Played at the GK Event on 7/12. We were the first group out @ 12:00. As always the day was fabulous, meeting up with familiar faces, and getting acquainted with new ones :). The course conditions ... Continue »

Played at the GK Event on 7/12. We were the first group out @ 12:00. As always the day was fabulous, meeting up with familiar faces, and getting acquainted with new ones :). The course conditions overall were very nice. There is a driving range where you can hit off grass; a nice chipping area; and a couple practice green areas. Clubhouse consists of 2 trailers - one a bathroom facility and the other the small but adequate Pro shop. Staff were very accommodating and pleasant. Course obviously suited my game of the day, as I shot a 96 (avg 106), resulting in my winning D Flight. Wahoo. Oh...back to the ratings versus my giddy rantings. Tee boxes were large, level, and in excellent shape. Fairways nicely taken care of. Ball set up nicely and divots repaired. Bunkers looked nice as well. Seemed like adequate level/quality of sand. Greens were not crazy fast; which I thought would be based off the practice greens. But overall they rolled pretty true and consistent. Course was pretty full in the morning with other groups/tournament, and as the 1st Team out for our GK Event, we did repair some ball marks; but for the most part - minimally. LOVED their signature Adirondack chairs. Agree with one other rating's comments, "The pin placements were sometimes in difficult areas and sometimes in very accessible areas." They weren't easy, but not ridiculously difficult either. We saw the cart girl twice. No GPS on carts. Water stations on course. Pace of place was good considering the amount of events/groups out on the course this day. Wind wasn't a major issue when we started; however, by the back 9 it started to make it known that it can be a force to contend with for certain. Rough wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be/could've been. Seems as though they've cut alot of it back significantly. Water hazard areas were all but dried up reedy areas. Get in the deep rough and you had your work cut out to get the ball up/out (IF you found it). Back 9, in my opinion seemed a little more difficult than the front. 3hr drive for us from our neck of the woods, but this course is certainly one we would love to play in the future; when travels to the area arose. Olivas Links is truly a Must Play! ...in this novice golfin gals humble opinion. :)

I was just thinking about the good times I had last weekend at Olivas Links running the GK Event when it dawned on me I still had not written my review.

I got to play 14 holes before having to head... Continue »

I was just thinking about the good times I had last weekend at Olivas Links running the GK Event when it dawned on me I still had not written my review.

I got to play 14 holes before having to head in to set-up for the finishing groups. Olivas is basically my home course, I like it that much. As expected in the Summer, the course was in outstanding shape. Tees and Fairways, lush and tight cut. Greens smooth but a little “summer” slow, which they have to do this time of year. Rough, always an adventure here, the biggest variable for scoring IMO because it is total hit or miss whether you find your ball or not. Bunkers in great shape with quality sand and well cared for. POP for a Saturday afternoon on a busy day was around 5 hours…that was what I had timed our GK Event groups at. Back nine played slower than the front. That was to be expected. The back nine is harder and groups can get a bit compressed on hole 13.

Overall, Olivas was helpful with the event and because of the small size of our event, only 24 players, the outside picnic area accommodated us well. Something I like about Olivas Links, and likely overlooked, is its only 2 minutes away from the Ventura Harbor. That’s a fun place to go while in Ventura. After our event, 14 of us headed over there for a bite to eat. Right now, Olivas Links is a terrific place to play. Highly recommended.

Thanks again to everyone the made our event!

Had a great time, as always, at the GK event this Saturday. Played the course the week before as well. It's hard to specifically pinpoint the detailed ratings because it is a links course and has all ... Continue »

Had a great time, as always, at the GK event this Saturday. Played the course the week before as well. It's hard to specifically pinpoint the detailed ratings because it is a links course and has all the inconsistencies a good links course should have. I didn't like the course a couple years ago, and hadn't played it since, but have to say it was very enjoyable the second & third times around. Front 9 and back are a bit different, back gets tight with some blind shots. Some course knowledge helps here as there is no GPS. Sand was excellent, tee boxes level, fairways good, some tighter lies at times but not too bad. Rough varied much, from dirt to super tall, forget finding your ball, native grasses. I like the look, and the challenge. Greens not super fast, but nice and smooth and rolled well and true. Not much of a clubhouse, just a trailer but staff is attentive and cart girl excellent. Sorry to my teammates for my awful play :-(. Next time. Thank you again Johnny for a great event. GKers rule!

Great time at GK event on 7/12. Played from the "club" tees at 1:15 pm. I thought the course was in terrific shape from tee to green. The greens were slower than I remembered and left a lot of my putt... Continue »

Great time at GK event on 7/12. Played from the "club" tees at 1:15 pm. I thought the course was in terrific shape from tee to green. The greens were slower than I remembered and left a lot of my putts short. The back nine is much more challenging than the front. Playing closer to the coast and in the early afternoon subjected us to a breeze that could make up to a 3 club difference. There are nice practice areas for putting, chipping and sand shots...and a grass driving range. The staff was pleasant and the beverage cart came around several times. Olivas Links is a great option to add to your summertime Ventura County golf list!

Great times with fellow GKers at the latest event Saturday. Course conditions were great. Greens were not as fast as most people like, especially for a course of this caliber. They were medium speed w... Continue »

Great times with fellow GKers at the latest event Saturday. Course conditions were great. Greens were not as fast as most people like, especially for a course of this caliber. They were medium speed without a lot of ball marks or damaged areas. The pin placements were sometimes in difficult areas and sometimes in very accessible areas. From tee to green, good course conditions throughout. The one bunker I was in had great sand. The two lakes on 11 and 13/16 were dry and the reeds mostly cut down, making it possible to play a found ball. Worked for me on 16. Also, some areas of the long kikuyu grass have been mowed, while others have been left alone. I prefer they either mow it flat or remove it. It is not "native" and the longer kikuyu just looks like it does not belong. I have not played here in quite a while and I found the course to be improving its playability and visuals. I'll be back.

