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.

Played 8/4/17 around 3:30. Paired with three really nice guys. Even though I live in Lakewood I have not played Lakewood CC in a long time due to the fact that I play the LBC courses thanks to the Pla... Continue »

Played 8/4/17 around 3:30. Paired with three really nice guys. Even though I live in Lakewood I have not played Lakewood CC in a long time due to the fact that I play the LBC courses thanks to the Players Club. I was really disappointed (though I played great so this is not a sour grapes review). The new driving range looks very nice (although very small. While I didn't count them it looked like there were only 14-16 hitting bays). The huge concrete staging area in front of the range looked to me like a waste of space but what do I know? On to the course. Tees. In pretty good shape thought there were some uneven sections and some were pretty chewed up. Fairways. Pretty good with only a small amount of bad/bare spots. Rough. Really bad. Bare spots mixed with clumps of long, dry grass. There were a few holes where it was nice though. Bunkers. I kid you not I was in a fairway bunker on 11 and I could not leave foot prints. It was like a cart path. Greens.... Whoa boy were they (most of them) pretty crappy. For whatever reason quite a few on the front nine were punched with no sand. Some had many, many areas with 12" or so sections that had been pieced in. They looked like quilts. Super bumpy. This is a great layout. I don't know why the whole course from tee to green is in such poor condition. Maybe all the money is being spent on the clubhouse and range work.

For LA muni golf, can't get much better than the Long Beach courses right now. Lakewood, El Dorado, & Skylinks are all great right now. Played Lakewood today, with Kassper7 for our Round 4 Semi-Fina... Continue »

For LA muni golf, can't get much better than the Long Beach courses right now. Lakewood, El Dorado, & Skylinks are all great right now. Played Lakewood today, with Kassper7 for our Round 4 Semi-Final GK Cup match. 4:20 POP which was great! I was assuming a 5 hour round, and was pleasantly surprised. Course is in overall great condition. Still working on some construction to the clubhouse, but the new range and new bag drop are built. Looks great! Really impressed. The tees are prob the worst part of the course. A lot of them are beat up, lots of divots, but still playable. I think only 1 or 2 are sloping and not level, but the rest are ok. Fairways are lush with decent coverage. Bad spots here and there, but overall nice lies. Rough is hit or miss - but very playable. Patchy in some spots, and just as good as the fairway in others. The bunkers were hit/miss. Some good, some hard packed, some even had standing water. But still ok overall. The greens where in great shape. Some "mean" pin placements weren't appreciated, but they rolled smooth, medium-fast speed, and held well struck shots. Overall good shape and I'd recommend.

Walking single at the Wood on a Friday morning, paired up with a good group of regulars, we got around in 4:20 with waiting on the backside ($31, I believe). Course in very good muni condition, tee t... Continue »

Walking single at the Wood on a Friday morning, paired up with a good group of regulars, we got around in 4:20 with waiting on the backside ($31, I believe). Course in very good muni condition, tee to green, well worth the green fee. It can get real slow here if you tee of later, especially on a Friday.

Greens were the best part of this review as they were rolling true at medium speed, very good Poa and only a few ball marks to fix. Kikuyu fairways and rough (with some other grasses thrown in for good measure) are mostly full with a few unmarked bare areas and color ranging from dark green to tan. Never had a bad lie in the fairway but the rough can be tough, somewhat patchy to full and penal depending on your rub.

Disappointed that the bunkers aren't kept as well as I've witnessed in the past, mostly damp and some standing water in some. Not maintained today, some raked and some not (careless people).

And the driving range is OPEN. Mats only and the balls are those low compression type that go about 10-15 yards less than expected, but everything looks nice. Construction continues now on the clubhouse.

I'd recommend L'Wood as an affordable muni that can give a challenge to the average golfer. Various tee boxes make it playable for seniors who've lost some distance. It ain't no country club, just decent golf.