played early this morning. Cold and wet due to the rain, but the course is in pristine shape. I play a pretty healthy rotation of about 8-10 courses from Ventura to Riverside County, and I think thi... Continue »

played early this morning. Cold and wet due to the rain, but the course is in pristine shape. I play a pretty healthy rotation of about 8-10 courses from Ventura to Riverside County, and I think this course could have the best greens in SoCal. They're fast, smooth and receptive. It's just so nice to be able to putt greens like they have here.

Played early in the morning on Monday, 12/31/07, on a sunny warm day with only light breezes. Weather had forecast cold and windy, so I was overdressed but conditions were a pleasant surprise. We were... Continue »

Played early in the morning on Monday, 12/31/07, on a sunny warm day with only light breezes. Weather had forecast cold and windy, so I was overdressed but conditions were a pleasant surprise. We were out on time to a course in very good condition. Recent course renovations were not obvious to me as I haven’t played here in several years, but I did note some changes from the old yardage book I had – bunkers new or now gone, some greens a little larger. All aspects of the course were in very good shape. Fairways were good, traps fluffy, rough not very long and easily played from. Greens were very smooth and rolled well - too well in my opinion. Previous posters on this site frequently refer to how much they like ‘fast’ greens, but these greens were silly fast. If you are 5 feet above the pin, you know that you have no hope of stopping the ball before it gets at least 10 feet below the pin. This isn’t fun, and makes for very slow and frustrated play – we were out for >5 hours. Let’s face it, 95% of golfers can’t handle greens with this speed, so how does it benefit the course to spend the money to maintain them? Is it the golfer-manly-masochist factor? The ‘I got beat up at the Babe!’ bragging rights? It’s necessary to keep the greens very firm to maintain this speed, so the greens don’t hold shots unless you can spin the ball like the pros. How many of us spin the ball like that? I don’t - I had several shots that I thought were well-hit bound across the greens into trouble. I don’t have a problem with quick challenging greens, but putting on plate glass down a slope isn’t my idea of a sporting challenge. I can’t recommend the course for any but very good golfers.

A cold, blustery day at the Babe. Cart path only today - if this annoys you, call the Pro Shop ahead of time to find out what the deal is for your tee time. The course is in fine condition. The gre... Continue »

A cold, blustery day at the Babe. Cart path only today - if this annoys you, call the Pro Shop ahead of time to find out what the deal is for your tee time. The course is in fine condition. The greens are rolling nice, fast and smooth. The rough is low- medium height. Bunkers are in A+ shape too. If I have any complaints at all, it would have to be that a few of the tee boxes are level. Some have slight fade or hook shapes to them - not severe, but they do exist. On a course with a lot of doglegs, I think this affects alignment. So as you set up for your tee ball, you may want to double-check the slope on the tee box.

My first time out at Industry Hills on "The Babe" this morning, Tuesday. Net impression is of a well-groomed DeBell on steroids. Set up on the hill with good views of the surrounding area, the holes a... Continue »

My first time out at Industry Hills on "The Babe" this morning, Tuesday. Net impression is of a well-groomed DeBell on steroids. Set up on the hill with good views of the surrounding area, the holes are tight, strategic and nicely wooded and landscaped, with a lot of up, down and around. Conditions were generally very good with the exception of a couple of greens having some mangey areas. Overall, I thought the greens were interestingly contoured and challenging without being unfair or silly -- medium speed on the day. Straight is more valuable than long and can lead to a good score. If you are having trouble keeping it straight, you will pay a price. Nice lunch shack on the overlook a stones throw from the pro shop. Reasonable prices and good food. Senior rate begins at 50 yrs old here which was a mixed blessing. I'm in no hurry to be considered a senior, but it's nice to have the significant discount.

I played "The Babe" on Sept. 12, 2007. What a wonderful track. The renovations are subtle. The bones are very much the same. Just some polishing up on green complexes, fairways, and the like. Only pla... Continue »

I played "The Babe" on Sept. 12, 2007. What a wonderful track. The renovations are subtle. The bones are very much the same. Just some polishing up on green complexes, fairways, and the like. Only played front nine. The design of this course is first rate. Hazzards and tee boxes are all in the right places. The course is strategic and care must be used to score well. The greens are usually subtle, but with some huge undulations that can be seen. Good use of elevation changes. Good tracking. The Tee shot from the tips on #1 is the best of any course in Southern California. The better player and longer hitter needs to work the ball both ways off the tee. But still, the course is right in front of you. If you can score here, you can play anywhere. By the way - i shot a 36 on the front. Proud of that little fact.

Played this past Sat morning. The course is in very good condition. With the exception of maybe two greens, the greens were smooth, fast and receptive. I've played here several times in the last mo... Continue »

Played this past Sat morning. The course is in very good condition. With the exception of maybe two greens, the greens were smooth, fast and receptive. I've played here several times in the last month, and it's clear the conditions are getting better and better. The staff here does a great job.

Played as a single finished in a little over 3 1/2 hours. Overall the course wasn't in all that bad of shape considering how hot it has been but for the conditions its probably not worth the $80+ I p... Continue »

Played as a single finished in a little over 3 1/2 hours. Overall the course wasn't in all that bad of shape considering how hot it has been but for the conditions its probably not worth the $80+ I paid. This is a course where you can't miss the fairway too much otherwise you get some severe uneven lies. Some brown spots thoughtout the course b/c of the heat, I don't remember the greens being to bad. Wasn't in the sand so not sure about that. I wish I had someone with me b/c some of the greens are tiered and it would have been nice to know that prior to hitting my approach shots. I thought the course was challenging but not as hard as the rating (I played the blues) since I was even on the back 9, front 9 is another story.

teed off around noon today Aug 26. A very fun round - played alone and finished in just under 3 hrs. This is my second round on the Babe, and it sure is a fun course. The course is in good shape. ... Continue »

teed off around noon today Aug 26. A very fun round - played alone and finished in just under 3 hrs. This is my second round on the Babe, and it sure is a fun course. The course is in good shape. My only complaint is that some of the tee boxes are a little shaggy and the footing a little loose. If you play here, several of the tee boxes are not level, so you might want to check your alignment and footing before you take your address position.

Played afternoon of Aug 15. My first round at the Babe, and I was not disappointed. The layout is terrific - fun, challenging, and most parts of the course feel fairly secluded. Hole variety is ver... Continue »

Played afternoon of Aug 15. My first round at the Babe, and I was not disappointed. The layout is terrific - fun, challenging, and most parts of the course feel fairly secluded. Hole variety is very good - doglegs, elevation, varied green complexes. The course flows well, with the next tee box close to the green that you just left. The course is in very good condition too. The only disappointment were the greens on 1 and 2 - very pockmarked. After that though, the greens rolled smooth and fast. This course complements the Ike very well. The Ike demands driver all day, while the Babe demands precision with your irons. After having played both courses, I now favor the Babe - the course is more fun and I like the flow of the design.