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?

Saturday 15, April, we were down in that area. I had a choice between this course or the other two on the south side of the freeway. While I'm very glad to have played a nice round here, I wouldn't ... Continue »

Saturday 15, April, we were down in that area. I had a choice between this course or the other two on the south side of the freeway. While I'm very glad to have played a nice round here, I wouldn't know what I missed at the other course. I played with another single and as it turned out, Dave the guy, was pretty cool and played well, he's informative when you need it, yet you wouldn't know he's around you and we both had a nice round and scored nicely in a few holes. The course was in pretty good shape, we thought. The greens were verticut, but it rolled okay. The bunkers looked okay too, but, sorry- not so sorry, I was never in any of them. It looks like bunkers were in good conditions- it had sand. The fairways and teeing grounds from the white tees were good. The guy at pro shop was cool. My gn deal was much later, but he let me off much earlier. $45 + 2.49, and a token cost me &51.49 for 18. The pace of play was great- no one in front nor back- it wasn't busy so we took our time reading putts- 4 hours and 15 minutes. It was a very enjoyable round.

Played 4/7 in a nice POP of 4 hours. Course is in very nice shape. Tee boxes clean and level; fairways providing good lies (on all) and great roll out; bunkers were all raked and playable; rough was 1... Continue »

Played 4/7 in a nice POP of 4 hours. Course is in very nice shape. Tee boxes clean and level; fairways providing good lies (on all) and great roll out; bunkers were all raked and playable; rough was 1/2 inch and tough; greens were great and rolling about 9 or 9.5. Had not played here in many years and will make a point to go back more often. Customer service excellent at all levels. Easy on and off from 10 freeway in either East or West direction.

First off on a surprisingly cold Monday morning. (44 degrees) Staff was perfect, very accommodating. Teed off right at 6:30am - nobody around. The first scheduled tee time was 7:45. Enjoyed a nice... Continue »

First off on a surprisingly cold Monday morning. (44 degrees) Staff was perfect, very accommodating. Teed off right at 6:30am - nobody around. The first scheduled tee time was 7:45. Enjoyed a nice brisk pace with a course in exceptional condition. The fairways were very "patchy", but otherwise the course was in good shape.

The greens were super firm, I mean almost rock hard. That coupled with some tough pin positions made for a rather challenging round. Tough to score. Despite that, I had a wonderful time playing on a course I do not play all that often. I'd forgotten just how much fun this course is play. $45 for seniors is a good value for a course of this quality. I will be back !

Played Wednesday, started as a single (the 3-some didn't show), ended up being joined by Joe and Andy on #6, nice guys and good players. Finished in just under 4 hours, never rushed but couldn't real... Continue »

Played Wednesday, started as a single (the 3-some didn't show), ended up being joined by Joe and Andy on #6, nice guys and good players. Finished in just under 4 hours, never rushed but couldn't really go faster due to those in front.

Playing conditions were good - not great, but solid. Greens has some very thin cuts, didn't affect putts until they lost speed. Should be much better in a week or so. They were also quite firm so only a couple times did any of us actually create a big ball mark - usually just slight indentations.

Tees were very good, not much damage and all were level with good coverage. Fairways were a little thin but they're never lush and fluffy, lots of roll out (both a good and bad thing). Rough was THICK, especially around the greens - on #8 I watched my ball bounce just off the collar and into the rough, knew exactly where it disappeared - and still took nearly a minute to find it.

Bunkers were quite firm, not really from lack of sand but from rain/weather. Still playable but you may be better off with something with a little less bounce than normal.

I've played this course occasionally since the first week it was open and still love the layout. VERY challenging and the different length holes mean you'll use pretty much every club in the bag.

Recommended - will definitely be back (just not sure when).

Played the course on 11/12/16. Have not played the course in 10 years, but the course was in fantastic condition. The fairways firm and fast and the rough was about 1 to 1.5 inches. Greens were run... Continue »

Played the course on 11/12/16. Have not played the course in 10 years, but the course was in fantastic condition. The fairways firm and fast and the rough was about 1 to 1.5 inches. Greens were running about 11. I'm a member at Valencia Country Club, but on the day I played Oak Valley, the greens were rolling better then my home course. Course hosted Web.com second stage q school last month.

Played here on a beautiful Memorial Day afternoon with a tee time of 12:56 with three other gentlemen, Brandon, Rick and Fabian that rounded out our foursome. Oak Valley usually does a great job spaci... Continue »

Played here on a beautiful Memorial Day afternoon with a tee time of 12:56 with three other gentlemen, Brandon, Rick and Fabian that rounded out our foursome. Oak Valley usually does a great job spacing out tee times which ensures there are no pace of play issues, and this day was no different. In all the rounds I've played at this course, I've never once been frustrated by slow play. Not the easiest of courses, which I'm sure plays a factor in the volume of players.

Oak Valley has a nice driving range which is aesthetically pleasing to the eye in its design. All grass, no mats! Practice green seemed to reflect conditions of the greens on actual course accurately, which is kinda a pet peeve of mine, lol.

Greens were more receptive than I've experienced in the past, quite soft and holding shots very well. As the greens were softer and more receptive than normal, they were also slower than what I've known them to be in the past, I'd have to guess about a 9 on the stimp meter at most, which led to many putts from all in our foursome to be left short. Also contours in greens did not produce breaks we perceived were there, holding their lines longer and more often than expected. Took some adjusting, but conditions were very conducive to scoring opportunities, although I could not seem to capitalize on this day.

Fairways were great, what more can I say, lol. No brown, yellow or hardpan spots anywhere that I could see. Divots seemed to be a non issue here. I must also add that I am indeed a fan of the 90* rule that is applied here, wish more courses would implement this practice.

Rough was exactly that the further shots ventured from the fairway, but just off the fairway it was ideal in my opinion. Again, lush no brown, yellow or hardpan areas. Thick enough to force a club or two adjustment, but not too thick as to make it difficult to locate your ball.

Found myself in a couple bunkers and was pleased to be able to play the sand as it is intended to be played. Not exactly fluffy, but not wet and heavy, nor was it a thin layer on packed sand underneath. Had no problem whatsoever getting under the ball for very good greenside bunker shots. This is critical for third shots on par four holes when you would like to try and get it close to the pin out of a greenside bunker so you can 1putt for par.

Tee boxes were not as nice as the other areas of the course. Coverage not as lush, but in my opinion this is a non issue considering I use a tee for any hole that's not a par three. While some weren't perfectly level, I didn't have too much of an issue finding spots to tee off from. A couple of the par three holes were a bit chewed up, which necessitated a tee.
Yet another great day of golf at Oak Valley Golf Club.