Played BG on 2/8 with a 12:10 tee time. Love playing here and was really looking forward to playing as I don’t play here a lot. Beautiful day however and got out pretty much on time. POP was just s... Continue »

Played BG on 2/8 with a 12:10 tee time. Love playing here and was really looking forward to playing as I don’t play here a lot. Beautiful day however and got out pretty much on time. POP was just short of 5 hours. That was on us and not because of the crowd. Spent some time looking for balls which was is always a problem here because of some blind shots and a lot of brush off of the fairways. Got to play faster however and fortunately, no one waited on us. Regardless, the course is very good condition right now. Fairways are nice with great lies. The rough is a bit thick but not too difficult to get out of. Wasn’t in any bunkers but they appeared to be soft and in good condition. Greens were in great shape. Rolled very nicely. They slowed as the sun went down and got cooler but they are still very nice I always have a good time playing here and this day was no exception. Great customer service with very nice course conditions. What’s not to like?? Looking forward to getting out there again.

Arrived at the course with plenty of time to warm up which was good, cuz for a first go round I sure was gonna need it. Club house seemed to have everything you could ask for with a very courteous and... Continue »

Arrived at the course with plenty of time to warm up which was good, cuz for a first go round I sure was gonna need it. Club house seemed to have everything you could ask for with a very courteous and welcoming staff. For instance, a young man whose name eludes me now, picking up range baskets saw me searching a plastic tee, I jokingly said I didn't want to lose that one, and a few minutes later he presents me with two plastic tees, lol! I immediately knew that this place was next level. One true indicator of a well managed facility is the attention to detail and the hospitality extended to its customer base.
Driving range was grass with a couple wedge distance targets that invited you to go at them with resonating bells that lets everyone knew when you've struck your target! Apparently there is a nice size putting green behind the clubhouse I didn't get to try, but the putting greens near the first tee were a spot on preview of what was to come. The pitching area adjacent was small, but satisfactory for a handful of users with a bunker, that after a light raking, was equally representative of the on course bunkers.
Had a nice chat with the starter while waiting for my turn to be tested and gained a bit of very helpful information, including the fact that, like my children, putts almost always want to go to Disneyland! I also was very impressed in how the starter and course marshall monitor the movements and timing of each cart on course. I witnessed them discuss one particular regular who always played slow and was at that time, 11 minutes behind before finishing hole number 3,lol!
Played the blues with 3 other fine gentlemen, Dave, Mark, and Bill. Tee boxes had plenty of coverage and I can't remember one unlevel tee box. The par three holes had about as many divots as you'd expect a $120 rack rate course to have, lol, which is to say, not many! Not difficult at all to find a spot to hit from.
Fairways were a mix of grasses someplaces, but with plenty of coverage, minimal bare spots. Thin spots in the fairway were usually due to the terrain of the course, such as the crest of hills.
Rough ranged from manageable to severely penal. Lots of areas to hit the ball out of bounds, including plenty of chances to test your knowledge of options regarding drops and unplayable lies based on the placement of stakes and what color they are (be wary, could save yourself strokes,lol).
Bunkers were very good, trust, odds are you'll be in a couple. I'm convinced, the nicer the sand, the more enjoyable it is to rake, lol.
Finally the greens. Fast, was told somewhere between a 10 and 10.5, but seemed a touch quicker. Putts very hard to stop at the pin when above the hole. Held shots well, smooth and fast, but also soft.
Overall, a very enjoyable day at a very fine facility made even better with the Gkers coupon I downloaded! Btw, these deals have a lasting benefit beyond this isolated round. While the rack rate is more than I regularly pay for a round, I found today that the green fee is very deserving based on conditioning, location and demand. I'm very likely now to target the rate between rack and twilight, when in the past I'd see that number and question whether or not it was justifiable. Thanks again Johnny!

Played Thursday, teeing off about 12:20pm, twilite rate of $45 via their website. Teed off as a 3some behind a 4some that included former US Open Champion Steve Jones.

We never threatened hitting ... Continue »

Played Thursday, teeing off about 12:20pm, twilite rate of $45 via their website. Teed off as a 3some behind a 4some that included former US Open Champion Steve Jones.

