I have a soft spot for this course as I think it punches well above its weight in terms of shot quality and it's a good test of golf course where you don't have to miss by much to run up some big scor... Continue »

I have a soft spot for this course as I think it punches well above its weight in terms of shot quality and it's a good test of golf course where you don't have to miss by much to run up some big scores.

Buttttt: it's looking rough right now. They are clearly trying to get it in shape, but the best part of the course are the bunkers and when you say that then it isn't good. Fairways and rough are thin and patchy with lots of sandy lies. Around the greens the rough is more lush and most fringes are well maintained. Tees boxes, some fairways and rough have been cored with big spikes (one ball rolled into a hole as I was addressing it) and the greens - while they have good speed - are very bumpy and bobbly. I hope they get it together soon because it really is a great little track. Keep driver in bag and let putts roll to the valley (and stay below hole on approaches)

Played today using our vouchers from the LA Golf show. POP was 3 hours (that was great). Customer service excellent at all levels (also great). From previous reviews, I was expecting only the greens t... Continue »

Played today using our vouchers from the LA Golf show. POP was 3 hours (that was great). Customer service excellent at all levels (also great). From previous reviews, I was expecting only the greens to be suspect, but found them to be in fairly good shape (7/10) but was disappointed that De Bell did not use GK to inform patrons of the punching of the fairways (4/10) going on today (made playing very poor). I always enjoy playing here because of the uniqueness of the layout. Still we made the most of it and enjoyed just playing golf and ignoring the issues. Found the tee boxes acceptable and was not in any bunkers, so no input. Rough was penal and of course, there are many areas of OB on the course. Was told that DeBell uses reclaimed water and even with that, they were told to cut back by 20%? So it remains to be seen, how the course will fair over the next 5 months (M/J/J/A/S).

Played here with fellow GKers Mattias and DKnight. We got a GN tee time for $47 each, including cart at 12:40 p.m. Somewhat slow pace of play and we finished in about 4.5 to 5 hours. Everything except... Continue »

Played here with fellow GKers Mattias and DKnight. We got a GN tee time for $47 each, including cart at 12:40 p.m. Somewhat slow pace of play and we finished in about 4.5 to 5 hours. Everything except for greens was on the dry side. Tees were punched recently; but no top dressing or sand and they were drying out. Good shots in the fairways were running out forever, sometimes getting you into a hazard. Fairways were very dry and thin as was the rough. Many areas in the rough and some areas in the fairways were bare dirt. Bunkers, forget about it. Hardly any decent sand and they have always had a problem with small rocks working their way up into what little sand there was. Basically a thin layer of sand over hard pan. The greens were fairly fast and challenging. I had trouble all day getting balls to stop near the pin, but a lot of that was poor execution compounded by the fast greens. Okay customer service. We were pushed early on by a course marshal when we were not directly behind the group ahead, but we were on pace at the ninth hole for a 4.5 hour round (the course recommended pace for tee times after 10:00). The beverage cart was on site with us at 8 tee, but we did not see her after that.

Played 4-26-15 late morning walking joining a twosome in 4 hours. Tee boxes in good shape, level with a little divot damage from so much iron play. Fairways and rough are both a little thin with a few... Continue »

Played 4-26-15 late morning walking joining a twosome in 4 hours. Tee boxes in good shape, level with a little divot damage from so much iron play. Fairways and rough are both a little thin with a few minor bare spots. Sand traps had nice firm sand. Greens are still healing a little from being punched, but rolled pretty good with medium speed.

Been playing here over 10 years. Good overall conditions. Greens best part. Easy golf course = many beginners POP can be issue sometimes.

Been playing here over 10 years. Good overall conditions. Greens best part. Easy golf course = many beginners POP can be issue sometimes.

First thing we noticed was marshalls patrolling the course. That was the 1st time ever since playing here that we have seen marshalls, not 1 but 2! Talked to both and they said they are actively try... Continue »

First thing we noticed was marshalls patrolling the course. That was the 1st time ever since playing here that we have seen marshalls, not 1 but 2! Talked to both and they said they are actively trying to keep the pace at 4 hours in the morning and a bit more lax at around 4 1/2 to 5 hours in the afternoon. We used vouchers for our rounds at $25 per person. Finished around 4 hours 45 mins which is pretty dang good for debell Sunday PM play.

Greens were firm and fast. It was fun to putt in these conditions as downhill putts will past the green if not careful.

