Played here on Thursday, December 21, 2006. What a treat. A buddy of mine got married here a few months ago and he invited me to play. Valet service was excellent and Manny the starter took care of... Continue »

Played here on Thursday, December 21, 2006. What a treat. A buddy of mine got married here a few months ago and he invited me to play. Valet service was excellent and Manny the starter took care of us on the driving range prior to playing. The driving range was mats but the balls were decent (Titleist practice). After a few shots, it was our turn to play.

I didn't like the fact that they had different carts for the range and different ones for the course. The cart boys had to switch our bags from one cart to another before starting the round.

Sidenote: One thing about playing high end courses- It's not entirely about the course but the background of the players playing the high end courses. Here, my buddy and I were teamed up with a twosome that turned out to be some of the nicest people you will ever meet. We were paired with Heins-a major golf course builder in Europe. We got to know him and Elga a little better and by the end of the round were invited to play at his many courses in Europe next time we were out there.

Back to course feedback: The course overall is not a very easy course to play. It is really narrow. The tee boxes were a 8, the fairways another 8, and the greens were a 7. Coming off a pretty easy day at Los Serranos where I shot a decent score, any drive that even slightly deviates from the fairways is a ball donation to the course. One thing, the GPS system is by far the best I've ever encountered. Kudos to the Donald on this one.

Note: Because I play Top Flites, I found myself trading Top Flites for ProV1x's pretty regularly in the bush.

Here are some comments on a few of the holes: Hole 1: Short par 4. Elevated green with the waterfall makes for some interesting scenery. Driving to the green reminds me of the Matehorn at Disneyland. I think they got a deal on the same rock structures from the same vendor.

Hole 2: Par 5. Keep to the right as the hole straddles PCH on the left. Easy birdie hole.

Hole 4: Par 3 with great views. Same views on Hole 5.

Hole 7: Encounted the cart girl on this hole. Paid $2 for chips and another $2 for one granola bar (plus tip).

Hole 9: The golf cart screen asks you if you want to order some food from the outdoor grill prior to beginning this hole. One thing, it doesn't give you the price on the food you order. Be prepared to pay up.

Holes 10-12 are on the other side of the clubhouse. I was surprised by how crowded it was to start the back nine.

Be sure to bring your camera and take tons of pictures with your friends on this course. That's about the only thing that this course has going for itself.

You're better off playing Oak Valley in Beaumont (same type of environmentally sensitive bush surrounding the course) for much cheaper. It also is a lot close in length when playing from the tips.

In short, unless you are playing this course on someone elses dime, OR if you are visiting from inland Europe and have money to play a high end course, you are better off playing somewhere else for the money.