I really want to like Hidden Valley GC – there’s a lot of fun holes there where you can haul off and blast a drive or shorter holes where well-placed shots give you good chances for birdies. But there... Continue »

I really want to like Hidden Valley GC – there’s a lot of fun holes there where you can haul off and blast a drive or shorter holes where well-placed shots give you good chances for birdies. But there’s also the ubiquitous severe slopes on almost every hole that demand accurate shot placement, and currently there’s a need for some TLC in many areas to make play more enjoyable (and more realistic!). After playing there last summer after an absence of ~15 years rekindled my interest, I went back at 1030 on Wednesday, 1/4/17, with champion GKer and all-around boffo guy lotrgolfer48, on a cool but pleasant day with not too much wind. After a few days of rain the course was in pretty good shape drainage-wise – I didn’t see as many issues with drainage as Matt did. We joined another twosome of long/wild hitters, one a local who plays here often, the other from San Diego. They were playing music in their cart (ugh!!) which I had to request be lowered a couple times, but otherwise they were amiable. Overall the course is in pretty rough shape. While all the elements are there, it looks a little seedy, in need of some serious buffing up. Greens had a light dusting of sand but held shots and putts rolled OK, and were especially fast down the canyon, making play from above the hole a nailbiter everywhere. There are a couple greens with major false fronts – beware! But they were all very bumpy. Fairways and rough were partially dormant and randomly a Heinz 57 of grasses, with Bermuda, kikuyu, and who knows what else popping up here and there. Tees were especially troublesome, really lacking definition in some areas (just blending into a hillside) or being overly small and uneven and sloping and torn up. I was surprised that tees on most ‘driver’ holes had many old divots that looked like the aftermath of someone hitting a small bucket of balls with a mid-iron. The one trap I was in (and don’t get me started about the lie I had BEFORE that bunker shot) was pretty well packed and damp. There were no water jugs out today and we saw the cart girl only on #2. The stop at the 9th green takes you past the clubhouse, and we were being pressed by a single wedged into several foursomes, so I felt pressed to keep moving rather than stop for water. Bathrooms are very rough; I got a nice bee sting on the neck at the one on #5. Hole #12 has some issues - I know they have land limits and drainage requirements (the arroyo). For those of us who can't fly a driver 220, the hole is currently played something like 5-iron/5-iron. I think an adjustment would be beneficial for many players. That might mean moving the green and adding definition and enticements. The playable area on hole #7 is also small for those unable to carry their drive past the bunkers - the severe slope in the landing area short of the bunkers makes the hole almost unplayable. I want to like this course. I hope they’ll start taking better care of it and make some adjustments to improve playability and enjoyment.