Wanted somewhere relatively simple to test out my game after spraining my ankle badly a few weeks ago at Rustic Canyon, and I’d recently driven by this place, so when a TeeOff.com “Deal” time popped u... Continue »

Wanted somewhere relatively simple to test out my game after spraining my ankle badly a few weeks ago at Rustic Canyon, and I’d recently driven by this place, so when a TeeOff.com “Deal” time popped up for 1:40 Saturday, I jumped on it. Arrived around 1:00 yesterday – super-friendly staff steered me in the right direction. You check in at what looks like a little booth just for the driving range, but it’s actually the first step in checking in to play golf, too. Then you walk over to the clubhouse where they get your cart and they get you started. Practice green was open. Outdoor snack bar was open. Single rider carts. I was paired with another single and we were sandwiched between foursomes. Despite lots of waiting, pace was pretty good. At the turn, the group in front of us waved us through, so the back nine was even quicker than the front. Total POP around 4:00.

Course conditions are quite good! Greens are definitely the highlight. There were lots of unfixed ball marks (I probably fixed 3-5 around my ball on every green), but I don’t hold that against the actual condition of the greens. Greens ran smooth, medium-fast and were pretty soft, accepting full shots really well. Downhillers could really get away from you quickly, and there are some really good subtle contours at play here. (I swear my first putt on No. 10 broke uphill. Somewhat deceiving in spots.) Originally scheduled for aeration tomorrow, looked like they pushed it back a week. Get ‘em while you can. Fairways had good coverage. I wouldn’t say they were lush, but I don’t recall any poor lies. Rough was decent, nothing too penal. Blue tee boxes (black weren’t out) were mostly good but one or two were sanded. I wasn’t in any bunkers. They looked good but the one my playing partner was in was very thin sand above a very hard base.

The only thing this course really lacks is length. At par 71 and maxing out at 5466 yards, there are lots of short par 4s and 5s, allowing for abundant birdie chances. It’s somewhat tight in spots with tree-lined fairways. The back nine is a little more interesting than the front with some nice elevation changes. I’d call this course a confidence booster but you’ve gotta go really low if you want to improve your handicap because the course rating is very low due to the short length. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Troon managed, city-owned municipal course like this, but like I said earlier, the employees I encountered were all really great. I’d play here again for sure.