Back to the 'Wood for some inexpensive holiday golf with some buds. Teed off late at 8:10 but finished in 4:40 which isn't too bad for Labor Day I guess. Course conditions haven't changed much since... Continue »

Back to the 'Wood for some inexpensive holiday golf with some buds. Teed off late at 8:10 but finished in 4:40 which isn't too bad for Labor Day I guess. Course conditions haven't changed much since I played it last. Greens were very soft and very receptive, but rolled at a decent speed with a few unrepaired pitch marks or spike marks knocking some putts off line. And someone was leaning on their putter on a few holes leaving a deep indentation on the putting surface, on #5 it was 3 feet from the cup ... yep, clueless. Bunkers in fine shape, a few were semi thin so be careful out there. Anyway, the 'Wood's open for business as usual ... play early to avoid the slow play crowd ... and the heat.

Played Sunday, 6:15 am, as a single. Walked right on - literally I was told to go straight to the tee. Pace of play was great, about 4:05. The course was pretty wet with some muddy areas. It was v... Continue »

Played Sunday, 6:15 am, as a single. Walked right on - literally I was told to go straight to the tee. Pace of play was great, about 4:05. The course was pretty wet with some muddy areas. It was very lush except well away from the fairway especially on the back nine. The rough was more watered though than other County courses I have played lately. The greens were great as usual, running a tad slower than they were this Spring but still medium speed. The tees were generally in good shape with the occasional thick Kyukyu making it difficult to get a good short tee set on par threes. The sand was good. Overall, a good experience and well worth the $36.50 to walk.

Got back to L'Wood on my Friday off this week, where walking on as a single is still only $27 weekdays. It was a ghost town at 5:45AM so I was on the course at 6 with a group of regulars, cool guys t... Continue »

Got back to L'Wood on my Friday off this week, where walking on as a single is still only $27 weekdays. It was a ghost town at 5:45AM so I was on the course at 6 with a group of regulars, cool guys to tee it up with. We finished in 4 hours behind a walking five some. Maintenance out doing their thing so all the greens were cut to medium speed, very few ball marks or footprints to negotiate ... actually, very nice poa but very soft & sticky. I mean every iron or chip shot would stop on a dime although you could see it firming up and starting to release balls as the dew disappeared on the back side. Bunkers looked fine (I avoided them all today but heard no complaints). Fairways were green and the Kikuyu (and a variety of whatever else is growing out there) was in good shape. Rough always patchy and uneven here, you get what you get if you miss the fairway which I did often on the front side ... guess what: this isn't a country club. Marshall out with water for players, drinking fountains worked fine but too early to see the cart girl which is why I always carry my own drinks and snacks. So, I don't get the last few posts: I guess it's just bad timing because I've always been treated to decent to good conditions at the Wood and for the money it's one of the best bargains you can find in the LA County coastal area. You can drive to Corona to play Goose Creek or Chino Hill's Los Serranos for a better deal ... but you gotta drive. I still give the Wood my recommendation ... just play early if possible to avoid the masses. BTW: not a coot to be found. They must have flown North for the summer :-)

Played Lakewood for the second time in 2 weeks and the conditions are getting worse. The tee boxes are fairly good with minimal divots even on the par 3s. There are a few including 15 that as just til... Continue »

Played Lakewood for the second time in 2 weeks and the conditions are getting worse. The tee boxes are fairly good with minimal divots even on the par 3s. There are a few including 15 that as just tilted.

The rough is thin and wispy with scattered clumps of grass. The bad grass is broken by stretches of dirt which was wet and sticky this morning.

I was in too many bunkers. All the bunkers were damp and lacked any dry sand. Several had silty, sticky or muddy areas. Even with this they were consistent and played fairly well.

The fairways were burns and someone with only a passing understanding of a lawnmower cut them too close for what ever the conditions because there were many areas where they were trashed and burnt. Quite a few areas had only the thinnest cover of grass on a wet base.

The greens are usually the highlight of Lakewood. I expect them to be firm and fast. Today they were a mi-slow speed and overly damp. Shots were leaving gashes in the greens which apparently most people don't bother to or don't know how to fix. The greens did roll true.

Lastly we saw the cart only once (on the 16th) and she didn't even stop but asked if we were good as she drove by.

Honestly a second disappointment in as many weeks. I really hope to see a different course when the Long Beach Golf festival comes though next month. I will see what happens before then.

