I've played and watched the golf course mature all throughout the dormant fairways of the winter and the recent punching and overseeding of the green complexes, and like "bassvista" mentioned in the p... Continue »

I've played and watched the golf course mature all throughout the dormant fairways of the winter and the recent punching and overseeding of the green complexes, and like "bassvista" mentioned in the post below this one, they are now lush and are very close to being in perfect shape. As much as I play this golf course, it's no mystery to me that I feel overwhelmingly pleased with every round I've played in the last month. I actually saw very few ball marks other than my own and when I did see others I fixed them.

The greens still need a week or so, but with the high temperatures and windy conditions of late, I imagine that the greens will firm up quite a bit and will soon be absolutely immaculate. Currently they roll true but are just a hair slow for my taste. I like my greens like billiard tables. And you know what? These greens are getting there!

The fairways are perfect. They are firming up quite well. I'm hitting drives from 310 to 345 with the extra bounce and roll for the last two weeks.

The back tee bxes on #1 and #9 are now roped off again for over seeding. The rest of the tee boxes are in great shape. I havent notice any eyesores with the exception of the areas at the start and end of the concrete cart pathways. These areas are bare of any grass, and it seems impossible to prevent further damage since most or all of these areas are in the direct path of access to entryways and exits of the cartpaths. Besides that, Santa Anita is playing like country club conditions.

Part of the ongoing renovation proect at Santa Aninta is upgrading the bunkers surrounding all the green complexes. True, this sand is currently very fluffy and requires getting adjusted to, but give that sand some time so settle and these bunkers are going to being some of the purest bunkers for any local municipal course, and even for some of the higher end courses out there.

Right now the project to replace all sand and perform all necessary repairs to the greenside bunkers is about 70% complete.

The fairway bunkers. like the one on the left side of hole #1 could use just a little bit of the new sand mixed in to reduce the contrast between the shades of color in the sand.

I think it would be logical for the most part to leave the fairway bunkers in the condition that they exist today. They provide a firm hitting surface which I think seems preferable when hitting a full shot into the green or even when laying up.

I just played this course for the 2nd time in the last 3 weeks. The course is in the best shape that I have seen for a long time. The fairways are lush with very few bare spots. The greens are in the ... Continue »

I just played this course for the 2nd time in the last 3 weeks. The course is in the best shape that I have seen for a long time. The fairways are lush with very few bare spots. The greens are in the best of shape. Except for some unrepaired ball marks, they roll well and are relatively fast. My only complaint would be the bunkers. Many of the bunkers are filled with new sand, which are soft and fluffy. However, many still have the hard dirt, which make them very inconsistent

Good Course.... Short but well maintained..

Good Course.... Short but well maintained..

First time played 4/14/07 saturday at noon.
Typical muni course but same time not so typical.
Surrounded by avenues ,view of passing cars some even honking,ambulance & fire truck's siren & very clos... Continue »

First time played 4/14/07 saturday at noon.
Typical muni course but same time not so typical.
Surrounded by avenues ,view of passing cars some even honking,ambulance & fire truck's siren & very close to school ,hospital & park very active makes you feel playing golf in the middle of the city.Absolutely you can not feel quiet or tranquil cause of multitude everywhere from entrance,parking lot,range,& field. Of course pace of play as you expect,,,,,slow.
But overall field conditions maintained very well from tee to greens. For $40.00 weekend fee you can't complain even snack shop's price(hot dog,drink etc) was very acceptable.

Played fri 4/13. walked on as a single.. BUSY!!! waited 2 hours!! actually, after i saw the wait list, I left, ran a bunch of errands i was going to do after the round, came back in an hour, waited an... Continue »

Played fri 4/13. walked on as a single.. BUSY!!! waited 2 hours!! actually, after i saw the wait list, I left, ran a bunch of errands i was going to do after the round, came back in an hour, waited another 40 minutes to call my name, so it worked out. Usually, on a friday, i wait an hour at the most, and have a 4:45 round. today, the round was 5:15. greens a little bumpy and hairy. not nearly as fast as they usually are. fairways are much better than 2 months ago, but still a little thin in spots. i always enjoy playing here.

Just played the back 9 yesterday... the course looks great! The greens are pretty slow, but the fairways are lush. This is one of the best values in LACO... but you pay for your golf with the slow p... Continue »

Just played the back 9 yesterday... the course looks great! The greens are pretty slow, but the fairways are lush. This is one of the best values in LACO... but you pay for your golf with the slow play and assembly-line tee times.

Wanted to make a few corrections here from some of the critiques:

Billy Bell had nothing to do with the design or the construction of this course. This course was designed by an LA County Engineer,... Continue »

Wanted to make a few corrections here from some of the critiques:

Billy Bell had nothing to do with the design or the construction of this course. This course was designed by an LA County Engineer, J.H. Smith in 1937. Smith used the WPA to help construct the course on the old Lucky Baldwin-owned estate, which happened to be the first site of Santa Anita Race Track.

The golf holes are all inspired by several famous holes throughout the world. Hole #1, aptly named Thomas after George C. Thomas, the designer/creator of Riviera, LACC, Bel Air, Ojai and many more and is a copy of a hole at Griffith Park's Harding Course, which was also designed by Thomas.

The 5th is a reverse version of the Rail Hole #16th at the Old Course of St. Andrews; as is the 17th, which is a modified version (the tee shot is reversed) of the famed, Road Hole. Hole #8 is a subtle, but well done Chasm or Biarritz hole originally made famous in America by C.B. MacDonald and Seth Raynor. The same goes for the "Redan" 12th which may be one of the strongest par 3's on a public course in LA County, if not all Southern California.

The course opened the first nine holes for play on April 24, 1937. The second nine was opened in October, later that year.

Always my favorite course. It's one of better kept County course. Not a long course but has narrow fairway, small green, and lots of trees to challenge good players. They could improve on sand bunkers... Continue »

Always my favorite course. It's one of better kept County course. Not a long course but has narrow fairway, small green, and lots of trees to challenge good players. They could improve on sand bunkers, which are like hard dirt now. Fairways are in great shape, didn't see brown area. They could grow the rough longer to make it even tougher. Greens needed to be trimmed. Putt were too slow. I think they are preparing for aerating next week. Overall, its' the best deal for the price!

On a clear, cool day, this is the best value within 30 miles of LA. Greens are challenging and well-maintained. 10th & 18th will present challenge for par. Great Billy Bell course with mature tree-... Continue »

On a clear, cool day, this is the best value within 30 miles of LA. Greens are challenging and well-maintained. 10th & 18th will present challenge for par. Great Billy Bell course with mature tree-lined fairways.