Sneaked in a round before work today. I haven't played this course for a LONG time and forgot how enjoyable it is even though it isn't very long. The new pro shop looks great and service was top not... Continue »

Sneaked in a round before work today. I haven't played this course for a LONG time and forgot how enjoyable it is even though it isn't very long. The new pro shop looks great and service was top notch.

Tee boxes were just OK with lots of divots. I wish they would go and sand them so they could stay in better shape. Fairways were lush in most areas but had good amount of thin and balding spots that weren't marked as GUR. Greens were in pretty good shape for this course. Rolled pretty good, but on the slow side. It's so soft that my ball was half buried straight into the green on a couple of pitch shots. It didn't roll or bounce, just dug right into the surface. A few of the greens (#1 and #6 come to mind) had lot of leafs and bird poop. Bunker had plenty of sand, but people didn't have the courtesy to rake.

Alhambra is a fun little course. It has much more characteristic (especially the back 9) than something like Whittier Narrows. It's in OK shape right now, but not as good as Santa Anita.

Enjoyed a nice afternoon round here today. Saw a GN hot deal at 12:58 for $19, so I snagged it. When I checked in around 12:30, they sent me right out to the first tee to join another twosome. We neve... Continue »

Enjoyed a nice afternoon round here today. Saw a GN hot deal at 12:58 for $19, so I snagged it. When I checked in around 12:30, they sent me right out to the first tee to join another twosome. We never really had to wait on any hole until we got to 17/18, so it was a nice 3.5 hour pace. Pleasant surprise for a Saturday. As the previous reviewer noted (who is obviously more familiar with how this course regularly presents itself), the course is in average to below average "muni" shape. Fairways and rough with plenty of thin spots. The tee boxes a bit beat up right now, but I saw a note posted in the bathroom saying they are putting down some rye grass down on them. So after the transition it should be an improvement. The greens are recovering nicely from the recent aeration. A bit bumpy, but not terrible. Very soft and a little slow, and I fixed several unrepaired marks on each green. They should be great in a couple more weeks. The one bunker I was in had good enough sand. Fun course. The short overall length might keep some overly serious golfers away, but I found it enjoyable for what it is. Back nine more interesting and somewhat more challenging. Tighter and more hilly. Not the most exciting course around, but a good place for a confidence boost or to work on your target/short game. Nice to see a lot of junior players out there, too.

this is my go-to course after work. Conditions are a bit below par considering they used to have the best greens around the area. Greens are running slower than what I prefer and not as smooth at th... Continue »

this is my go-to course after work. Conditions are a bit below par considering they used to have the best greens around the area. Greens are running slower than what I prefer and not as smooth at their peak condition.... but still playable and healing well.

Staff is usually great for the most part and they get u out as quickly as possible.

Course is comparatively short with par4s in the 280-300 yard range but don't underestimate it as you can easily get doubles on some of these (esp on the back9)
Front 9 is easier and flatter and easily walkable. Back9, more hilly and challenging.

See you again next week!

Played Alhambra Friday afternoon 9/20 as part of a foursome, out sometime around 3:45-ish. I've done some longish reviews for this course in the past so this will be brief. Nothing new about the cours... Continue »

Played Alhambra Friday afternoon 9/20 as part of a foursome, out sometime around 3:45-ish. I've done some longish reviews for this course in the past so this will be brief. Nothing new about the course to note and I'd say the all around conditions were very good—as good as I've seen for this course. While overall short and with a generally benign front nine, the back nine can bite you in the butt on several holes. The pace was good but we only got through 17, which I played, (and parred), in the dark. Honestly, playing blindfolded would probably improve my game. Even without finishing, at $14 to walk super twilight it was a great deal. Super twilight begins at 3:00 and there was plenty of light to finish 18 if we had gotten off before 3:30. Twilight is $20 from 1:00 (weekday prices) and it's still a very good deal for nice little course. They are scheduled to aerate the greens beginning of October (next week), so after that, this review becomes a lot less relevant.

Went down to Alhambra Saturday afternoon and got out as a single around 1:20. I've, more often than not, had good luck with the pace at his course and Saturday was consistent to that trend and then so... Continue »

Went down to Alhambra Saturday afternoon and got out as a single around 1:20. I've, more often than not, had good luck with the pace at his course and Saturday was consistent to that trend and then some. There was a single a few holes ahead of me and the next group was about three holes behind, so I was completely on my own. It must have been the lull before twilight rates because I could see more traffic out on the course behind me as I played my round, but in the middle of a sunny Saturday, it seems almost weird to have a big pocket of your own to play in—and I got around in a little over 3.5 hours. Maybe I should play in a full sized rabbit costume more often? Nah, that couldn't be it. Conditions have improved since the last time and the fairways are pretty normal for here and not wintery anymore—generally good coverage and a little on the tight side. The first fairway is an exception that tends to be consistently soft to almost boggy for a 35 yard stretch about halfway to the green. I don't know where the water comes from but it's the only fairway section like it on the whole course. When there has been wet weather that little stretch can be a bit of a wet, muddy mess. A lot of the tee boxes were punched and the grass coverage was minimal, but most of them are pretty level and you get to use a tee, so not a huge issue. Greens were in good shape and reasonably quick. They have a lot of subtle planes and breaks so they are pretty challenging. Didn't have the pleasure of sampling any bunkers but they are usually pretty decent here. Rough was generally long enough to provide some challenge while there were also the occasional area of thin to hardpan. Pro shop service is invariably friendly. They seem to enjoy the chocolate Easter eggs as tips.

