Second round on Thursday was at Rancho Del Sol, formally Moreno Valley Ranch with GK Gurus. For me, the build up to play this round was tremendous being I never got to play MVR before it closed and it... Continue »

Second round on Thursday was at Rancho Del Sol, formally Moreno Valley Ranch with GK Gurus. For me, the build up to play this round was tremendous being I never got to play MVR before it closed and it seemed like it was going to be closed for good. Very few golf courses are resurrected now days. Man what a pleasure.

Add to my excitement was to be able to play it with Itslikeimsaying and sixpez … basically MVR historians. These guys were better than Google at filling me in on each hole, changes to the holes if any and some of their previous experiences. Was awesome teeing it up with Keith who came out of his golf hibernation for this round…. which of course he birdies 18 (good thing it was not for the BCB).

I loved this layout. The Mountain nine (back nine) is a special piece of property and Valley nine (front nine) was a blast. The Lakes nine is no more so there’s your 18 holes. This is a tough golf course that played much longer than the 6100 blue tee scorecard. Every hole is a challenge and fun to take on. I snapped a bunch of photos and posted them here so please check them out. Especially take a look at the Mountain nine (back nine) wow. I was taken in by the wide scenic views and loved the 13 – 17 stretch. Hole’s 15 and 16 are amazing and worth the trip to play this golf course at least once.

I thought the golf course was in great shape. Lush fairways that had damp or dry areas at times but provided good lies to hit from. Greens, bent grass, rolling smooth, holding shots, and medium/fast. Rough mostly thin adjacent to the fairways but long around the greens complexes and especially greenside bunkers. Speaking of the bunkers, they are in great shape but due to COVID-19 no raking so lots of footprints. Tee boxes were in very good shape, mostly lush, some divot damage on the par 3’s but no big deal.

There is no clubhouse or driving range. The old clubhouse is going to be demolished, not sure of the plans to build another but they are operating out of two trailers. COVID-19 Masks required in trailers and in the general common area near the trailers but not on the golf course. We played in the afternoon, teeing it up at 2:15 and easy finished 18 holes. Wow, the Mountain nine in the afternoon with the shadows and lighting is golf picture taker like me dream.

Service very good and friendly.

Only downside is there is a lot of housing development construction taking place near the clubhouse, holes 10 and 18. Hole 18 is now a par 3 as a result. I don’t mind finishing on Par 3, especially after thoroughly enjoying the Mountain nine. Highly Recommended.

Played here in the first of two #GKReviewGuru groups on Thursday afternoon with JohnnyGK and sixpez. I don’t even know what POP was because I didn’t care; it was so beautiful out there I didn’t want i... Continue »

Played here in the first of two #GKReviewGuru groups on Thursday afternoon with JohnnyGK and sixpez. I don’t even know what POP was because I didn’t care; it was so beautiful out there I didn’t want it to end. (Ok, just checked… it was about four hours even, although things backed up a tiny bit both on 10 tee and again toward the end of the back nine.) We all rode in single-rider carts. Marshals and pro shop staff were all friendly.

Conditions are quite good! I think the fairways are a little greener and more lush than my last round right after they re-opened. Really nice to play from in most spots. The greens are still quite spongy, not quite as pronounced this time as my early morning round on August 29. They roll smooth at medium/medium-fast speed and accept full shots extremely well. The rough is some good, some bad. I don’t recall being in a bunker, although I think Keith mentioned they had good sand. Tee boxes were good/decent.

We were very fortunate to catch the back (Mountain) nine in the most beautiful late afternoon sunlight. Holes 12-18 were absolutely stunning, especially 15 & 16. It was fun to play it with Keith and Johnny, because Keith and I have played here quite a few times together, and Johnny had never played it. Seeing his reaction to the beauty and challenge of the course was exciting. A great day on a great course!

