Found a late tee time for Mattias and I along with another buddy for Sunday this week at Alondra and booked it on Friday night. We had a 12:18 tee time so as long as things kept moving, we should have... Continue »

Found a late tee time for Mattias and I along with another buddy for Sunday this week at Alondra and booked it on Friday night. We had a 12:18 tee time so as long as things kept moving, we should have no problem finishing, right? (very subtle foreshadowing ...) We warmed up on the fairly-well appointed driving range, got our cart and headed out on time with another single. That was the start of the disaster. The group in front of us were in no hurry whatsoever, taking all the time they wanted to chat and play multiple balls at times, and simply cost us finishing despite more than a few calls for them to hurry it up. At one point one of their group left his driver all the way back at the tee box and while he drove back, the others just chatted instead of getting their tee shots away. It was utterly maddening. Needless to say we only got through 16 holes before calling it a day for darkness. Course conditions weren't helping the situation either. Greens were bumpy and inconsistent but did hold shots well. The fairways were either thin or dirt with a few green areas in between, and often the rough was a far better option. The tee boxes were beat up but level at least for the most part, while the bunkers varied from hole to hole. On one hole they were super thin and impossible to take sand, while on the next super fluffy to the point of plugged balls that landed in them. Just ridiculous. And all that for a $69 greens fee. Wow. We did have cart service from a lovely gal who was the highlight of the afternoon, but of course the overall POP of the round was just abysmal. We really, truly could have finished with no issues if weren't for the complete imbeciles playing ahead of us that ruined our afternoon. Very disappointing.

Played a recent emergency round at local course Alondra and just wanted to leave a quick review on current conditions. In a word - 'meh.' The fairways have a ton of dried out or dirt patches to conten... Continue »

Played a recent emergency round at local course Alondra and just wanted to leave a quick review on current conditions. In a word - 'meh.' The fairways have a ton of dried out or dirt patches to contend with, and sometimes even a perfect drive ends up on some patchwork thin landing area to really frustrate you. The rough is always of mixed length, but also a lot of mayhem off the fairways. Bunkers were actually okay but the tee boxes were particularly beat up.

The greens are 'okay.' They're not particularly fast, they're not particularly consistent and about the only good thing you can say is that they hold shots well because of their relative sponginess. I've seen them worse for sure, but that's not exactly saying a lot.

POP was not great either as we had a very slow group of older gentlemen in front of us who remained at least a hole behind the group in front of them the entire round. No cart service either (which is common) but a very good little cafe in a convenient spot at the turn.

One thing of MAJOR note if you're very familiar with the banal layout at Alondra. The massive tree in the middle of the fairway/landing area on the 18th hole has been completely removed. It absolutely changes the difficulty of the hole and more clearly defines the hole's line into the green. It may shock you the first time you get back out there but what's done is done!

Had plans out near the airport so wanted to get a round in nearby and Alondra seemed to fit the bill. Place has a nice practice area, multiple putting greens and a chipping area as well as a good size... Continue »

Had plans out near the airport so wanted to get a round in nearby and Alondra seemed to fit the bill. Place has a nice practice area, multiple putting greens and a chipping area as well as a good sized covered range. So that's the good. The actual course is in fair shape at best. Tee boxes are pretty chewed up and not level in places. Fairways don't have a lot of green grass so what you get is a lot of firm dried out spots with lots of roll out. Unfortunately it's hard to tell where that roll out leads to so your ball can take some funky bounces. To me, the track itself is very friendly, with mostly straight holes and giant fairways. Even with some breeze it's not too difficult, tho it does have some decent length in spots. Annoying on 11 which is a very short par 4 I hit what i thought was a perfect drive that should have wound up maybe 50 yards short of the green but my ball just disappeared. No idea where i couldn't have kicked off to. The condition of the course makes it pretty hard to locate your shot as white balls sort of blend into everything. There's also an issue where driving range balls wind up all over certain holes. The greens at least were decent, though soft and spongy and slow. Bunkers were extremely thin with very little sand. I'd say this course is a decent place for someone new to the game to play (and for the 5 hour POP I think that's the case), but for decent players I'd think it'd be pretty boring. Just lots of flat terrain with very little deviation. Easy to walk at least! Maybe if it were in better shape it could be fun to go low but for what it costs, I'll have to pass.

Got a recent time close to home at Alondra and discovered a course far more troubled currently than what my lowered expectations were even anticipating. Check-in was smooth and easy and I was paired w... Continue »

Got a recent time close to home at Alondra and discovered a course far more troubled currently than what my lowered expectations were even anticipating. Check-in was smooth and easy and I was paired with another single as part of a twosome, but that's about where all the good more or less ended.

Carts are in very poor condition but they're effective enough I guess. The fairways are also not too terrible if we're looking for a silver lining, but you are going to find a lot of thin or sometimes even water-logged 'pits' around the course. That's about the best I can say for Alondra right now.

The greens are slow, bumpy and some are still showing some of the aeration effects from a punch two or three weeks ago. So many good putts simply made odd left or right turns along the way and slowed down many feet ahead of the pins. You just have to adjust but they're not in good shape at all. I suppose they hold shots well.

Tee boxes are a shaggy disaster. Not mowed down at all. Really poor. Bunkers are also very thin and some had some standing water in them. I did find myself in a few during my round but managed to hit some decent shots out of them but aesthetically they look pretty awful.

POP was not too bad but it was strange that we were sent out as a twosome when another one followed us and we all had to wait for the slow threesome ahead of us. What can you do?

I never go to Alondra and expect country club conditions but I have played here often enough to have found greens in better shape and tee boxes with even the smallest amount of energy devoted to their upkeep. I think this place could be so much better with just the minimum amount of care taken. Let's see if that happens anytime soon.

