Snuck out for a solo round at De Bell in Burbank this weekend after finding a single time online the night before. I played from the blue tees and joined a threesome with a 12:00 tee time. If all went... Continue »

Snuck out for a solo round at De Bell in Burbank this weekend after finding a single time online the night before. I played from the blue tees and joined a threesome with a 12:00 tee time. If all went smoothly then finishing should have been no problem, but we had some very slow groups in front of us and essentially were the last group to finish with enough light - barely.

It was my first time back to De Bell in four years and of course I was quickly reminded why. The front nine is such a bizarre set of holes and when you're not simply perfect then it gets incredibly frustrating quickly. Luckily the back nine is a little more traditional and saves the round. It would also be more enjoyable despite the quirks if the conditions were great, but that's simply not the case.

The greens don't appear to have been rolled in quite some time so that led to lots of slow, bumpy putts and even some greens that had large cuts right through the middle of them. It's up to the player to adjust to some degree, but the degree of inconsistency from green to green is just deflating at best. Fairways were also in mediocre shape with many large dirt areas starting off each fairway, so any miscues were highly punished. Rough was okay in areas but mostly non-existent as there's OB on all sides here. Bunkers get top marks though as they were very fluffy and easy to play from - great job there. Tee boxes? Meh.

No cart service and no GPS on the carts, while the driving range is simple but more than adequate. The pro shop is well appointed and there's a very nice restaurant and snack shop on the upper level - no complaints about that aspect of the course at all.

But ultimately, I'm reminded again why I rarely come back to this course. I did at the very least enjoy my best-ever score here, but that's not saying much.

Played today 10/17/24 with a mid-morning tee time. POP was around 4 1/2 hours to play 18.

Beware this course is still doing a lot of work on the course. Saw so much yellow tape on this course tod... Continue »

Played today 10/17/24 with a mid-morning tee time. POP was around 4 1/2 hours to play 18.

Beware this course is still doing a lot of work on the course. Saw so much yellow tape on this course today. They are replacing a lot of the concrete cart paths especially near the tee boxes and some behind the greens. It was a challenge just driving the cart around all the detours.

We started on the back 9 this morning, which is hard as these 2 holes play uphill. On hole #11, the cart path behind the 11th green was closed. You had to park your cart about 60 yards in front of the green and then walk up to the green. Then hole #12 was using a temporary tee box. So all the tees were together playing around 70 yards. Course conditions were in decent shape with good coverage from tee to the green. Greens were in decent shape except for a number of unrepaired ball marks on the green. The sand in the bunkers had decent amount of sand. Been playing on courses with sand being so hard packed or dirt.

Hole #1 had a detour due to concrete cart path near the tee taped off for replacement. That was a challenge navigate cart through back of red tee box and down the hill. Hole #2 they were finally repairing the rough on the right side of the fairway near the drop-off but that area was ground under repair. Also on hole #2, the concrete path behind the greens were under repair and roped off. Hole #3 was a mess. You could only drive your cart to the area before the carry to the green. You had to park your cart here and then walk on the bridge to the green to finish this hole and then walk back. They are also working on the cart path behind hole #3. Hole #4 had temporary tee boxes as the area near the original tee box is under repair for concrete cart path replacement. On Hole #6, regular player mentioned not to park near the top of the cart path next to the street. Member have reported that some of the stuff were getting stolen off their cart while they were putting out on hole #6. Hole #8 they are working on fixing the rough on the left side on hole #8 near the green as this area was ground under repair.

Got notice that the course is being aerated next week. Once these repairs are all completed, this course will be fine to play. But I'll stay away until these repairs are all done. Also didn't check to see the hours the driving range are open. With today being Thursday, I didn't know the driving range didn't open until 10 am. Still had fun playing today as POP was great at 4 1/2 hours. I'm so used to POP being around 5 hours or more.

