Played 5/28/25 @739am. Course is playing really nice right now. Tee boxes mostly level with some uneven spots on the p... » More

Played 5/28/25 @739am. Course is playing really nice right now. Tee boxes mostly level with some uneven spots on the par 3s. Fairways with great coverage and a couple of trouble spots here and there but nothing too severe. Rough was thick and juicy in the morning because of the dew. Sand traps were a mixed bag with good sand in some and some were hard pan with rocks. The two fairway bunkers I was in were great. The greens were awesome and were the highlight of the course. They are rolling well right now and are very receptive to well struck shots. If you can get out here anytime soon you won't be disappointed.
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Played mid-morning Tuesday after a three day annual Memorial Amateur Championship with the pins left set where they had ... » More

Played mid-morning Tuesday after a three day annual Memorial Amateur Championship with the pins left set where they had been for the final round of the event.
When I had inquired about the greens and conditions about ten days prior they stated we're the Augusta of Carmichael. Maybe a little puffing there, but the greens were really good. I rated 9 of 10. Rough was up and near the fairways not too bad deeper in longer.
Bunkers fluffy light brown sand very good as well.
Fairways not carpet but nice and offering roll out for the stinger type drives of my game.
Tee boxes large and level.
We followed the womens golf league and this course is popular with the senior set. Pace of play at 4.5 hours.
I looked at my previous review from 8/2019 and I feel the same with my playing recommendations. At $38 Sr walking rate mid-week a no-brain-er Go Play the Hoff!
Don't know why I haven't this long.
** Note the parking lot and access road is in a large scale re-do so parking is a bit out of normal with a space for about 200+ cars for golfing and adjacent park. Should be completed in July 2025 Bye.
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Played the Oaks nine on Saturday afternoon in three hours. Staff did not tell us that a juniors tournament was in front... » More

Played the Oaks nine on Saturday afternoon in three hours. Staff did not tell us that a juniors tournament was in front of us OR THAT the greens had been punched!! Sadly NONE of these junior golfers knows how to repair their ball marks either!! Quit after that and returned today for 18 holes on the Oaks/Creek nines in a little over four hours. One group had three holes open in front of them and NO marshal?? The tee boxes are all in good condition but the par 3's have an accumulation of broken tees again. The rough has been allowed to grow again and finding a ball in that stuff can be difficult and time consuming. The fairways have total coverage with nice lies on both nines. The mowers are always out before us on Wednesday mornings so nice lies are expected. The traps are all full of good white sand and they had all been raked nicely. The greens are STILL HEALING on both of these nines and should be another week before they recover. The speed of the greens quickened as our round progressed as did the noticeable amount of plugged holes. The greens were somewhat bumpy but did hold well and rolled pretty true. The winds generally pick up here in the early afternoon and today was windy. The staff is always friendly but sometimes not informative enough. The weekday rates are reasonable for the quality of what is offered.
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Teed off at 730am. Greens were excellent, firm yet receptive and rolled medium-fast to fast in some parts. Fairways had ... » More

Teed off at 730am. Greens were excellent, firm yet receptive and rolled medium-fast to fast in some parts. Fairways had great coverage, I actually didn't notice many bare spots during my round. Was only in one bunker and it was decent. The wind actually started to howl once we reached the turn at about 930-940. POP was 4:10 with the marshals hounding us to pick up the pace. I can appreciate the sentiment but it wasn't necessary.