We never threatened hitting up to his drives, and saw him make at least one putt for birdie. Word was he came out as a single, and just joined up with the group in front. Saw him giving a few swing tips - how cool is that for those guys! Seemed like a real nice gent from the few interactions we had. We did keep up with them throughout, as they were also waiting on the group in front of them. POP was 4hrs 40mins, finishing just at sunset.

Course was in very good condition overall. Greens weren't as smooth as I've seen here, but were very good, lush and green. Held shots well, and medium speed.

Tees were cut short, level and pretty green, but did have enough divots/thin spots to leave room for improvement. Fairways were generally lush, provided for decent roll, except where landing areas may be sloped against you - #s 2, 5, 6, 11, 15 and 18 come to mind.

Rough was about 2", and penal if your ball was sitting down in a clump of semi-dormant grass. Was in a few bunkers today, two fairways on #3, 14 and one greenside on #13. Fairway bunkers were pretty firm, and greenside was medium-weight, and medium fluff for me.

All staff was very pleasant and courteous, weather was a mostly pleasant mid-70's. Looking forward to coming back for a round earlier in the day, using a GK $55 coupon.

Played black golf today 1/6/18. Rate was 89$. Staff was very friendly. 8:41 tee,PoP was almost 5 hr. The group in front of us was real slow and not playing ready golf. The scenery was great. Golf car... Continue »

Played black golf today 1/6/18. Rate was 89$. Staff was very friendly. 8:41 tee,PoP was almost 5 hr. The group in front of us was real slow and not playing ready golf. The scenery was great. Golf carts had gps and the nice leather plush seats. The best part about the course were the greens, and around them. They were real tricky and broke all around the holes . They were real fast in the morning and slowed down in the back 9.The rough was rough. Reminded me of hidden valleys rough. It was still good to hit out of. The bunker I was in was great. The fairways were about a 5 out of 10. The layout was great! After reading reviews I brought some extra balls but only lost two and found about 8!!. The rates are lower if your'e a resident. Imo the fees are too high for the course. Range balls are $ 4 8 12, hoped they were included in the round.Expected better conditions. The restaurant had good food at a good price. Restaurant staff was great.

A word to the wise... if you like rollercoasters this might be the right course for you. I'm not a fan of rollercoasters or courses that make a difficult game much more difficult. Black Gold has very ... Continue »

A word to the wise... if you like rollercoasters this might be the right course for you. I'm not a fan of rollercoasters or courses that make a difficult game much more difficult. Black Gold has very friendly service and facilities and is well maintained. But this is a case of not having the right earth to put a golf course on. This one is laid over some rough, hilly terrain. This leads to some fairly extreme elevation changes and lots of blind shots. In addition, the architect seemed afraid of giving any impression of ease so even if you negotiate the many humps and dips and never-level lies, they have pot bunkers and barranca waiting for you. Once you make it to the green your trivails are not over. These quick, immaculate greens have plenty of slope and run-off to take a light-touch putt right off the green. The course is constantly scenic, with great expansive views—but you are also often playing down canyons of houses which adds a little anxiety to a wayward drive. Locals, who have played the course many times will be much more comfortable. But if this is your first time, bring extra balls and prepare to be punished. ALSO—note the slope ratings. You may often play Blue tees. The Whites are sloped at 125 here—and I'm not sure if that is accurate (should be a 2-3 points higher IMO). Play the Whites. If you normally play Whites, play the Gold. Don't kid yourself. The course won't.

We played here yesterday with a 9:50 tee time. It was another perfect day for golf and we all enjoyed our round. Pace was just over 4 hours and the service was great. We all found the conditions to be... Continue »

We played here yesterday with a 9:50 tee time. It was another perfect day for golf and we all enjoyed our round. Pace was just over 4 hours and the service was great. We all found the conditions to be about 7 out of 10 except the greens which were awesome. Running at about 11 and smooth. The course would easily get higher ratings from me but there are just to many inconsistencies. The bunkers have two different type of sand, the tees are level but a little spotty, and the grasses in the rough are varied. Getting up and down here requires a real good short game due to the hilly surroundings. We will definitely be coming back with senior rates at $55 and the starting age is also 55!.

