Played on Sunday 4/1. Course was in good shape and had recovered nicely from aeration.

Greens were running pretty smooth, downhill putts could definitely take off on you. Occasional ball marks ... Continue »

Played on Sunday 4/1. Course was in good shape and had recovered nicely from aeration.

Greens were running pretty smooth, downhill putts could definitely take off on you. Occasional ball marks here and there that our group did our best to repair as we moved along.
Fairways have greened up nicely. A few bare spots, and you definitely get some nice roll on tee shots, but very nice coverage throughout.
Rough can be patchy, some bare areas and some thicker areas.
Sand was a mixed bag on a slightly overcast day. A few greenside bunkers were very damp, borderline muddy.
Quite a bit of divot damage on the tees, but even lies on every hole so it wasn't too tough to find a good stance.
Really fun layout. Nothing to trick you out here. Course plays long, but makes you think with a lot of strategically placed fairway bunkers and water hazards.

I have mixed feelings about this place. POP was longer since it was President's Day (holiday) so I am thinking that really played a lot to my lowered expectations. Played my GK Match Play today wit... Continue »

I have mixed feelings about this place. POP was longer since it was President's Day (holiday) so I am thinking that really played a lot to my lowered expectations. Played my GK Match Play today with Tocho. Greens were FAST. Faster than El Dorado. I have never seen a ball pick up speed uphill with a stiff wind behind it. Today, well I saw a ball pick up speed with the wind behind it. The putts held their line for the most part but any debris or imperfection and you could see the ball skip and jump around. With the greens this fast you really had to dial in your speed to even have a chance for a second putt. No way to stop the ball even with high shots. Greens were firm so you had to run the ball onto the greens. Bunkers were for the most part filled with decent sand. The par 5 on the back 9 however one of the bunkers had a thin layer. Fairways had good coverage. Rough was varied. Some locations were thick and penal others were the same height as the fairways. It was a mixed bag and whatever you landed on you did the best you could. Tee boxes were flat and playable. Overall conditions are decent to above average for time of year. Compared to the greens at El Dorado with the heavy foot prints, I think I prefer these greens to El Dorados. Mileage (hence, preference) will vary. Green fee included Cart. Problem was I had a flat tire Hole 9. The tire literally popped on the cart path around the green at hole 9. Rather than destroy the tire I abandoned the cart. Asked the gal at the snack shop if I could get a replacement cart and she was either unable or unwilling to assist so I just gave her the keys and walked the rest of the 9 holes. Got a wonderful sarcastic remark to call AAA. I hope when she gets a flat tire and she has to ask for assistance the next guy she asks is as nice. Oh despite the setback, I won my match 3&2. Great playing with you Tom!

Played Sunday, 2/4, around 7:00 am. The course was busy although there was some holdup behind us. Like there was an open tee time and no one wanted to take it. Weird. The group behind caught us ev... Continue »

Played Sunday, 2/4, around 7:00 am. The course was busy although there was some holdup behind us. Like there was an open tee time and no one wanted to take it. Weird. The group behind caught us eventually because it was a slow day on the links. About 4:45.

Nice new restaurant The facility is looking great with the relatively new range and the restaurant bar with an airy feel to it. I did not stay to eat or drink but it looked really nice.

The course is in pretty good shape. The greens were outstanding. Quite fast leaving some uncomfortable putts. My first downhill putt went 10' past the hole. it was a front flag on #2 and I do not believe I have ever seen it that fast in that area. There was good sand in the few traps I visited. That said, I do not like the way they have cut the walls of bunkers so there are steep dirt sides in places. I had to sit on the side of one for a shot in which the bank was a solid three feet and I could not get a stance in the bunker. It was too far down to try to kneel outside and hit it. Where do you get to practice that?

Had good lies in the fairway and the rough was only a factor in places. The tee boxes were good except for #5 where the blue tee box was shoved off to the side with thick grass for the outer half. Yes, half the tee box was in the rough. I had not seen that one before.

In summary, a good place to spend a pre-Super Bowl Sunday. I will be back.

Hadn't played Lakewood for sometime, so taking advantage of the senior discount, decided to brave the potential rain and booked a 6:44 am tee time. We actually got out in the third group out, so pac... Continue »

Hadn't played Lakewood for sometime, so taking advantage of the senior discount, decided to brave the potential rain and booked a 6:44 am tee time. We actually got out in the third group out, so pace was decent at a little over three hours.

Green were the best part of the course. Rolled pretty true and had reasonable speed. Fairways were inconsistent. Same with the rough, all depended upon where the ball came to rest. I was in several bunkers and except that they were unraked, plenty of sand and overall fairly good.

Nice change of pace to play here, and because we teed off early, able to avoid the typical slow play frequently encountered here. Today I was smart and did not play the "tips" and found the course much friendlier and playable. (Maybe I'm getting smarter in my old age?)

