Played 12-18-17 with GDR23 teeing off at 8:50 (after a 1 hour 40 minute frost delay) and finishing at 4pm for 36 with a short stop for lunch. Took a golf board for $25 the first round and in a cart fo... Continue »

Played 12-18-17 with GDR23 teeing off at 8:50 (after a 1 hour 40 minute frost delay) and finishing at 4pm for 36 with a short stop for lunch. Took a golf board for $25 the first round and in a cart for $20 on the replay. Tee boxes were in descent shape, mostly good coverage, some divot damage on par threes and some that need some leveling (#9 very crowned). Fairways had a few minor bare spots but mostly in really good shape with great lies. Rough was cut down a little shorter than usual but still healthy and lush. Was in three greenside bunkers two off which had very nice sand and one that was a little thin with some small pebbles in it. Greens were in great shape, smooth, fast and semi firm but still holding well struck shots. Overall course is in real good shape, costumer service is always great here, and the restaurant has a great tri tip sandwich.

Walked the blues, then rode the blues today 12/18/2017 at my favorite course La Purisma joined by RGM2525 for 36 beautiful holes. Weather was freezing 37 degrees when we arrived and there was a hour a... Continue »

Walked the blues, then rode the blues today 12/18/2017 at my favorite course La Purisma joined by RGM2525 for 36 beautiful holes. Weather was freezing 37 degrees when we arrived and there was a hour and 45 minute frost delay--they usually let the 1st tee time off at 7am but we were prepped ahead of time that it would be closer to 8am--we were let out 2nd off behind a single at 8:50am and finished the 1st round in 3 hrs 5 minutes--I was exhausted after the 1st round and riding the cart with their re-play deal for 20 bucks felt good. 2nd round was just epic weather--really not that much wind to speak of for the entire day. We waited for a 3some from hole 6 on the second round but still finished in 3 hr 40 minutes for the second round. Great staff and nice conditions at La P. The greens were in very good shape--and the December colder weather had them super quick. Ron who I played with and is a member here concurred that this was probably the toughest he had seen the pin positions for a non-tournament day or round. On number 15 to give you an example I piped a drive and knocked my second shot on the green in 2 shots on the middle front of the green--I could not keep my eagle putt even on the surface--it was make it or not be able to have your ball stop on the surface--seemed like most of the pins were on top of ridges, tucked in the front of greens or on side slopes or tiers--The greens were just in fantastic shape--rolling probably close between an 10.5-11 on the stimp--very few ballmarks and please do not short side yourself here. Rated 8.5/10--almost 9/10 The fairways were very green--wet with dew from the frost delay--some damp spots in low lying areas but for the most part a treat to hit from. Never even close to a tight lie. Rated 8/10 The tees need some leveling--several tees were crowned, some contained some divot damage. Rated 6.5/10 The rough was green, lush and in nice shape--rated 8/10. Have seen it worse here a far as length--very challenging rough here--beware there are some (rough places in the rough). On #4 bombed my morning round drive over the lake and in front of the greesnide bunker just 20 yds from the green--got up to my ball sitting down in a hole. Try to avoid the rough here at all costs cause you never know what you are going to get. Was in 8 bunkers over 36 holes all greenside--so got plenty of practice to review them. They were all raked and in decent shape--some were muddy, some were beach sand and some were in between. Overall rating 7/10. I still think this takes the cream of the crop as the toughest course if not one of the tougher ones in California--just add 5-6 to your normal scorecard and put a smile on your face. With the fairways, greens and rough the way they are now I would HIGHLY recommend La Purisma for playing conditions.

One of the best and most challenging courses in CA. The course is in a beautiful area with rolling hills and trees if you hit your shots offline. The course looks benign but it is very tough. While... Continue »

One of the best and most challenging courses in CA. The course is in a beautiful area with rolling hills and trees if you hit your shots offline. The course looks benign but it is very tough. While the fairways and greens are in excellent shape, the rough is bumpy, can be very tough and is inconsistent. You are at the mercy of your lies when you miss the fairway. A couple tee boxes could be fixed - mostly uneven, but this is minor to me, overall they are OK. The wind almost always picks up in the afternoon making the course more of a challenge. The sand traps sometimes are firm and there are a lot of high lips so it depends where you are in the trap as to difficulty.
Just two holes I don't like.
I wish they would totally redo the 14th hole. A 370ish dogleg left par 4 but with almost no place to safely hit your tee shot. Trees down the left and trees and a creek on the right. There is about a 25 yard wide place to hit a drive between 210-265 yards where you are safe and have a shot at the green (unless you can hit it over the trees about a 280 yard carry - and then hope you get lucky where you end up).
The 15th hole can be played safely by hitting it straight, but the hole would play better if they cleaned up (it is bare, bumpy, dusty and with a lot of burrowing animal holes) the area left of the bunkers on left side of fairway and allow a good shot in that direction.
Other than that the course is a gem. Usually only crowded (and still mildly) on the weekends. Great people work there and it is a hidden gem.