Played Black Gold today with a mid morning tee time of 10:30. Pace of play just about 4:15 minutes in a foursome. Course is in great condition. Fairways are green with not much roll due to the wet con... Continue »

Played Black Gold today with a mid morning tee time of 10:30. Pace of play just about 4:15 minutes in a foursome. Course is in great condition. Fairways are green with not much roll due to the wet conditions. It became a minor problem at times on a few holes most notably on the longer par fours and all the par fives. Nothing like hitting a bomb and then watching it plug or stop dead on impact. Rough is fair but I never really cared for the Kikuyu type rough but I understand the use of it. My problem is always been sliding the club under and leaving it short on many different shots.

Greens were fantastic, rolling med to fast with very few if any ball marks left unattended. Learned very quickly to never start a putt inside the hole here, even a few 3 footers went sideways. The bunkers all have good amounts of sand with the green side bunkers being very good to great. A challenging but fair round and will definitely be back again.

Teed off today as a foursome, about 10 minutes late at 12:40pm. $43 rate via their website, so happy about that. Sadly, POP was abysmal, 2:45hrs on the front, plus 15 minute wait on #10 tee. There wer... Continue »

Teed off today as a foursome, about 10 minutes late at 12:40pm. $43 rate via their website, so happy about that. Sadly, POP was abysmal, 2:45hrs on the front, plus 15 minute wait on #10 tee. There were two outings today, according to the marshal. Played only 14 holes total in 4 hours.

Compounding things, was a 4some husband/wife combo that should not have been playing this course in front of us, along with a father/son twosome who skipped #9 to get from behind us to in front of the aforementioned 4some. Unfortunately, there was no place for them to go, so we were then also waiting on them. We skipped #11, played #12, then gave up on #13 tee and skipped ahead to #16 tee, which was open, as the father was giving his son lessons on #13 tee, which were not helping, as he hit balls wildly out of play. Everyone reading this likely knows... but folks, this is not a place for beginners (sigh)!!!

Too bad, as the course was in very good condition. Greens were awesome, much better than my last time here in October. Other than a small patch here or there, very smooth and super lush, medium-fast today. A few small areas on the fringe around the greens are still in a state of healing/repair.

Tees were good, level and green, but not great. Fairways were generally lush, but did provide for decent roll. Rough was penal and the ball did sit down at times. Was in both a fairway and greenside bunker on #1 - a great start! Sand was medium-weight and nice.

Saw the cheery cart lady twice on the front and marshal multiple times. Course is in great shape now, jump on it - but hopefully not when there are outings holding things up.

Played Black Gold Tuesday, 10/31 using a voucher that I won in a silent auction at a golf tournament. The voucher indicated that we each had to pay for the $15 cart fee. Sergio, the person who checke... Continue »

Played Black Gold Tuesday, 10/31 using a voucher that I won in a silent auction at a golf tournament. The voucher indicated that we each had to pay for the $15 cart fee. Sergio, the person who checked us in however, waived the cart fee which was very classy! Thank you! Black Gold staff is always classy. Everyone there is first cabin including the club house, starter on the first tee and in the restaurant. Got out right on time at 9:28 and finished in about 4:30. No one was ahead of us so the slower than usual play was on us. We did spray a few shots in the weeds and spent some time looking for balls but one guy in our group is pretty slow. No one waited on us but we need to pick it up. The course is in great shape. Fairways are lush, rough is not thick at all. Bunkers are in great shape, at least the ones I was in. Greens still had some light sand on them. As Lee, the previous reviewer indicated, they still need some time to heal. They rolled nicely but I expected them to be a bit faster than they were. I would give it about 2 weeks and they should be perfect. Greens have always been good here. Black Gold is always a nice place to play. I find the back 9 far more challenging as the fairways get a bit more tight. The price tag is Orange County steep but now and then you can get a good rate on their website. Definitely recommend however. Go Play!