Played BG as part of a tournament on Sunday morning 2/26. Cloudy, cold morning and threat of rain. We did get some rain but not heavy at all. It has been several years since I played here and for... Continue »

Played BG as part of a tournament on Sunday morning 2/26. Cloudy, cold morning and threat of rain. We did get some rain but not heavy at all. It has been several years since I played here and forgot about the nice driving range they have. They let us hit off of the grass instead of mats which was nice. The setting here is super nice. Nice club house and the guys in there are always helpful. Since it was a shotgun, they had the tournament well organized, ready to go and right on time. The course played a bit soft because of the moisture but there was still some roll out. We played lift, clean and place but really didn’t need to. The fairways were in excellent condition. Sand traps were in great shape. I should know. I saw quite a few of them today. Some of the traps you cannot see from the tee box but many of the greens are well protected by traps so they are tough to avoid. Tee boxes were in great condition. Greens were very nice but not running very fast. They looked a lot faster than they rolled which fooled us. They did roll true however and there are many tricky undulations. BG is “first cabin” in my opinion but it’s a course that can easily kick your butt! You cannot be spraying shots or you end up in the weeds. Back nine is a bit tougher than the front but both sides have tough holes. We played the blues today which was just under 6500 yards but it seems to play a lot longer. 5 hour round today but we had a lot of players out there. One thing I have never said about any course that I can say here is the carts are very comfortable. Soft seats. Also, their GPS which is a touch screen, is very thorough and unlike anything I have never seen before. Cart girl came around plenty of times so we had plenty of hot toddies! We payed tournament price today but regular price is a bit steep. I’ll keep looking for deals on GK and elsewhere because I want to play here more and will come back very soon.

Played here on Feb. 16, teeing off about 12:30pm with a M/F couple for an enjoyable 4.5hr round. We moved along pretty well the whole way, typically waiting a few minutes on each tee.

Agree with th... Continue »

Played here on Feb. 16, teeing off about 12:30pm with a M/F couple for an enjoyable 4.5hr round. We moved along pretty well the whole way, typically waiting a few minutes on each tee.

Agree with the previous recent reviews. Course is in very good condition. Much better than the competition, with the exception of Goose Creek. Since my last round here in January, the tee boxes have improved, with some of the bare/dormant cover now growing green grass, with most having almost full coverage. 7/10

Fairways had a bit of firmness, only a few soft landing areas, so I was able to get some good roll, particularly on the back 9, but #18 remains my nemesis off the tee, as my ball stops where it hits the fairway up-slope, only about 185 yards from the white tees, and goes no further. Seemed like a lot of filled-in divots, so golfers are doing their duty here. Fairways were nice and green, mostly plush. 8/10

Rough had recently been cut, with good cover. 6/10

I didn't keep track, but newly rebuilt traps/sand in the green-side bunkers seem to be mostly/perhaps all recently filled now. Was in a few, and it they were soft and fluffy white. Not everyone seems to clean up after themselves, however. 6/10

Greens were great, nice and smooth and green. Speed was about medium/medium-fast. My putting was off today, missing a handful of birdie putts (rare for me to be on the green in regulation so much), but I cannot blame the greens, they were good. 8/10

After playing the mess that is Los Lagos on Monday, this was a lovely day on a lovely golf course. And, the carts/seats and GPS unit are the best I've experienced. Included are a fully -iced up cooler onboard.

Cart lady came by 3 times, marshal about that as well. Friendly welcome, chat and service in the pro shop. Only critical note is that the range doesn't seem to have a grass area to hit off of, unless you are getting lessons.

Played here yesterday with 3 others. I used the GK coupon and paid $49 and the 3 others I was with paid the $55 senior rate. I have to say Black Gold is nearing it's prime right now....Everything here... Continue »

Played here yesterday with 3 others. I used the GK coupon and paid $49 and the 3 others I was with paid the $55 senior rate. I have to say Black Gold is nearing it's prime right now....Everything here is in great shape. Not immaculate but way above average and for the deal we given by GK this place might be the best value around. The course moved along great at 4.5 hours and the cart girl was extremely nice and came by a couple of times. I can't give any aspect of the course a 10 out of 10 rating during this time of year but they are doing a great job with their upkeep right now. I definitely recommend playing here!

Played 2/5/17 @ 10:35 am

Tee Boxes - All tee boxes had great coverage of lush grass and were level. There were few holes with some unrepaired divots but you could easily find a good spot to play yo... Continue »

Played 2/5/17 @ 10:35 am

Tee Boxes - All tee boxes had great coverage of lush grass and were level. There were few holes with some unrepaired divots but you could easily find a good spot to play your tee shot.
Fairways - A few brown spots here and there and some GURs clearly marked. Otherwise, the fairways were lush and green. There were few small muddy areas.
Rough - The first cut had good coverage. The rough in general had good grass coverage but many areas were muddy from the recent rains.
Greens - Greens were excellent. I didn't find many ball marks and putts were rolling nice and smooth.

Unfortunately, I can only play weekend mornings so I can't get out to Black Gold as often as I'd like to but thanks to the GK Coupon, I hope to play there few times before the coupon expires. The location is convenient and probably one of the best courses in northern part of Orange County.

I played Feb 1 ~10AM and the course is in the best shape I've played it in the past 10+ yrs. I used the $49 greenskeeper coupon. I didn't print and bring it with me but the guy at the pro shop was so... Continue »

I played Feb 1 ~10AM and the course is in the best shape I've played it in the past 10+ yrs. I used the $49 greenskeeper coupon. I didn't print and bring it with me but the guy at the pro shop was so awesome. He said to email to him and he'd print it out. Awesome customer service!!!

