While Los Verdes in the best value L A County course, I think Santa Anita is my favorite. I enjoy the rolling fairways, the more challenging green complexes, and the overall parklike setting, with th... Continue »

While Los Verdes in the best value L A County course, I think Santa Anita is my favorite. I enjoy the rolling fairways, the more challenging green complexes, and the overall parklike setting, with the back drop of the mountains. It is an easy walk and afford a decent challenge without beating you up.

Conditions were about what I expected. Green not as smooth as normal, fairways had better coverage than expected, despite the winter conditions. Not in any bunkers, but they looked OK. Tee boxes need attention, some not level, some pretty beat up.

Staff is always great here. Not as busy as I thought it might be, and did not have any issues with "back nine players" . Great course at a great price (senior rate)

Played Santa Anita on a random Saturday GN hot deal at 6:20AM 1-2-21. How and why this deal popped up was a mystery while I was looking for a tee time 2 days prior. I showed up to the course around 6,... Continue »

Played Santa Anita on a random Saturday GN hot deal at 6:20AM 1-2-21. How and why this deal popped up was a mystery while I was looking for a tee time 2 days prior. I showed up to the course around 6, and the starter says, they accidentally clicked the button for the hot-deals and after I bought the round they shut it down. A few minutes later I was teeing off in pitch darkness. There was a guy 2 holes ahead who plays every Saturday with glow balls and tees off as soon as the course opens, sometimes around 5:30Am. Somehow I caught him and we played the front in about an hr, the back took almost 3. Santa Anita loves to send the 9 hole groups out on the back and so there will be slow second half to your round. The course right now is in very good winter conditions, the greens are fine for the most part, a few holes were a little spotty. The fairways and rough provided good hitting opportunities. The Tee boxes have seen better days, and could use a little leveling. The staff here is very good, the fact that they didn't cancel my time and let me roll out before the regular group that plays every Saturday at 6:40 is well appreciated. The course for the money is good, but the slow pace if you don't get out early would really bother me.

Santa Anita is not a very difficult course but there are some shots that make you think. Some longer par 3's, and a few reachable Par 5's. I recommend this course if you can get a deal.

I wanted to get in one more round before some finger surgery today and I found a 7:30 tee time for 12-16. Glad to report that this track has improved greatly since my last round here in early Oct.
Te... Continue »

I wanted to get in one more round before some finger surgery today and I found a 7:30 tee time for 12-16. Glad to report that this track has improved greatly since my last round here in early Oct.
Tee boxes were a mixed bag with some a little beat up and others fine. The fairways have good coverage and were cut just right to get some good rollout but still easy to hit from. There are some thin/dry spots but not bad. The rough is a little long in places and finding your ball required some work. There are some bare spots if you get too far off line.
The greens rolled medium speed and held shots well. The speed was a little inconsistent.
Bunkers are what I have come to expect during covid ,mostly thin and compacted without rakes.
Checkin was thru a window at the back of the shop. Range is open but practice green still closed. No cart today but snack bar window open at the turn cards only no cash accepted.
Overall a good round for a county course in winter. I cant play for two weeks but I will be back here in the new year.

Played on Friday, Oct. 9 with sr129. This was my first time playing here and it ok. Not a course I have to get back to, but not a course I would avoid. I was late for our tee time because of a batter... Continue »

Played on Friday, Oct. 9 with sr129. This was my first time playing here and it ok. Not a course I have to get back to, but not a course I would avoid. I was late for our tee time because of a batterey problem, but they got me set-up with a cart very quickly to meet Steve out on the course. The staff I had encounters with were very friendly. Standard covid precautions were in place.
POP - 3:30 even though the te sheet was full of us old farts.
Fairways - Very green with a few bare spots, but the longest grass in a fairway I have ever seen. They were mowing towards the end of our round and the cut blades were about an inch and a half long and the grass was still shaggy. The aprons in front of the greens are cut nice and tight and in great shape. This is how the fairways should be.
Rough - A mixed bag of bare and very long grass. With the morning dew, it was difficult to hit from.
Bunkers - Thin to hard pack, just of.
Greens - Slow! not great with ball marks and some thin areas and bumps. The 18 greeen looks like they are having problems with crab grass growing in.
Course is not long with the tips playing 6400 yards and the white tees at 6000.
Had a fun day, just wish the fairways had a little run to them.

