Joined other GKers for a GK Plays here 6/6/21, teeing off in the first group at 1:30pm. We were behind a couple groups of what looked like beginners, ... » More

Joined other GKers for a GK Plays here 6/6/21, teeing off in the first group at 1:30pm. We were behind a couple groups of what looked like beginners, so the front nine moved very slowly, getting some relief when one of those groups quit after #9 (or maybe it was just the #9 green design and the front-nine pin locations!).

Weather conditions were what I think is typical at Olivas in the summer – partly sunny and mild, a steady ocean breeze, and cooling off quickly as coastal clouds roll in late afternoon. We found the course to be in wonderful condition. Greens were excellent, holding shots and rolling nicely at medium+ speed. Fairway lies were great. Rough was variable and if you got too far afield it could be bare, thin, patchy, or impossible to find. I think our group was only in 1 bunker all day. Tees were fine.

With the SoCal drought condition and a dry summer in sight, it’s unlikely the wetlands and lakes on the course will see much water soon. I’ve seen Olivas much tougher on offline shots with real water hazards and juicy rough that is tough to recover from. Always enjoy playing here and wish it was closer to Orange County.
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The bones of a top-level course are there but the flesh is wanting. I’d been wanting to get out here since the old Moreno Valley Ranch course was open... » More

The bones of a top-level course are there but the flesh is wanting. I’d been wanting to get out here since the old Moreno Valley Ranch course was opened back up as Rancho del Sol GC, after being closed for several years. The old Valley/Mountain 9s are currently being used. I met up with GKer Circaflex for a GK Cup match.

Booked thru the course website for 10:50am on Sunday, 5/30/21, for $64, and found that the course books their times thru GolfNow. We got out there early as traffic was light, and found that there is no driving range as that area is currently being graded for residential development. The construction only impacts the first and last holes of the old Mountain 9, so holes 10 and 18 on the current card. A large new putting green is in great shape and rolls very nicely (a little faster than the on-course greens). We were surprised that the course was not that busy on this holiday Sunday, so we were able to get out early and were never pushed from behind, catching the group in front of us on hole #6 and moving behind them thereafter, finishing in about 4 hours.

Greens were easily the best part of the course – you can tell that’s where they are putting their money. They looked good, had good coverage, and accepted shots well, rolling at medium speed. Fairways were pretty uniformly thin, dry, and had clumpy grass, with scattered bare areas. Lies were tight but generally OK. Rough was wildly variable, from bare dirt to some areas of think clover/grass. Overall the surrounds are very dry, and offline shots could easily run long distances into trouble. I wasn’t in any bunkers, but Kevin said they were generally OK. I noted that the sand in the greenside bunker on hole #0 looked very deep and fluffy. Tees were thin but almost all level.

There’s a definite overwhelming construction look around clubhouse area; the golf shop/snack bar/restrooms are currently in trailers next to closed clubhouse, and as noted the range has been bulldozed and graded. Driving in from the 18th green, there appear to be mostly new windows in clubhouse, so they may be getting it ready to try to reopen it, rather than tear down/build anew. Snack bar had a limited and poor selection of beverages.

Basic carts with no GPS or ball washer/club cleaner, and I don’t remember seeing ball washers on the tees. Friendly staff, and we saw cart girl a several times, and a ranger a couple times on the front side. The course definitely needs a big cash infusion to upgrade infrastructure and get conditions improved. That would bring it back closer to what it used to be and help generate more playing interest. That’s not likely to happen until real estate sales kick in and generate the cash needed. Hopefully, the new owners will consider improvements to the course to be in their long-term interest.

A fun and challenging play, and we’ll hope for improving conditions going forward.
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Met up with GKer AndrewZ28 for a GK Cup match at 2:51 pm on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon, 5/25/21, a sunny afternoon with surprisingly little wind fo... » More

Met up with GKer AndrewZ28 for a GK Cup match at 2:51 pm on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon, 5/25/21, a sunny afternoon with surprisingly little wind for this course. The kikuyu is lushing up at the end of Spring and it’s wall-to-wall at San Clemente. Greens are pretty firm and look dried out, but hold shots pretty well. I thought they rolled pretty good – just ask Andrew! Fairway cuts are short and fairly tight, but the ball sits just fine. Rough has been cut low in most places and is easy to play from. I wasn’t in a bunker – AZ said a fairway bunker he was in was fine, but greenside he ran into footprint/grooming problems. Rakes were in bunkers so we played it down. Tees were OK but a few sloped to the back of a righthanded golfer, and boxes on #1 and #12 were being resodded.

Basic carts. Divot mix (sand) on the carts and refill barrels scattered around the course. Pace was good until we ran up against a backup on #13 and things slowed down – we finished in ~4.5 hr. San Clemente always seems to be in pretty good shape, and is very good right now.
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I’ve been wanting to get out to Steele Canyon GC for over 30 years, and I think I re-remembered the main reasons I HAVEN’T been here before – it’s a h... » More

I’ve been wanting to get out to Steele Canyon GC for over 30 years, and I think I re-remembered the main reasons I HAVEN’T been here before – it’s a hump and a half from my house (100 miles one-way) and the road system in east/south San Diego is a looney bin! Weekends are already bad, but between traffic, construction, a wrong turn, and general remoteness, it took me almost 3 hours to get here around noon on Saturday, 5/22/21, for a GK Cup match with GK legend lotrgolfer48. It was his first time here also, so we learned the hard lessons of the course together.