Rode the Blues (6130/71.0/130) in slightly over 4H twilight with Ron. Thanks to John for setting up and to Rancho del Sol for having the guru group out. We waited nearly every shot the last dozen or s... Continue »

Rode the Blues (6130/71.0/130) in slightly over 4H twilight with Ron. Thanks to John for setting up and to Rancho del Sol for having the guru group out. We waited nearly every shot the last dozen or so holes, playing behind slower groups. Overcast, muggy, breezy and around 95. Bermuda tees more thin than lush but okay coverage. They had a person working on tee divots as we played, but especially the par 3's were chewed up. Bermuda fairways had good coverage, semi lush and decent to play from. Parts were soft from over watering, other parts firm with tight lies, especially on downhill shots. We had a couple of balls in the fairway we almost lost because they plugged. Rough was a mixture of grasses. Mostly mowed down and your lie could range from sitting up to terrible in a small area. Traps had decent sand but were poorly maintained even considering COVID protocols. They definitely were not raked recently. Greens were spongy and soft, they had more than their share of ball marks. But they rolled smooth and medium to medium fast speed otherwise. Very courteous staff. Quick efficient check in, and the starter was doing what he could to keep things moving. Basic carts do not have GPS, which is a detriment on a hilly Dye layout. Nice putting green that was very comparable to the on course greens. No driving range or on course services. Recommended.

It took the long-awaited resurrection of Moreno Valley Ranch to get me out of my semi-retirement from golf and put clubs in my hands for the first time in 2020! This has always been a personal favorit... Continue »

It took the long-awaited resurrection of Moreno Valley Ranch to get me out of my semi-retirement from golf and put clubs in my hands for the first time in 2020! This has always been a personal favorite of mine. I was sad when it closed and excited (and disappointed) with every tease of a renovation and reopening over the past 5+ years. Thanks to Johnny for setting this up and convincing me to come out yesterday afternoon. The course was in good overall condition and definitely much better than I expected after the opening that kept getting pushed back this year. It was so nice to see this place looking green again because it was in very rough shape by the time it had closed down. The tee boxes were great. The fairways were lush. The rough was mostly good, getting a little thinner or "weedier" as you strayed from the fairways and into the wash of the front nine or the native areas of the back nine. The traps had good soft sand, but that also meant tons of huge footprints with no rakes. The greens were soft and rolling well at medium speeds, getting a little slower and bumpier in the evening as we finished up. We had a good pace of play on the front without ever having to wait, but then it backed up on the back nine and we waited on most tee shots. We were too busy taking pictures on the back nine (formerly the Mountain nine) to worry about waiting too much. I always thought the Lake nine was underrated of the original three, but if they were only keeping two I'm glad it was Valley and Mountain. I firmly agree the spectacular Mountain side should be the back nine, even if it is a little odd ending on the new par-3 18th they built from the shortened original hole. Sounds like what's left of the Lake will ultimately be made into a nice hiking trail and also a foot golf (boo) and disc golf (yay) course. It was nice to see Johnny, Mark, Ron and Nick again, as well as my other old friend now known as Rancho Del Sol. This is a fantastic course (and a difficult Dye design) with views for days and it's so good to see it back open again. Everyone should make it a point to get out here and support this place! Now back into hibernation...

Rode the Blues (6130/71.0/130) in 3H, 50M twilight. Overcast, muggy, breezy and around 95. $30 with cart weekday twilight through the course website. Really enjoyed the Pete Dye design, the former Mo... Continue »

Rode the Blues (6130/71.0/130) in 3H, 50M twilight. Overcast, muggy, breezy and around 95. $30 with cart weekday twilight through the course website. Really enjoyed the Pete Dye design, the former Moreno Valley Ranch is a tough track. Not just a good layout, this is an excellent layout. The holes down in the valley are typical Dye with water barely off greens/fairways, railroad ties, mounds etc. The holes up/down the hills are more straight forward designs where he had to make tough golf holes w/o water features and railroad ties. The overall design ties together really well. One of my favorite Dye layouts because of the elevation changes and where roughly half the holes are NOT typical Dye. In other words, this is not overdone Dye. Course conditions mixed, but very playable. Bermuda tees, especially the par 3's are already getting chewed up. More thin than lush but good coverage. Bermuda fairways had good coverage, semi lush and decent to play from. Parts were soft from over watering, other parts firm with tight lies, especially on downhill shots. Consistency will always be a challenge on the severely up/down hill holes. Rough was a mixture of grasses. Mostly mowed down and your lie could range from sitting up to terrible in a small area. Traps had decent sand but were not well maintained even considering COVID protocols. They definitely were not raked today. Greens were excellent. Spongy and soft, which leads to alot of ball marks when people won't take the time to fix them. But once the ball marks were repaired, they putted smooth and medium fast. Loved the way these greens rolled! These rolled the best of any course I have played in So Cal in a good while. Very courteous maintenance staff that stopped activities when golfers were close by more than once. Quick efficient check in, and the starter was doing what he could to keep things moving. Basic carts do not have GPS, which is a detriment on a hilly Dye layout. There were a bunch of people having lunch outdoors when I arrived. Nice putting green that was very comparable to the on course greens. Nice to see 18 of the 27 holes of Moreno Valley Ranch come back from the dead and be reincarnated as Rancho del Sol. Definitely recommended.

