I was happy to join GKer itslikeimsayin when he posted a Meet-Play for Oak Valley at 1:52 on Sunday, 10/15/17, as I really like this track and wish it was a little closer to me so I could play it more... Continue »

I was happy to join GKer itslikeimsayin when he posted a Meet-Play for Oak Valley at 1:52 on Sunday, 10/15/17, as I really like this track and wish it was a little closer to me so I could play it more often. As I found from my ongoing head-scratching at trying to hit these greens and get putts near the hole, repeated plays here are necessary to better appreciate the correct sides of the fairway from which to approach the greens, and to get more familiar with all the subtle movement on the greens and the best way to approach various pin positions. I generally like Schmidt-Curley designs, as I think their green complexes “make sense”, but there was definitely a lot more movement and green segmentation at OV than I remembered – just because you are “on the green” doesn’t mean you have a putt at the hole. Combined with this is the abundance of uneven lies throughout the course, as it plays out into shallow washes and back – a level lie, even in the middle of the fairway, is pretty rare here, so this also must be factored into shotmaking. It was hot and windy, but not that crowded as we queued up behind a couple of foursomes. We waited only a little bit on the first few holes, then play stretched out after about hole #5 and we rarely even saw the group in front again, and weren’t pushed from behind. Early on we were concerned about the amount of wind we were seeing around the clubhouse, but once on the course it wasn’t as bad as we feared, and the Santa Ana condition made many of the longer holes play downwind. You had to factor in the wind in club selection, but it wasn’t punishing at all. The humidity was so low that I think the ball was flying better than normal – we had several instances where balls flew much longer than we anticipated. Greens were in very good shape (subtle movement and all – LOL!); I thought they were smooth and rolled well at medium+ speeds. I did notice some differences in firmness between greens – some were very receptive (Mark’s approach plugged in place on the elevated #4 green), but others were firmer and you could get a stiff bounce. This pattern continued throughout the round, and you were never quite sure what kind of reception approaches would get. Green speeds were fairly consistent, I thought. These greens also have some pretty steep runoffs into collection areas that generally were filled with deep lush grass, making recovery chips challenging. The course uses a red-white-blue flag rotation, but they weren’t slaves to it today – the par-5s into the wind today all had red flags, making landing on those small green-front areas challenging. Fairways and rough were generally in good shape, and could vary from dry/firm to lush/soft, depending on the vagaries of the irrigation system. We generally got quite a bit of runout in the fairways, especially downwind. Sand looked to be in good shape everywhere. I was in 2 fairway bunkers where the sand was fairly firm, though depth varied. The greenside bunker behind #15 was also pretty firm and could use more playing depth, but anyone who knows my sand game may be skeptical of any comments. Tees were the most questionable part of the conditioning. We immediately noticed areas of distinct uneveness and/or sloping on the first few holes – they generally got better further into the round. The recent maintenance had left the tees with obvious post-punch patchiness, but finding a good spot was dictated by terrain, not foliage. Many of the par-3 tees had no divot mix boxes, and were pretty torn up, with #14 being especially bad. Some tees with divot mix boxes had no mix in them. And some off the shorter par-4s, where players might use an iron or a hybrid, could also use divot mix boxes. And just to add to the mix, many of the tee box surrounds appear to be the favorite hangouts of the local gopher population. Carts are basic – no GPS (a yardage book is offered; some sprinklers are marked; and there are colored monuments in the fairways) or ball-washer, but there is a cooler. Restrooms on the course are very basic, and they had capped the sink in the men’s restroom on tee #6. There are no sand refills available at the turn or elsewhere, so many divots went unfilled. Water jugs on tee #6 and tee #8 were empty. The clubhouse was closed when we finished just after 6pm, so no bathroom or water before the trip home. GKer Andrew1 had made some comments about this being a Dye track – I knew it was Schmidt-Curley, but Mark says he thinks they were both once Dye associates, so the bulkheaded lakes, mounding and deep runoffs, and inscrutable greens at OV make more sense if that’s true and they brought some Dye influence to the ambiance. Sorry to doubt you, Andrew! Thanks to Mark and Wendy for a very enjoyable round, and I definitely need to plan on getting back here sooner rather than later.

Played here yesterday at 1:52 with dconnally and abbacat. Hot day but consistent breezes kept it quite comfortable all day. It was very gusty when we arrived, so I chose to play the white tees (6,316 ... Continue »

Played here yesterday at 1:52 with dconnally and abbacat. Hot day but consistent breezes kept it quite comfortable all day. It was very gusty when we arrived, so I chose to play the white tees (6,316 yards). (They could use a tee option between the 6,316 whites and 6,829 blues.) POP was pretty good at about 4:20.