Tee boxes were the only low point. I played the tips and for a few holes they moved the black and blue markers up to be with the whites. I'm assuming that was to sand and let some of those tee boxes rest. There were some holes where the black tees were quite spongy and sandy, maybe needed a couple more weeks to heal. I'd say in total, about 6-7 tee boxes from the blacks were affected, but this didn't take too much away from the total experience and rest of the course. Don't let that discourage you from playing here any time soon.
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Played Thurs 5/22, 9am shotgun. Nice sunny day, 1 club wind. This is a course where most of the front 9 is at the foot... » More

Played Thurs 5/22, 9am shotgun. Nice sunny day, 1 club wind. This is a course where most of the front 9 is at the foothills and valley, and the back 9 traverses through the mountain. The lower lying holes looked more like they were just open for the season.. the higher elevated holes were in much better shape. Greens occassionally bumpy, about a 10 on the stimp. #4 is a par 5 that is playing as a par 3 due to flooding issues... I don't know if that's all summer long or not. I've heard both. This is a fun course with fun shots... have to be accurate off the tee. I liked this one better than the lakes.
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Played wed 5/21, 9am shotgun. first time out here. Sunny day, brisk and windy. 1-2 club wind throughout the round. cou... » More

Played wed 5/21, 9am shotgun. first time out here. Sunny day, brisk and windy. 1-2 club wind throughout the round. course in decent muni shape.. it looks like it's the beginning of the season, but very playable. Greens a slow 10, in good shape... occassionally bumpy. course has some interesting routing and fun holes. Mostly level, but has some holes that play a club up or down hill. A few spots needed course knowledge, and we did a bit of driving up to the fairway to see what's going on. It's a fun course that I would be glad to play regularly if I lived local. Restaurant is good as well.
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Walked the orange tees today 5/27/2025 with my buddy Mark joined by Jim Sr and Jim Jr. Very fun 4some. Our Pop was 4 hrs... » More

Walked the orange tees today 5/27/2025 with my buddy Mark joined by Jim Sr and Jim Jr. Very fun 4some. Our Pop was 4 hrs 40 minutes. We paced ourselves comfortable teeing off at 12 noon never having to wait and nevoer letting the group behind catch us. Weather was perfect about 72 degrees with maybe a one club wind. We ate after the round, cant go wrong with the fish and chips, burgers and drinks at their grill.

Soule park is rounding into beautiful peak season shape.

Am I really walking these emerald green fairways with perfect lush carpet lies for these green fees?? Rated 9/10 highlight of the course.

Tees were in great shape, perfect lush and level teeing grounds 8.5/10.

Rough lining the fairways beautiful condition left just higher than the beautiful lush fairways. 8.5/10

Was not in any bunkers but they always have an ample nice amount of thick quality beach sand.

The greens were actually the weak part of the course. Dont get me wrong they were in great shape health wise rolling pure. They were just super slow and long and grainy from what Im used to here. Maybe a slow 9 on stimp. Probably keeping them watered and longer for the hotter upcoming ojai summer. Rated 7/10.

Rating should come out to above an 8. Such a pleasure to play one of the better public's in the area. Highly recommended!
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played 9 holes Sat may 17, 3:30 tee time; nice pleasant day. course in decent muni shape. Greens running about a fast ... » More

played 9 holes Sat may 17, 3:30 tee time; nice pleasant day. course in decent muni shape. Greens running about a fast 9, a little bumpy. not super easy... some long holes. good for a fix or for beginners. Had a good time.
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First round here since the end-of-year GK Event in 2016…and subsequent expansive/ambitious turf project that was initiat... » More

First round here since the end-of-year GK Event in 2016…and subsequent expansive/ambitious turf project that was initiated in 2023…so I’m long overdue for an extended review.

Decided to take advantage of an attractive Memorial Day promotion…along with ideal weather conditions…so I made the trek from San Diego with equal parts anticipation and trepidation.

Overall, course conditions were solid, especially when taking into account the relative ‘newness’ of it all. While there were some isolated, very small patches of sand in a couple of fairways where the turf was bare, I didn’t encounter any lies that ‘compromised’ my ability to strike the ball. Seems they’re continuing to fine-tune things so I’m more than willing to grant some slack in that regard.

Took a little effort to tee the ball at my preferred driver height as the tee boxes were very firm. A few did show signs of recent aeration but I opted to employ my shorter ‘iron tees’ when necessary.

