Since the previous post got in all the complaining about the course, I'll give you the good news: ElDo is holding up real nice during this drought. Still green and, well, not lush but I never had a b... Continue »

Since the previous post got in all the complaining about the course, I'll give you the good news: ElDo is holding up real nice during this drought. Still green and, well, not lush but I never had a bad lie. Greens had a few too many ball marks but otherwise rolled quick and true. Bunkers semi-thin, playable. I suggest you play early if you can to avoid the slow round ... we were on the first tee at 7am and finished at 11:20, walking. The group behind us was a hole or two back, no marshal. Recommended.

Been playing every other week all year, course in good shape except for tree roots sticking out around #12 & #14 GREENS making shots fly everyway if you hit them, 30 yards over green on #12 and in the... Continue »

Been playing every other week all year, course in good shape except for tree roots sticking out around #12 & #14 GREENS making shots fly everyway if you hit them, 30 yards over green on #12 and in the snack shack on # 14. Don't understand why workers are blowing pine needles and trimming grass around cart paths instead of cutting out these roots!! Told course workers and manager a couple of times to no avail. No marshall some times, no beer cart some times, no snack some times, 3 somes and 4 somes holding up groups , as us, with 2 & 3 holes open in front of them sometimesand say they don't care. American Golf at Long Beach tell their marshall's not to force these groups to pick up the pace of play. Takes 5 to 5 1/2 hours usually during week when it be 4 to 4 1/2 hours under normal playing conditions. Ther is no such thing as pace of play people or "ready golf" enforcement by American Golf Co. !!

I played Friday and teed off at about 10am. The course is in typical winter shape from tee to green, with quite a few thin or bare spots in the fairways. I'm not a big fan of "Winter Rules", but it mi... Continue »

I played Friday and teed off at about 10am. The course is in typical winter shape from tee to green, with quite a few thin or bare spots in the fairways. I'm not a big fan of "Winter Rules", but it might be acceptable at El Dorado until we get a little bit of rain. While the fairways and rough are a little thin, the tee boxes and bunkers are mostly in good condition. The greens are the best part of the course, mostly smooth and medium speed. Pace of play was 5 to 5 1/2 hours (brutal, but not unusual).

Course was in good shape for January. Teed off at 6:45 am today and played in 4:15. The course is still playing firm and fast. I was in a couple of bunkers and the sand was inconsistent. The rough... Continue »

Course was in good shape for January. Teed off at 6:45 am today and played in 4:15. The course is still playing firm and fast. I was in a couple of bunkers and the sand was inconsistent. The rough was cut pretty low but lush and the fairways were decently lush with bare spots but I was not in any of them. The greens were outstanding. Quick and fairly firm and true.

I am pleasantly surprised at the conditions. They were inconsistent last year but the times I have played here this winter the course has been in relatively good shape.

I was on the SCGA website and discovered a link to 'Book a Tee Time' and found out that I can make a time for a single player and even save a couple of bucks, so I tried it out and wouldn'tcha know it... Continue »

I was on the SCGA website and discovered a link to 'Book a Tee Time' and found out that I can make a time for a single player and even save a couple of bucks, so I tried it out and wouldn'tcha know it, Bingo. There are even some weekend single times available if anyone is interested. Cost was $38 and PoP was a few minutes beyond 4 hours, only waited on a few holes. Anyway, I haven't been to El Do for a few months and didn't know what to expect ... I was pleasantly surprised. The poa greens are holding up real well during this unseasonably warm weather, they are rolling fast and true with only a smidge of ball mark damage here and there. And the Kikuyu fairways are semi-green in many areas, a bit brown in others ... my only bad lies were in unfilled divots :-( Rough is generally spotty, the same as in the summer. Bunkers soft and very playable as long as it has been raked in the area where your ball decides to settle. Overall, can't wait to play it again sooner rather than later, cuz after a big rainstorm (if we ever get one) this course may begin to digress. BTW: tree trimmers were out in force today which should help break down some of El Do's defense. Recommended.