The course reopened from overseeding and aeration October 1 and is in pretty good condition. It wasn't a "Palm Desert"-type overseeding where the whole entire course is a dark green stripe show afterward, but overall the turf at Oak Valley is in good condition. Greens were mostly smooth, occasionally bumpy, medium fast and accepted full shots well. They seemed to get softer later in the afternoon. Tough to read with some subtle and not-so-subtle breaks. Fairways had good coverage, a few thin spots here and there but mostly nice lies all day. Rough was healthy with good coverage and was deep in some spots, mostly greenside. I wasn't in a bunker but they looked really nice. Tee boxes were the low point; not a big deal because you can tee it up, but several were domed and some had not grown back in all the way since maintenance. Overall conditions are quite nice, and once the sun got low, the course looked amazing in the late afternoon light.

I hadn't played out here for about 3.5 years, which is way too long of an absence. Interesting layout with lots of elevation changes, no housing on the course, great mountain views and a challenging and beautiful course.

I made a Flickr photo album of 52 photos that can be viewed here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4sbKxd

played this past Sunday. Course is in okay condition with greens running fast. Everything fine except for the fact that Pro shop attendee has a serious problem talking to customers. I have never had t... Continue »

played this past Sunday. Course is in okay condition with greens running fast. Everything fine except for the fact that Pro shop attendee has a serious problem talking to customers. I have never had this type of rudeness coming from Oak Valley. I say "PAT" behind the counter needs additional training on how to treat customers. Other than that bad experience the course and staff are fine.

It's always a treat for me to come and be able to get on on this course. I was here on September 4th. I don't always come here, maybe 3 months or so, but it was enough to notice some differences. I... Continue »

It's always a treat for me to come and be able to get on on this course. I was here on September 4th. I don't always come here, maybe 3 months or so, but it was enough to notice some differences. I think there's just been many dead areas of grass more than previous times I've been here although most of those areas that are dying/dead aren't in play there are some areas that are starting to die. The greens looks lush and green but have been bumpy and many ball marks that aren't fixed. The greens are so over watered that even in the late afternoon, hitting the greens could plug on in the greens. The bunkers' sand are thinning and much of the teeing grounds looks almost all used up and moved forward.

I am so very disappointed how this course is moving towards less care and less maintenance- I'd hate to see this course go to the dogs... pretty sad.

Played today with a buddy of mine. It surprises me that No one has written anything up on this course since the 4th of July. Course is in phenomenal Shape. Tee boxes level, fairways cut to perfection... Continue »

Played today with a buddy of mine. It surprises me that No one has written anything up on this course since the 4th of July. Course is in phenomenal Shape. Tee boxes level, fairways cut to perfection, there is sand in all bunkers (from what I could see) and greens absolutely perfect. Again not disappointed. I know this course is a ways for L.A and beyond players but this is a must play course. Senior rate for me was $45 bucks. Great Customer Service as always, Marshals on the course which is a plus. I just love this course and by the way this is a more tamed early Pete Dye design.

I joined Robule yesterday for a very fun round. I’d heard of this course several times but just never had gotten around to playing it before. Being my first time there, I was really glad to play wit... Continue »

I joined Robule yesterday for a very fun round. I’d heard of this course several times but just never had gotten around to playing it before. Being my first time there, I was really glad to play with someone who was familiar with the course.

I knew right away I was going to like this course with the many big trees, rolling fairways, mounds and dips hiding bunkers and large, very wavy greens. The fairways had more brown than green, but mostly good coverage. I did manage to find two spots of rough that were thick and deep enough to all but completely swallow my ball. There are a lot of steep elevation changes. The par 3 third hole I played from the whites with the very big drop to the green which was a lot more fun that the forward tees which were only about 70 yds out on level with the green. A couple of the par 4’s left me with an almost vertical shot up to the green. I really enjoy a course that requires thinking and planning shots. I didn’t always get it right, but it sure was fun trying!

Of the three bunkers I found, the greenside was the muddy one but I made a good out so I can't complain. As Rob described, the greens were in very good shape, smooth and fast. There are some huge slopes and unexpected breaks. It really took some figuring to read them.
I loved the course. I want very much to play it again when it’s a little greener.

