Course appears to be in better shape, bunkers were actually well groomed for once, fairways with good coverage and the greens rolled true and speed was consistent

Course appears to be in better shape, bunkers were actually well groomed for once, fairways with good coverage and the greens rolled true and speed was consistent

Seems like forever since I last played Skylinks. Had no intention of playing, mostly because the cost now is more than this course warrants. but I had an invite from some friends in Long Beach and was... Continue »

Seems like forever since I last played Skylinks. Had no intention of playing, mostly because the cost now is more than this course warrants. but I had an invite from some friends in Long Beach and was able to play for the senior rate, so it was more palatable.

Reading the last review, did not have high expectations, and I was not surprised. I will admit the fairways were better than expected. Greens were slow, bumpy and need to be rolled. While there was nothing really bad about the overall condition, it was a far cry from the Skylinks I used to play years ago. For me personally, if I'm going to travel to Long Beach, I'd rather play Rec Park or Eldo.

Played this weekend with two friends at Skylinks with a 1:30pm tee time and we all rode, playing from the blue tees. The greens fee with cart was around $80, so of course you think you're going to get... Continue »

Played this weekend with two friends at Skylinks with a 1:30pm tee time and we all rode, playing from the blue tees. The greens fee with cart was around $80, so of course you think you're going to get a good, quality golf experience at that price. Sadly it did not work out that way at this time.

While it's posted that the greens were punched back on 9/26 at the starter's office, it seems to have little to do with the bumpy and slow greens with ball marks everywhere that made putting such a wild adventure all day. Sure, there was evidence of punching here and there, but that also has nothing to do with the numerous greens that had damaged areas all around their perimeters and many with damage on the greens themselves. It's crazy that just a short while ago I played these same greens in the best condition I'd ever seen them.

Fairways were okay for the most part with a few thin areas but for the most part the lies were good to good enough. The rough was nice and lush in some spots, but sort of a mixed bag when taking the course in its entirety. Bunkers were fine. But the worst part of the day, even worse than the greens, were the dirt and mixed weed tee boxes found on pretty much every hole. I don't use tees so my game is very reliant on grass tee boxes, not mud and mayhem. Incredibly disappointing for a 'high end' course.

POP was okay for most of the day but we did slow down significantly on the back nine in spurts, but it was the least of the complaints for the day. There was also nothing in terms of cart service on a busy Sunday which was also a bummer, but there may be staffing issues that led to that situation. I will say the staff that was there was very nice and friendly, and of course the Skylinks layout is challenging and fun.

Overall though it was a pretty disappointing outing at a facility I generally laud pretty regularly, so I hope they fix what ails them soon. I would definitely give them a week or two to get the greens and tee boxes sorted out because right now it's bush league.

Years ago this was a rather bland course. Today it is a challenging layout with penalizing bunkers everywhere. What makes matters more difficult is the lack of sand in these bunkers. Imagine trying to... Continue »

Years ago this was a rather bland course. Today it is a challenging layout with penalizing bunkers everywhere. What makes matters more difficult is the lack of sand in these bunkers. Imagine trying to hit out of bunker with a high lip with very little sand under your ball. A ball in a bunker on this course is a 1/2 a stroke to one stroke penalty every time. If you play here, really avoid the bunkers as best you can. Yes, the tour pros are better than me 100 fold....but at least they play out of perfectly textured bunkers...and now for the rest...The tee boxes are an absolute joke. Uneven and just awful. The worst I have seen in a long time. The ladies and black tee golfers are lucky. The tee boxes there seemed to be in much better shape than the "Badlands" of the white and blue tees. The fairways are the highlight of Skylinks. They are firm but at least the lies are decent. The greens are slower than you think. They are riddled with ball marks. My repair tool got a work out yesterday. They have added OB stakes between holes 14 and 15. Skylinks is probably one of the most overpriced venues in So Cal. if you are not a resident of Long Beach. If Victoria was a golf course people would flock to it away from here. In sum, a fun, strategic course spoiled a bit by not enough love from a maintenance standpoint.

Took a buddy to Skylinks for his first-ever visit on Saturday. We scrapped up a 9:20am tee time the day before online which was a great last-minute option. Having just come off of a Covid illness, he ... Continue »

Took a buddy to Skylinks for his first-ever visit on Saturday. We scrapped up a 9:20am tee time the day before online which was a great last-minute option. Having just come off of a Covid illness, he opted to ride while I walked and we played from the blue tees.

First and most important thing you'll notice at the Links right now is how good of shape the greens are in. They're really fantastic, running very quickly and there were some very difficult pin spots set up for the afternoon. I played a horrible round so I can't speak to how shot-receptive they were, but once on them they played absolutely outstanding.