Played in GK Event Sat. 07/12 Course is good condition. Tee Boxes, fairways and greens and sand traps were in very good shape. The greens did putt a little slow. It had some wide fairways and some ve... Continue »

Played in GK Event Sat. 07/12 Course is good condition. Tee Boxes, fairways and greens and sand traps were in very good shape. The greens did putt a little slow. It had some wide fairways and some very narrow looking fairways which made it interesting. Some undulating greens on the back nine made for some difficult putts. My only complaint is the grass under some trees was at least six inches long and it ate one of my golf balls right after I hit out of it. That was on number 6 . Picked up and took the traditional double par

Played in the GK event Sat 7/12. Great event and good time as always, thanks JGK. Olivas is in great summer condition now. Fairways and tee boxes are lush and a pleasure to play from. Greens were a ta... Continue »

Played in the GK event Sat 7/12. Great event and good time as always, thanks JGK. Olivas is in great summer condition now. Fairways and tee boxes are lush and a pleasure to play from. Greens were a tad bit slow for my tastes but putted true and held shots reasonably. Overall OL is a treat in the summer with cool temps and lush course conditions. Some noticeable changes to the course since my last visit. Some of the native areas have been trimmed creating some new visual's and opportunities. As an example hole 11 was trimmed on the right side allowing you to see the green complex from the fairway short. Previously you needed to get close to the dogleg to see the green. On this day, I benefited and saved a shot as I was able to play my ball out of the hazard but, wasn't happy with the change as I feel it softened up the hole and took some interest out of the hole. I always felt Olivas had a perfect balance with playability and interest and this change plus some other similar changes may have softened the course a little. Not needed, in my opinion.
Hopefully this is just temporary and the plan in the end is to bring new vegetation and restore these characteristics back. Cant believe im saying to bring back the full canopy of trees right on 15 & 16 that ive been b$tch ing about for years but it just doesn't feel the same without it.

You guys in Ventura County are spoiled. I mean I roll up here from LA and am treated to some of the best golf views I have seen in quite a while and I play a lot of local golf.

Played in the GK ... Continue »

You guys in Ventura County are spoiled. I mean I roll up here from LA and am treated to some of the best golf views I have seen in quite a while and I play a lot of local golf.

Played in the GK Tournament yesterday, another well run event I might add. Thanks JohnnyGK for keeping with our Casual Golf Outings. It brings together like minded golfers of various skill levels in a semi-competitive environment that is not only competitive for some but fun. It also treats us city dwellers to some of the higher end golf courses we wouldn't normally play.

To see some of the photos from the event check out my instagram @ringworld or twitter @ringworld_ace or tumblr @ringworld. Sorry had to do that. And @golfadvisor remember JohnnyGK and @greenskeeperorg are the ORIGINAL #knowbeforeyougo golf crew.

Now the review. Greens were a little on the slowish side of medium fast but started to speed up when the sun dried out the greens. If you don't know pin placements be sure to ask the starter, it's a GREAT help when figuring out what to do on this course. I was befuddled more than once on my approach shot. Greens are undulating and for the most part have several tiers so depending upon pin placement do yourself a favour; save a load on the frustration level and check out the pin placement for the day. No GPS so bring a range finder or GPS. Fairways in good shape. Sand in bunkers (both fairway and greenside) well stocked with typical sand -- not fluffy just the sand you feel you can get your club on and get out of the hazard easily. Rough is thick but thin. Be mindful of those areas with the thick heather. I tried to go after a green with my second shot of a par 5 and missed right .... into the heather. Lucky one of my partners found the ball because I would have been hard pressed to find it; plus it's plenty thick. So be warned. Tee boxes level and well rotated.

Pin placements were in some of the craziest places. It was fun/frustrating at the same time. Took a while to figure out a putting stroke that would work for me on these greens but once I sussed it out I was able to keep my score under control. The practice greens in my opinion do not reflect what you find on the golf course.

Overall I enjoyed this round. The company and the scenery were worth the trek. Would I advise others to come play here? NO. Are you kidding me? I want this place kept secret only because I want to play here again without the crowds. But I can be selfish like that. So... yes, DO come and try this course if you haven't. DO stay for dinner and dine at one of the local establishments. DO tell your friends about some of the best hospitality you can get at a local golf course you will treat yourself.

Another fantastic GK event on a course that's always pretty enjoyable, especially with the cool summer temps. Very windy and almost even got a little chilly by the end of the round, but refreshing. Th... Continue »

Another fantastic GK event on a course that's always pretty enjoyable, especially with the cool summer temps. Very windy and almost even got a little chilly by the end of the round, but refreshing. Thanks to Johnny for setting this one up and everyone seemed to have a great time. The place was busy and it looked like there was a big tournament out ahead of us, as well, so pace a bit slow. I'm sure others will elaborate more on the conditions. I thought things were pretty good. Not the nicest I've seen the course, but good playability. Some thin/light patches here and there, but the course is tight and firm as a links course should be. Greens good. Tee boxes great. Bunkers excellent (I was only in one, though). I can't speak for everyone, but I didn't like how they cut down some of the hazard areas on holes like 11, 13 and 16. Kind of neuters those tough hole layouts if you can find and play your ball from the hazard. Doesn't look as nice either with everything chopped down. Hopefully they'll let that grow back out so the holes play as they are supposed to.