Played this morning using the underpar deal. The course was in great shape. Tee boxes were great with nice coverage and level. Fairways were cut tight and gave some roll. They showed some brown spots... Continue »

Played this morning using the underpar deal. The course was in great shape. Tee boxes were great with nice coverage and level. Fairways were cut tight and gave some roll. They showed some brown spots but nothing that affected your game. They punched the fairways about two weeks ago and for the most part you couldn't tell. You could see some sand and holes but they were in areas you wouldn't want to be anyways. Greens were in great shape. All rolled very nicely with the morning being a little slow and then speeding up as the day went on. Bunkers were in good shape with good sand. We played in about 4 hours and had a good time. If you find a good deal I would go and play.

Ton of fun, I drove 3+ hours from Westlake Village and back the same day but Maderas is always worth it to me … especially when I can tee it up with fellow GK’ers for a Review Guru Round.

Golf cour... Continue »

Ton of fun, I drove 3+ hours from Westlake Village and back the same day but Maderas is always worth it to me … especially when I can tee it up with fellow GK’ers for a Review Guru Round.

Golf course was in great shape and I imagine it will be in even better shape come late April/early May when its healed from maintenance. The course is closed for 10 days to do green aeration and shave down many of the green aprons to return the complexes more to the original design. Greens were running smooth but slower than my last visit in November (granted the greens were lightning in November). They held shots well and always a diabolical challenge to read. The fairways were firm, mostly lush and had good padding under the ball. The rough was maintained not too penal at 1-2 inches and lush. The sand traps were all in good shape with quality sand. The tee boxes had some divot damage on the smaller boxes but were all level and lush.

I had a good ball striking day from the tee and found myself in play much more than usual when I play Maderas Golf Club. We played the Maderas Tees (Green) measuring 6800. I got to experience the design much better being in play most of the time and I have to say it’s a blast. Every green complex and shot from the tees/fairways require some thinking. Lots of elevated tee shots, fairway bunkers, greenside bunkers, well placed trees, water hazards, natural hazards, this course serves it all up. To me the Par 5’s are the most impressive. All very demanding with hole 14 being an uphill beast measuring 552 but plays more like 650 yards. Posted some photos - check them out.

Service was outstanding as all staff members were accommodating, friendly and professional.

Facilities were excellent with an impressive practice grounds and clubhouse.

Maderas Golf Club is one of my favorite courses in Southern California. Recommended.

3/24 guru outing with Steve Mike and Johnny good company and good golfers who are big hitters unlike me--had the common sense to play from the whites still listed at 6300 but a lot of the yardage is i... Continue »

3/24 guru outing with Steve Mike and Johnny good company and good golfers who are big hitters unlike me--had the common sense to play from the whites still listed at 6300 but a lot of the yardage is in a couple of longer par 4s and 5s. Shorter holes tended to be uphill however. Nice to not have to hit 3 wood 2nd shots all day. Layout is really scenic with good variety and lot of character. Course is extremely well maintained keeping with the reputation of Troon golf. Fairways are lush, firm enough to generate some roll but providing good cushion and good lies. Found only a couple of collection areas that had a lot of divots most of which were filled. Most fairways are ample but well place bunkers can come into play and some holes are quite penal if drive is missed on the wrong side. Minimal rough not much of an issue but hazards lurk beyond that. Tees level and lush with only a couple of the par 3s showing wear. Tee boxes are large so there is plenty of room to rotate marker placement. Found the greenside bunker on 18 which like all the others I observed is filled with consistently good rather fine grained sand that was nicely compacted allowing for an aggressive swing which was needed for a long bunker shot coming out nicely but then skittering sideways on the green leaving an unmade 20 foot putt. Greens provided an entertaining challenge as they are large amoeba shaped providing a variety of pin placements to take advantage of the contours and slopes testing reading skills. Very helpful to be the last to putt on similar lines. Greens rolled pretty true mostly smooth at medium fast speeds consistent overall. Nice grass driving range with balls provided. Practice green was a little faster than on the course. Very good customer service top class amenities and a very aesthetically pleasing well designed course. POP 420 with no waiting just delays related to wayward shots and taking time to judge distance and read greens. No GPS on carts but all sprinklers have yardage. I would expect normal POP to be at 41/2 or longer but hey enjoy where you are--every hole is a picture hole.

Played with the GK Review Gurus on 3/24, another fun day on a great course.

As weber2323 said, Maderas is closing today for 10 days of spring maintenance. The course already begins in the best shap... Continue »

Played with the GK Review Gurus on 3/24, another fun day on a great course.

As weber2323 said, Maderas is closing today for 10 days of spring maintenance. The course already begins in the best shape I have seen it, so it should be fantastic for the summer.

One of the few complains I've had about Maderas is that the fairways (and rough) are too tight and firm. The winter rains have helped soften them up a tiny bit. Still tight and firm, but not extreme. Greens are in great shape, definitely a "stay below the hole" kind of course.

Maderas is in a terrific location. Remote, but not too far from the freeway. Holes route through some difficult terrain, and finding some of the tee boxes can be a challenge.

You should note that the actual holes on #2-#17 are too small, and putts won't fall in. #1 and #18 are normal size, so I made those putts. (ok, they are all normal size.)

Still one of my favorite SoCal layouts, I can't wait to return.

Played the the Gurus yesterday and had a great time. Not really too much to add to my review from last week. Staff is outstanding as always. Everyone was very helpful, I've never had a bad experien... Continue »

Played the the Gurus yesterday and had a great time. Not really too much to add to my review from last week. Staff is outstanding as always. Everyone was very helpful, I've never had a bad experience here.