Played a twilight round this past Friday at Alondra with two friends. We rode and played from the blue tees, costing around $57 for the round. We had a 1:48pm tee time and were worried after the first... Continue »

Played a twilight round this past Friday at Alondra with two friends. We rode and played from the blue tees, costing around $57 for the round. We had a 1:48pm tee time and were worried after the first few holes that we may not finish in time, however despite all the delays, we did end up somehow finishing in around four and a half hours, which was quite the shock at the 18th tee box.

Course conditions at Alondra are currently above average in comparison to the usual state of the place. The greens are in pretty good shape albeit a bit spongy when it comes to ball marks, but once on the green they're rolling pretty nicely and faster than what you would expect. The rains of late again have left the fairways and rough in pretty decent condition so you don't have to worry right now about too many dirt or thin lies. Tee boxes are just okay and the bunkers had barely any sand in them and far too many with standing water.

Alondra is not a premium destination but if you want a good chance to stretch out the legs and use all the clubs in your bag, and all at a fair price, then it's a good time to get out there. I can't imagine it will stay in this kind of good shape for too long with all the traffic.

Took my 2 grandaughters here yesterday to play the Par 3 while their Mom was at the Mall in Torrance. Had not used the Par 3 for many years. Found the course layout of 18 holes to be a good venue for ... Continue »

Took my 2 grandaughters here yesterday to play the Par 3 while their Mom was at the Mall in Torrance. Had not used the Par 3 for many years. Found the course layout of 18 holes to be a good venue for the youngsters to learn and work on their golf game. The course was in good shape and I found no real issues with it. Price was reasonable for both Juniors and adults and the flow of the course was not an issue. I would recommend this course for those looking to play with juniors and teach them the game of golf.

Joined two buddies with a very early 6:50am tee time on Sunday at our local Alondra Park. We played from the white tees with two walkers and one riding. Luckily the weather cooperated most of the day ... Continue »

Joined two buddies with a very early 6:50am tee time on Sunday at our local Alondra Park. We played from the white tees with two walkers and one riding. Luckily the weather cooperated most of the day with just a few cold holes early and windy and cold the last three. In between everything was pretty darn good in terms of weather. On the course, it was nice to find Alondra in some of the best overall condition I've ever seen. No, it's not in any way, shape or form 'pristine' in any capacity, but just about everything is fair to good right now, which is saying a lot. The greens are very quick right now and while some still show some ball mark damage (like the 13th), they're generally rolling nicely, however they are not holding shots well at all as they are super hard and firm. The fairways have mostly good coverage with a few thin areas as one would expect, but it was surprising to find so many good lies throughout the day. There are definitely still some 'scorched earth' looking spots still begging for more precipitation, but overall you can see how much good the recent rains have done for the place. Unfortunately those same rains have done a number on the bunkers which are mostly pretty thin and gritty, but ultimately playable. Tee boxes were a little on the beat-up side and a few were uneven, but nothing too terrible in the big picture. Being just the third group out for the day, we cruised through our round as a threesome in just four hours which was great. Unfortunately there was no cart service at any point during the day, but there is a convenient snack shop along the path at the turn. The layout is of course nothing thrilling but it's solid enough to keep you honest due to its length and right now the tricky green approaches and sorting out distances and greens speed. I won't play this course too often each year but when I do get out there it's always a much better experience when the course is in its current condition.

Played on Saturday afternoon, 8/6, about 3:30 pm. I walked on after meeting my familial obligations and joined an agreeable couple. We had a twosome in front of us and another behind us. Not crowded. ... Continue »

Played on Saturday afternoon, 8/6, about 3:30 pm. I walked on after meeting my familial obligations and joined an agreeable couple. We had a twosome in front of us and another behind us. Not crowded. We played at about a 4 hour pace although I cut out after 16.

The course was in mediocre shape. There were some really dry spots in the fairways and rough. I had a decent lie most times but there was some really thick rough too. Weird mix. Not much sand in the bunkers. One greenside bunker on #6 was full of water. The greens on the front side weren't bad, running on the slow side of medium. The greens on the back nine were much worse. I had a hole next to my line on #10.

I had forgotten how much a factor the wind is in the afternoon at Alondra. We had a steady 20 mph wind the entire round. It was a killer on #2 and #16, directly into the breeze. That said, the dry fairways allowed plenty of roll on low shots.

It will be a while before I come out here again.

Quick Friday twilight round review of Alondra ... it had been a while since I played this course that's one of the closer ones to me in Playa del Rey. I had many of my 'firsts' at Alondra, so after a ... Continue »

Quick Friday twilight round review of Alondra ... it had been a while since I played this course that's one of the closer ones to me in Playa del Rey. I had many of my 'firsts' at Alondra, so after a two-year hiatus I thought it would be fun to see how she was doing.

Not too bad to be honest, but of course the bar is slightly low. I found the course to be about what I expected which is to say thinnish fairways, bumpy and slow-ish greens, hacked up tee boxes, non-existent fluffy sand and all sorts of mayhem off the fairways. And yet, despite all that, still pretty darn playable. Expectations are pretty low so you won't be disappointed.

It's a good bargain and the layout is actually not too awful, with the exception of the fairly horrible 18th hole and it's weird sightlines. Other than that though it's pretty straightforward but good to be able to get after some low scores, which I actually did so that probably skews my review more towards the positive.

My two buddies and I walked the course as it's imminently walkable, but there was no cart service to be seen and only the small snack shop at the turn for any goodies. Carts we did see look very ancient but serviceable. Pretty decent range as well but didn't use it this time.

It'll probably be a while before I head back as I got my nostalgic fix of Alondra, but if you're ever in a serious pinch and just want to whack the sticks, you could have a worse time elsewhere.