Greens were perfect, pace of play was 4.5hrs. There are occasional thin or bare patches on the fairways and the rough can be inconsistent but compared to how this course can get during drought (and for $49), I shouldn't be complaining.

Thank you GK!!! Keep those coupon deals coming!!!

Ok, so with Johnny getting us great deals at good courses, I find it my duty to write a review. An honest review.
Used the coupon/voucher for $65 and played Sunday 1/29 at 9am as a 3some. Range ball... Continue »

Ok, so with Johnny getting us great deals at good courses, I find it my duty to write a review. An honest review.
Used the coupon/voucher for $65 and played Sunday 1/29 at 9am as a 3some. Range balls not included, so we just putted until our tee time. Check in process was easy, friendly guys in the pro shop, and friendly starter at the first tee. They even have those GolfBoards, for an added fee. POP was 4:30, but we were waiting on every shot, as it was all 4somes in front of us. But still ok for a Sunday morning.
Weather was perfect; a little breezy, and got up to almost 80 degrees.

The course is visually stunning. I had coffee on the back patio at 8:15am, and just soaked in the view of 10 and 18. Tough to beat that view with the lake and waterfall in there.

We went to the first tee right at our scheduled time, and with the 10 minute separation of tee times, this was our only shot with not waiting. Again, the course is visually stunning, even thought the conditions were not up to the best they could be.

The tee boxes were straight up dirt most of the time. I think 2 or 3 tee boxes during the round may have been well groomed grass. I don't understand it. They were very flat, but I don't understand how they can be that bare. Shocking almost.

Fairways were decent, and with all the slopes and elevation changes, you get rolls into the rough, which was definitely playable. And I didn't see any 'damage' from the recent rains. No mud tracks anywhere, and no standing water in the playable areas, or the bunkers. A little impressed in that regard.

Greens rolled very true, always breaking towards Disneyland (as the starter told us). They didn't hold shots unless it was a well struck wedge or short iron. Mid or long irons would hit the green, and keep on going.

Overall, it was a nice day to be out golfing, but I wouldn't pay rack rate here. Like I said earlier, it 'looked' a lot better than it played. Maybe in March/April it will be in great condition. I'd give it another shot around then.

Played Friday, 1/27 with a 12:19 tee time made through their site at the non-resident twi-light rate of $55.00. Was joined by another single and a father-son twosome who could knock the piss out of t... Continue »

Played Friday, 1/27 with a 12:19 tee time made through their site at the non-resident twi-light rate of $55.00. Was joined by another single and a father-son twosome who could knock the piss out of the ball. I played from the white tees on this sunny and lovely afternoon, playing in short sleeves until 4:00pm. Waited on nearly every shot and POP was 5 minutes less than 5 hours.

As for the course conditions, was pleasantly surprised that while there were some slightly damp spots on the course, where you did want to move the ball a few feet to not have a super large divot, there was no standing water that I saw, even in the traps.

The tee boxes were mostly good, but a few had some bare/washed out areas from the rains. However, mudless firm footing was the rule today. The fairways were very nice. After experiencing Costa Mesa's Los Lagos fairways yesterday, it was really nice having no 'splatter' on shots or your shoes. Most were nicely cut, with decent roll, good lies, albeit with some anomalies. Rough was choppy, but not too penal. Found a few soggy spots. Bunkers (found about 5) were a heavy fluff, no complaints, except my lack of ability to get out in 1 shot.

Greens were really nice! Soft, medium-fast and pretty smooth and still producing a lot of break. Had 6 1-putts in a row at one point.

Cart girl was around 3 times, snack bar in full operation.

Really, a great afternoon out, great weather and the only complaint was the very slow play. If you're looking for a mostly dry place to play right now, this is it! Conditions are pretty close to what they were in the fall/early winter.

As I had not played here for some time, thought based upon the most recent review I would give it another shot. Good decision! The course is in very nice condition, greens rolled true and just fast ... Continue »

As I had not played here for some time, thought based upon the most recent review I would give it another shot. Good decision! The course is in very nice condition, greens rolled true and just fast enough to present a challenge, but not too fast. Fairways have plenty of grass and the two bunkers I was in were both well manicured and had sufficient sand in them,.

Staff is always very good to deal and accommodating. Senior rate makes this course more affordable. Always a challenge and rarely leave here disappointed. Recommend this course to anyone looking for a fun but not too easy a round of golf

Yep, another positive review for Black Gold. I guess by now the only complaint I'd make about the place is that if you aren't grooving on your swing, you may lose a lot of balls. It may get tiring f... Continue »

Yep, another positive review for Black Gold. I guess by now the only complaint I'd make about the place is that if you aren't grooving on your swing, you may lose a lot of balls. It may get tiring for some, to have a good round spoiled cause you lost your ball on a narrow fairway. Plus the layout may get tiresome as its always seems to be a narrow valley to hit through. There's no trees to get in the way either. Great views though, you can see Catalina from several tee boxes. The course is real well kept. Very little GUR areas, or places where you wouldn't want to hit your ball from. I think it plays harder than the scorecard says, as this is the kinda of place where you can hit a nice shot, but only to realize you landed your ball 5 ft too far on the green and it rolls down into a gully or sand trap. If you play here with an experienced player, make sure they give you at least 4 extra strokes as experience here can be the difference between an 81 or a 91. I think this place is the bear minimum to play in the LA area. I don't venture too far east from here so I can't comment about a couple Riverside courses I've heard about, but in my opinion, there's only 5 courses worth playing: Black Gold, Industry Hills Ike and Babe, Oak Creek, and if you're in the mood for slumming it, Skylinks. PM me if you want to send me somewhere else, but from I've observed, these are the only ones worth playing.