Played on Saturday 8/21 at 6:05 tee time. I was a single and paired up with 2 other singles, so we went out as a 3some. I really like how the starter calls up each group to the tee box and in a timel... Continue »

Played on Saturday 8/21 at 6:05 tee time. I was a single and paired up with 2 other singles, so we went out as a 3some. I really like how the starter calls up each group to the tee box and in a timely manner. Cuts down on the confusion of who's teeing off when, especially when it's dark and early in the morning. Course conditions were mostly pretty good. I've not had great experiences with the conditions at Santa Anita in the past. Sometimes the fairway grass has been too shaggy, sometimes the greens are not cut well. So this is probably the best I've seen it. But by the "best", I would rate it as being on-par with how the LA City courses usually play (which I prefer and IMO are usually between 6-8 out of 10 on most days). So on Saturday, the course had mostly decent lies and green/light brown grass in the fairways, cut to appropriate length. Some bald spots in the rough as to be expected, but mostly generous/favorable lies in the rough. The greens at this course are interesting in that they are one of the few that I play in Los Angeles that have obvious grain, and the grain will have a big influence on speed and direction of putts. Once you get the hang of it, it actually makes putting somewhat straightforward if you pay attention. I haven't seen too many reviews of this course mention that, but hope this helps others out there. The conditions on the greens were mostly very good, with a few exceptions. On one of the par-3 holes in particular, the green was pretty bare in terms of grass and there were spots where it was 30% dirt to 70% grass. Speed was hard to judge in those spots. Most of the greens were in good shape though. We played the blue tees, and it was interesting to see how they placed the tees on this day. Every hole played at least its full yardage according to the blue markers (which is pretty rare), and on several holes, the blue tees were behind the blue markers by some 20-30 yards. The par-4 Hole #16 was playing 15 yards behind the marker, which made that one over 450 yards. The par-4 #17 which is normally a sub-300 yarder was playing 30 yards behind the marker. Not complaining -- it was cool to tee off from some unusual spots and play the course at its "tips". I believe there was a mens club tournament the following day, so perhaps they were getting the tees set up a day early. Pace of play was good. Walked off the course at 9:45 so about 3:40 round. As a 3some we were actually a bit slow -- the group of 4 behind us caught up to us on a few holes and I was a little anxious we were holding them up a bit honestly. But playing with strangers, I didn't want to nag my group too much about playing slow. Santa Anita is normally a course I avoid, which is a shame since I live very close by. But the course is in better shape than I've played it before, and I would not hesitate to play it again if it stays this good.