Have you always wondered what it would be like to play a course from the red or junior tees without anyone looking down at you? Wanna know what it feels like to be Bubba Watson at the local muni? Co... Continue »

Have you always wondered what it would be like to play a course from the red or junior tees without anyone looking down at you? Wanna know what it feels like to be Bubba Watson at the local muni? Come to Alhambra. I hadn't played Alhambra in many years and thought I'd see how it felt now - compared to then. I felt like a baller. The tee boxes were being overseeded so even the short blue tees were playing up a little on many holes. With 6 par 4's less than 300 yards I was able to be hole high or further with my drive twice.

As I strutted around the course I noticed that it was a fairly pretty course and soon I came to the conclusion the whoever is in charge of this course seem to actually CARE about it. Everthing is nicer than you would expect for the price. The grass coverage, the bathrooms, the fact that there is marked 'ground under repair' out on the course. Impressive.

Sure, there are bare patches out there but less so in places that are annoying. The fairways were nice but the ground was so soft that a shot hit fat wasn't going anywhere. The greens were too slow for my preference but in good shape. I would imagine PoP is very dependent on who is in front of you. It's a short hitter/hacker course by it's design - so expect the like out there. Teed off at 10 and played the first 6 holes as fast as desired but then waited a bit after that for a close to 4 hour round.

It was a fun ride but I'm not sure I need to feel like Gulliver playing the Lilliput Country Club on a regular basis.

Another one of those courses I played once and vowed always to return, that day finally came today for Alhambra. I had played it early in my now three-year golf career and remember that while not a lo... Continue »

Another one of those courses I played once and vowed always to return, that day finally came today for Alhambra. I had played it early in my now three-year golf career and remember that while not a long course, it offered up plenty of challenges for me in terms of hazards/water, elevations (mostly on the back 9) and some narrow alleys off the tee. After looking online briefly Sunday morning, found a $36 deal walking and convinced my buddy it was worth the drive. I remembered Alhambra being in very nice condition a while back, and was not disappointed today in the least. The greens had recently been punched but have recovered well and are in fine shape - looking very good, but not super fast. Maybe even a tiny bit spongy? Either way, one adjusts quickly and enjoys them. The fairways for the most part are in very good shape, although I strangely found some dirt patches like 2-3 times, but that is in no way indicative of the general conditions. The tee boxes on the par 3s are chewed up pretty good, but that may just be after a busy weekend. Ended up in two traps and both looked more hardpan than they actually played. Rough was pretty uniform around the track - stay out of it as it's pretty thick and challenging to play out of mostly. It was a hot day and there were not enough water stations around the course (and 2-3 of the water fountains were out of order), but did see the cart girl a few times. Weird part of that? Was dying for a nice Coca-Cola out there but they only had Pepsi Maxx? Huh? Oh well. POP was just over 4 hours and should have been better but the foursome in front of my twosome (playing from the blues) had two guys who were fairly terrible and took a lot of time navigating the course. Service at the front desk was personable, professional and fast - ideal. As for me, I had a very good outing from a personal standpoint - in fact, one of my better days on a regulation course (although I do recognize it's a bit Los Amigos-esque in length). I bettered my original 102 here almost two years ago by 18 strokes - shot an 84 going 6 over on both 9s - happy about that. Course is really nice, a great value and should certainly be considered if you've never played it before and want a manageable, yet very well maintained track.

I don't play Alhambra too often and hadn't been there in about nine months, but my swing has been trending better lately and I was in the mood to play an easier, low key track for some repetition and ... Continue »

I don't play Alhambra too often and hadn't been there in about nine months, but my swing has been trending better lately and I was in the mood to play an easier, low key track for some repetition and positive reinforcement. I went down Saturday, 10/3, around 1:20 and got out right away as a single, with a single out ahead of me. I had checked GK first, of course, and knew the greens were just a bit under two weeks clear of aeration but, since my attitude was kind of casual, figured I'd check it out. As it turns out the greens were quite playable. The punch holes and pattern were still visible, pitch marks came up a little sandy, and there could be some visible bounciness on longer putts, but they were very receptive to approach shots, ran at a medium pace and held their lines pretty well. In a week they should be in very nice shape, but having modest expectations, I was pretty happy with them on the day and can't attribute any missed putts to the surface. Otherwise, the course conditions were pretty good. Tee boxes generally level with good coverage. I don't know if it's a newer addition, but the monuments on the tee boxes all have the center-of-the-green yardage painted on them, which is really handy for calculating your distances and club choices. Fairways were generally consistent with coverage and good lies—more lush than the last time I played—perhaps surprisingly so in a drought. There were numerous small areas scattered about the course that had issues, but pretty consistently marked as GUR, so their crew seemed to be on top of the situation and you weren't penalized if it came into play for you. As it was, I never ended up dealing with any of them. Never hit a bunker but they looked OK. Rough here varies but is generally not very penal. The single ahead of me joined up with the twosome ahead of him, with groups strung out ahead of them. I kept a casual pace playing alone, didn't really have to wait much or that often, and I'd guess it was a 3.5 to 4-ish hour round (not sure). No cart service, but the crew in the pro shop are consistently friendly and professional. They gave me the 2:00 twilight rate early without my asking. It's a pleasant, well run little muni and, while I'm not here often, it is an enjoyable change of pace. It happened to be exactly the experience I was looking for on the day.

