 9) at 3pm on Wednesday, 10/29/25. We managed to pick the hottest day of this week when mild Santa Ana conditions sent temperatures into the low 90s. As a result, many fewer players and we fell behind a quick twosome and were occasionally pushed by a single playing multiple balls (I think).

Course conditions remain similar to those described previously, but with the hot weather period making the fairways (and rough) thinner and drier. Traps remain a challenge with most having a very thin playing layer over a firm base. Greenside bunkers with high lips are especially challenging. Tees are fine. In the warm weather and hot breeze greens are firmer and faster – a lot of shots release over the back, and downhill putts are WHA??!!

Challenging mainly from the standpoint that my short game continues to be ghastly!
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Back out to LWV after a month away from the clubs, playing Course 1 (the longest 9; 3 par 5s, 3 par-3s) at 1:15pm on Thursday, 10/23/25, on a pleasant... » More

Back out to LWV after a month away from the clubs, playing Course 1 (the longest 9; 3 par 5s, 3 par-3s) at 1:15pm on Thursday, 10/23/25, on a pleasant sunny day with surprising afternoon breezes. This course usually beats me up with the combination of length, kikuyu turf, bunkers fronting greens, and my general lack of skill, especially the short game. The first tee was crowded ahead of us and we got off a few minutes late, but few groups behind us. These courses usually move play along fairly well, and POP today was just over 2 hours for 9 holes. We waited only occasionally for a few minutes on some tees and in fairways.

Fairways generally have decent coverage, although you might find a variety of grasses in close proximity. Rough is much more of a crapshoot, ranging from lush kikuyu, thick-stemmed kikuyu that’s been roughed up by equipment or chance evil, thinner/shorter grasses, or even bare spots. Especially in the kikuyus the ball can sit down or get into holes/slots within the grass, challenging recoveries. Many rough areas fronting greens can be thin-to bare, making for tough chip/pitch lies. Weirdly, rough beside/behind greens is mostly pretty lush. Tees are level and set wide, affording ample area to put your peg.

Overall, greens had good coverage and rolled consistently. In the afternoon breeze and bright sunshine, greens that were more exposed to sun/wind or on crowns were noticeably firmer and faster than other greens, especially on downhill putts! – our group was left with a number of 5-8 foot comebackers. Traps continue to be firm with only a shallow playing layer, OK in fairway traps but more difficult around the greens.

Overall still solid conditions, fairly low stress with few holes on property having OB in play and almost no marked penalty areas. Good for a relaxed play if you have access.
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