I met two of my sisters for brunch at Penmar 5/10 and it worked out well. They enjoyed the ambiance and they found the food was unexpectedly good. As they were leaving I put my name on the waitlist an... Continue »

I met two of my sisters for brunch at Penmar 5/10 and it worked out well. They enjoyed the ambiance and they found the food was unexpectedly good. As they were leaving I put my name on the waitlist and about a half hour later I was on the tee. It was convenient so I wasn't overly concerned about the fact that the greens are still in waffle-iron, sand-filled-holes recovery mode. Despite that, the greens putted reasonably true if you could manage to figure out the rate at which your putt would die out. Not what you are typically looking for, but not so bad as a spur of the moment fix of a round. Otherwise, the course played well but visually reflects a bit of the heavy traffic it gets. Some of the tees were spare, albeit level, but using a tee makes the scruffiness less relevant. The bunkers were decent sand but a collection of footprints that complicated your lie. Fairways and rough were good. It worked out well for me, but if you are just going on conditions, the greens will need a couple of weeks before the sandy holes are remnants and the green speed is closer to normal. Worth mentioning is the non-golf aspect of this place. I unexpectedly found an attended mini bar and snack station on the fifth tee (Monday through Saturday, I believe). The updated cafe has become quite the magnet with an interesting, well prepared menu and a lot of outdoor seating — a bit hipster with a hint of gastropub. The patio has been extended parallel to the left side of the first tee and a permanent stage is set there for evening entertainment. I finished sometime around 5:00 and the setting up for additional food and drink stations around the putting green, starter shack and cafe area was significant. A band was already playing to the crowd beginning to assemble inside the gates. With the arriving security and more guests lining up outside, it had the feel of a genuine, if small, concert event. What was once upon a time a quiet, if always busy, nine holes with a simple cafe, has become quite the local scene on certain evenings. This Saturday night is headphone disco night, so there you go.

An old friend just moved back to the US from Costa Rica and he wants to start improving his golf game so Penmar seemed like a good spot to work on his new pursuit. Snagged a twilight tee time on Thurs... Continue »

An old friend just moved back to the US from Costa Rica and he wants to start improving his golf game so Penmar seemed like a good spot to work on his new pursuit. Snagged a twilight tee time on Thursday and we were joined by three very amicable players.

Right now the course conditions at Penmar are pretty good, with decent to good greens rolling at medium speed at best and holding shots well, but many of them were bumpy and had some surface damage that affected roll. The fairways are in pretty good shape and the rough is extremely thick in some parts, especially off the right side of the fairway on the 6th hole.

Bunkers seemed to be okay with a nice layer of sand on the top but thin underneath, but the absolute worst aspect of the course's current shape right now are the tee boxes. They are absolutely butchered, but hey, at least they're flat. But then again, so is Penmar, so that shouldn't be any great win.

We moved at a pretty languid pace throughout, with a few holdups on some of the tee boxes, but it was a nice evening with good company so it didn't matter too much. We also stopped at the updated cafe after the round and that's a real treat. Very well done, cool spot and good food. They've really done a lot with a little in that regard.

So go for the basic but fun golf, stay for the good food and atmosphere.

Got out as a single with a few ladies from the Penmar women's club a bit after noon on 6/24. I noticed more dry patches than I think I've ever seen there, although this wasn't a problem. Mostly it was... Continue »

Got out as a single with a few ladies from the Penmar women's club a bit after noon on 6/24. I noticed more dry patches than I think I've ever seen there, although this wasn't a problem. Mostly it was playable, closer to the teeing grounds and really not an issue. Maybe because of the marine air I've always found Penmar's fairways surprisingly green and full for the traffic it gets, even as other courses are stressed, so I noticed it. That having been observed, the fairways overall were fine and conditions were good. Rough could vary but was generally green and more on the full side. I missed the bunkers so no comment there. The greens were nice — clean and rolling medium quick. I underestimated the speed more than once but nothing tricky about them. Pace was sluggish but that is expected here. You don't usually hit Penmar for a "quick" nine which is actually a bit of the charm. Chill out — you have a nice ocean breeze, typically nice company, and an undemanding but fun layout. The open air character of the revamped restaurant makes it a nice hangout. Now that I think of it, while the layouts are very different, the vibe is a kind of west side equivalent to the scene at Roosevelt. Not a bad thing at all.

Played Penmar on Monday 5/16 with a buddy of mine from out of town. Just looking to enjoy some no-stress golf to start off the week. Originally had a tee time as two-some at 6:30, and when we showed... Continue »

Played Penmar on Monday 5/16 with a buddy of mine from out of town. Just looking to enjoy some no-stress golf to start off the week. Originally had a tee time as two-some at 6:30, and when we showed up to the course, it was completely empty. We checked in with the starter, and he let us go right to the tee and play as two, which was nice since my buddy doesn't play often and didn't mind the "privacy". The course is in decent shape, with the highlight being the greens. Pretty firm greens that rolled very nicely (even fast? for Penmar mind you). The tendency at Penmar is to want to read too much into putts, so mostly just want to keep em straight and they will tend to go in. I found the fairways just slightly disappointing, as I remember times when the fairways here were perfectly green and lush, but yesterday there were a lot of brown patches out there. That being said, the fairway lies are pretty much perfect so not much to complain about for hitting golf shots. But just aesthetically, it's been better. The tee boxes were very chewed up, but that never really bothers me. We finished in about 1hr 40min, and we were taking our time. Overall, Penmar is almost always a great place to play and get some practice in. My buddy was impressed, and said we'd come back when he's in town again. Probably do an afternoon round so we can grab a few beers and food at the pub, which I've had before and recommend highly.

