I have not played Eldo in over six years, so it brought back many fond memories. I thought the course was in great condition, with the exception of the greenside bunkers, which were so overwatered, it... Continue »

I have not played Eldo in over six years, so it brought back many fond memories. I thought the course was in great condition, with the exception of the greenside bunkers, which were so overwatered, it was like playing in mud. Otherwise I can not recall ever seeing Eldo in such nice shape. Very green and lush, and well manicured.

Staff was perfect, got out right away with zero hassle. Although we had the first tee time, we allowed some "regulars" to hit off in the dark using flashlights. Nice easy walking pace of 3 hours 15 minutes, which permitted us to take plenty of time, but still finish well before 9am. Nobody pushing, so why not enjoy a beautiful course on a beautiful morning.

I don't think I had appreciated what a wonderful design. Critical that you position yourself off the tee to provide the correct angle into the greens. (Unfortunately I was out of position too many times today) Just a terrific old style golf course which provides plenty of challenge but does not ask you to do anything out of the ordinary.

Teed off on Saturday, May 26 at 5:36 am. Course is in good shape. Fairways were fluffier than I like. I need all the rollout I can get! It looks like they are expanding the greens gradually so the... Continue »

Teed off on Saturday, May 26 at 5:36 am. Course is in good shape. Fairways were fluffier than I like. I need all the rollout I can get! It looks like they are expanding the greens gradually so the outer edges of the greens are a bit iffy. I'm sure the course will be in prime shape for the Long Beach Golf Festival coming up.

Back at El Do early Friday, cool and breezy, got around in 4:15. Course getting ready for the LB Golf Festival and it looks like they're trying to enlarge the greens as the aprons have been cut so lo... Continue »

Back at El Do early Friday, cool and breezy, got around in 4:15. Course getting ready for the LB Golf Festival and it looks like they're trying to enlarge the greens as the aprons have been cut so low it's tough to judge where the greens begins. Anyway, the surface was a bit bumpy this AM, several putts did not roll true. Still speedy ... downhillers can get away from you real easy. Fairways not cut so a bit long-ish, rough very penal. Sand looked good in the bunkers. Definitely a course that can go low if you keep it in play. Recommended.

Out early at El Do Friday. PoP at 4:10 as the the early groups were not doing a good job of moving, pity the fools. Full tee sheet as usual. Conditions are optimal right now, tee to green. Kikuyu ... Continue »

Out early at El Do Friday. PoP at 4:10 as the the early groups were not doing a good job of moving, pity the fools. Full tee sheet as usual. Conditions are optimal right now, tee to green. Kikuyu fairways mostly full and semi-lush, rough cut high (for El Do) so that was indeed a challenge when you missed a fairway. Very few bare areas to worry about.

Greens were the highlight ... perfect Poa (if there is such a thing) rolling true. Soft and holding about any decently struck approach (1-3 still a bit spongy as they put extra water to lower salt content says Lawnboy). Bunkers were not conditioned today which was a minor disappointment because the sand has great texture and is usually easy to play from.

The defense here are the many mature trees that line the fairways, so if you're straight off the tee you can score well. I didn't do that on the front side and paid for it with a high score. After my head came out and saw the sun and my game improved, I had a blast. Definitely recommended.

For a crowded public course it moved fairly well. The greens were great and running true. Fairways were a little shaggy, sand traps were consistent. Challenging with all the trees and enough water t... Continue »

For a crowded public course it moved fairly well. The greens were great and running true. Fairways were a little shaggy, sand traps were consistent. Challenging with all the trees and enough water to think about. Only complaint is 5 somes! This one of my favorite Long Beach public courses so give it a try.

Played on Saturday, March 24. We also played on March 17 when the greens were still heavily sanded after the recent punching. Greens were surprisingly almost back to normal. I suspect they will be ... Continue »

Played on Saturday, March 24. We also played on March 17 when the greens were still heavily sanded after the recent punching. Greens were surprisingly almost back to normal. I suspect they will be in really good shape from here on out.

Played yesterday. El Dorado has always been a love/hate relationship for me. I love the course but the greens HATE me. Today was no exception.

Greens were FAST. Very difficult to stick a ball e... Continue »

Played yesterday. El Dorado has always been a love/hate relationship for me. I love the course but the greens HATE me. Today was no exception.

Greens were FAST. Very difficult to stick a ball even with high shots. Tried to run the ball up but the fringes around the greens were recently punched so not a lot of release. Figure a few weeks and all should be good for that. Greens were as I said lightening fast. Very hard to keep your line from footprints though. More than my fair share of putts would skip and jump along these depressions. Took a while to adjust but finally settled with lagging my putts to get the most desired results.

Fairways had good coverage. But as my luck would have it I land in some old divot. Not the course's fault, just saying. Overall though nice coverage with decent cushion underneath. Rough is thick but not penal. Bunkers and I was in a few had nice coverage with decent sand -- very playable. Tee boxes were flat and lush.

Overall experience is very positive.

Pace of play was another thing entirely. This being President's Day weekend the course was packed. Front nine took a little more than 3 hours (30 mins delay on tee off included). Back 9 went a little faster at 2.5 hours. Still course was expected to play with delay so we made the appropriate concessions. The only problem I have is playing that long typically makes you tired -- more so than if you play quickly and finish quickly.

Bottom line, conditions are pretty nice here at El Dorado. If you can get out and play quickly and finish quickly then definitely worth the price of admission ($48 to walk/weekends.) The loads of play the course gets will limit your enjoyment.

$37 GolfZing early tee time at El Slo-rado on a Friday morning where they put out 5-somes galore (thanks, AmGolf) leading to slow play. Gonna rant here, so skip to the next paragraph if you just want... Continue »

$37 GolfZing early tee time at El Slo-rado on a Friday morning where they put out 5-somes galore (thanks, AmGolf) leading to slow play. Gonna rant here, so skip to the next paragraph if you just want to read about course conditions. Golfers: if you want to play early you absolutely MUST be able to get around in a minimum of 4 hours ... 3.5 hr round if you're using carts. The 6:30 and 6:40 tee times today were absolutely clueless on PoP which causes the slow play El Do is known for. If you play early, play fast ... or just get a later tee time! Rant off. Greens are the best part of the course, quick and slick right now, even when it's cool and damp like it was this morning. Aprons and grass near the greens was green and in better shape than the fairways which have thinned a bit (Kikuyu in the winter) but still very playable. Rough can be penal or non-existent depending on where you miss. Bunkers looked good and maintained. Always a challenge to play early in the winter even here in So Cal. Just would expect a decent pace, not a 4:30 round when you're scheduled to tee off at 6:50AM.

Conditions are deteriorating, probably due to lack of water. Fairways are getting patchy. Found myself on very thin lies, even hard-packed dirt. Greens are still good, must be taking extra care to ... Continue »

Conditions are deteriorating, probably due to lack of water. Fairways are getting patchy. Found myself on very thin lies, even hard-packed dirt. Greens are still good, must be taking extra care to water and keep smooth. Bunkers are inconsistent, although we saw maintenance workers putting in sand on a few greenside traps that had been hard pan. Pace of play was typical 5+ hours. #18 has been playing easier now that fairway bunkers have been removed.