I played here on Saturday 4/10/21 with a 9:50 tee time as part of a Men's Club event. POP was decent, getting around in 4:10. Customer service is so... » More

I played here on Saturday 4/10/21 with a 9:50 tee time as part of a Men's Club event. POP was decent, getting around in 4:10. Customer service is somewhat sketchy as they are still completely using Covid restrictions. The grill is only open through a small door and only outdoor seating is available. There was only 1 person working the grill on a fairly busy Saturday afternoon.

Although the course is short, we played from the Blues, at under 5900 yards, it is still somewhat challenging and a nice respite from stepping up and thinking you have to bomb it to score. Sadly the greens were punched almost 3 weeks ago and are very bumpy. For the most part, the fairways were in pretty good shape although there were a few really thin spots. The traps were in good shape and the rakes are back. Tees are flat but were a bit shaggy for my taste.

This was my first time here and I definitely want to go back after the greens have completely healed. I think it would be a fun round with friends. Of course, the ocean breezes come in the afternoon, but it just helps keep the high temps from being unbearable. Easy access from the 101 in Ventura, but were is almost no practice area with the exception of 2 small netted slots beihind the pro shop.
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We played the GK Cup final here on 3/14/21 and had an 11:25 tee time. The staff were wonderful and attentive, the practice facility is great, and the... » More

We played the GK Cup final here on 3/14/21 and had an 11:25 tee time. The staff were wonderful and attentive, the practice facility is great, and the weather was also amazing.

At first look it seems as though there a ton of traps and that they squeeze a lot of drives into smaller spaces, but there's more room generally that you would expect. The greens are all well trapped as well with some big lips and faces, but there was plenty of firm sand in them which allowed for some nice recovery shots. There were a few rakes scattered about as well which was nice to see.

Tee boxes were in great shape and the fairways were firm and well manicured. The greens were very firm but accepted shots and rolled true and not as fast as I had remembered. Many pin placements in the front which demanded that you land short of the green and let the ball release to get anywhere close. Thankfully, it wasn't real sticky or soft and with well executed shots those front pins were accessible.

As always Desert Willow showed it's best. It was beautiful, fair, but challenging, and left very little to be desired. I will always look for opportunities to play here and am already looking forward to our next stop there.
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