Played 7/30 at 6:45 am POP a shade under 4 hours.

Teed off with Nick, Vince, and Steve in overcast conditions, cleared up around 10 am.

The course was demanding off the tee with little room to... Continue »

Played 7/30 at 6:45 am POP a shade under 4 hours.

Teed off with Nick, Vince, and Steve in overcast conditions, cleared up around 10 am.

The course was demanding off the tee with little room to miss on either side, and was, overall, was in very nice shape from tee to green.

Tee boxes were all level, had great coverage, and minimal divot damage.

The kikuyu fairways were very healthy and had really nice surfaces to play off of. The healthy kikuyu of course doesn’t provide much roll out which makes the course play a bit longer than the yardage.

The rough was healthy and thick. It wasn’t long enough to ruin a decent tee shot but still made to think about how it would affect your shot.

The greens were generally very good. It was a damp morning so the greens sped up a touch as we made it through our round and they dried off a bit. The ran very smoothly and were not quite as quick as the looked. There were a few spots of unrepaired pitch marks but were pretty isolated.

I did not find myself in any bunkers but saw some very well hit shots out of them today by my playing partners.

Saw the marshalls a few times who were friendly and the beverage cart making rounds about 10 am.

The service in the restaurant after the round was great and the food was very good too.

Rode the Blues (6439/71.5/131) in 4H with GK Guru's Stickboy, Sparky14 and MrKich. Thanks to Vince, Steve & Matthew for an enjoyable round. The weather was overcast on the front, finally the sun came ... Continue »

Rode the Blues (6439/71.5/131) in 4H with GK Guru's Stickboy, Sparky14 and MrKich. Thanks to Vince, Steve & Matthew for an enjoyable round. The weather was overcast on the front, finally the sun came out on the back, hot and muggy. Appreciate the layout more with each visit. Tough, hilly, tight in spots, but a really solid course in good to very good condition. You cannot stray more than a little here or you will incur penalty shots in bunches. The tees had good coverage, mostly level with few unfixed divots. The Kikuyu fairways were mostly lush and generally nice to play from. A few small areas that were thin. The Kikuyu rough was more consistently lush than the fairways. It's penal because it's Kikuyu. Tough to make solid contact on full shots and adds another difficulity factor to chipping. The sand traps were very well maintained, both the quality and quantity of the sand was what you look for. Excellent to play from. The greens putted nicely and held shots well. Medium speed and undulating, our entire group had various challenges because they looked and seemed quicker than they actually were. The customer service was excellent from all encountered. Pro Shop/starter informative, organized and friendly. Marshall visible on the course. Good driving range that was all grass today. The carts have good GPS. Cart gal out making the rounds. Had a Burger and Arnold Palmer after the round. Priced what you would expect for a golf course, both the quality and quantity were both good. Recommended.

I played on a Wednesday with the gk gurus and teed off at about 6:45. It can get a little warm at Black Gold, but the early tee time kept everyone in the groups comfortable for most of the round. I lo... Continue »

I played on a Wednesday with the gk gurus and teed off at about 6:45. It can get a little warm at Black Gold, but the early tee time kept everyone in the groups comfortable for most of the round. I love the layout here. It's a fair course that will definitely expose any deficiencies in one's game.

Conditions are very good at Black Gold. Tee boxes, fairways and rough are mostly lush, with wiry kikuyu grass in the rough to punish crooked shots. The bunkers I was in were perfect, with light, high quality sand that is well maintained. The greens are mostly smooth, though the moisture on the greens first thing in the morning slowed them down a little. Pace of play was great; about four hours, despite the fact that we had to look for my golf ball on several holes.

Customer service was terrific. All the employees I came in contact with were efficient and professional. Though I played poorly, I had a great time with my friends from GreensKeeper.org. Thanks, Johnny!

Played today 6:37 tee time in a GK Gurus outing. Check in was simple and easy. Service is 5 star excellent food and drinks. Now lets get to what really matters the course!

The big knock here from ... Continue »

Played today 6:37 tee time in a GK Gurus outing. Check in was simple and easy. Service is 5 star excellent food and drinks. Now lets get to what really matters the course!

The big knock here from the past is that the greens were bad, to fast to slow would not receive well struck shots bumpy etc.... Well let me say that the Superintendent and all his workers should be praised. The Greens are FANTASTIC, smooth as glass, very little damage from unrepaired ball marks. They are fast enough to give you thought before you roll but not so quick that you need to worry about running the ball by unless you really rifle one off the putter. They held all shots well, would check if you needed and would run if that was your choice of shot. Spinning the ball was no problem and the hop and stop was working as well.

Tee boxes were terrific with just you normal wear on the par 3's and even that was held to a surprising low level of wear.

Fairways provided GREAT lies with green conditions through out the course, no thin of barren areas noted and plenty of moisture for going down to get the ball. The Kikuyu Grass is in full force and very lush. The ball is sitting up and at first glance your thinking great, however you also find out on the first shot from it that there is also lots of air under neath and coming up short is and can be a problem if the wrong club is selected.

