Managed to avoid Whittier Narrows my entire life because of the perception that it's not a very nice golf course... and it turns out it was exactly how I thought it'd be. Was out Saturday 1/18 at 9:54... Continue »

Managed to avoid Whittier Narrows my entire life because of the perception that it's not a very nice golf course... and it turns out it was exactly how I thought it'd be. Was out Saturday 1/18 at 9:54 walking the blues. We were doing the River/Pine routing and the first tee had a two group back up. Slow play continued for most of the front, with at least a one group wait on every box. Things did manage to open up after the turn but they let fivesomes out there so prepare for a slow day.

In fairness, the conditions themselves might have been a little better than I anticipated as I did enjoy the layout and the challenge (course has some length and if you're out of position in the trees just take your medicine), but the conditions certainly weren't great. Tee boxes were mostly level however there were a few where you'd be off balance. Fairways were mostly good with some roll out with decent lies but once you ventured off a little lies got a lot more dicey. Lots of bare spots for sure.

One highlight was how nice the greens were. Even the area around the green was nice to putt or chip from. Honestly can make up for a lot of other shortcomings as the greens (while not very large) were mostly free of pitch marks and rolled at a medium-fast pace and true. I was in a couple of bunkers and was surprised they had plenty of sand as well.

Truly feel like this place has potential and I'd play here again but would stop short of recommending it or making it a top choice.

Got out early before the heat. $23.25 to walk with Sr County card. Found the course to be in relatively good shape. No issues with the tee boxes. Fairways had some dry areas but overall had decent cov... Continue »

Got out early before the heat. $23.25 to walk with Sr County card. Found the course to be in relatively good shape. No issues with the tee boxes. Fairways had some dry areas but overall had decent coverage, good lies and good roll out. Bunkers were clean/playable and heard no complaints. Very little rough outside the fairways and what was there was playable. Greens were great for being punched 3 weeks ago. Good customer service all around. Long course but I made my own yardage so that it would come out to 6000 yards which made it much more playable for me than 6640 or 6864 from back/middle tees.

Played this morning. Still good Sr rate with Sr card at $36.25 for 18 w cart, $22 to walk. Course in good condition all around. Nice green fairways giving good lies but still soft so not much rollout.... Continue »

Played this morning. Still good Sr rate with Sr card at $36.25 for 18 w cart, $22 to walk. Course in good condition all around. Nice green fairways giving good lies but still soft so not much rollout. So we all know the course is long, so play it forward if need be. Rough was playable and so were the traps but many were not really raked very well, so we made our own rule of allowing raking then placing and playing ones shot. Greens are in good shape and putt very nice and with decent speed. Good customer service at check in. Course could use some new carts IMO. POP was right on 4 hours.

Played Whittier Narrows yesterday at 9:30 am and was pleasantly surprised with conditions. Given all the courses punching greens, I went to my 4th option on my list in San Gabriel Valley. Course h... Continue »

Played Whittier Narrows yesterday at 9:30 am and was pleasantly surprised with conditions. Given all the courses punching greens, I went to my 4th option on my list in San Gabriel Valley. Course has lots of seniors playing because of discount LA County card. The two gentlemen we played with were beginners but very pleasant and keep up with POP. We finished in 4 hrs 15 minutes. Looks like several homeless encampments that line the East end of the course on a couple of holes on the front 9. Just keep an eye on your belongings. The greens were pretty nice here, smooth and running fairly quick at 9.5. Fairways had plenty of coverage, but rough was brutally long and grown out. It use to be super hard to lose a ball here, but I lost a few just because I couldn't find it in the long rough. Tee boxes were unlevel, but sand traps were well maintained. Bathrooms look to have been recently upgraded. Course has a lot of bumps like Marshall Canyon which makes for a suspension shock in your golf cart and your body. Starter was pleasant and snack shop had lots of good food options. Course plays very long from the blue tees so choose your tees wisely. Will not wait 5 years to return.