630 am tee time with the old guys. Place was busy early and stayed steady throughout the day. Santa Anita, why do your greens have to be so slow? The putting green at the store is literally faste... Continue »

630 am tee time with the old guys. Place was busy early and stayed steady throughout the day. Santa Anita, why do your greens have to be so slow? The putting green at the store is literally faster and rolls better than SA did today. d%mn ! Tee Boxes: Some were good and some are bad. Its a constant thing there, just depends on where they put the markers on the tee. Fairways: Looks like the summer grass is going dormant so it gives a slight British Open feel when you meander down the fairways The usual cart path trouble spots are all the same but the fairways were pretty good although 2 was like 1st cut rough in the middle of the fairway. Some of the fairways were dirt and hardback due to poor drainage so some sidehill lies were pretty barren. Bunkers: Ditched those things today and stayed sand free. Rough: Rough is the rough, pretty standard like most of the courses, nothing too brutal. Greens: Jesus wept!!!! Man! Could these greens be any slower!? 45 bucks to walk and the greens are literally slower than the blunt rollers and beer smugglers Los Feliz 3 Par games Friday night. Don't get me wrong, pounding beer and slow putting is the best however for 45 bucks at least let the greens roll. The greens were cut and some holes were poc'd up but its kinda the usual at the public courses. Its not like the greens aren't maintained they're just slow and very textured. Santa Anita could be so much better if they could put some more care into the course. There are great views and some scenic holes but its for sure spendy compared to other courses in the area that will for sure provide better course conditions and certainly better green speeds for the price. Later !

Even getting out early did not help with the heat. It's really hot out today. I enjoy playing this course primarily because I love the setting. (Also hard to beat the price for seniors) I knew goi... Continue »

Even getting out early did not help with the heat. It's really hot out today. I enjoy playing this course primarily because I love the setting. (Also hard to beat the price for seniors) I knew going in that conditions were not going to be great, so since my expectations were low, I was not too disappointed.

Greens actually rolled better than expected. Fairways were mostly good, with some thin/brown areas. Several tee boxes could use some attention, and the green surrounds need to be addressed. That said, despite heat, the quasi poor conditions, and my poor play, I can say I enjoyed the round, but was really glad to get into the air conditioned car for the trip home.

630am tee time, 35 Golf Now deal. Played as a twosome with a buddy. The course was busy early, lulled then was pretty solid through out the day. I play here a lot and have for a few years, That b... Continue »

630am tee time, 35 Golf Now deal. Played as a twosome with a buddy. The course was busy early, lulled then was pretty solid through out the day. I play here a lot and have for a few years, That being said....... Tee Boxes, tee boxes are shabby on several holes. Like on 3 tee box, mow it and level it, I feel like a drunk walking sideways all over that thing. I guess, if you can water the greens and the fairways why not the tee box? I know, I know, its busy all the time. Rough, rough was the rough. The typical dry burn out spots around the greens for the ultra hard pan ball release that makes all rounds pleasurable. Traps, some of the traps were raked and some were raked then watered so it was a harder groove. For example, on 9 the greenskeeper ran a full Caddy shack and had the sprinklers on Bellagio mode and soaked the entire trap on the left and the front half of the fairway. No biggie, I hit the ball long. I was grateful though for the water show. Fairways, they were fine and typical, some of the fairways were lush and some were not. Greens. Ok, I understand the water, change in management ,the drainage, different greenskeeper and all the other gossip I here when I'm at the shop. Ugh!!! These greens are BS. They are so slow. I play everywhere, I play all the ghetto courses, I'll play the fancy clubs, Im a modest player but these greens are sh-t for how much a round costs here. I know its hot, but Sierra Lakes wasn't cool and neither was Encino last week and they could still make their faster than a fat ass sloth crawling in molasses. 60 dollars for a weekend round!? and greens that slow! What a gip! Look, not trying to be tour pro about Santa Anita. Its a cool course with some nice looking holes. The view is great and when the greens are faster this course is a lot trickier. I understand some of their recent past but they are making money right now so it wouldn't kill to get their greens up to par as some of the other city and county courses.