Played yesterday,11/1. Tenth group off the tee. First course review, so bare with me. Personally with me, it all about the greens. Based on the condition of the greens, I woundn't recommend this golf ... Continue »

Played yesterday,11/1. Tenth group off the tee. First course review, so bare with me. Personally with me, it all about the greens. Based on the condition of the greens, I woundn't recommend this golf course to my friends, I'd tell them to go somewhere else. The problem with them is that they just redressed the greens after punching them a couple weeks ago. I'd wait about a month before trying them again. Also the sand traps were mud traps, unplayable in my opinion. Now for the positive, the fairways were great, good lies. Tee boxes were ok, except for the par 3's, they were beat up, which is understandable. Pace of play is what it is. I consider myself a average golfer off the tee. That being said this golf course is plays long. It not a old mans golf course for sure.

Played the 'Wood this AM as a walking 5, got around in 4:30 with some waiting but mostly slow because were were all walking and playing serious golf ... all 5 players shooting in the '70's ... and I d... Continue »

Played the 'Wood this AM as a walking 5, got around in 4:30 with some waiting but mostly slow because were were all walking and playing serious golf ... all 5 players shooting in the '70's ... and I didn't want to lose too much dough (don't worry, we kept pace the entire round). Fun times. Anyway, greens out of aeration but some still showed signs of punching (very light) and some had overwater fungii happening. Some bumps and bruises to manage and speed had some variance, too. GS & FW bunkers have good sand but were not maintained today, so I had some extra raking to do. Good fairway cover and the usual patchy rough ... that's what you get here at the 'Wood. Plays semi-long from the blues, nothing too drastic other than the four par 3's which total around 800 yds ... show me a So Cal course that beats that. Toss on another 100 if you go from the tips! Flat and walkable, players and duffers abound. $30 walking is a good deal. Recommended for no frills golf in the Long Beach area.

Played on Monday the 23rd and Dave was spot on with his review. I was one of the first groups off and finished in in just under 4 hours. The greenside bunkers were well stocked and the sand was very f... Continue »

Played on Monday the 23rd and Dave was spot on with his review. I was one of the first groups off and finished in in just under 4 hours. The greenside bunkers were well stocked and the sand was very fluffy, and groups were already not raking. The greens were a little bumpy and slow, but that could have been because of the early morning. The do need to be rolled. Enjoyed the round and the fellow i played witb. I will go back for an early round.

My monthly group plays at Lakewood just about every Fall, so it was time to head back on Saturday, 10/21/17, although I had missed last year’s outing. Wow, what changes! The cart barn, driving range, ... Continue »

My monthly group plays at Lakewood just about every Fall, so it was time to head back on Saturday, 10/21/17, although I had missed last year’s outing. Wow, what changes! The cart barn, driving range, and parking had all been renovated, and changes are underway on the clubhouse. Good for them! BUT – the course is pretty unchanged, including the abominable pace you always find here on weekend mornings. Despite the course being as UNCROWDED as I’ve ever seen it (the first tee was open for more than 20 minutes ahead of our tourney at 10am), pace was still terrible, and we staggered to the finish in ~5.5 hr!! Who has time for that??!! The shop put out a couple of foursomes just ahead of us, including some umbrella walkers, and we never got going, just chugging slowly, and waiting constantly. I think there were 4, or maybe 5, groups on the long par-3 12th hole when we went through there. Conditions were favorable for more rapid play. It was warm and sunny with only a light breeze all day, not the more forceful breezes I normally encounter here in the afternoon. Greens had been punched and sanded a couple weeks ago, but were in decent shape, somewhat bumpy but rolling OK (esp. downhill!) and holding shots, so no issues there. Some of the greens still showed some evidence of punching/sanding. Fairways here are all pretty flat and lies were OK, with scattered thin/bare areas. Rough can be bushy/wet in spots (there are scattered severely wet/sloppy areas under trees and on the margins), but it’s generally cut low, and rough north of Carson Street is pretty dried out and firm. Tees are level and playable. Sand quality is variable – early in the morning there’s a lot of moisture in the bunkers, and some have mud masquerading as sand. Playing depth varies. But overall there’s nothing here to keep you from moving right along! Many par-3 tees had no divot mix boxes, and those tees are pretty torn up. I didn’t see a refill bottle rack at the turn. Adequate water available. Carts are basic. Course has colored yardage stakes at 200, 150, and 100 yards, and some holes have fairway distance plates. The shop now offers a yardage book. With the all-kikuyu here, the course plays long, with a strong mix of par-3s and long par-4s.

Played an early morning round at the 'Wood today, course was fairly open so we went out earlier than planned and got around in under 4 hrs walking. First several greens were super soft Poa (#3 not lo... Continue »

Played an early morning round at the 'Wood today, course was fairly open so we went out earlier than planned and got around in under 4 hrs walking. First several greens were super soft Poa (#3 not looking good with fungi and pock city abound). But they rolled semi-true, a tad on the slow side. Good lies in fairways but don't venture into the unpredictable rough cuz the Kikuyu will kill ya. Only in one GS bunker, excellent sand and well maintained.

The Wood is what it is, no frills muni golf. The layout can play long, greens are straightforward, and it's flat and walkable ... definitely worth a visit. Construction continues on the clubhouse.

Added bonus: I was honored to run into Len Kennett this morning on the range and he's looking very dapper for 90 years old. A true gentleman.