Played 7-17-16 with Stickboy and Mcantos with the GK group. Played from the black tees in great weather conditions for Purisima which means the wind was blowing less then ten miles per hour. Tee boxes... Continue »

Played 7-17-16 with Stickboy and Mcantos with the GK group. Played from the black tees in great weather conditions for Purisima which means the wind was blowing less then ten miles per hour. Tee boxes were in descent shape, some a little thin but mostly level. Fairways were mostly in good shape with a few thin areas and some small bare spots. Rough was in good shape, 2-3 inches and thick. Bunkers had plenty of heavy sand and well groomed. Greens, although rolling slower then normal they were smooth and true. Overall good conditions on a great course. Thanks to the LP staff ,Stacy, Russ, Angie,and Gary.

I had to play THIS gk plays, because La Purisima is one of my favorite courses anywhere. It's not just the layout, but the unspoiled beauty of the area. This was the easiest the course has ever played... Continue »

I had to play THIS gk plays, because La Purisima is one of my favorite courses anywhere. It's not just the layout, but the unspoiled beauty of the area. This was the easiest the course has ever played when I've played it, with light wind and the greens at a reasonable speed.
Conditions weren't perfect, but they were very good in the parts of the golf course where you should hit the ball. The greens are so challenging that there is an added sense of accomplishment when you two putt from long range.
If you haven't played this course, it's worth it to work a round at La Purisima into a trip up or down the California coast. It is a classic.

Another fun GK Plays yesterday with a great group on a fantastic course. La Purisima has always been one of my favorites, even if it isn't quite what it used to be. I have to admit that I still have r... Continue »

Another fun GK Plays yesterday with a great group on a fantastic course. La Purisima has always been one of my favorites, even if it isn't quite what it used to be. I have to admit that I still have romanticized memories of my first time playing here many years ago. The course was immaculate then and instantly a favorite golf experience. It's definitely much more rough around the edges these days, but still a great track. As others have noted, the conditions were pretty good overall by today's standards. Tee boxes could use some work. Fairways generally had very good coverage with soft fluffy lies to hit from. The rough had a lot of good areas and then gets worse as you stray farther from fairways. As others have noted, it's a bumpy ride around here on a cart. It's cool they have GolfBoards now, which would be good considering the cart paths here are kind of loosely routed (to put it kindly), but I don't know how well those do with such bumpy terrain. The bunkers were good. The greens were soft and rolling at medium speeds. By La Purisima standards, they were very slow. They were not the slick surfaces we're used to here. I had so many downhill putts stop way short that I was continually shocked. Not bad, but just not LaP reputation. Still, we had fun out there and I never mind trekking up to Lompoc for a round here.

Was at the GK Plays event yesterday and had a good time. Normally i would never drive that far to play golf especially if it meant driving through LA. Being from orange county I dont like sitting in t... Continue »

Was at the GK Plays event yesterday and had a good time. Normally i would never drive that far to play golf especially if it meant driving through LA. Being from orange county I dont like sitting in traffic and there was a lot of it after golf. That aside this course is pretty nice. I didnt get the national reviews saying it is supper tough because it just didnt play that yesterday. Course conditions were good not great. Greens were soft and slow but smooth as can be. Fairways were in great shape and mostly green. I did end up with a few bad lies and that was a bummer. it looked like the mower caught to much ground on a few holes which cut into the ground leaving mini trenches. I dont know why my ball was attracted to those lie but i had it at least 3 times. Sand was good but a little wet from the morning dew. The main issue i had with the course was that the tee boxes were a little messed up. Half were in great shape the other had weeks and uneven surface which made it hard to find a nice place to tee up.

In all if I lived around the area I would probably play again but Ii would not make the drive again. Id rather drive the 3.5 hours to play rams hill instead. Thanks Johnny for putting together another fun outing and im glad that I won a Sweet Link Soul Polo.