Played a Men's Club match here on 3/29/13. Overall the course was in decent condition. The rough had been grown out higher than I've ever seen at this course. Truly penal heavy rough is not common her... Continue »

Played a Men's Club match here on 3/29/13. Overall the course was in decent condition. The rough had been grown out higher than I've ever seen at this course. Truly penal heavy rough is not common here, so it was a nice change of pace. The greens were in good condition, but they were about to aerate the next day.

One complaint though, around the 15th and 16th holes there were several large geese honking away, and had to chase them away b4 hitting.

Caught an afternoon round here. First time playing here in almost a year. The newly remodeled pro shop was very nice. However, the course was a different story. Tee boxes were mostly thin and badl... Continue »

Caught an afternoon round here. First time playing here in almost a year. The newly remodeled pro shop was very nice. However, the course was a different story. Tee boxes were mostly thin and badly damaged with the exception of a few in lush shape. Fairways were largely thin with bald area everywhere. Greens were rolling decently but were fairly slow. Lots of unrepaired ball marks. Excessive even for the afternoon. Bunkers were inconsistent. A handful of them were full of sand and fluffy, but most were hard packed. I do enjoy playing this short little course. You don't need to pull out the driver in most holes and I usually get a good chance to work on my scoring game. It's a busy muni, so I never expect much in terms of condition. But it was poor even for what it is.

Got out Sunday, late morning as a walk-up single, joining a father-son two-some when I caught them backed up on the fifth tee box. The good parts were an uncharacteristically warm, very clear day, ple... Continue »

Got out Sunday, late morning as a walk-up single, joining a father-son two-some when I caught them backed up on the fifth tee box. The good parts were an uncharacteristically warm, very clear day, pleasant company, interesting, quick and challenging greens. The rest was a mixed bag. The fairways were winter thin and fast overall. While generally quite playable, certainly not remotely lush and there were definitely spots where the grass covering was primarily cosmetic. These areas would be grass covered as opposed to truly bare, but when you got over your ball, you realized that grass was insufficient to be any cushion to the now-visible, underlying dirt. Tee box coverage varied and generally thin, but given that you are teeing, most were pretty reasonable, and a level stance is the norm, with minor exceptions. Bunkers also varied. Two out of three I experienced were pretty good sand, but when I went to hit out of the front left bunker at the tenth green, there was a about an inch of soft sand over a hard base which caused my wedge to bounce and skull my ball across the green. You could not feel or see the hard base until actually hitting into it, but I strongly suspect this bunker was really an exception to the vast majority of the rest. A few of the greens had a bit of goose poop and/or excessive unrepaired ball marks, but it was not the norm. Most were really pretty good. Pace was good for the first four holes and then it slowed, with a three group wait on the tenth tee being the low point. I'm guessing the round a bit over 4.5 but under 5 hrs. It's a short course with a flat front nine and a hilly back nine. And while it is usually is a decent, well maintained little muni with friendly service and interesting greens, it is currently going through the bottom of it's winter conditions curve as many courses probably are right now after the recent cold spell.

Played yesterday, Friday 11/23, 1:06 tee time but didn't tee off until 1:35. The course was crowded, and the pace was such that we quit after playing 17, pretty much in the dark, except for the glare ... Continue »

Played yesterday, Friday 11/23, 1:06 tee time but didn't tee off until 1:35. The course was crowded, and the pace was such that we quit after playing 17, pretty much in the dark, except for the glare from the driving range lights and moonlight. But on the what is generally the busiest day of the year for a lot of course, the pace was not indicative of anything. Mainly I wanted to note that the course is in pretty good all around shape and the various construction projects (tees and pro shop) and green aeration are all done and recovered. The greens were in nice shape and reasonably quick. In fact, for a short-ish course, I am beginning to really appreciate the challenge the greens present. There is usually some slope, ridge, waffle, or combination of all to make the putt interesting and challenging without getting stupid fast or impossibly situated. Drill down in the reviews for more details on the general layout. Other than the lack of time to finish, it was a beautiful day and, for what the course is, I'd recommend it for playing conditions right now.

Alhambra Golf Course Review
Los Angeles California Golf Course Reviews