The rest of the course is also in good shape, but it's not that verdant, lush green that you would like to see at a 'higher' end course like this one. It was also a massive bummer to see all the trees that have been cut down or removed entirely around the 4th green/5th tee box. It used to be quite a beautiful spot but apparently the planes were having too difficult a time landing, although I never read anywhere about a bunch of crash landings. Oh well ... it just was aesthetically and environmentally saddening.

Bunkers were playing nicely for sure and the only real gripe was some damaged tee boxes that were not in line with the way the rest of the course was playing at all. It was surprising to see them in as poor of shape as they were and hopefully that gets remedied soon.

We had cart service a few times around so that was nice, and the POP was actually pretty phenomenal as well, finishing right on four hours. We played with a very lovely couple as well who made it quite a pleasant day. I'm not sure my buddy was as convinced of the course's value at over $80 for his round, but it was with a cart and, if the tee boxes get fixed up, it's right inline with what's acceptable in terms of cost.

I would definitely play here again if I see tee times come available in the near future.

It goes to show how American Golf does bare minimum. The Long Beach Open is next week, so the course is the best shape I’ve ever seen it. Fairways green and lush, greens rolling true, bunkers actually... Continue »

It goes to show how American Golf does bare minimum. The Long Beach Open is next week, so the course is the best shape I’ve ever seen it. Fairways green and lush, greens rolling true, bunkers actually manicured and soft (miracle alone here). Tee boxes still junk though. If only They put this effort into the Maintenance year round, this would be one of the better munis, unfortunately American Golf doesn’t and the course will go back to subpar in a couple weeks.

Played 6/7/22 in slightly breezy conditions and fair skies. Skylinks has all the added-on water, rocks and fluff to make it prettier than your typical City Municipal parkland course. The greens putt p... Continue »

Played 6/7/22 in slightly breezy conditions and fair skies. Skylinks has all the added-on water, rocks and fluff to make it prettier than your typical City Municipal parkland course. The greens putt pretty true, the fairways are fairly nice, some mixed grasses...the sand is inconsistent but still very playable, i.e. wet sand, dry sand, muddy sand... but no hardpan bunkers- and that's good! On the bad side, rough/fringe around some of the greens was absolutely atrocious. Hard pan with clumps of 3 different kinds of grass/weeds growing here and there within 25 feet of the hole made chipping a hit-and-hope affair. I missed one par-3 green by 2 feet and the hardpan bounce went dead right and ended up 25 feet off with nothing but scruffy clumps and pock-marked baked dirt between me and the green. Really put a damper on what could be a very nice course with a little TLC and maintenance. A note on the first hole: No one told me the lake was in play and after I shot the yardage over a little rise to the carts in the fairway at 205, I found out after hitting a nice 3-hybrid 190 right down the middle that the carts I shot were actually off to the right of the lake- you can't see the water middle/left from the tee box and there's nothing to tell you how far it is (I still don't know!). Still, all in all the pace was fine, the course mostly playable, there's some interesting holes, some water here and there to catch your eye and it's worth the price. Recommended- but with a red flag about the bare greenside lies and poor rough.

Played Skylinks earlier today, June 6 with a 7am tee time. Actually got out early and finished in under 4 hours. We did wait on some shots, so credit the gents I played with for the appropriate pace o... Continue »

Played Skylinks earlier today, June 6 with a 7am tee time. Actually got out early and finished in under 4 hours. We did wait on some shots, so credit the gents I played with for the appropriate pace of play. Sadly, that is where the good news ends.

Range had new mats (yea), but range balls are getting very worn. Out to the course: Tee boxes were severely chewed up and greens had recently been sanded making them very slow. They were also very hard. Lots of bare spots in the rough and the bunkers I was in had no sand. Fairways were generally in pretty good condition.

We did see a lot of maintenance being done so hopefully conditions will improve. I play here regularly but it might be time for a break given current conditions.

Had not played Skylinks in a long time, so was excited to return. Have to admit that Skylinks has always been my least favorite of the Long Beach courses. Just something about the course has never "fi... Continue »

Had not played Skylinks in a long time, so was excited to return. Have to admit that Skylinks has always been my least favorite of the Long Beach courses. Just something about the course has never "fit my eye", plus now with the cost to play, hard to justify plaing here very often.

Conditions were just OK. The fairways being dormant did not bother me, but they were so firm, tough to take much of a divot. Greens were decent, reasonable pace, but not too receptive to the few good shots I struck. Found a couple bunkers, and thanks to reading the most recent review, made certain I brought a sand wedge with very little bounce, rather than the 14-degree bounce wedge I normally play at Coto. Turned out to be a good decision.

Not accustomed to playing in 4+ hours, so it felt like I was out there forever, but the weather was good, and the company was great, so it turned out to be a pleasant morning despite my poor play.