Check-in was easy with the shop and clubhouse open. Matt had picked up a GolfNow twilight deal for only $60 each, far lower than the non-res rate for me. Clubs from the bag drop were staged up to the cart area. The starter was friendly and helpful. I arrived too late to use the driving range or putting greens (both open; no flags in PG cups). Basic carts with no GPS, but sand bottles provided and plenty of refills. We were paired with a local father/son and were moved to the busy first tee a little early. We played the Vineyard/Canyon rotation (Blue tees; 6,144/70.4/132) on this 27-hole layout. The Vineyard 9 has generally much less elevation change and sloppiness than the Canyon 9. The latter lives up to its name, playing up into the foothills below McGinty Mountain, with holes pushed up against canyon slopes and long drops off some tees. Matt made some observations of similarities to some aspects of Eagle Glen and Hidden Valley that we had played in the past having similar terrain and challenges.

Greens were the most consistent part of the course. Coverage is good, but all greens were extremely firm and quick, and with many elevated or pedestal greens the conditions eliminated some types of approaches and made pitching/chipping challenging. Full shots generally released; some released quite a bit. Unfortunately, most greens showed a lot of old ballmarks. As we got up into the higher canyon elevations, the fast greens got a little silly. As Matt said in his Cup recap, he putted off the green on Canyon #3 as the downhill/downcanyon putt just kept going and picked up speed.

Fairway coverage was generally OK but the turf is very thin and tight, and the ball most often sat close. Conditions in fairways were very dry – divots taken with crisp irons resulted in an explosion of dry soil. Rough was variable between thin/dry/bare and some areas of fairly lush growth. This was especially problematic around the pedestal greens where being able to elevate a wedge pitch to the hard green surfaces was often difficult or unlikely. Tees were dry and thin but were level. Most of the traps had adequate material, although at least 1 that I was in was very fluffy, and some (Canyon hole #7) were all almost devoid of sand and very wetted, resulting in my shot bouncing out of the bunker.

The back 9 (Canyon 9) was tough for me with a lot of up/down walking on steep slopes as the cart path was often well below or above the playing areas. We encountered the legendary SCGC magic elves on Canyon hole #4, the downhill par-5 with a 100+-foot drop to the fairway off the tee – Matt sailed his ball well up on the slope to the right of the fairway, and I pulled my drive along the treeline on the left side, audibly hitting the cart path. Somehow our golf balls ended up in the middle of the fairway only yards apart! Scary! But - thank you, elves!

Local knowledge and some repeated plays are required to have a better idea of lines to take and how to play approaches and around the greens. The severe firm greens/substantial slopes on the course make the “fun factor” tough for the normal recreational golfer. Looking back on the match, I know there are several instances where a different approach to shots played would have worked better, if I was more familiar with the course. I’d be up for playing Steele Canyon again to see the Ranch 9 and to try to score better than yesterday, but any future plays might be held back by the challenges of just reaching the course.
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Back out to Talega GC on a breezy Tuesday afternoon, 5/18/21, to get some swings in before a GK Cup match this Saturday – originally booked on GN for ... » More

Back out to Talega GC on a breezy Tuesday afternoon, 5/18/21, to get some swings in before a GK Cup match this Saturday – originally booked on GN for 3:10 [GN $40 vs. Talega website $70 for the same slot!!!], but was moved up to 2:50pm to join a threesome of friends. These guys spent the entire round yakking and making side money bets on the holes, but were generally amiable and we mostly kept pace with the groups in front of us. I joined them as they were teeing off from the Blues (6,583/71.5/128) and I soon regretted the extra distance over my normal choice.

Recent reviews are still applicable. While not pristine, the course is in pretty good playing condition. Greens had generally good coverage – they were pretty soft and in need of mowing, barely reaching medium speed and were very bumpy and badly showing footprints and spike marks this late in the day. Nobody made any putts. Fairway lies were generally OK – fairly tight but the ball sat well. The course uses entry/exit gates to manage cart wear on fairways – I’m a fan. Rough varied from place to place – it could be dry and almost nonexistent, or in places lush and juicy. Tee boxes badly needed mowing but were level. Most of the sand traps had adequate material and showed evidence of machine grooming in the past, but otherwise were damp and compacted from irrigation. Lots of footprints and no rakes. Some traps were under construction, with drainage, shaping, and content being worked on.

Access in the COVID era is still challenging – the bag drop is closed, making for a long slog carrying the bag in and out. Shop locked except for the back door near the first tee, where you sign in at a table. No access to merchandise. No inside food service or bathroom – another long hike around the building. Simple carts with simple GPS (front/middle/back only). Mix bottles on the cart initially, but no refill rack. We started off in the clear but ran up against some groups ahead of us on the challenging par-3 hole #5, and generally waited after that, finishing in ~4.5 hr.

I like the layout here and hope the end of restrictions brings operations and conditions back to their earlier better levels.
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