Played here Sunday afternoon, 5/4/14. It was a bit windy today. Unfortunately, there was a tournament on the course in the morning and this backed up things TERRIBLY. It took 3 hours to play the front... Continue »

Played here Sunday afternoon, 5/4/14. It was a bit windy today. Unfortunately, there was a tournament on the course in the morning and this backed up things TERRIBLY. It took 3 hours to play the front nine, ouch! Couldn't play the back nine due to a time constraint. The course is in good condition. Fairways are tight by with good lies and lots of roll. Tee boxes were fine. Greenside bunkers had very nice soft sand throughout. The greens rolled smoothly, were medium fast, and held shots fairly well. Overall, the course is very playable and in good shape.

I've played both courses at Robinson Ranch many times over the past many years. I've always enjoyed the two courses. They were always a bit overpriced unless you got an internet deal and the service... Continue »

I've played both courses at Robinson Ranch many times over the past many years. I've always enjoyed the two courses. They were always a bit overpriced unless you got an internet deal and the service was marginal, but the courses were solid and the pace of play was generally good. The course was usually kept in nice condition.

This is why I was shocked at the condition of the course when I played there on April 15th, 2014. The range and putting green were closed. The rough must not be getting any water and was sparse. And by sparse, I mean completely brown. If your ball rolled through the fairway and into the rough it just kept on rolling until it settled off the course and in the plants/brush. Hitting off of the rough was also a hair raising experience. The lie out of the rough can kindly be described as thin, or more honestly described as hardpan. If you've ever played these two courses, you would know that there are several holes with angles and dips that usually see your ball in the rough if your drive isn't absolute money. Without adequate rough, the course layout fails in my book.

The greens didn't hold very well most likely due to a lack of water on them, and when putting the speed was inconsistent from one green to the next. The greens here always have putted pretty true in terms of speed and the break takes several rounds to get a feel for, but they were always a fair challenge in my mind. Inconsistent speed led to some frustrating moments to say the least.

The excuse given for the course's condition was that we are in a drought in Southern California. This is true. However, to charge the normal fee for the course when it is such poor shape seems silly. I won't be going back to the Ranch until I hear from someone that the place is back to having green rough and properly functioning practice facilities, which I'm guessing won't be happening until the summer has come and gone at the earliest given the 100+ degree weather they can experience from June to September. As I said in my opening paragraph, I always liked the course and not necessarily the service or value. Well, if the course is in this condition there is nothing else enticing me to visit the place.

Played on 2-17-14. This was my first time playing the Valley, having played Mountain about a year ago. Conditions were very good with smooth rolling, fast greens, with little signs of the drought on... Continue »

Played on 2-17-14. This was my first time playing the Valley, having played Mountain about a year ago. Conditions were very good with smooth rolling, fast greens, with little signs of the drought on the fairways. A few of the tee boxes were not as even as I'd like but not enough to really affect the shot. My round started at 1 pm, and we finished at about 5:40. There was backup at two of the par threes on the back nine. For those who haven't played here, the views are very nice from several of the elevated tee boxes, and wind is usually factor. I was lucky enough to play at a very discounted rate, and I hope to be back soon. I would describe this course as an eminently fair course, with a great layout, challenging enough for the very good golfer but not too punishing for the 25+ handicap.

The general color of the course does not dictate the way it plays.

I was impressed. This Valley course is currently in its very good playing conditions! The fairways runs and does not leave the b... Continue »

The general color of the course does not dictate the way it plays.

I was impressed. This Valley course is currently in its very good playing conditions! The fairways runs and does not leave the ball muddy. The greens are on the hard side, but it can hold a soft shot in- it is currently rolling smoothly.

The bunkers have sand and it is good quality. The teeing grounds are fine.

Host: #GKer, #Kviser, great guy! I was lucky to be part of his Monday golf w Tony and Mike.

Played Robinson Ranch with my brother yesterday @ 11:00 am. Played with two nice Aussies in town for business. POP was 4.45 hours. Greens are in great shape right now running 10.5 when we tee'd off... Continue »

Played Robinson Ranch with my brother yesterday @ 11:00 am. Played with two nice Aussies in town for business. POP was 4.45 hours. Greens are in great shape right now running 10.5 when we tee'd off and close to a 11.5 in the back nine and in the afternoon. Fairways in great shape and rough is getting dormant. Sand traps were raked and had plenty of sand. Tee boxes were level and had little divot damage. Great weather, little wind, and great company made a very enjoyable round. We did have lunch in clubhouse and cart girl came by around 4 times. Customer service was great! Will be back.

Played yesterday in a scramble. The course was in fine, almost winter, condition. Rough is going dormant and is very thin in many areas, while some areas it is left about an inch and a half to hold yo... Continue »

Played yesterday in a scramble. The course was in fine, almost winter, condition. Rough is going dormant and is very thin in many areas, while some areas it is left about an inch and a half to hold your ball. Unfortunately, those cuts are to make it more challenging, not easier, so your ball will hang up or run through, whichever is more penal. The greens were running about a 10.5 and were soft enough to hold most shots. Fairways were lush. We played from the white tees and I found them to be mostly level. Fairway bunkers are hard packed dirt, while the greenside bunkers appeared to have ample, light-colored sand. The customer service was outstanding as always.