Played at 9 am on Sunday with my normal group. We teed off a few minutes late which was a good indication for the day. We waited on every tee and a few fairways on our way to a 5:20 min round. We did ... Continue »

Played at 9 am on Sunday with my normal group. We teed off a few minutes late which was a good indication for the day. We waited on every tee and a few fairways on our way to a 5:20 min round. We did see the marshal a few times and he was friendly enough and had cool water but didn't seem interested in moving play along. The group in front of us waved us up on every par 3 but then would all go to line up each person's putt in turn. The tee boxes were in fair shape and generally level. There were a few tees we struggled to find a flat spot (2, 6, 11 and 14). the 14th tee box was flat but had a good 2' rise between the back and front. The greens were very soft and even soggy in a few places. They rolled true except for the poorly fixed divots. There were surprisingly few pitch marks on the greens and the speed was on the slow side for Lakewood. The fairways were dry, hard and spotty. Almost every fairway had bare spots, burn out and crusty spots. There was also a lot of old divots that were not filled in. On that note I was disappointed that there were no filler bottles for me as a walker. The rough was spotty at best. Lots of clumps of grass, dirt and mud and thin grass. This made the lies in the rough a crap shoot. Even balls that ran 2-3' off the fairway could come to rest in holes surrounded by grass or in 10' circles of soft dirt. I was in a few bunkers and they were all crusty, poorly raked and damp underneath. They did have sand and I didn't see any thin spots but the sand had a lot of dirt in it. Then there was the cart girl. I saw her at least 3 times but she never stopped. She drove past me twice and one time she was parked on the 9th tee and drove off just as we were coming off the 8th green. Not good service. Overall I was disappointed in the course. I like the track as it has some really fun holes and is ideal for my group with players from +1 to -28. But the maintenance is really slipping. Typical of what I have seen from american golf. They maintain the greens but let everything else slide focusing on the once a month of twice a year golfer who doesn't care about conditions as long as the greens are green and not too fast. I hope that it is in better shape for the tournaments coming up.

Played yesterday, was 90+ degrees, NO refreshment cart !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No Marshall to get water from !!!!!!!!!!! groups in front would not wave up on par 3's !!!!!!!!!!!! As many as 3 groups on sa... Continue »

Played yesterday, was 90+ degrees, NO refreshment cart !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No Marshall to get water from !!!!!!!!!!! groups in front would not wave up on par 3's !!!!!!!!!!!! As many as 3 groups on same hole at times !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Drinking fountains had very poor water pressure !!!!!! maybe 1/2 inch spout !!!!!!!!! golf shop was closed when finished !! about 2:30, coffee shop closed !!!!!!!!! Thank God for the bar with great bartender

Played at the Wood this AM, walked on after a 20 minute wait and played in 4:10. Course hasn't changed much since the last two posts: greens were real quick today as many downhill putts went 5-8 feet... Continue »

Played at the Wood this AM, walked on after a 20 minute wait and played in 4:10. Course hasn't changed much since the last two posts: greens were real quick today as many downhill putts went 5-8 feet past the cup. The bunkers were well conditioned, no rough to speak of, a decent day of golf. Marshall out checking up, good to see. #3 cut lower than I've seen for years to where it was actually playable. For $27, unbeatable.

Played this morning as a walk-on single and they got me out within 20 minutes. Course hasn't changed much from sngernz's review. Greens were rolling very well and quick. Do not leave yourself downhill... Continue »

Played this morning as a walk-on single and they got me out within 20 minutes. Course hasn't changed much from sngernz's review. Greens were rolling very well and quick. Do not leave yourself downhill putts! Fairways were typical LB muni so they were solid with a few bare spots here and there. Rough was hit and miss depending on what part of the course you were on. Tee boxes mirrored the fairways and I didn't have anything to complain about. Bunkers were solid but most had not been raked by the morning grounds crew. The sand was fine to hit out of though so that was a pleasant surprise.

#3 green was temporary today BUT the actual green is looking far better than I've seen it in the past. They've plugged it with Poa(why didn't they do this before??!!) so it is coming along nicely and I highly doubt they will need to re-sod it again. Hooray!

POP as a 5-some was... drumroll... 4 hours 15 minutes! IT CAN BE DONE!!
Also, you really can't beat an early morning round for $27. Very good value.

Played in a public SG at Lakewood this AM, PoP could have been a problem as we were struck behind a couple of groups that couldn't hit one airborne (or straight) if their lives depended on it. Fortun... Continue »

Played in a public SG at Lakewood this AM, PoP could have been a problem as we were struck behind a couple of groups that couldn't hit one airborne (or straight) if their lives depended on it. Fortunately, the guys in my group were regulars and got the marshal to find a spot where we could 'fit in'. Good thing for that or it would've been torture watching the golf apocalypse unfold ahead of us. Okay, the course: got some much needed rain last week and this helped to keep the fairways in decent shape, the rough is another story. Hit or miss there: patchy and uneven ground. Bunkers were prepped and in good shape and I was in several today. Greens are healthy and rolling real nice for Poa. $27 to walk, can't beat it ... it's over $40 to walk at El Do and more at Skylinks so this makes the Wood quite the bargain. Recommended. Coot update: horrendous what those coots are doing to this course. When they all magically disappeared on the 18th tee box, we realized a hawk had swept down for a mid-morning snack. Love them hawks, hate them coots.