Played El Prado Chino Creek this morning with a deal on tee off. I arrived at 9:30 and the starter said I could go when ever I wanted to. I went right out playing as a single and saw no others until ... Continue »

Played El Prado Chino Creek this morning with a deal on tee off. I arrived at 9:30 and the starter said I could go when ever I wanted to. I went right out playing as a single and saw no others until I got to the 9th hole. Two older men who did not want me to play through so I drove back and played 8 and 9 over again. It would continue like this through out the back side. As for the course, it is really better than expected, fairways were nice and greens would hold like a dartboard so that was very cool. Also, I just played my music on my phone and played games instead of keeping score. I would award myself 1 point if I hit a fairway and 1 point if I hit the green in regulation. Overall course is in really nice shape, greens are great, and my final score was 7 fairways and 9 greens. Now I know where to start practicing ..

I played this course for my second round of the day, as a solo walker during the afternoon Monday 6/6, paying $14 for unlimited golf. As usual, pro shop staff was courteous and friendly. There was not... Continue »

I played this course for my second round of the day, as a solo walker during the afternoon Monday 6/6, paying $14 for unlimited golf. As usual, pro shop staff was courteous and friendly. There was not any drink cart service during the afternoon.

Teeing off at 2:40 pm, I was briefly joined by a cart riding single, who got out ahead and joined another. Thus I played solo, and even with some traffic on the course, finished in 3 hours 50 minutes. I played from the blue tees (6850 yards/126 slope rating/72.5 course rating).

Course conditions were just OK, in my opinion. It is obvious that the course allocates water where it matters most - on the tee boxes, fairways and greens. Tee boxes were variable - some were not level, and the par-3's were quite chewed up with divots; they were generally lush. The fairways were mostly good, with lush, freshly mowed turf, except for some browned out and thin areas. Rough was the usual mixed bag, best adjacent to fairways, and rougher (thin, dry and in some places bare dirt) the farther you were from the fairways. I did not have to play from any bunkers on the day, but they appeared to have been maintained.

The greens were pretty good, except for the presence of far too many fresh ball marks and other damage that was not repaired. There were also many putter impressions, as well as dents from careless dropping of flagsticks. Aside from those problems, surfaces were soft and smooth, accepting well struck shots (with huge ball marks). I spent far too much of my day fixing unrepaired ball marks and other damage from inconsiderate players ahead of me. Putts rolled true. Depending on position above or below the hole, putts rolled at medium fast to fast speeds.

Recommended, with the usual caveat that you don't have country club expectations.

Played Monday 5/23, mid-morning as a walking single, paired with a cart riding single. Played from the blue tees (6850 yards/126 slope/72.5 course rating) in 3 hours 50 minutes, having to wait on the ... Continue »

Played Monday 5/23, mid-morning as a walking single, paired with a cart riding single. Played from the blue tees (6850 yards/126 slope/72.5 course rating) in 3 hours 50 minutes, having to wait on the walking threesome ahead on nearly every hole. Course conditions were decent, certainly playable. Greens were a little shaggy and bumpy, showing signs of a very recent aeration (small holes punched, but no sand used). Another player later in the day told me the greens were punched the previous week. The greens were soft and receptive, and rolled true at medium speed. Tee boxes were mostly level, with good coverage, but some were shaggy, and there was some divot damage on the par-3's. The rough was the usual mixed bag- lush, deep and penal in places, mowed down in others, thin to bare dirt in others. I didn't have to play from any bunkers, but they appeared to be well maintained. Fairways were mostly good, with lush turf, but there were some areas of thin coverage. A solid value, especially considering the unlimited play policy for Monday.

Played an afternoon round on Monday 5/9 as a solo walker. POP 3 hours 25 minutes. Conditions slightly better than the previous week. Some tee boxes that were sanded last week were a little shaggy, but... Continue »

Played an afternoon round on Monday 5/9 as a solo walker. POP 3 hours 25 minutes. Conditions slightly better than the previous week. Some tee boxes that were sanded last week were a little shaggy, but good teeing ground. Fairways were nice! Although I didn't play from any bunkers, they appeared to have much improved conditions, with well maintained sand and sculpted margins. The greens were very nice - smooth, receptive, rolled true at medium to fast speeds. Nice to note that all (or most) of the old broken cups have been replaced. Now they might need to match that with some new flag staffs, such that the flag sits flush at the bottom of the cup.

Played 2 rounds today as a solo walker, without a reservation.

Check in was courteous and friendly, and I was given the choice of which course to play. Given that the first tee on Butterfield Stage... Continue »

Played 2 rounds today as a solo walker, without a reservation.

Check in was courteous and friendly, and I was given the choice of which course to play. Given that the first tee on Butterfield Stage was backed up, and a single had just started out on Chino Creek, I chose Chino Creek. I took my first shot at 10:25am under partly cloudy skies, with little wind and relatively high humidity. Both rounds were played from blue tees (6850 yards/126 slope rating/72.5 course rating). Drink cart service came around several times, but no marshall. I finished my first round in 3 hours 20 minutes, with some waiting for the single ahead, who somehow picked up an additional player somewhere along the first hole. My second round was started at 1:50pm, and I was done in 3 hours 30 minutes, after playing through a brutally slow foursome on the sixth hole. During the second round, the afternoon winds kicked up hard out of the southwest. The course was in generally good condition.

Tee boxes were level, mostly lush and well covered. The par-3 4th and 14th holes had lots of sand to fill in previous tee block positions, but good ground was easy to find. Tee blocks were paired with white tees on 14th & 17th holes, shortening overall yardage by maybe ~100.