Played a fun round with abbacat on 7/3 getting a great deal on golfnow. After my last adventure here, I wasn't planning on seeing anything enjoyable golf related with this round. I was pleasantly su... Continue »

Played a fun round with abbacat on 7/3 getting a great deal on golfnow. After my last adventure here, I wasn't planning on seeing anything enjoyable golf related with this round. I was pleasantly surprised! There are some really great views from vistas around the course. Temps were very reasonable on a sunny day and the usual bad winds here were not that strong. A light breeze most of the day and only a few holes required club changes for any wind. It's an interesting layout, lots of elevation changes and has trouble everywhere if you stray offline. The practice green was in incredible condition. Smooth and running fast. I hoped the greens on course would be comparable. Hitting station were very nice this time. Stations had nice grass and targets on the range. Smooth check in. The starter was a really nice guy that was happy to see us as we were the last group for a couple of hours so he could grab a break. We teed off and were on our way. The I-10 on the first three holes can be distracting. The course turns away from the highway on hole 4 and the rest of the course is pretty quiet until 9, then back to quiet on 10. Tee boxes were very nice with good coverage. The grass wasn't green, transitioning again? Easy to find a decent spot to tee it up. Fairways were in good shape, not green, more transitioned to/from brown. Coverage was good, brown areas could have a been a bit more lush. Brown areas still had decent grass, with good lies. Off fairway areas can be an absolute killer here with grass, slopes and native plants/vegetation/barranca. Rough was longer but not penal. Greens were incredible. Very close to the practice green. Unlike last time here, well struck shot hit and stopped. Very soft, leaving a deep ball mark. Nice to see shots hit and spin back or be within a foot or two of the mark. Not too many unfixed ball marks. Putts rolled fast and true. It's easy for a downhiller to get away. There are some pretty severe slopes with deep run off areas just off the perimeters. Miss the green collars by a mere foot and you can get a lie that is nestled deep in the wirey grass. Bring a good short game for up and downs, you'll need it. Bunkers were a mixed bag. Greenside had packed sand that was wet and required extra effort to get out of. There were quite a few weeds/grass intruding within the boundries of the greenside bunkers, right in the middle. Sand was decent. Fairway bunkers were hard packed and had plenty of small pebbles/rocks. Had no problems getting out of any bunkers. I liked the course on this outing better than the other 2 or 3 times I played. It's not a grip it and rip it course IMO. It requires thought off the tee to get in good positions. Some of the shorter holes can absolutely eat your lunch. Good course with holes that require thought to play. Normal golfnow or rack rate is a little steep for me as there are more affordable alternatives, PGA west, closer to home this time of year.

First time here, played Saturday morning 6/10/17. 59$ rate for 830 Saturday with cart. good start. Very nice grass driving range, another plus. Surprisingly, virtually no traffic on the course, so ... Continue »

First time here, played Saturday morning 6/10/17. 59$ rate for 830 Saturday with cart. good start. Very nice grass driving range, another plus. Surprisingly, virtually no traffic on the course, so I had to go at it alone, no an issue. Played behind a 3 ball and took my time, as no one following me. Given first time here, allowed me to hit a few extra shots and explore. Plus # 3. Fairways were decent. I found a good number of fairways, and all were a little on the firm / thin side. Very little cushion under the ball, but didn't run out much either. Cool, and a little light rain may have affected. Greens were nearly perfect. Smooth, firm but holding pretty well, and rolled very nicely. Plus # 4. The greens themselves have a lot of subtle (and some not so subtle) wrinkles. Seemed to move much more than expected when ball slowed down. But overall, excellent. Bunkers I found were good, but a little hard in spots, especially close to the edges, but very playable. I enjoyed the layout. A few holes near the 10 freeway are a bit distracting, but nothing too serious. Routing is such that a few holes run adjacent to others but not so close that you run into another, and most are nicely confined, stand alone holes. The most memorable aspect of the course, was the many bunkers, mounds, and collection areas around the greens. All greens are very well protected. Slight misses can leave you with a challenging side, up, or downhill chip. A lot of pins are hidden by the mounding, making for tough approach shots when only 1/2 to 2/3 of flag is visible. As noted in previous reviews: No GPS or yardage books, so first time out can be challenging. I used the VPAR app on my phone which worked quite well. No ambulance on the card (aka beer cart), and snack shop at turn closed. These were the only negatives. I will be back to take another run at this enjoyable track. Recommend.

Ok Oak Valley - let me sharpen my pen and let you have it.... Hmm what do I remember that I can pick on... Ok, some of the tee boxes were a bit chewed up and a couple could have used a quick visit b... Continue »

Ok Oak Valley - let me sharpen my pen and let you have it.... Hmm what do I remember that I can pick on... Ok, some of the tee boxes were a bit chewed up and a couple could have used a quick visit by a steamroller to flatten them out. The rest? Honestly, I can't think of a better golf experience I've had. Fairways, rough, greens - all perfect to me. Every hole visually interesting, challenging in some way, and yet playable and forgiving enough that not every poor shot meant a big number. Even the beauty of the driving range adds to the cool factor - that's pretty rare.

I could have had a worse experience if I didn't bring a gps since the carts don't have one and I would consider the course to be very poorly marked for yardages - but being my first time, maybe I missed something. If I cared about such things as cart girls, I might care that I didn't see one.

Ok, I know what the worst thing about Oak Valley is.... Beaumont. Has anyone considered moving it about 45 minutes west of there?