I'm on vacation with the family in Ventura this week, and I got out to play Olivas Links twice, teeing off right on time at 7:20 Tuesday the 23rd and 7:10 Thursday the 25th. The first round I walked w... Continue »

I'm on vacation with the family in Ventura this week, and I got out to play Olivas Links twice, teeing off right on time at 7:20 Tuesday the 23rd and 7:10 Thursday the 25th. The first round I walked with 3 other singles, 1 walking and 2 riding and for the second round I walked with 1 other walking single. Pace was great both days, finishing in just under 4 hours.

Conditions here are really nice, greens are a bit soft but roll pretty well. I was expecting a few more bumps then I got, as many of them don't look very good with all of the old pitch marks that they have. I did find myself fixing 2 or 3 extras on most greens. Pace was medium, although downhill putts ran out a bit more than I expected. They're soft enough to hold most shots very well. Fairways are awesome, every time I was on short grass I had a perfect lie to hit from. There were a few spots that looked very sketchy, but they never came in to play for me, and most of them were actually marked as ground under repair (I never see that in the northwest). Rough isn't too long and not very punishing, but if you get really wild and end up in the native areas you might get a great lie, or lose a ball. Tee boxes were a bit uneven here and there, but not bad at all. Markers had been moved away from the worst of the divots as well. Over the 2 rounds I only found 1 bunker (greenside #3) and it was a bit thin but not too bad.

Customer service was excellent in the shop both days, as well as from the beverage cart on Tuesday (I didn't see the cart out on Thursday). Range is off of mats, and the ones I used were in good shape. They've got a really nice chipping green here, as well as a very good putting green to warm up on as well. Both of these greens felt like a pretty accurate reflection of what you got out on the course. Tuesday is their maintenance day, so play was starting from #10. I thought that would feel weird, but it didn't really bother me at all. The 18th hole here is a much better finisher than the 9th, but it actually felt relaxing to get some of the tougher holes after the turn out of the way early.

There's a lot to like about Ventura county and I'm so happy I got down here for this vacation. This course especially makes me wish I lived down here, if I did I would be playing here all of the time.