Rough was variable, with lush, sometimes penal conditions adjacent to fairways. In areas I consider "non-critical" (between tee boxes and start of fairway), rough was patchy, with tufts of grass mixed with thin and bare spots. The farther away from the fairways, the rough exhibited more bare areas and hardpan. Rough was fluffy around greens, but not difficult to play out of.

My drive on the first hole found the fairway bunker, and that was my one and only trip to the sand today. Sand was maintained, damp and heavy, but not difficult to hit from.

Fairways were in good shape, with good coverage. Balls sat up, allowing for crisp iron shots. Most divots appeared to have been filled with sand, or otherwise repaired.

Greens were in fine shape as well. They were soft and very receptive to all kinds of shots, from low trajectory long irons, to high short irons. Collars around greens were mowed close, allowing for bump and run shots. There were a few very tight pin placements, where the hole was within just a few steps of the edge of the green. Putts rolled true at medium speed, except on a few where I left myself above the hole - those were some tricky putts!

This course is playing well right now. Always a good bargain.

We out around 1:30 on 4/26/16 and played the Blue tees. "The Creek" seems like its coming back around with green fairways (thanks to the rain I'm sure) and tee boxes. Heck, they have even cut in ac... Continue »

We out around 1:30 on 4/26/16 and played the Blue tees. "The Creek" seems like its coming back around with green fairways (thanks to the rain I'm sure) and tee boxes. Heck, they have even cut in actual fairways which is pretty nice.
Most of the tee boxes are in pretty good shape and level, and for those that weren't, there was plenty of space to find a good spot to tee off. As I mentioned earlier, the fairways are looking pretty good with way more green than brown. Wasn't in any bunkers this day, but they looked a little thin. The greens seemed a little "crusty" on top. Didn't seem like it effected the roll too much, but was noticeable. As always, the speed is just a tick above medium, and if you're above the hole, it does get quick. Their also very receptive, so feel free to pin hunting.
From the tips, "The Creek" is just over 6800 yards and depending on the winds, she can be tough. The staff is always top notch and very accommodating. Its a very walk-able course, with water fountains on 6th tee, 8th tee, 12th tee, and 15th tee.

Played Friday Apr 15th at 8:05. Nice to have grass practice area. The weather was fantastic. I had no issues with tee boxes other than they were a little hard to get the tee in. Even the unbreakable ... Continue »

Played Friday Apr 15th at 8:05. Nice to have grass practice area. The weather was fantastic. I had no issues with tee boxes other than they were a little hard to get the tee in. Even the unbreakable plastic ones were breaking LOL. Fairways were green, was not in any fairway bunker but they looked hard. The rough was very thick and penal in place and we had a hard time finding quit a few balls. I was in one greenside bunker, but it was on an upslope so it was easy to get out. The sand did look thin and hard though. I thought the greens were faster than I expected and rolled pretty nice. Yes there were a few were colored spots on them, but I didn't find that an issue. Saw the cart girl several times. I like this course. Wish our group played it more often.

On Sunday 4/17 I joined two friends for an afternoon round. Before the round, I warmed up with a small bucket on the all grass range, then rolled some putts and chipped on one of three practice greens... Continue »

On Sunday 4/17 I joined two friends for an afternoon round. Before the round, I warmed up with a small bucket on the all grass range, then rolled some putts and chipped on one of three practice greens. I walked ($17 super twilight rate) while they rode. During the round, gusty winds blew, first from the northeast, then later switched to west. We played from the blue tees (6850 yards/126 slope rating/72.5 course rating) and finished in about 4.5 hours. Overall conditions were decent, though I was a little disappointed with the greens - they just weren't as good as usual. Tees were mostly level, with good turf coverage. Par-3 tee boxes showed quite a bit of divot damage. I played from one greenside bunker, which had a very thin layer of maintained sand. The work that grounds crews had done previously to sculpt edges of bunkers has not been maintained, such that grass is again creeping over the sides of bunker margins. Rough was a mixed bag, from thick, lush and penal, to covered but thin, to bare dirt. Some of the deepest rough was in excess of 3 inches, making it difficult to locate errant shots. Interestingly, much of the greenside rough allowed for bump and run shots - normally at this course, the aprons and collars around the greens stop balls quick, but today there were several shots that hit and released onto the greens. Fairways were in fine shape, with good turf coverage and little divot damage noticed. Balls played from the fairway sat up nicely. The greens exhibited variable conditions; some were smooth and firm, others soft and bumpy, and others a little furry and bumpy, and many affected by circular yellow discolorations. A few were covered with tree debris from the winds, notably the 12th and 14th holes. The 18th green was in pretty bad shape, with lots of shoe prints and other depressions that deflected putts off their intended lines. As usual, recommended, with the caveat that your expectations can't be unreasonably high.

I played on Monday 3/21 as a solo walker, with the intent of getting in a round before scheduled maintenance? The marshal wasn't aware of the scheduled maintenance.

Course conditions were quite goo... Continue »

I played on Monday 3/21 as a solo walker, with the intent of getting in a round before scheduled maintenance? The marshal wasn't aware of the scheduled maintenance.

Course conditions were quite good; green and generally lush - obviously the course has benefitted from recent rains.

Tees were level and lush, with only minimal divot damage on par-3's.

Rough was lush and thick, with just some patchy spots.

Bunkers were mostly hard packed sand and dirt, but maintained.

Fairways were green and generally lush, with only a few patches of bare/thin coverage noted.

Greens were very good. Surfaces were smooth and mostly firm, but held well struck shots. Putts rolled true at medium to fast speed. There were very few ballmarks to repair.