Played La Purisima on 6/17. This is a tough coarse if you don't know your way around. Trouble can be found everywhere. I can't remember having a straight putt, everything seemed to have a break. Tee b... Continue »

Played La Purisima on 6/17. This is a tough coarse if you don't know your way around. Trouble can be found everywhere. I can't remember having a straight putt, everything seemed to have a break. Tee boxes are not level and patchy. Played the blue/white combo which seems to be a good compromise between white and blues. Fairways were in great shape. Care driving golf cart on the rough as it is a very bumpy ride. All in all i really like this course and had a great time.

Good to great overall conditions here at La P today. I enjoyed the company of many of my GK buddies and the weather could not be any better. Greens were a little on the slow side today; probably runni... Continue »

Good to great overall conditions here at La P today. I enjoyed the company of many of my GK buddies and the weather could not be any better. Greens were a little on the slow side today; probably running around a 9 or 10, and were somewhat soft. Lots of green grass most everywhere on the tees and in the fairways and rough; however, as you get well off the rough, you can find many dirt lies (usually under the oaks). Some of those areas had mounds of dirt made by gophers or ground squirrels. Those same critters make driving through the rough very rough; bumpy travels in a golf cart and possible turned ankles if walking, so be careful and watch your footing. The bunkers were all raked nicely. Sand was fine and light brown in color. I had no issues hitting out of two bunkers today. Pace of play was a little on the slow side, but that was due to the event, I'm sure. It was a great day and there was no real reason to rush things, but I like to keep a faster pace for my own rhythm. I found the snack bar/restaurant to be nice with some Happy Hour specials on draft beers. Unfortunately, the hot pastrami I ordered had almost as much yellow mustard as meat, and it had a good amount of white cheese mixed/melted in. I'm not even sure what kind of cheese it was. I'm not a big fan of cheese and I think a pastrami should stand on the meat; like a lot of meat and very little of everything else. I like mustard as much as the next guy, but not 2 ounces on one sandwich. At least it was on the bread and I threw out one half of the roll. Had to be 1/8" thick layer of mustard. LOL! Great times at the raffle after and Johnny gave away some really nice prizes, as always. Big thanks to Johnny and La Purisima Golf Course and staff!

Played 5-6-16 mid morning walking in 4 1/2 hours. Tee boxes are mostly in good shape but a few are a little un-level and some were a little bit thin. Fairways were in real good shape with real nice li... Continue »

Played 5-6-16 mid morning walking in 4 1/2 hours. Tee boxes are mostly in good shape but a few are a little un-level and some were a little bit thin. Fairways were in real good shape with real nice lies. Rough is thick and around 2-3 inches with some longer areas around the greens. Bunkers were in nice shape and had heavy firm sand. Greens were in great shape rolling true with medium/fast speed and holding shots real nice. With U.S. Open qualifying on the 12th now is the time to get up here and play.

It had been about 2 years since I last played here, so I was really looking forward to going up there again. I had a Golf Moose deal of $69 for two, less a $50 gift certificate (courtesy of GK). The ... Continue »

It had been about 2 years since I last played here, so I was really looking forward to going up there again. I had a Golf Moose deal of $69 for two, less a $50 gift certificate (courtesy of GK). The deal said additional $15 per player if before 12pm, but the lady in the pro shop was so nice and didn’t charge us that. It just doesn’t get much better than $9.50 per person! It was my friend’s first time there and the first thing he said was “everything is so green!” It was just beautiful. The fairways were perfect. The rough was a tad long, making it hard sometimes to find the balls. The greens were perfectly smooth, and really firm. There wasn’t a single ball mark to repair the whole day. The tee boxes were not so great. Several times I had to move my tee to find level footing. The bunkers were nice- somewhat crusty on top but deep and fluffy underneath. The course has a big variety of holes. It’s so much fun! There were a few disappointments, though, the biggest being the wind. It went from slightly breezy to gusts of 30-50 mph. That course is challenging enough normally - my game barely stood a chance today. About the time we teed off on #10, we started smelling smoke from a nearby brush fire. We heard that was caused by downed power lines, most likely from the wind. POP was so slow, 4.5 hours, waiting on every hole. I definitely want to play La Purisima again. I wish it was closer. There aren’t a lot of courses that I like to replay many times, but I don’t think I would ever get tired of this one.