We played again today in prep for our Veterans tournament Friday. Played our own modified best ball and it helps to have a young player who can hit the crap out of the ball on this course. Fun day and... Continue »

We played again today in prep for our Veterans tournament Friday. Played our own modified best ball and it helps to have a young player who can hit the crap out of the ball on this course. Fun day and the course was not busy so we finished in 3 H before it got hot. They have the course in great shape at the moment. The small fast greens will drive you crazy (at least they do me) but the Sr rate of $38 with cart is a good value IMO. And Weber was spot on with his recent review as well. Recommended.

I had not even considered Whittier Narrows until I read Larry's recent review. I had kind of forgotten about this course. I used to play here fairly often when I lived in Westchester, but not so much ... Continue »

I had not even considered Whittier Narrows until I read Larry's recent review. I had kind of forgotten about this course. I used to play here fairly often when I lived in Westchester, but not so much since moving to O.C.

Larry's review was spot on. The fairways had good coverage for the most part but did have numerous damp areas. The greens were not as firm as I expected, but maybe I just expected concrete type surfaces. Because it had been a while since I played here, the course was every bit as long as I remember. Not as much fun as it used to be when I could actually reach all the holes in regulation. Even so, it was nice to return, and the senior rate made it only that much easier to tolerate.

In preperation for a Veterans tournament next month we played here this AM. Decided to "play it forward" today and it made a big difference for me today. We found the course damp for the first 9 so no... Continue »

In preperation for a Veterans tournament next month we played here this AM. Decided to "play it forward" today and it made a big difference for me today. We found the course damp for the first 9 so not much roll out but good lies as the fairways had been mowed. The back 9 was drier and had better roll in the fairways. Tee boxes were all clean and playable. Traps were in nice shape and also playable. Rough was brutal as it had not been mowed so playing out of it was not fun. These greens must be the smallest in LA County but they might also be the fastest. They held high shots only, so if that was not your shot you might be way off the green. Once on the green chipping/putting were great and with great speed (maybe 10/11). Customer service could have been better but I think we just caught them to early in the AM? If you like a challenge and like long courses, then this is one you might like as conditions are very good at this time. And the Sr rate at $38 with cart was good IMO.

Had to organize a late foursome this weekend and ended up finding a nice 8:15am tee time at Whittier Narrows on Saturday. We had three riders and one walker, playing from the white tees as the course'... Continue »

Had to organize a late foursome this weekend and ended up finding a nice 8:15am tee time at Whittier Narrows on Saturday. We had three riders and one walker, playing from the white tees as the course's main defense is length and small greens.

If you've played Whittier Narrows before, then you're more than used to the browned-out fairways and mediocre overall conditions, but that is most certainly not the case right now. I've never seen this place as green and well-maintained as it is currently.

Fairways are quite lush and green, rough is very thick and penal as you struggle to find many balls that end up there just off the main alleys, tee boxes and bunkers are all pretty good, but the really nice highlight is excellent, fast and true greens. This is quite frankly the best this place is ever going to play so if you ever considered it, now is the time.

One thing to be concerned about - there are a TON of gnats/flies/mosquitos that will harass you all day long. It was quite frustrating and felt like midwest golf in July. They're literally everywhere and super annoying. The starter said they have been trying to fix the problem for the last month but to no avail, so I would recommend a quality bug spray if you can get some.

POP was also very good as we finished on a busy Saturday at just around four hours and twenty minutes. Carts were old with no frills but very functional. Overall the place is on the very modest side, but it's all working right now, with the exception of the bug problem, which is clearly out of their hands. Nothing too exciting about the layout either but it's a good, solid test of golf that will let you stretch the legs and use lots of clubs.

Go now before it gets back to its old ways soon.

Have not played Whittier Narrows for a while, and would not have even considered it had it not been for Larry's review. While not the greatest course, I've always enjoyed playing there. But as Larry e... Continue »

Have not played Whittier Narrows for a while, and would not have even considered it had it not been for Larry's review. While not the greatest course, I've always enjoyed playing there. But as Larry eluded too in his review, the length of the course has now become more of an issue. Some of those par 4 holes are now just simply out of reach, even on my best.

Course was certainly in better condition than when I last played here a few years ago. Overall I thought the greens, fairways and bunkers were probably as good as I can remember. Of course, the great senior rate is an added bonus. I'd recommend this course IF you can get out early, otherwise it can be a long day.