Bunkers, great sand coverage and well groomed, some of the largest bunkers in the OC. I would recommend hitting a few practice shots from the bunker areas as the overnight watering combined with cooler temps and overnight dew play a huge roll in early morning sand make up or consistency, they are however quite playable but much heavier.

Overall the course is in terrific shape definitely in my opinion a 5 STAR rating, AGAIN KUDOS TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND ALL HIS STAFF, A MUST PLAY LOCATION!!!!!

Teed it up at BG today at 6:37 with Johnny and Jerry. What a great day and a great course. Pace was great with no waiting and 4 hours to complete while taking pictures and videos of the awesome views.... Continue »

Teed it up at BG today at 6:37 with Johnny and Jerry. What a great day and a great course. Pace was great with no waiting and 4 hours to complete while taking pictures and videos of the awesome views. I found nothing wrong with the conditions today. The greens were a joy to putt and rolled true and were medium fast. You don't want to hit hit it to far away from the fairways since there are many bushy areas that will swallow your ball. Fairways are generous for the most part and you can score here if you keep it in the short grass. Now is the time to play BG in my opinion, course is green, beautiful, and the design keeps you engaged on every hole. I will be returning soon! Fire it right at the stick and the ball will hold!

Played BG yesterday at 6am with a buddy using the GK coupons (Thanks Johnny!). I am a big fan of this course and the staff was excellent all the way around especially Fred at the bar and Sergio in th... Continue »

Played BG yesterday at 6am with a buddy using the GK coupons (Thanks Johnny!). I am a big fan of this course and the staff was excellent all the way around especially Fred at the bar and Sergio in the proshop.

Tees: The low light. Many divots, not super level. Not even pleasant to look at really. 5/10
Rough: Decent mix of some grasses about 2 inches and affecting play in places. 6.5/10
Bunkers: I found the greensides to be thin. Playable, but not enough cushion. Fairway bunkers just fine. 6/10
Fairways: Nice yellowish green with good coverage and only a few thin areas. 7/10
Greens: Beautifully smooth. Medium speed. Fewer divots than usual. 8/10

Overall I'd rate it at 7/10 and definitely recommend. We played on an overcast day but usually you can see all the way to catalina on many holes.

Played BG on Friday afternoon. Check in and first tee went with no issues. Fairways and rough had good coverage. Tee boxes were disappointing with heavy divot damage and lack of grass in the teeing ar... Continue »

Played BG on Friday afternoon. Check in and first tee went with no issues. Fairways and rough had good coverage. Tee boxes were disappointing with heavy divot damage and lack of grass in the teeing areas that the markers were set at. Greens were lush and held shots, very little divot damage and rolling smooth. Greens were a little on the slow side but were consistent.
POP was at 4.5 hours. Fun course if you play the appropriate tees.

Played today. POP 3 H. Great customer service as always at check in (thank you Sergio). Found the course this AM in good too excellent condition. While they were doing some aerating of tees (it seemed... Continue »

Played today. POP 3 H. Great customer service as always at check in (thank you Sergio). Found the course this AM in good too excellent condition. While they were doing some aerating of tees (it seemed selective, some were, some were not) the only hole we had an issue with was # 10. They had not cleaned the tee box when we arrived, so that one was a tad scruffy? Fairways are green and provide good lies and good roll (once they dried out from morning dew/watering). Sand traps were all clean and playable. Very little rough, but enough OB areas on every hole to deal with, that keeps your attention span on alert. And water on 10 and 18. Greens were in very nice shape and putted well all round. Though they did seem some what slow and we all agreed, they no doubt are not cutting them so short, with the warm weather. Weather was warm/sunny with no wind, but this is still a difficult course, even in ideal conditions. A must play, IMO.

Played Black Gold on Tuesday 5/28. Teed it up at 7am. Gorgeous morning. Sunshine and 65-ish temps. No wind at all. The wet winter has been very good for this course.

The course is in absolutely am... Continue »

Played Black Gold on Tuesday 5/28. Teed it up at 7am. Gorgeous morning. Sunshine and 65-ish temps. No wind at all. The wet winter has been very good for this course.

The course is in absolutely amazing shape. Fairways are lush. There isn't much rough (except around the greens - see below) as you go from fairway to 1st cut to rattlesnake country. But there are wildflowers blooming all over.

Greens were absolutely immaculate. I have never seen better greens. They are FAST and contoured with big slopes. But the ball rolls true. The rough around the greens was in great shape. Long and thick, but fair. If the ball sat down it was tough to get out with any control, but I had a few balls sit up nicely and was able to hit some good flop shots.

Tee boxes were in great shape. No issues at all. You could easily "tee up" for iron shots without a tee.

I absolutely love this course. It is CHALLENGING! Even from the whites it beat me into submission. You don't have to be long, but you do have to be straight to get around this course. I was both short and crooked last week.

Quick note - they mow the driving range on Tuesday mornings, so if you have an early tee time you're not going to get to hit balls. The practice green and chipping area are down the cart path towards the 1st tee which is nice. If you're waiting to tee off it's nice to be able to practice while waiting.

I can't recommend this course enough. On the weekend it's pricey, but on a weekday it's not bad.

Cheers!