La Purisima is simply one of my favorite courses in Southern California. I wish it were closer, but even being about 200 miles from home, I still make certain I play there at least once a year. I n... Continue »

La Purisima is simply one of my favorite courses in Southern California. I wish it were closer, but even being about 200 miles from home, I still make certain I play there at least once a year. I never have any problem getting out early, which I attribute in large part to Stacey, who is fantastic! Always provides perfect customer service !

I am hesitant to be critical about anything on this course, but the fairways had a lot of bare spots, I mean a lot of them. Those areas which had grass were fine, but there was a 50/50 chance you would not find grass on some holes. Greens were great. Smooth and reasonably quick. Quite a few tee boxes were not level, not even close.

However when you love a course, the scenery, the staff, and just the general ambiance, you finish your round and wish you could go out and play it again. Wonderful time on a fabulous course. Played in 2 hours 40 min, which is a great pace for this. A perfect way to begin the day!

Had an impromptu meeting in Lompoc on Monday and decided rather than braving the traffic back to LA that I would see if I could get on over at La Purisima for the first time ever for a quick twilight ... Continue »

Had an impromptu meeting in Lompoc on Monday and decided rather than braving the traffic back to LA that I would see if I could get on over at La Purisima for the first time ever for a quick twilight round. It all worked out, however I almost wish I hadn't blown my first time in a rush to finish before dark. I got a cart and the helpful guys in the pro shop got me out on the back nine to start as there was a high school girl's team going off on the front nine (more on that later). I zipped through the front nine in no time totally solo, then caught up to the girls at the fifth hole on the front. You would think at a young age these people move quickly, but you would be dead wrong. So I jumped over to the 7th hole to get ahead of them, only to catch another group of them moving terribly slowly at the 8th green. After finally finishing up on #9, went back to complete #5 and #6. Now a quick aside rant - the coach of these girls (I assume) asked me at some point to 'hang back' and I obliged best I could, but after bypassing the girls when I was done and re-playing the ninth hole par 3 just for fun, he actually watched them as they twice hit into me while I was raking the bunker. Way to go coach - great way to set a good example! Maybe you can also mention the courtesy of playing a bit faster and not stopping to smell the roses along the way, too. So what should have (and could easily have been) a sub-3 hour round, turned into a bit more, but no big deal in the end. I just wish I would have made my first time here more mellow and not so hurried. As for course conditions, well, my expectations were high, and many of those were met. The layout is incredibly challenging and the holes are really a joy to play. Sure, there are a few quirky ones, some wicked doglegs, PLENTY of trouble to get into, and many a narrow fairway chute to find a good place for approach. The lies are rarely flat and the scenery is pretty terrific. All that being said, I think a nice place like this could use a better cart path. It would almost be better with an ATV than a golf cart in many places, and on some holes there's simply no path at all and you're guiltily driving the cart right up next to the tee box as you have zero clue where to go (hint: there is no place to go). Fix that. Fairways were generally lush and pleasant to play from, but there were a few GUR areas and some thinner lies, but mostly it was that nice carpet one would anticipate at a high-reputation course like LP. The rough was quite penal in areas but mostly playable and cut to a reasonable length. Tee boxes were pretty well maintained. The bad? Wow, the bunkers were terrible. Really just clumped up dirt and rocks that was totally unexpected and disappointing. One would expect the nice, fluffy stuff here, but that was not the case. The greens though were exceptionally good. I love the green complexes here and the subtle, yet adventurous breaks on almost every one. The ball rolls very nicely on these greens and they hold shots better than expected with that nice fast speed they roll at. Really nice coverage and no complaints whatsoever there - the highlight of the conditions without a doubt. So yeah, all in all it was a pretty nice twilight round with a few rough edges, but it's hard to find any reason to complain when you finally get to play one our more famous/reputable courses for the very first time. Clearly one would benefit from some course knowledge here as there are plenty of 'blind' holes where you're rather clueless off the tee, so I look forward to doing this again when I can actually take my time and not be so worried about getting in before the sun goes down. Looking forward to that day immensely.