Played here, first time, 9/11/20. Really enjoyed the course, and given this place had been closed for several years, and has only been opened for a few weeks, I thought condition was very good. Certa... Continue »

Played here, first time, 9/11/20. Really enjoyed the course, and given this place had been closed for several years, and has only been opened for a few weeks, I thought condition was very good. Certainly rough around the edges, but if I'm only rating the course, 'between the ropes' so to speak, was impressed, and will not nit pick a great deal. Glad to see the course open. No driving range here, but a nice putting green next to where starer is. A short cart drive under thru the tunnel, and off you go. As mentioned in other recent reviews, soggy in spots, especially on the front. I hope the course can keep the cart traffic under control a little better, (i.e. Install enter and exit signs to fairway, or ask for 90 degrees with carts) otherwise, they may lose larger sections of the turf to mud and deep cart tracks. Tee boxes were very good, level and good coverage, but a good amount of unrepaired divots. Fairways were a little greener than described in recent posts. I found them to be well covered, and green, but again, too wet in spots. Very little roll, and some balls that nearly plugged and bounce backwards. Greens were excellent, smooth, rolling nicely, with dense coverage. Too soft in spots, so again, deep ball marks which are tricky to repair adequately. Very nice green complexes throughout. I'll repeat the previous opinions: The highlight of the course. A pleasure to play on. Bunkers were not raked well, but as my temporary (albeit, slightly illegal) solution has been, during the low sand maintenance period caused by an epidemic, I simply move a little sand around to create a decent lie and play it from there. I really enjoyed the layout, the challenge, and even though some distractions with construction, and areas of neglect around the course, will give it another try very soon. Beverage cart out, and on course Ambassador was visible and doing a nice job keeping the pace going. From what I understand, the old buildings will be taken down, and the original 3rd (9) will be transformed into foot and disc golf. I'll look forward to the process improvements, but still can recommend play now.

heard this place opened back up so wanted to check it out. last time i was here must have been over 12 or 13 years so i didn't remember much. clubhouse and cantina is just a large trailer. lots of ... Continue »

heard this place opened back up so wanted to check it out. last time i was here must have been over 12 or 13 years so i didn't remember much. clubhouse and cantina is just a large trailer. lots of construction noticeable everywhere. easy check-in and grab a cart. other than masks and pvc pipe in the holes, no other special precautions. starter mentioned the reason the course reopened was that the city wouldn't allow construction on the apartments on the property unless the golf course reopened. presumably the fight has lasted years or so, but i don't know if that's true or just rumour.

course is in pretty good shape, but overwatered. teeboxes were clean, fairly level, with good coverage. fairways were overwatered and had a lot of muddy cart track marks on them especially on the front 9. some wet and muddy lies in certain areas. back was better. sand was wet with good coverage, rough was a crapshoot. greens were the highlight, super soft but rolled quite well, medium speed. felt good to roll a few putts in. interesting layout, fairly forgiving off the tee but some approaches were tough. played through a few groups for a POP of 3h. a nice round, worth it to check out.

We’ve been eagerly anticipating the return of Moreno Valley Ranch, now Rancho Del Sol for a while. Glad to report it’s been worth the wait. Greens are in terrific condition-smooth, undulating and acce... Continue »

We’ve been eagerly anticipating the return of Moreno Valley Ranch, now Rancho Del Sol for a while. Glad to report it’s been worth the wait. Greens are in terrific condition-smooth, undulating and accept iron shots and pitches with minimum rollout. Fairways are thin and yellowish in color but playable. Sand in bunkers was good. Some rough spots off the fairway and GUR but all in all a great value for a $55 weekday morning round. Basically the same course we remembered except for #18 which is now a par 3. FYI-for the most part my GPS yardage was accurate except for this hole. As before, front and back nines have a very different character with the back (Mountain) 9 reminding us of certain courses in Corona like Dos Lagos or Hidden Valley. Front nine is tougher in my opinion though. Club house is still a work in progress, but there’s a very basic grill and bar with patio seating. Staff from the pro shop, starter and especially the young lady manning the snack bar are super friendly. Hats off to the management and ownership!