Quick twilight round out at Penmar the other day, taking a buddy out who had never been there before despite living in the South Bay all his life (and playing golf at least 20 years). The new cafe loo... Continue »

Quick twilight round out at Penmar the other day, taking a buddy out who had never been there before despite living in the South Bay all his life (and playing golf at least 20 years). The new cafe looks really cool and is apparently all the rage ... looking forward to another night there and having a sit-down after the round to enjoy a burger and a beer.

Greens fee of $16 is great for what you get here which is nine pretty standard but fun holes, very flat and manageable greens, and a nice ocean breeze in the fading sunlight to really hammer that California livin' point home. It's just a nice way to finish off a day.

Greens right now are in good shape with nice coverage and medium-fast speeds, while the fairways are also pretty good and the rough fairly deep but playable. I was not in any bunkers but they looked just okay, while some of the tee boxes are hammered but you'll always find a flat spot ... but that's not saying much since you won't really find anything but flat spots on the entire course.

Penmar remains very popular so don't be surprised if you struggle to get a time and when you do, you may very well play in a fivesome like we did yesterday. But you're not exactly going for maximum challenge here, so enjoy the fun round and get in some swings. It's also nice that you won't be visually assaulted at present from some of the more 'colorful' Venice characters that have often been living just off to the side of the 2nd and 3rd holes.

Solid marks for Penmar right now. Go have some fun.

Saturday, 3/14, I was on the West side for an event that I found cancelled when I got there, so headed over to revisit Penmar. They are doing a bunch of remodeling, mainly of the food service area, so... Continue »

Saturday, 3/14, I was on the West side for an event that I found cancelled when I got there, so headed over to revisit Penmar. They are doing a bunch of remodeling, mainly of the food service area, so the main entrance is roped off and you enter through an access gate in the fence to the right of the building. I was matched up with an easy going twosome already on the tee and teed off directly. On the course, things were generally wet, lush and actually in pretty good shape. The teeing grounds are generally level but a little beat up so, while quite serviceable, I would say they are the one aspect that is a little worse for wear relative to the rest of the course. Coverage on the fairways was very good but with the relative lushness and wet, there was minimal rollout. While rare, their were isolated puddles to be found in some low spots. Rough was pretty consistently full and could be punitive, especially with the wetness, but you could get a bit lucky where the ball set more on top. Missed the bunkers and can't comment there. The greens, while littered with worm castings and other small bits, were tight and firm and running about as quick as I've seen them there. I remember years ago when they were always fuzzy and slow and this is a complete change from those days. We played through a brief, misty shower for a hole or so in the middle of the round, but the precipitation mostly held off. One advantage of the weather was no pace of play issue on a course that I have rarely, if ever, seen quite as quiet. It's a mellow nine that is usually in very good shape for the amount of traffic it gets. Recommended if you are in the area, but more typically, expect a slower pace.

Took a nice "walk" around the "Shire" yesterday. 7:20 tee time. Get there early as it is ladies day on Tuesday AM . The course itself is in fantastic shape.The greens are pure and the fairways mowed. ... Continue »

Took a nice "walk" around the "Shire" yesterday. 7:20 tee time. Get there early as it is ladies day on Tuesday AM . The course itself is in fantastic shape.The greens are pure and the fairways mowed. The rough was a little up but playable. Overall always a very enjoyable day at Penmar.

Made the double loop on 7/23 at 8:30 am. 4:14 POP

The highlight here was the greens. They were the qucikest (medium fast) and smoothest I’ve seen them in years. They played pretty firm, and held we... Continue »

Made the double loop on 7/23 at 8:30 am. 4:14 POP

The highlight here was the greens. They were the qucikest (medium fast) and smoothest I’ve seen them in years. They played pretty firm, and held well struck shots well.

The fairways had good to very good coverage and were a pleasure to hit from.

The rough looked like it hasn’t but cut in weeks in some areas. In sports it was typical 2-3 inches but in others was closing in on 9-12 inches and was a brute to hit out of. Had a playing partner lose a ball because we couldn’t find it left of 7th hole.

Tee boxes were level with good coverage as the move the par 3 tees around quite often.

Always think the layout here is a bit more interesting than Given credit for and peovides a good golfing experience despite no range.

A rare occurrence these days, I found myself over on the West side yesterday and was inspired by roarksown1's recent review to revisit The Shire down in Venice. I used to live nearby and play it a lot... Continue »

A rare occurrence these days, I found myself over on the West side yesterday and was inspired by roarksown1's recent review to revisit The Shire down in Venice. I used to live nearby and play it a lot, so there is a nice, comforting — maybe even nostalgic— familiarity for me to play there. Not much different to add to roarksown1's review. I was a single added to two pairs to form a five-some. The course is in nice shape overall. It historically seems to hold up well, especially given the steady amount of traffic it gets. I would differ from the previous review only in his appraisal of the greens and maybe that is the difference a few days makes. The remnant pattern of aeration was still visible but I actually felt they putted smoother than they looked with no noticeable hops and at a decent medium/quick-ish pace. The good news was that there were some open holes out ahead of us. The bad news was the one group ahead between us and those holes was slow, even by Penmar standards, and we couldn't take advantage of it to have an uncharacteristically quick round. That said, one never plays Penmar with the expectation of anything more than a languid pace, at best. Our group gelled well, accepted the pace as a non-issue, and a very sociable and enjoyable round was had by all. I was glad I stopped by. Honestly, the place never seems to change and I hope it never goes away.