At my buddy's instigation, went out as a twosome plus a single for a late Friday 4:10 tee time, walking for $23. The recent reviews seemed underwhelming so, while I like SA, I'd been inclined to stay ... Continue »

At my buddy's instigation, went out as a twosome plus a single for a late Friday 4:10 tee time, walking for $23. The recent reviews seemed underwhelming so, while I like SA, I'd been inclined to stay away. Perhaps because I had negative expectations, I was somewhat pleasantly surprised. Yes, there are flaws, but the overall experience was good. Teeing grounds were consistently one of the better aspects, being level and with good, appropriately cut coverage. They are on the larger side, so they have room to move them around. The fairway and rough conditions were both mixed as to consistency. There are definitely some extended patches of dry, thin areas, sometimes to the point of hardpan — some in the fairway but more often not so much in your main target areas. The main areas of fairway I more often found to be in nice shape with a good hitting surface. I definitely had a few shots I had to play off thin coverage or hard ground, but I managed and was generally happy with the lies I was presented otherwise. Was in a couple of bunkers — one rather firm, the other reasonably playable, but I'd guess they are probably more on the firmer side overall. The greenside areas were generally in good shape for executing the short game. The basic condition of the greens was OK, but overlaid with a fair amount of pitch marks late in the day and they ran medium slow. They looked appropriately cut, but putts consistently seemed to put on the brakes in the last quarter off their run. Now, I like greens on the quick side and I know this is a deal breaker for some, but I found them pretty consistent and so think part of the game is calibrating yourself to the conditions. Wouldn't want to play that speed regularly, but for the round I was good with it and no excuses for missed putts. Similarly, the number of pitch marks is ultimately not relevant. Fix the ones in your line properly and get on with it if the greens are otherwise true. Pace was a tad sluggish but steady and we were probably the second to last group to get off 18 with enough light to finish. Didn't know with our tee time if we would have a chance to finish so I was happy to and considered it a bonus. My report on the conditions might be influenced by me having one of my better rounds, but it also suggests that the conditions were good enough to let me execute a good round. Late in the day was nice and with the views of the mountains, it can be a surprisingly scenic venue. The course is reasonably challenging and with appropriate expectations, quite enjoyable. There is enough contour through the course to make it a good workout. The late day rate I got made it a very good value. Your call.

Hit up Santa Anita for an Am run with the old guy crew.

Nice playing with the old guys, I hit a driver 210 and they think I'm a blaster ( I kid, I kid).

Santa Anita is generally spotty during t... Continue »

Hit up Santa Anita for an Am run with the old guy crew.

Nice playing with the old guys, I hit a driver 210 and they think I'm a blaster ( I kid, I kid).

Santa Anita is generally spotty during the hot summer and honestly, the course fairways
seemed better than the last couple of years. Yes, theres parts, but all in all its ok.

Now the real truth.

45 bucks to walk with greens that slow is total BS! I get that they have green issues in the summer, so I understand the grass length and watering, however, courses like American Golf ( who I hate) generally have much faster greens in the summer and in the same area, ( mountain meadows, San Dimas, Knollwood. Generally, all the city courses are faster as well. I play around 2/3 times a week and I play everywhere. I do understand with them loosing greens in the past and people love to full on Glamis their golf carts up to the greens so that doesn't help with the patchyness but 45 to walk is weak with those green speeds.

Sand Traps there are generally ok and the course has some fun and challenging holes with some great views.

Maybe, Next time I'm out I'll leave the driver at home and bring a weed eater to cut the greens a touch more

Later!