Played in the late morning on Saturday, 4/24/10, on a cool day that started overcasr and finished sunny and breezy. I wouldn't ordinarily play at a course this pricey but had a gift cert from the unde... Continue »

Played in the late morning on Saturday, 4/24/10, on a cool day that started overcasr and finished sunny and breezy. I wouldn't ordinarily play at a course this pricey but had a gift cert from the understanding wife. Course is draped over SoCal coastal foothills and offers great views of the ocean and sailboats, crazy huge homes, and lots of chances to shoot a quad.

Greens were in excellent condition, but very firm and crazy fast, esp. toward the water and/or downhill. Fairways were cut very short and were firm, so lies were good but what looked like good shots could roll out into trouble. Traps were in good condition, firm with thin sand. Rough around the greens could grab clubs - a firm hand is needed. Much of the hole surrounds are high grass or canyons from which balls never return. Front nine is longer and more difficult, back nine the wind comes more into play. Generally plenty of room off the tee, but approaches to greens are key and the ball needs to be put in the right place on the greens to allow you to do anything but putt defensively.

Forecaddie spent all his time chatting up the other twosome, who probably offered better gratuity chances. He consistently underread the breaks on my putts - after about 3 holes I started hitting it where I thought necessary. He was right about the speed, however. Challenging for players of all levels - come prepared to get beat up.