Fairway coverage, other than the occasional bare spot, was good. Had consistently healthy lies the entire day but I think the turf may need a little more seasoning. Had no issues at all regarding club-head-to-turf interaction as I was easily able to create some nice divots.

Rough was relatively short and somewhat wispy but with full coverage. You might find the golf ball might sitting up one time but settled down just a bit the next. Gives the option of still going for the green rather than having to hack the ball out into the fairway, which is a nice feature of this thin-bladed grass.

Was in one bunker for the day and found the sand a touch heavier and not quite as firm as I’m used to. One thing you cannot do here is ‘quit’ on the shot; keeping the speed up and using plenty of bounce is the key to success.

What really caught my attention was the greens: they were absolutely flawless. Still on the firm side…it took some effort to locate my ball marks…but putting was akin to rolling a ball on a pool table. While I expected to see putts roll at a quicker pace…I’d characterize the speed as medium-plus at best…I haven’t played on greens this true and consistent in quite a long time.

Given the firmness of the greens, firing at the pin was a basic no-go. It wasn’t like hitting to concrete-hard surfaces…I was able to get some wedge approaches to settle down within ten feet of their ball mark while longer irons rolled out a few more feet…so I found myself playing for the front third of the green when the pin was located in the middle of the green and mid-point if it was towards the back.

When pitching from the fringes, I was able to impart a good amount of spin on the ball…lies were tight…but made sure to allow a little more run out, especially when forced to navigate the slopes on the greens.

In closing, I would be remiss if I didn’t allude to the outgoing and personable staff: from the gate person to the bag drop/cart attendants to the snack bar and restaurant employees…they are the best. Each and every one I encountered seems to genuinely enjoy their job. The golf course stands on its’ own merit but the people here elevate the experience to another level.
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This is another of several very recent reviews of Soule so all I really have to add is they are spot on. The conditions ... » More

This is another of several very recent reviews of Soule so all I really have to add is they are spot on. The conditions were all around very good, the place is well run and the setting is awesome. After not having played the course in about 30 years, I found an excuse on Monday 5/26 for my second trip back in the last few months. If you are headed up the coast from LA to Ventura and points North, it is worth the diversion to Ojai on the way to play this course. Plan on a drink and bite afterword to get the whole experience.
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Have not played Shandin Hills in almost four years. Wow - has the condition of the course deteriorated since then. Afte... » More

Have not played Shandin Hills in almost four years. Wow - has the condition of the course deteriorated since then. After reading the most recent reviews, I did not have high expectations, but even given that, it was disappointing to see how far this course has fallen. The fairways were not too bad, except for the areas which had drainage issues, and bare spots. The bunkers were not good looking, but actually were not too bad to play from. However, the tee boxes were not even close to being level with a lot of divot damage. The greens were slow and really bumpy. The ball just kind of "wandered" to the hole, not true at all.

What bothered me most of all was that we caught the men's club shotgun on the backside, which I had been advised about. No problem, but I watched as EVERY player riding in their single rider cart took the cart right up to the edge of the green on every hole. They would then drive off using the area between the green and the bunkers, which meant they were probably driving on collars of greens in many cases. This just demonstrates a total lack of respect for the golf course and every other person playing. Rude, lazy and selfish.

Jeff in the pro shop was a joy to deal with. I doubt he is aware of how abusive the men's club players are to the course. I cannot in good conscious recommend this course in the condition I experienced it today. Sorry, because I have always enjoyed Shandin Hills.
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Front nine was nice, good conditions, good pace. Drove to 10th tee and there were 3 groups waiting to tee off. Took good... » More

Front nine was nice, good conditions, good pace. Drove to 10th tee and there were 3 groups waiting to tee off. Took good 30 mins+ to start playing again. The practice greens were so much smoother and quicker than the actual greens on the course. Back nine conditions were sh-t ty, like nothing had improved from the remodeling. Course is still fun with decent greens, but back nine conditions took away from the round.
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