Played this morning, Saturday 12/21, teeing off about 6:55. For a very chilly morning it was crowded out there. Pace of play though was quite good. Slowed down a little on the back nine but still f... Continue »

Played this morning, Saturday 12/21, teeing off about 6:55. For a very chilly morning it was crowded out there. Pace of play though was quite good. Slowed down a little on the back nine but still finished in 4.5 hours. The $50 to walk was a bit steep. Course was in pretty good shape for winter conditions. The rough was cut down but is pretty lush, especially on the front nine. The fairways were okay with some bare spots. The tee boxes were good. The bunkers were not very good. Some had footprints from the day before or earlier. I was in one greenside bunker and there was little sand under the ball (which was not evident until I hit). I was in one fairway bunker and the surface was uneven and crusty from not being raked. The greens on the other hand were pretty good. A little bumpy in some cases but consistently fast and true otherwise.

They have done some work on the course over the last year, removing some annoying trees, lowering some bunker faces and flattening/reworking some tees (you could land a plane on the new 17th tee). While removing some of the risks the course offers, it still has teeth if you are not driving the ball in the fairway.

Due to overseed activity on the tee boxes, the majority of blue tees were well back, so it made it a black tee day (whites were moved up). Bad thing is most players here can't handle black tees so Po... Continue »

Due to overseed activity on the tee boxes, the majority of blue tees were well back, so it made it a black tee day (whites were moved up). Bad thing is most players here can't handle black tees so PoP was ridiculous. Now get this: we were third off and played the front in 2.5 hrs, waiting on every shot. The first two groups had absolutely no clue on how to keep it moving and set the tone for the rest of the day. It was pathetic to watch. Roving Marshall not on duty which didn't help. Otherwise, course is well maintained and in very good condition, greens coming back nicely from aeration and second half will begin Sunday afternoon, ending Monday. Some thin fairway lies here and there, good sand in bunkers, and rough is like a box of chocolates ... you never know what you're gonna get. $40 walking, need a senior/resident card for a discount.

Played El Do for the first time on 10/5, and was very pleasantly surprised. I'd read here that Skylinks' loss was El Dorado's gain, as the greenskeeper moved over. I haven't played Skylinks after the ... Continue »

Played El Do for the first time on 10/5, and was very pleasantly surprised. I'd read here that Skylinks' loss was El Dorado's gain, as the greenskeeper moved over. I haven't played Skylinks after the change, and as I said, this was my first time at El Do, so I can't speak to the before/after on either course. But however El Dorado played before, its condition now is terrific - better than Skylinks at any of the many times I'd played there. First, the layout is superior. Terrific use of water to protect the greens and make sure that seemingly easy approaches don't quite suit your eye. Greens are fair - meaning that they aren't tricked out and roll true - but often challenging. Terrific use of trees - again, fair but penal to hit from - gives you the feeling that you are not just playing a classic-style design, but almost like you're playing a private club (something quickly, and pleasantly disrupted by the sounds of happy children and music from the adjacent park). Pace of play was very good for a municipal course, and while our foursome waited on most shots, we never felt it unreasonable, and we finished in well under 5 hours. Try doing that at Rancho or Griffith Parks! Service was fine, from the pro shop, through the cafe, and the cart person. Only slight throat clearer was the price - $65 through GolfNow - which I would absolutely not pay to play the other mentioned courses, but for El Do - yeah, I'm looking forward to the next time.
I will keep a sharp eye out for better discounts, though!

Played in a tournament last weekend. I think there were two or three tournaments going on that Saturday, and we were pushed back about 20 minutes. The greens were much more receptive than they were ... Continue »

Played in a tournament last weekend. I think there were two or three tournaments going on that Saturday, and we were pushed back about 20 minutes. The greens were much more receptive than they were back when I played in August. I don't know if it was because the greens had been shaved down for the Long Beach Open, but the front nine greens especially seemed to be very hard back in August. This time around, my ball was checking very quickly with short irons and on pitch shots. A lot of the ball mark damage that I had seen on the greens looked like it had been repaired. Had a great time, I love visiting the courses in Long Beach.