If you asked me what course I’ve played the most in my lifetime, I’d have to guess it’s either San Clemente, Casta del Sol or Moreno Valley Ranch. I loved MVR and was very bummed when it closed in 201... Continue »

If you asked me what course I’ve played the most in my lifetime, I’d have to guess it’s either San Clemente, Casta del Sol or Moreno Valley Ranch. I loved MVR and was very bummed when it closed in 2015. As you might’ve noticed in the GK forums, I’ve visited the course a few times since its demise to report any progress to everybody here. I was very excited to hear they were opening this past Wednesday and promptly made plans to visit as soon as I could, which was this morning at 7:15. At first mpisarski01 was going to join me, but unfortunately he had to bail out. I arrived around 6:50 and checked in, paid the $74 remaining after the $1 pre-paid booking reservation, and was told I’d be paired with three others. They also told me to check in with the starter out near the practice green. He was really friendly and the practice green is very nice. We did start a few minutes late, however, but it worked out well. They are waiting until the group ahead has teed off to even let you leave the clubhouse area and drive under the street over to the first tee (former Valley No. 1). Then additionally, the starter asked us to wait until the group ahead was on the green before we teed off. We did so and never had to wait all day. In fact, after the other guys I was playing with stopped at the turn for a bathroom break and drinks, I don’t think we even saw the group ahead of us at all on the back (former Mountain) nine. The group behind us was waiting on us a few times. Total POP was about 4:20. Before I get to course conditions, I’ll mention Rancho Del Sol has the most relaxed Covid precautions I’ve encountered since I started venturing out to play golf again. Nothing egregious, but there was a water bucket to wet your towel, there were the little pins in holes on the practice green that everybody grabs to get their ball out, sand containers in carts, an ice-filled cooler on the cart, and free tees in the cart. On-course pins have a PVC pipe insert to prevent the ball from dropping down far. I did get my own cart without having to ask or anything as a single, though. Starter and clubhouse employees were all wearing masks. Conditions are good, with the course playing better than it actually looks. The greens are very smooth, medium speed and extremely soft… super spongy and squishy feeling like you’re standing on a mattress or something. Full shots stopped quickly and made deep ball marks that I couldn’t really fix satisfactorily because they were so deep. (Makes it tempting/instinctive to use your divot tool to pull up on the grass, but we all know that’s the wrong way to fix a divot. Don’t do that.) Fairways have really nice coverage of light green and yellow grass. They are lush and play great, just not visually extra appealing. The rough varies from extremely lush, deep green grass cut a few inches deep, to bare spots, to really nasty deep stuff around some bunkers and adjacent to some fairways. On both the fairways and the rough, I found some wet areas but that’s to be expected with such high temperatures. Tee boxes were very good/great. I wasn’t in any bunkers but I took a good look at a few and they looked sort of wet and compacted. Not sure that’s fair to say because maybe they weren’t, but that’s how they looked to me. Overall the course plays great! I hope the extreme sponginess goes away from the greens, though. Design notes: The card lists black tees as the tips but they weren’t out today, and at least one hole (13, formerly 4 on Mountain) had the top tee boxes closed, which makes it play much straighter and easier than I was used to. The 18th hole is now a par 3, and surprisingly to me it uses the old Mountain 9 tee boxes rather than the green complex. They basically built a new green complex out in the middle of a giant field that used to be the fairway of Mountain No. 9. For a par 3 finisher, it’s a good hole. Pretty sure the par-5 3rd green complex is dramatically different from how it was before. Now it has more of a modern “trendy” linksy look to it with gentle mounding and trees all behind the green rather than Dye’s original, more severe mounding I seem to recall. Other tidbits: The course has no yardage markers whatsoever and no GPS in the carts. Unless they are partly owned by Bushnell, this seems like a bad idea and a recipe for slow play. Hopefully they can add some plates in the fairway or rocks along the side or something. Also, I love the course so much, I had hoped to play 36 and knew they had tons of available times in the afternoon, but when I inquired about a replay rate they said it would be $45. Which brings me to the rates in general. Obviously I want the course to succeed and remain in good condition, but I do think it’s slightly overpriced. The guy who offered the $45 replay said green fees go down to $55 at 3:00, so he’d be giving me an even better rate than that, but when temps are near 100 and the tee sheet is mostly open, I’d think they might attract more play with lower rates. I opted to come home and watch golf instead of playing 18 more in the afternoon heat. All in all, it was wonderful to be back and I can’t wait to return again, although I’ll likely be looking for a Hot Deal next time. Check out my Instagram post and Stories for a bunch of pictures from today.