Buyer beware: many tee boxes under repair and temporary tee locations definitely not in the best spots (slopes, dead grass). The signature “bell” par 3 plays as like a 75 yard chip shot from rough in... Continue »

Buyer beware: many tee boxes under repair and temporary tee locations definitely not in the best spots (slopes, dead grass). The signature “bell” par 3 plays as like a 75 yard chip shot from rough instead of the blind over the hill. The holes that were in normal playing condition were fine. Normal wear and tear on tee boxes, mostly good fairways and roughs. Some chunks of greens missing on fringes, but overall not bad divot wise on greens. Wouldn’t recommend until repairs complete. Golf cart fleet is also definitely in need of replacement. Very bare, no windshield or ice chests.

Played today as first off. POP 3 H. Have not played here in perhaps 2 years after a bad experience. That was not the case today. Excellent customer service on check in and $35 Sr rate. Course is in re... Continue »

Played today as first off. POP 3 H. Have not played here in perhaps 2 years after a bad experience. That was not the case today. Excellent customer service on check in and $35 Sr rate. Course is in really nice shape. All good tee boxes. Good coverage, lies and roll out on the fairways. Greens were outstanding and fast. Only negative was the traps had not been raked or attended to. As many know this course is really different from what most of us are use to. But a little local knowledge and thinking can really make playing here enjoyable. If you score well on the front you can play conservative on the back and still have a good round (which I did). The one negative I really faced today was some of the holes I use to reach in regulation are not reachable that way anymore (LOL) due to the elevation changes on the back 9. Oh well thats life and at least I am still playing and that beats the alternative. If you are able to get a tee time I recommend playing here. And the food in the clubhouse restaurant upstairs was reasonable in price and service was excellent.

Wow it's been so long since I've done a review I almost forgot how to do it! All right let's get to it D Bell, this is my second week in a row playing here both on Tuesday mornings very early tee time... Continue »

Wow it's been so long since I've done a review I almost forgot how to do it! All right let's get to it D Bell, this is my second week in a row playing here both on Tuesday mornings very early tee times 7:30 and both days absolutely bone chilling cold. It has been more years than I can remember the last time I've played here and now I've done it two weeks in a row. I forgot how beautiful the course is. But I remember how tricky it is! You have to think your way around this course. Overall great shape, greens were fast and firm held approach shots well. Bunkers are pretty hard packed for the most part, could use some raking by machine and softening them up a bit. Be ready to practice your up hill/down hill side hill lies.! And be below most of the pins/ especially Blue pins! Overall a great and historical Track. Read up on the history,!! Great staff!! Go Play!

I played DeBell yesterday and it has always been one of my favorite courses. Unfortunately, the course wasn't in the best shape. The fairways were choppy,but the greens were their usual fast,pure rol... Continue »

I played DeBell yesterday and it has always been one of my favorite courses. Unfortunately, the course wasn't in the best shape. The fairways were choppy,but the greens were their usual fast,pure rolling selves. Overall, the pace of play was terrible due to players not having local knowledge, and being off target. Mostly, slow players. I will be back, because I love the course. I work at Riviera, which DeBell has similar qualities. Riviera is almost always in immaculate conditions being that it's a premier golf course. I enjoyed playing DeBell. Still a personal favorite.

Had a 1:30p tee time Saturday 9/24. Paired with a twosome and single, all pretty good players. Started off on hole 10 due to a wedding, which, fine. Conditions were decent with the exceptions of the t... Continue »

Had a 1:30p tee time Saturday 9/24. Paired with a twosome and single, all pretty good players. Started off on hole 10 due to a wedding, which, fine. Conditions were decent with the exceptions of the tee boxes. Just totally worn out, full of divots and in most cases very hard to find a level spot. Fairways and greens were in average/good shape, some bare spots, which was expected. Greens ran surprisingly faster than expected. Didn't see any construction going on on the course. Pace of play here always an issue due to its short length, finished at 4:40.
Carts always seem like they're gonna run out of steam going up any incline. Cart service came through a couple of times which was nice on a hot day. Pro shop check in and service was good. Overall, don't expect much here, but it is a good place to come if you a) wanna get real frustrated spraying balls into the canyon or b) try to work on your short iron target game.

