Played in the combined GolfMoose/GK outing at Morgan Run Resort on 9/20/21, teeing off with the shotgun start at 10am on a beautiful clear, sunny day ... » More

Played in the combined GolfMoose/GK outing at Morgan Run Resort on 9/20/21, teeing off with the shotgun start at 10am on a beautiful clear, sunny day with light winds. There were several groups of GKers in the event and I didn’t meet any new people, as the setup contributed to a show up/play/leave type of day. Minimal effort by the resort to welcome players, engage participants, extend services, or generate future interest.

Morgan Run is a flat, walkable course set in a broad floodplain; the layout/setting reminded me of some of the older Palm Springs-area resort courses. Overall the layout and surrounds are scenic, with some large older homes set along the margins and higher up on the river escarpment.

Played with Gary, Perry, and Sal, a great group. We were able to commiserate with each other on the sticky rough, steep-faced bunkers, and many putts sliding by the hole. Greens were generally moist and lush, with consistent speed and good coverage; only a couple of random greens were more dry/firm and had thinner coverage. There are plenty of bunkers fronting these greens, with good sand that is usually damp in the bottom. Many greens had soft, wet conditions in the front run-up to the putting surface, not conductive to running the ball on during approach.

Rough was sticky and ate up any roll. Mounding along some holes and areas around green entries had longer, juicy rough – we “found” several balls on these mounds just by stepping on balls other golfers were unable to find. No GPS or book; only difficult-to-see fairway plates and some path markings, so bring your own yardage tools.

The 1-hcp hole (on the North 9) is a brute – >400 yards, an elevated plateau green; heavy rough in a swale area in front of the green; a very narrow ‘ramp’ entry that doesn’t really let you run the ball on; and a deep, sloping green. Easily the toughest hole on the 18 we played. (The East course greens had been sanded and that 9 was closed.)

Plenty of waiting after the first few holes, with the stack-up on the South #6 tee the worst, for whatever reason. POP just over 5 hours.

Great company, pleasant conditions and surrounds, an old-style course without any really interesting holes. Recommended, but not a destination play.
» Close

Played El Dorado Park GC on Thursday, 9/2/21 in a practice round and Wednesday, 9/8/21 in an SCGA qualifier. Played the Blue/White combo listed on the... » More

Played El Dorado Park GC on Thursday, 9/2/21 in a practice round and Wednesday, 9/8/21 in an SCGA qualifier. Played the Blue/White combo listed on the course scorecard (6,331/70.2/125). Thursday weather (late afternoon) was sunny and clear with light, steady winds. Wednesday (8am) started clear and sunny, got overcast, then busted out the sun again on the back nine. Wind on 9/8 was never really a factor. Like the other Long Beach courses it’s all kikuyu all the time here. The course is basically dead flat and an easy walk. Most of the greens are pedestal greens pushed up from the fairway grade and fronted by traps. A few holes have ponds adjacent to the line of play and a couple holes are fronted by creeks.

Green were generally in good condition, with good coverage and rolling at medium+ speed. Way too many old unrepaired ballmarks. Fairways were generally OK with scattered bare areas. Rough was cut fairly low and was generally pretty benign, but lies were chancy in clumpy areas and further from the fairway (and under trees) you could get large bare dirt areas or thick grass. Tees were spongy and badly needed to be cut closer. Traps were terrible – all traps are basically damp cement with no playing layer, machine dragged to smooth the surface. You are probably better off chipping from the greenside traps, rather than risking a blade rocket. On 9/8, the course had put some effort into generating a miniscule playing layer in the bunkers – I managed to avoid them; you should also.

Recommended.
» Close

Joined an internet golf group I belong to at Tijeras Creek GC on Monday. 9/6/21, at 320pm. We teed off on time (starter had it all under control) and ... » More

Joined an internet golf group I belong to at Tijeras Creek GC on Monday. 9/6/21, at 320pm. We teed off on time (starter had it all under control) and finished in 4+ hours, finishing #18 just at dark.

The entire course was pretty damp - turf throughout had a “just-watered” look. Greens were very soft and receptive, with good coverage and rolled at medium speed, but all had lots of old unrepaired ballmarks. Fairways were a crapshoot, generally thin with some good lies but frequently we encountered semi-bare or bare areas. Rough was 2-3 inches deep and sometimes better than the fairway to hit from. Sand with adequate playing layer but pretty wet; rakes were out and the course also puts a rake on the cart(!). Tees were OK – the Blue/White markers were pushed forward; after about 4 holes we figured out that the White tees were on the Green markers (5,797/67.9/120).

Carts with a very nice interactive TFM GPS; but it doesn’t show other carts locations, which would help on some of the blind shots encountered. Some sprinkler heads are marked, and there are 200/150/100-yard plates in the MOF. The course uses an entry/exit gate system to manage cart wear on entries to the fairways. Water jugs were available!! We saw lots of deer on the back 9!

Course is very playable right now.
» Close

Joined my high school buddy for a round here after at 130pm on 8/31/21 taking a few weeks off after the heat wave down at San Vicente Resort. Weather ... » More

Joined my high school buddy for a round here after at 130pm on 8/31/21 taking a few weeks off after the heat wave down at San Vicente Resort. Weather in SoCal has been strange this summer with hot periods interspersed with overcast cooler monsoon weather, and we were lucky to catch a very pleasant afternoon. Course was steady busy and we teed off on time and finished in just under 3.5 hr on this shorter, par 60 course. Paired with two locals who knew each other and yakked the entire 18 holes, to the point where we were 1.5 holes behind on #7, but we picked up the pace after I said something. Still don’t know how you can play golf in flip-flops!

Course conditions were pretty good. Greens were receptive with good coverage and rolled at medium+ speeds; they were getting a little bumpy as the day wore on. Unfortunately found many unrepaired ballmarks. Fairway lies were mostly OK with scattered bare areas; rough was cut fairly short and was benign. Kikuyu around the greens made chips and pitches challenging, especially for my wedge disability. I wasn’t in a bunker but they looked OK and rakes were out. Many of the tees are sloping and need leveling.

Hole #9 continues to bedevil me and there’s no good way to play it, with the hole bisected by the huge drainage ditch 100 yards short of the green on the 315 yd hole. The problem is that anything more than 150 off the tee is on the downslope of the ditch, cut as bushy rough to keep you out of the creek but you are on a steep downhill lie to an elevated green. I hit 9-iron off the tee to stay on the flat but that left a 4-iron to the green, and had misadventures in the kikuyu border, so lots of frustration on this hole. And most of the “layup” area severely slopes to the left so even a layup has no guarantee of a good lie. I think the course needs to look at modifying the slopes with a series of benches that will preserve the flood control aspects of the ditch (the reason it’s there in the first place) while giving golfers more options to play the hole.

Overall a relaxing play.
» Close

Played with the GK Gurus at 240pm on Thursday, 8/5/21. Read Robert’s (roarksown1) detailed review that captures all my thoughts as well. My first time... » More

Played with the GK Gurus at 240pm on Thursday, 8/5/21. Read Robert’s (roarksown1) detailed review that captures all my thoughts as well. My first time here and checking out last year’s renovation of the greens. I like the look and presentation of the greens/traps complexes and like the variety you find in the course. Very scenic setting but you’ve got to be able to control your ball on approaches. New greens are very firm and you must take that into account when planning your approaches. Unfortunately we also saw a LOT of unrepaired ballmarks, especially on the back nine, some within a foot or two of the hole (!). Greens have a lot of subtlety and repeated plays are needed to know how and where to approach various pin positions. A definite recommendation and I’d like another crack at the course (hopefully in cooler weather!!).
» Close