Hello fellow golfers. I played Shandin Hills Sunday 10/25. Well, this course has a good layout and could be very difficult if they get it into shape. The course has elevation and some good views of th... Continue »

Hello fellow golfers. I played Shandin Hills Sunday 10/25. Well, this course has a good layout and could be very difficult if they get it into shape. The course has elevation and some good views of the IE. This was my experience: The tee boxes were all moved up from the Blue marker. I think they are trying to grow some new grass. I think they need to close them all and level them out first. The fairways weren't that bad and had only a few bare spots and offered plenty of run. The greens rolled decent but could be faster and this would definitely make the course play harder especially if you got above the flag on some holes. Overall the course is worth playing if you wanna practice. I got lucky because I teed off after a men's club had just finished and had the whole course to myself after skipping a slow group in front of me on hole #2. You can play it but don't expect great conditions. Until next time.

This has always been one of my favorite courses! Maybe because I consider myself a decent bunker player, so I have no fear of all that sand surrounding the greens, The layout is very appealing to me... Continue »

This has always been one of my favorite courses! Maybe because I consider myself a decent bunker player, so I have no fear of all that sand surrounding the greens, The layout is very appealing to me, "fits my eye" and offers enough of a challenge, but still a fairly easy and scoreable course.

The greens were excellent! Most of the bunkers were OK. Fairways were hit or miss, but did notice numerous bare areas adjacent to the fairways/rough. (Drought related?) First off so the front nine was great, then when we made it to the back nine ..... people everywhere! Just over an hour to play the front, almost two hours to play the back.

Staff here is always staff and the price is right. But for the distance from my home, and the fact the back side is always loaded with people, I would play here more often

6/4/15 - I've read some recent reviews that sound bad re: some areas of interest. However, if one considers the greens fee cost, the service staff, and compare those facts with some other area courses... Continue »

6/4/15 - I've read some recent reviews that sound bad re: some areas of interest. However, if one considers the greens fee cost, the service staff, and compare those facts with some other area courses, most things are favorable. This day, we did follow (as a twosome) four players that took long, long times at each hole. We finally passed them, and went forward without interruption or waiting. Big deal? Not really, we made up 3 holes by playing three more to make it 18. Bottom line... we're not serious scorekeepers; we play for the enjoyment of the game; we have a great time playing every week. Shandin Hills is one that we play regularly (about every 3-4 weeks). The Sunshine Pass fee is well worth it. The ball marks on the greens and the divots on the fairways are not totally the fault of the greenskeepers. Players should take care of that. Maybe some don't carry repair tools. But, there's no excuse for divots. The sand containers are provided on the carts, and the sand is premium. Yes, some bunkers need some work, but they are not the worst you will find. We will continue playing this lovely, challenging course in months to come.

Did not know what to expect playing here for 1st time. Greens were aerated about 2-3 weeks ago but were still fast and hard to read. Fairways were at times in good condition, but there were a lot of ... Continue »

Did not know what to expect playing here for 1st time. Greens were aerated about 2-3 weeks ago but were still fast and hard to read. Fairways were at times in good condition, but there were a lot of bare spots. Rough was 3 inches or less is most cases and ball sat up well. Traps and bunkers (I found 7 of them) were in poor to ridiculous shape. Doesn't anyone know what sand is supposed to be like in the IE? (The beach isn't that far away) I played as a single and finished in a little under three hours. Probably won't come back here again, but it was worth a shot.

Ok, I generally don't give negative reviews, I prefer to highlight positives and give praise when due. I will give a negative review when conditions are egregiously not up to the standard of what the ... Continue »

Ok, I generally don't give negative reviews, I prefer to highlight positives and give praise when due. I will give a negative review when conditions are egregiously not up to the standard of what the green fee sets only to inform my fellow GKers in hopes that you all can avoid a bad experience, as many of you have saved me from businesses that don't appreciate our patronage and hard earned money.
Prior to today I would have told you this course was in my regular rotation, no longer! This course has come under new management recently, and because I did play here quite regularly, it was easy for me to notice and point out on course improvements and exactly where money was being spent. I would like to detail the course conditions, but I'm so disgusted I can't bring myself to bother. All in all, the course has never been great in the last 10 years, but was working itself up to good in the last few months.
This course has high number of fools that show up here just to screw around as if this place is an amusement park for buffoons! I witnessed today (and other days) a group drive their cart ACROSS THE GREEN! On more than one occasion! I witnessed two in this same group run thru a bunker after putting out on #16. I'm sure there was even more bad behavior I didn't witness, I was behind them for the final 3 holes, only because to two groups between us quit and left the course after telling me they couldn't take it anymore. They also said they had called the pro shop on them, but there is no Marshall. It took this offensive group 30 minutes to finish #17! 30 minutes!!!
Shandin Hills, I promise never to return until you guys employ a Marshall! There are those who respect the game, course, property and facilities, then there are those who don't care about any of these things and exhibit a total disregard for fellow golfers on top of all that! My question to Shandin Hills is whether or not they will address the issues of their faithful customers or continue to let these people drive us away and negate the hard work the grounds crew is putting in?