Played my hometown course today in a tournament with my traveling golf club. Grew up and learned to play here as a teen—and still live down the street—but haven’t played it much the last decade or so,... Continue »

Played my hometown course today in a tournament with my traveling golf club. Grew up and learned to play here as a teen—and still live down the street—but haven’t played it much the last decade or so, due to my golf activity being intermittent, and playing other courses during the periods when I was playing. It’s changed ownership/management over the years, and I’ve witnessed conditions significantly deteriorate from what they were when I was growing up.

BUT I’m glad to say that it’s getting back into prime shape. It’s not quite there yet, as there are some bare/thin spots in the rough, the sand in the bunkers is pretty low quality (hard, thin, and very granular), and some of the tee boxes are (still) not completely level. But the fairways are lush, and the putting surfaces are in great shape. The greens are definitely the strongest area of the course (which goes a long way). They are smooth, have few pre-existing ball marks, hold shots well, and putt very true. They are still as diabolical as ever if you are above the hole, so shot location matters.

It’s not a long course, so it must rely on its greens, doglegs, and narrowness to present a challenge, in addition to hazards (barrancas, hillside). It does this very well, as I know many golfers of all abilities who are very frustrated by this course. Long hitters have little to no advantage here; it’s all about accuracy. But if that is a part of your game that you want to improve, then spend a few dozen rounds here, and I’d say you’re bound to improve.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that they do have construction actively taking place on the course. At the time of this posting, the only impact I know of is on the 11th and 17th holes. They are doing irrigation work on #17 DURING THE WEEK ONLY, which has resulted in #17 (a par 3) being completely closed, and #11 (a par 5) being split into a short par 4 and short par 3, with the par 4 having a temporary green cut into the fairway (which isn’t any good; I played it on Friday), and the par 3 playing to the normal 11th green. I’ve also observed evidence of a temporary green on the #13 fairway (also a par 5), so it’s possible they are alternating 11 and 13, when 17 is closed. Again, this is Monday thru Friday only (as of now). I know they have other construction projects planned for the next couple years, but I also know that they will try to have it impact play as little as possible. Construction is always unfortunate in the short term, but most of us know that it’s part of the longevity of any course, and makes for a better course in the long term.

Played here Saturday, 5/14 at 11:20. Found an amazing TeeOff.com "Deal" time that enticed me back for a rematch after my first time here about six weeks ago. Check in was smooth but they weren't annou... Continue »

Played here Saturday, 5/14 at 11:20. Found an amazing TeeOff.com "Deal" time that enticed me back for a rematch after my first time here about six weeks ago. Check in was smooth but they weren't announcing groups to the tee, so it was pretty much incumbent upon players to figure out what group was which and when to start. Found my playing partners and we started about 10 minutes late. Despite some minor waiting, front nine POP was good at about 2:10. Back nine slowed down considerably and total was around 4:45.

Conditions are good. Greens are completely healed, rolling smooth, accept full shots well, and are quite fast. In some spots they are crazy fast – on both 11 and 15, downhill putts didn't stop until they were off the front of the green. Fairways were decent with mostly good coverage. I think I did notice the spots where they're doing the irrigation project, but it didn't affect how any holes played. Rough had less consistent coverage and a good chance you'd have an uneven stance and/or find your ball on dirt. Blue tee boxes were a little beat up but you can find a decent place to tee it up. Bunkers are terrible. Many have water in them and others are just rock hard.

I fared no better against this tiny beast my second go-round. For the lack of length, this course has teeth and is not at all easy to score. It's also very pretty in spots with beautiful mountain backdrops.