I looked on their web site for T times and Mountain was available for a 9:30am t time. Rates on line are $59 Which they say is their "resident" rate. When I called to make the time They told me Mounta... Continue »

I looked on their web site for T times and Mountain was available for a 9:30am t time. Rates on line are $59 Which they say is their "resident" rate. When I called to make the time They told me Mountain was Closed for Fairway reseeding! I said the web site is allowing people to make t times!? Very confusing. I made a time for Valley and if you call to make it make sure of the rate! $87 over the phone, $59 on line for Tues? I made sure they would charge me $59 a player with cart. Whew...after that the Valley course is in pretty fair to good shape. They aerated 9/16 9/18 and the greens show it by looking at them but they were holding shots and rolling out. There was the occasional unexpected turn but for the most part they were in good shape. The T boxes were a little fury and need to be cut, but it was Tues? The sand was great, as I was in the first THREE! green-side bunkers but made my "Sandy's"! It was a fairly good POP. 4.5 The fairways were ROLLING out and only hit driver on just a handful of holes. The secret here is to STAY IN PLAY! Just like Moorpark, Rustic, off the fairway is usually a lateral hazard or worse and you may not find "it" but will find lots of others! :) If you don't put a lot of pressure on yourself, Robinson Ranch is just Beautiful place to play and enjoy the scenery, although a Birdie or two helps or just a few pars! Service here is always great and on point! I can't wait for later this Month when everything comes together. I wish the rates were consistent, and the carts had GPS as there are a lot of blind T shots or even approach's. Go Play!

Played Valley Course on 8/21 for the first time. What a great course from the moment you drive up and into the parking lot. The staff is nice and courteous and at par with some private courses. But ... Continue »

Played Valley Course on 8/21 for the first time. What a great course from the moment you drive up and into the parking lot. The staff is nice and courteous and at par with some private courses. But the best part is their amazing golf course. Heard a lot of good things about this place for a long time and now that I played it, I fully concur. Course can be punishing if you are not driving well, but not target golf oriented either. Fair but difficult course and I loved the challenge. Tee boxes were nice except for a handful that were not level but by all means not unplayable. Fairways were nice and tight with some drying out which mean plenty of rollout if you hit a draw. Greens were medium fast and rolled true, but lots of ball/pitch marks that people didn't fix properly leading to dead spots. PEOPLE, PLEASE FIX YOUR BALL MARKS PROPERLY! SHEESH!! Now I just need to get on the mountain course and give it a try.

Played here about a month ago and then played here again yesterday. Never got around to writing a review a month ago, but in a nutshell, course was phenomenal - everything was in great shape and true,... Continue »

Played here about a month ago and then played here again yesterday. Never got around to writing a review a month ago, but in a nutshell, course was phenomenal - everything was in great shape and true, though the greens were a bit slower than I remembered them being my first time playing here. Also, customer service here is really the best of any public course I've ever played at.

As for yesterday's round. We got there 10 minutes after our tee time (freeway offramp closures ftw) and we were greeted warmly and offered some range tokens (standard at the Ranch - such a nice feature). We ended up teeing off for our 12:54 tee time right at 2 pm with a single that was a pleasure to play with. There was a twosome in front of us that lost us by the third hole, at which point we saw a group behind us on the second hole that never caught us. Pace of play was right at 4 hours.

Conditions were a bit dryer than last month. The fairways firmed out a bit and I noticed a few dry/bare spots, though nothing hardpan and nothing that affected the quality of my iron shots (which were as good as they've been all year!). Wind was steady and not too hard, though a few shots with a lot of loft definitely caught some wind high up that I didn't consider. Either way, shot a 91 with 33 putts - not a bad round! And on the par 5 13th my wedge got pushed just right of the green on the front side with a front pin location on my approach. I had to chip it about 5 feet and land it on the fringe and let it roll downhill 15 feet or so, and was fortunate enough to watch it roll right in for a birdie which was nice as well!

Which brings me to the greens - they seemed to have some damage to them - ball marks and dried out/darker spots, though they rolled extremely true and FFFFAAASSSTTTTTT!!! Since the course dried out, it really plays fast - and I love it. The rough was cut a bit shorter than last month too, so balls rolled out through it a bit more which, for those who play this course in the winter, know how tough that can make things.

My biggest complaint were some unlevel tee boxes, but I also saw markings around some tee boxes that lead me to believe that they will be reseeding/releveling them soon, so it's not like it's a huge deal.

Overall, I absolutely love this course. It is narrow-ish, but extremely playable and thought provoking. For those who manage a course and like to think and overcome punishment/adversity, this is the course for you. If you are the type that wants to bang the ball all around the yard, find an LA municipal course and go have fun. Robinson Ranch has been nothing less than an absolute treat from the time you pull into the driveway until the time you get back on Sand Canyon Rd all three times I've played it, and I cannot wait to come back and for once try the Mountain course.