First time playing here today - used the coupon like everyone else and got in 30 holes before the rain.

Course design features strategic fairway bunkering on most every par 4 and 5 and a narrowing ... Continue »

First time playing here today - used the coupon like everyone else and got in 30 holes before the rain.

Course design features strategic fairway bunkering on most every par 4 and 5 and a narrowing (or complete ending) to the fairways at the landing zones too. So either layup and have a longer second or try to fly the hazard for a shorter approach. There are interesting sight lines off the tee as frequently you can't see where to land it, or, that landing area turns out to be quite different in scale than what you saw from back on the tee. Also, a ton of dog-lefts, so hopefully you can bring your draw. (only true dog leg to the right is #11). So a lot of risk reward straight off the tee that can impact your second shot greatly.

And, there was a penchant for putting a large oak right in the middle of the fairway where you want to aim the ball. My strategy - aim right for it and fly it over (I guess that is why they are there - to get you to play around them. But, they were rarely actually in play). The back nine is more interesting and varied than the front IMO (which plays over more exposed terrain with a heath-land like feel). The stretch from 12 thru 16 is the best on the course as it gets tighter and more strategic (and plays through a really gnarly, primordial oak grove which was cool). 15 is a really great par 5 with one of the most unique layouts I have seen - it's the best hole me thinks. That said, 12 (the other par 5 on the back) seemed well nigh impossible as every shot (tee ball, layup and approach) you had no clear line to where you needed to be - usually because of aforementioned oaks plopped down right in the middle of the hole. Toughest hole on the course, perhaps. (and maybe a tad unfair???).

The course comes advertised as being a beast, and while it is no push over, I thought it was of moderate difficulty (kind of reminded me of Robinson Ranch in places). Pete Dye designs remain in my mind as the most infernal (yes - I'm talking about you, Stadium course). Wind is a huge part of the defense here and today at least, it seemed like I was often faced with draw pins playing into a cut wind. So not easy to judge especially if you have to start the ball flying in the direction of the garbage to get it to ride the breeze and stick it close.

Conditions: Average to above average throughout. The weakest part by far were the tee-boxes which were mainly patchy in coverage (esp. par threes) and quite crowned on a few. Still, you don't spend much time here so easy to get around these issues. 5.5/10. Fairways had a few different growths but were lush for the most part (7/10). Ditto rough, although it got patchy and variable around some greens, ranging from lush to tight-cut to non-existent dirt and sand lies. 6.5/10. These were usually in spots away from the main watering areas so I'll put it down to the drought. Sand was fine but usually wet and thus a bit compacted. Also, it's a more or less cosmetic issue, but they need to define the bunkers better as they are all overgrown around the edges and/or the sand is spilling out in places. Not only would it frame things better, but it would help with the lies you might get (as I did) towards the edges, which were lumpy and uneven. 8/10. Greens were basically blemish-free with little to no ballmarks and complete, lush coverage. However, they were pretty slow (would estimate 8.5 stimp generously) and had a softer, nappy feel so the occasional putt would wobble off line. (8.5/10). Kudos to whoever cut the holes as they were the crispest-edged cups ever. They looked like the pockets on a billiard table.

I prefer the layout of Monarch Dunes further up the coast which I think is more memorable, but this was certainly worth the play. And small point - they don't really have cart paths - except around the tees in places. Otherwise, you are driving on rutted sandy tracks, so if babies are in your future plans you may want to drive slowly. I like the lack of concrete paths ribboning their way around from an aesthetic standpoint, but it certainly makes it a little harder to find your way around as a newbie (I am thinking of the commute through the oaks from 14 green to 15 tee.

Solid stuff all around.