Everyone in SoCal knows how hard it is getting good tee times right now, so when my Saturday magically opened up on Friday afternoon, I was lucky enough to call Alondra and find out they had a cancell... Continue »

Everyone in SoCal knows how hard it is getting good tee times right now, so when my Saturday magically opened up on Friday afternoon, I was lucky enough to call Alondra and find out they had a cancellation for a single just 20 mins before, and it was for 11:30am. Dumb luck so I took it and never looked back. Well, at least until after the round. Got some range balls and a cart and was paired with three nice gents. The carts are as archaic as it gets so bring your own amenities. There was no cart service and only the snack window at the turn - convenient enough. POP actually ended up better than we thought, but we were behind an incredibly slow foursome that was at least one to two holes behind all day. Rhythm was tough to come by. And conditions didn't help. Right now at Alondra you're going to find some pretty abysmal and dried out, thin fairways, but I always try and look at that as good practice for better-kept tracks. The rough is no better, so finding a good lie will be one of the best parts of your day, but it won't happen all that often. Bunkers were dreadful. Hardpan, recently muddy messes. Tee boxes were just okay. Greens were apparently fixed up a few weeks ago and they are actually not too bad except a few too many had chewed up, sanded over scars across them, but the untainted ones were okay. Tame and uninteresting, but rolled well enough. I have some very memorable personal achievements at Alondra (my only hole in one for example), but it will always be an 'emergency' round at this point going forward. And there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe one day it will somehow magically evolve into a well-kept, well-conditioned course, but until then, make plans to play elsewhere unless you're in a pinch. (Update: Just saw my bill for this on my bank statement and it was $57 to ride ... um, where do I update my 'Worth the price' selection?)