Greens were probably a little softer than last week and a little slower but still ran pretty good. Being an afternoon tee time there were probably a few more ball marks than last week but overall greens were still pretty smooth.

Fairways are still great to hit from. Still quite a bit of roll out there. I just wish I could have hit a few more fairways. Because of some of the contours of the fairways balls may collect in certain areas more which result in more divots in these collection areas. The good news is that many were filled in.

Was in 2 bunkers. One fairway and one green. Both were pretty consistent and really nice to hit from. I feel like there was really a splash when hitting out of them.

It's a shame the course is shutting down because conditions are great right now. I can't wait until it opens back up to get out there. Highly recommended.

Played today right before 9 as a 2some behind several 4somes so we took our time. Group behind us was always at least a hole behind so it was like a country club for us. Finished right at 4 hours bu... Continue »

Played today right before 9 as a 2some behind several 4somes so we took our time. Group behind us was always at least a hole behind so it was like a country club for us. Finished right at 4 hours but it a beautiful day. First thing I notice was how green the whole area is. They definitely benefited from our recent rains. Practice area was really nice today. Mowed in the morning and really great to warm up on. Greens are fantastic. They broke more than they looked or maybe I just putted real bad today. I didn't make anything today. After a while watching putts break I think I may have started over reading them. Smooth, didn't see that many marks on the greens but there were a few thou. Fairways are great to hit from. I think they are pretty firm and provide a little more roll than you would normally hit it. Rough is really the native area here to me and if you are in there just drop. I did see a snake on the path going up to the 14th green so they are coming out of hibernation. I was in one greenside bunker and it was early in my round so it was still somewhat damp and heavy to hit from. I noticed some bunkers could have used a raking. Played the blues tees today and the tee boxes were generally good. #4 was a little rough with all the divots but the other tee boxes on that hole seemed better. Staff was super helpful and friendly and I always expect that here at a Troon facility. There are a bunch of good people that work here. It's probably in the best shape in recent memory that I can remember.

Played 2/15. Course is in excellent shape and showing very few signs of the winter storms. Maintenance was excellent with no issues found. Greens weren't quite as fast as they often are at Maderas,... Continue »

Played 2/15. Course is in excellent shape and showing very few signs of the winter storms. Maintenance was excellent with no issues found. Greens weren't quite as fast as they often are at Maderas, but rolled beautifully. Fairways always gave a good lie, rough was in good shape (although there isn't much rough on this course), bunkers were excellent. And service was outstanding as always.

Played Maderas today using a free round voucher I won at the Mt. Woodson GK Plays. Thank you Johnny and thank you Maderas! I had a 9:30 tee time as a single, but the guys I was supposed to play with s... Continue »

Played Maderas today using a free round voucher I won at the Mt. Woodson GK Plays. Thank you Johnny and thank you Maderas! I had a 9:30 tee time as a single, but the guys I was supposed to play with showed up very early and went out ahead. The starter moved some groups around and paired me with another single named Peter, and we teed off at 9:40. Played the front nine behind a swift-moving foursome, and then played through at the 10th tee. Then we caught a fivesome toward the end of the back nine. Total POP was great at 3:50.

The course is in very nice condition. Not quite as green or lush looking as I expected, but it's playing fantastically. The greens are smooth, medium fast and accept full shots very well. Still very tricky to read, trickier than any other course I know. The fairways are lush bermuda with excellent coverage. Rough is dormant/semi-dormant bermuda also with good coverage and not very deep. Tee boxes were good. I was in one bunker and it was very nice. All in all, the visuals won't wow you with lushness right now, but the course is playing great.

was able to get down here for an early morning round with johnny, sal, and david as part of the guru review program. i have always enjoyed this course and yesterday was no different. customer servic... Continue »

was able to get down here for an early morning round with johnny, sal, and david as part of the guru review program. i have always enjoyed this course and yesterday was no different. customer service was excellent with smiles from all the staff. picked up the clubs from my car, friendly pro shop attendant and starter guided me to the back driving range since there was a private hank haney event that day. their main range is larger and included balls which is appreciated at this caliber course.

course itself was in very good condition, i wouldn't call it lush but it was all very consistent and cut tight. teeboxes were level and in good condition, fairways were all mown low and consistent. plenty of roll either forward or even left and right with the undulations here. on many holes you have to know where to aim to be in good position. fairway rough was just up a little higher, if you prefer a little forgiveness you'd probably actually prefer playing it from here. greenside rough was a little thicker but nothing that would give you any trouble. i fortunately was not in any bunkers, but they were very well manicured, with fluffy sand, enough for some nice splashes from my partners and even one solid fried egg.

greens were the toughest part of this course. the many undulations means you had to be close and on the right part of the green on your approach. the greens were running very very quick, and speed control was of prime importance. i had one par putt which just a bit firm which lipped out and on any other course would have ended up 1 or 2 feet away, but here i caught a slope just past the hole and ended up about 20 feet away instead for a solid 1 on, 4 putt. by no means was a GIR an easy par, and birdies were tough to come by.

cart girl tara was very friendly and came by a few times, and we were greeted with a warm towel at the end of the round. lunch in the clubhouse afterwards was very good. thoroughly enjoyed the round and it was a beautiful day. troon lived up to it's name here and i highly recommend the course, though you had better practice your putting beforehand, the greens are not for the faint of heart.