Played with my monthly golf group this Saturday at Meadowlark down in Huntington Beach. It was just my third time ever playing here, and while it's quite a short course in terms of yards, it makes up ... Continue »

Played with my monthly golf group this Saturday at Meadowlark down in Huntington Beach. It was just my third time ever playing here, and while it's quite a short course in terms of yards, it makes up for it in terms of numerous water hazards, tricky in-between shots, and very fast, small greens, including some daunting pin placements on slopes.

The driving range is open but rather worn out and in need of an upgrade, but it'll get the job done. Convenient little snack shop is open as well, and we paid $54 for the greens fee and the cart. Speaking of carts, no frills is the order of the day. Very basic, but functional. No GPS.

As previously mentioned, the greens are super slick and fast - maybe they'll come down a bit after aeration later this week. Not too many ball marks to worry about though since they're so hard, but they roll pretty true and are quite fun. The fairways are in good not great shape, but had plenty of fine lies in the fairways, but also some thin. Rough is a mixed bag but nothing too penal. Bunkers had decent enough sand in them and the tee boxes were a little beat up but so wide were the tee markers on near every hole that you could always find a level spot.

I enjoy Meadowlark more than most short(er) courses because it still does provide a stiff challenge despite the 'easy' course mentality. It's also got some interesting elevations on many of the holes which add to the importance of proper club selection. Plenty of risk-reward par 4s as well. You won't necessarily be wearing out the driver here, but you'll need to put in a good shift to score well.