Fairways firm but playable.

bunkers seem to be well stocked although I didn't get to test them.

Overall a fun day and with the improved POP, definitely encouraged to come back.

Good job (DeBell) in hearing us and doing something to improve player experience.

Went out today, 2/26 a bit after 12 and finished in 4.25 hrs on a $25 special off their booking site (included cart.) I was paired up with an out-of-towner who was good company and I was able to impar... Continue »

Went out today, 2/26 a bit after 12 and finished in 4.25 hrs on a $25 special off their booking site (included cart.) I was paired up with an out-of-towner who was good company and I was able to impart local knowledge to him. Since there is little to add, I'm referring you all back to rgm2525's report preceding mine. The outstanding difference is his description of the greens as medium speed. Today they were quick, and with the slope on some of those greens they could be treacherous. I had one gentle putt from above the 4th hole trundle right off the front of the green. A challenging little course that is not to be underestimated and can punish you severely for getting out of position. Thought I would do better today than last time, but came home with teeth marks on my butt again.

Played 2-13-15 with Nickesquire early morning walking in a little under 4 hours for $20 using there players card. Course is in good winter conditions. Tee boxes are improving, mostly level and semi- l... Continue »

Played 2-13-15 with Nickesquire early morning walking in a little under 4 hours for $20 using there players card. Course is in good winter conditions. Tee boxes are improving, mostly level and semi- lush even with all the iron play they get. Fairways are a little thin but still offer descent lies. Rough is cut down short, not much longer then fairways. Greens were in real nice shape rolling smooth with medium speed. For me this is a fun short course to play, that makes you move the ball both ways in order to score well here. Guys in the pro shop very friendly.

Walked the blues (5608/68.9/122) in 4 hours with RGM2525, his dad and Clint for $20. The customer service was excellent, they got out out as the 1st group of the day. 1st time playing here, interest... Continue »

Walked the blues (5608/68.9/122) in 4 hours with RGM2525, his dad and Clint for $20. The customer service was excellent, they got out out as the 1st group of the day. 1st time playing here, interesting experience. I suspect there are few golfers that would have neutral opinions about the De Bell layout... they will either think it is a short, fun course with character or a funky, quirky layout where they ruined a perfectly good mountain by trying to carve out a golf course in a very limited, hilly area. Either way, it is far from an easy course, the slope rating is too low in my opinion. Longest 5608 yard course I have ever played because depending on the hole, you may be hitting a short iron, a middle iron, a long iron and only occasionally a driver off the tee on par 4's. Even some par 5's I was hitting long irons off the tee because of the tightness and length. You have to be able to accurately curve balls 30-40 yards in both directions to be able to play longer clubs on many of these tee shots. Side note, it was a treat watching Ron manage this golf course. The drivers he hit with 30 yards of slice or 30 yards of hook to bend them around trees and hit fairways not much wider than a U.S. Open course in many cases was a thing of beauty. The layout is tight and very hilly. De Bell is an older course that has never been updated from the days when 230 yard drives were considered long. And it likely never will due to space constraints. The holes are constantly up down, the course is carved out of a mountain with tremendous views of Burbank, Glendale and downtown L.A. There are many blind shots, even a par 3 where you can not see the green or the flag hidden over a hill. It would take several rounds to get a feel for this course. Where to aim and how much club to hit off different tees because of fairways that are often severely up/down hills that then slope to sidehill lies. The greens are very small and also VERY severely sloped on numerous holes. 2 members of our group had a total of 5 putts that they putted 40 ft. up a hill... only to have their ball roll back almost to their feet on 1 hole. With that said, the greens were definitely the best part of the course, medium fast and they putted relatively smooth. Very few straight putts, be ready to aim outside the hole to way outside the hole on even shorter putts. The kikuyu aprons and the rough close to the greens are treacherous even though they are not that high. The fairways and rough were thin overall. Miss the already narrow fairways by more than a few yards and there is a generous amount of OB, red stakes and barranca waiting to add penalty strokes to your score. Accuracy is definitely a premium even though there is no water on the course. The sand traps were average. The tees were a mixed bag. Probably because it is a shorter course, many more tees were chewed up with divots that you would expect on par 4's and even par 5's. Local knowledge on numerous greens, where to aim and how much club to hit off numerous tees is essential to playing well here. I played poorly but would like to come back and play here again after having seen the course.