Got the invite to play a new private course for the first time last Friday, so of course there would be no turning the offer to play Woodland Hills CC down. A friend of a friend joined the club recent... Continue »

Got the invite to play a new private course for the first time last Friday, so of course there would be no turning the offer to play Woodland Hills CC down. A friend of a friend joined the club recently, and actually got a pretty darn good deal to join - won't go into details but look into it. Heard some interesting stories about the layout here and did some investigating before the round, and all of it was true. While there are a few really great holes here in the more traditional sense of course design, the layout is chock full of quirky par 3s, crazy narrow driving lanes, and a number of blind shots in both directions of elevation. There are some holes where the tips (6300 yards) play from tee boxes literally right next to opposing greens. On the third hole, you have to wait for the people on the fifth hole to tee off if you want to keep your head attached. This place gets a little wild. But the conditions are pretty great, so you have to really be forgiving on the weirdness. And speaking of weirdness, did I mention there's no real driving range, but a little triangle tucked between the 10th and 18th holes where you can hit anything up to a pitching wedge? Fabulous. But yes, the conditions. Superb. Some of the fastest greens I've seen in a long time, and they were incredibly difficult to control on any downhill slopes, of which of course there are many. Almost all of them, actually. Fairways and rough in really great shape. Some super lush, green vistas to see when you're in the heart of the course, but it feels a bit like an obscure Muni when playing the bizarre and isolated holes 6 and 7. But overall it's got country club written all over it. Bunkers were filled with lovely white sand and played perfectly. Tee boxes? A bit weird in terms of design, but conditions were fine enough. Many of the tee boxes are tucked away into tight quarters and require paying attention when turning corners if your friends are hitting away. Stay alert! The routing can also be a bit confusing I would guess if not playing with a member, but luckily we had that covered. Would I come back? I definitely plan on it. Course knowledge is a must here. You absolutely must be committed to your shot here. There are some crazy tight angles to work here so scores can get away from you very quickly. Then add in those super fast greens and you have your work cut out for you in a big way. Will definitely head back when I can. Worth a few more visits despite the wackiness. And there were only three pictures of this place so I took some from all 18 to get an idea of its unique nature.