It's a shame Shandin Hills is letting these occasional (I can't call them golfers, they don't even call themselves "golfers") drive away regular customers!

Played Thursday, 3/5, late morning T time. Wow! Quite a bit difference, the experience I had, compared to the last 2 reviews. First off, we booked our round at $25 a piece for our threesome and I usua... Continue »

Played Thursday, 3/5, late morning T time. Wow! Quite a bit difference, the experience I had, compared to the last 2 reviews. First off, we booked our round at $25 a piece for our threesome and I usually balk at paying much more than that.
Hit a few balls off the grass, on the range, definitely good for a warm up. Practice green is usually in good shape, they have a small chipping area with a sand bunker just to the right of the first T. Overall the practice area is good, I would definitely recommend it to those who are from the area, for the rest of us it suffices for a warm up.
I usually play this course a couple of times a month, it's in our rotation as a budget/econo course, usually played late mornings during the week or twilight on Sundays, we have 3 golfers in the family, sometimes playing several times a week, so for the purpose of playing as much as we possibly can, this course is much needed and suits our purpose very well, lest we go broke.
The starter was friendly and allowed us to go out early and usually does if the course is not completely packed. The layout of the course is a classic design, not much imagination, but the many bunkers protecting the greens and the trees lining the fairways, hold my attention and test my game.
The condition of the course is in great shape right now. Greens are always the most important to me and they were in very good condition as they usually are, often I find them in better condition, than more expensive IE courses, typically I rate them in the 6-7 range, rolling at medium-fast speed, layout of the greens are classic and a bit boring, with the hills being a huge factor in how they break.
I was surprised to see, how very well the condition of the bunkers were in, typically I rate them in poor to fair condition, sometimes with standing water in them from aimless water sprinklers and almost always firm and thin, today was much different, they were in the best condition I have ever seen them in, in the years that I have played here, about inch and a half of nicely groomed, fresh, fluffy sand.
Fairways are well covered, but thin and firm indicative of normal winter conditions.
Rough is the worst part of the course, a bit longer than the fairways, a bit inconsistent and with plenty of varmint holes. Speaking of varmint holes, around the greens is for the most part good condition to chip or run up on, but on the back of one hole, I narrowly averted spraining my ankle, my cat like reflexes saved me when I stuck my foot in one of these holes and I quickly shifted my weight to my well planted foot. These holes definitely need attention, I am certain this review would be different had I sprained my ankle.
I feel a little silly writing such a long review on a course, that is not in the top ten of IE courses even for me, but the rating is very low and out of line currently. If you are within a half hour drive time of this course, can deal with the traffic noise from the nearby freeway and are on a budget, than I strongly recommend this course.

Played Shandin Hills today. Good Saturday value for only $40 in the morning. The good, conditioning is ok, with the medium speed greens being the best part. Sand, fairways, rough and tee boxes were so... Continue »

Played Shandin Hills today. Good Saturday value for only $40 in the morning. The good, conditioning is ok, with the medium speed greens being the best part. Sand, fairways, rough and tee boxes were so-so.

The bad...Pace of play was horrible! Teed off at 830 and finished well after 2. One of our group left in frustration after 9. Had 2 affiliated groups in front of us who just had to follow each other around and hit each of their shots one by one. Guess they were betting and wanted to make sure nobody was cheating. Big gaps in between slow and faster groups. A conscientious Marshall would have really helped.

Really poor shape right now. Greens are bumpy (gopher hole on the green on #6!), fairways are really spotty with mounds and dry patches galore, rough is just longer fairway. Still soggy from the rains... Continue »

Really poor shape right now. Greens are bumpy (gopher hole on the green on #6!), fairways are really spotty with mounds and dry patches galore, rough is just longer fairway. Still soggy from the rains but that isn't a reason for the current conditions. Won't be back with the number of way better options in the IE.

You can always find a good deal on one of those discount sites for this course. Not a bad course, had fun. Very laid back course. Fast greens, and with water restrictions, the course was in good cond... Continue »

You can always find a good deal on one of those discount sites for this course. Not a bad course, had fun. Very laid back course. Fast greens, and with water restrictions, the course was in good condition. Only grip is that wish they would've told us about the tournament that was happening that morning. Our tee time was pushed back by 30 mins with a 5hr round. Played here on 10/11/2014.