played on SAT PM and forgot to check Gk pages. Greens still shows signs of maintenance with sanded putting greens. Tee to green was lush and some areas actually over watered.
bunkers decent stoc... Continue »

played on SAT PM and forgot to check Gk pages. Greens still shows signs of maintenance with sanded putting greens. Tee to green was lush and some areas actually over watered.
bunkers decent stocked with heavier sand than I'm accustomed to.

proshop always a breeze to deal with and got us out in a jiffy.

pace a bit slow on the front but opened up on the back nine.

I consider this course one of the best in the area in terms of affordability, conditions and staff. definitely will be back when green conditions are better.

greens are healing up nicely. it was a bit on the slow side still. give it a week or 2 and should be great.

check-in was quick and friendly.

saw the bev cart and marshall a few times this mor... Continue »

greens are healing up nicely. it was a bit on the slow side still. give it a week or 2 and should be great.

check-in was quick and friendly.

saw the bev cart and marshall a few times this morning.

POP 4 hours.

Played Saturday morning, 4-18, POP was 5 hours for our five-some. We played behind a four-some of ladies who after the first hole, played quite fast. Conditions were solid: level tee boxes; smooth ... Continue »

Played Saturday morning, 4-18, POP was 5 hours for our five-some. We played behind a four-some of ladies who after the first hole, played quite fast. Conditions were solid: level tee boxes; smooth greens; decent bunkers (I was in one). The fairways overall, except for a few bare spots, were my favorite part of the course. Good drives gave you good lies. I also really like the layout of this course which is so different from other similarly priced muni's where one hole just blends into the next. This aspect of the layout is more true with the back 9. The front 9 has several short par 4's which are drive-able for the longer hitters. There are two par 5's with a force carry over water, with the second one being the more challenging. Recommended, especially for those who aren't comfortable on 6000+ yard courses.

Played for the second time here today.

Course was in good condition for the most part. Round took just under three hours as I was paired with another single & we breezed through several groups. K... Continue »

Played for the second time here today.

Course was in good condition for the most part. Round took just under three hours as I was paired with another single & we breezed through several groups. Kind of odd though at the start when he just jumped in my cart with his stuff-"oh, the pro shop lady just said to join you."

Ok...

Which reminds me, pro shop lady who checked me in wasn't the friendliest...

Anyway, all the tees are being aerated. Lots of big holes in them and some tee boxes are being redone in parts. Didn't bother me too much, but all the tees were clustered together off most tee boxes. Hopefully they will fix the unevenness of some of the boxes though which DOES bother me.

Fairways were in good condition, maybe a hair too long. Rough was typical for a course like this-very patchy in places and not too penal. The bunkers I was in had great sand and were great to play out of with a nice base. Greens rolled really well and looked good (minus the unrepaired ball marks that no one fixes!)

Overall course is in not too bad of shape if you don't mind their mess on the tees.

Hello fellow golfers. I played Alhambra golf course today, Sat the 31. The staff in the pro shop are always great. I've been coming here for quite a while now. Thanks Julius for making my visits enjoy... Continue »

Hello fellow golfers. I played Alhambra golf course today, Sat the 31. The staff in the pro shop are always great. I've been coming here for quite a while now. Thanks Julius for making my visits enjoyable and also the other staff. The course is getting greener. The fairways are getting better, not as many dry spots. The greens were rolling prety good but people still aren't repairing their ball marks. I like this course because you can work on your short game and long irons. No need to hit driver except on 2 holes, the 2nd and the 16th. Pace of play is usually good when I go, mostly after 3pm. Enjoy

Out as a foursome around 11:30 this morning. The course was busy but, while it ended up being a five hour round, there wasn't overly much extended waiting and it didn't seem that long. Our generally e... Continue »

Out as a foursome around 11:30 this morning. The course was busy but, while it ended up being a five hour round, there wasn't overly much extended waiting and it didn't seem that long. Our generally errant group's pace seemed to match the general pace for speed (or lack of it). The course is in good shape. Most tee boxes are nice and level with coverage. Fairways are decent with mostly good lies, but there were some occasional thin areas in the mix. I was only in one bunker and it was damp and firm. The greens are pretty good here—quick for a muni, good surface (ball marks not withstanding), and some slope and subtle contours to make it interesting. Several grass mowers and leaf blowers were going off simultaneously for the first few holes, which was a bit annoying and distracting at times, but when they were done, they seemed to finish together. Weather was clear, pleasantly cool, and just about perfect—just a great day to be active outside. Some nice views of the mountains at various points in the course. I don't play here too often, but it's a nice change of pace.