This was the first stop on my birthday golf trip to central CA. We played on the GK coupon, but didn't stick around for a replay because, well, the next stop was Monterey. I've played La Purisima 5-... Continue »

This was the first stop on my birthday golf trip to central CA. We played on the GK coupon, but didn't stick around for a replay because, well, the next stop was Monterey. I've played La Purisima 5-6 times over the past 10 years and always liked it. This time, not so much. It had rained over an inch a day before we arrived for our morning round on Sept. 12, so the rough was long and punishing, the grounds wet in spots, and many of the bunkers had standing water.

The course was in decent shape otherwise, although not as good as I remember it. In particular, the edges of the bunkers had not been trimmed in awhile, and grass was growing into them. The cart ran out of juice on the 14th hole and we had to summon a new one. Apparently the carts are old and it's not uncommon to die on the course. I realize the course is out in the middle of nowhere and probably has a tough time remaining solvent, so I chalk up the conditions to economic reality.

Course layout is generally pretty good, but there are a few quirky holes. The course played much different than a typical SoCal course because the rough was much thicker than the drought-tolerant courses I'm used to playing. I had a heck of a time hitting out of it, and used my driver sparingly because the penalty for missing the fairway was too high.

For the low handicapper this is a good challenge, but for me, well, it was just too difficult.

Got out today using the GK Coupon $47 Unlimited Golf with a cart and a small bucket of balls.
Couldn't ask for a better day of golf, light wind, sunny, on a course that is kept in emaculate shape fro... Continue »

Got out today using the GK Coupon $47 Unlimited Golf with a cart and a small bucket of balls.
Couldn't ask for a better day of golf, light wind, sunny, on a course that is kept in emaculate shape from the practice tee's to the practice greens.
They have a chipping area as well as a sand trap to practice all your shots of which you will need them all. The course is rated 129.
For the most part the course was wide open, we did catch up to a group at the 13th but quickly lost them as they moved on where we never saw them again.
Tee boxes were excellent, fairways were cut nice with a few patches here and there, the rough is indeed rough at 3 to 4 inches where your balls drops down into it nicely causing you to club up one or two clubs.
Sand traps, and I saw a bunch of them, where in excellent shape as well. Nice and fluffy with a few a little wet still from the morning springkling they gave the course.
The greens are what you come to this course for, they are professional quality running fast.
I would say at least a easy 10 possibly up to an 11 on the stimp meter. Keeping the ball below the hole is a must.
Lots of greens undulate so you got a fast put that is breaking minature golf style taking lots of skill.
I one putted 10 of the 27 holes we played with the average putt being 8 to 10 feet.
I love fast greens.
I learned to golf on this course so it holds a real special place in my heart. It is well worth the drive if you are in the area.

Very busy at La Purisima. I normally don't play here on holiday weekends even though I am a players club member and they have a July 4th weekend members tournament. That is tomorrow. It was stacked to... Continue »

Very busy at La Purisima. I normally don't play here on holiday weekends even though I am a players club member and they have a July 4th weekend members tournament. That is tomorrow. It was stacked today. In fact, so stacked I played 12 holes and called it quits. Too slow and my game got affected. Well it's probably me. I'm so used to coming out at irregular times that prime time holiday is a shock. But this courses DESERVES AND EARNS heavy traffic. An absolute gem and I'm thrilled to call it my home course. Among the best anywhere. It's just awesome, so I'll be back. Again, again and again.

Played 5/27, 5/28...a joy to play as usual, staff is one of the best, Stacey especially, be careful, her 5 year old son Alex will clean your clock on the putting green, he is just priceless, now, fo... Continue »

Played 5/27, 5/28...a joy to play as usual, staff is one of the best, Stacey especially, be careful, her 5 year old son Alex will clean your clock on the putting green, he is just priceless, now, for the golf, LaPurisima is pure golf, this course will let you know the shape of your golf game, every shot is needed to negotiate your way around...greens conditions are some of the best I have played this year, some wear, and tear on the tees and fairways, but, that is normal. play early, if possible, the wind makes this course a monster to finish on...the only negative comment is the conditions of the bunkers, wet, hard, mud-like , like General MacArthur said,"I shall return"...stay healthy ,drive safely, CGG...