Wow, the IKE killed me today. Actually, it was just me not the course. Great conditions and excellent course. The BABE opened today, by the way.

Wow, the IKE killed me today. Actually, it was just me not the course. Great conditions and excellent course. The BABE opened today, by the way.

Played mid-morning today. The course is in very good condition, with the exception of just a couple of fairways. The bermuda fairways are getting a little more green and lush, and the greens are in ... Continue »

Played mid-morning today. The course is in very good condition, with the exception of just a couple of fairways. The bermuda fairways are getting a little more green and lush, and the greens are in terrific shape. The bunkers are among the best in SoCal. Almost all the tee boxes are in perfect shape too. This is a terrific layout and as good a test of golf as you will get in LA County. Everything about your game gets tested - accuracy, ability to adjust to uneven lies, putting and overall course management. Unless you're truly single digits, don't even mess with the blue tees. You'll just have a long day and slow everyone else down. The only thing about the course here that is maddening is not being able to go 90 degrees with the cart on about 4-5 holes. This slows down play considerably and puts a crimp in your game b/c you rarely have the right club with you when you're ready to hit your shot. Other than that, I enjoy this facility because of the challenge it presents.

Unless you're a low handicap don't go there to score. It's a thrilling layout with little forgiveness. Most holes leave few workable options for a medium handicap. Even slightly errant shots can be se... Continue »

Unless you're a low handicap don't go there to score. It's a thrilling layout with little forgiveness. Most holes leave few workable options for a medium handicap. Even slightly errant shots can be severly punished. the fairways have still not grown-in so it's not totally worth the greens fee. If it's your first time there, practice chipping from the greenside rough. It's unusually stiff and bristle-like. And unless you normally play in perfect, fluffy sand, you'll want to practice there too. They need a light touch.

played may 30th @ 7:20. course was not in good shape. The tee boxes were recently punched and none of the plugs were picked up. The tee boxes were an absolute mess. Usually the tips are in the bes... Continue »

played may 30th @ 7:20. course was not in good shape. The tee boxes were recently punched and none of the plugs were picked up. The tee boxes were an absolute mess. Usually the tips are in the best shape of all tee boxes, but this was not the case. I play here three or four times a year, but I haven't played the Ike in 7 years or so (I LOVE the Babe). The Ike is very challenging, especially from the tips, but the tee boxes and the fairways were not in good shape at all. It was challenging enough to hit a good tee shot because of the tee boxes, plus the course is challenging on top of all of that, but the fairways were really dry and the grass was sparse. The best lies I had all day were in the rough. After a good solid drive at this course, you are usually left with an uneven lie in the fairway. This is difficult when the course conditions are good, but when the fairways are hardpan, it makes it very difficult to hit high quality iron shots. The greens and the bunkers were in good shape. The greens were wet and the rest of the course was dry (dry as a bone). But the last few holes were overwatered. I can't believe that such a course would be in such crappy shape. On top of that, the guy in the proshop, when he overheard that we were going to be playing from the tips, asked what our handicaps were. I asked him if it mattered, just so long as we kept up with the group in front of us. He said that they were "closed" unless we were scratch. I thought this was rude and shouldn't have been an issue, unless we were holding up the groups behind us (which we didn't). When I showed him my index (-0.5), that shut him up; still I thought it was uncalled for. I love how the holes are laid out at this course. If the conditions were good, I'm sure it's one of the best courses in the LA area; I know that the Babe is.

Course is in good shape after being refinished. Greens were great along with the sand traps. Fairways are still a bit young. Nice course, but no way is it worth $120.

Course is in good shape after being refinished. Greens were great along with the sand traps. Fairways are still a bit young. Nice course, but no way is it worth $120.

here's the good news, yes the course is more playable. it is still a stern test of golf, it doesn't seem like the torture chamber it was before. the bad news...not worth it, on all fronts. chewed u... Continue »

here's the good news, yes the course is more playable. it is still a stern test of golf, it doesn't seem like the torture chamber it was before. the bad news...not worth it, on all fronts. chewed up tee boxes, thin brown fairways and divot damaged greens. this is not the premiere golf course they are selling. all the elements are there, but you'd think after being closed for a year the course would be emmaculate. it's nowhere close to being worth the weekend rate. the other premiere courses that change that premium are 10 times more worth it. if this is the best they can do after a year then count me out.

A very nice track. I liked this tree lined course quite a bit, as it's different than the usual semi-dessert SoCal golf course. A tough track but perfectly fair with big, tiered greens and fairly wide... Continue »

A very nice track. I liked this tree lined course quite a bit, as it's different than the usual semi-dessert SoCal golf course. A tough track but perfectly fair with big, tiered greens and fairly wide fairways. I'll be back.

played here 5/12/07 for the first time. the course is not that bad; fairways and teeboxes are in good condition; so is the sand. however the greens were slow...felt like they were an 8.5 on the stim... Continue »

played here 5/12/07 for the first time. the course is not that bad; fairways and teeboxes are in good condition; so is the sand. however the greens were slow...felt like they were an 8.5 on the stimpmeter.

Played mid-morning 5-4-07. This was my first time playing this course in about 5 years, and many things here have changed. First, the course is much more playable and much less intimidating visually... Continue »

Played mid-morning 5-4-07. This was my first time playing this course in about 5 years, and many things here have changed. First, the course is much more playable and much less intimidating visually. Much of the scrub has been cut back and the rough is more uniform and less high. As a consequence, you don't spend nearly as much time looking for balls that just happen to stray into the rough. All the bunkers now are flashed, so none of them are hidden from the tee anymore. The pro shop has been completely renovated, and they're still working on the renovations to what used to be the sports bar. The ambience at this facility is much better - it has more of a resort feel to it than before. As for the course, it was in very good condition. I rate the greens a 9-10. They were receptive and fast. These greens are among the toughest to putt in SoCal - very subtle breaks. I rate the rough 9-10; very uniform all the way around. I rate the tee boxes an 8 - most were fine with the exception of 2 to 3 tee boxes. We played from the whites, but on some holes, we either teed off from the red tees or the blue tees because the white tee area was under construction. I rate the fairways a 6. The lies were tight, but the grass still is fairly dormant and the lies weren't uniform. The fairways at Angeles National, for example, are much better, but the Angeles greens aren't nearly as receptive. The bunkers rate a 10; they're in perfect condition. When the fairways green up, this place will really be top notch. We got the round finished in about 4 1/2 hours; the pace of play won't ever really be faster than that because a lot of the holes don't play 90 degrees and the tee boxes are so far apart. This is a great course and I think the facility is going to continue to get better. My only suggestion to management is to institute the 90 degree rule - the fairways are dormant right now anyway, and the carts aren't going to hurt them very much.