Thoroughly enjoyed a 10am round at Olivas on Wednesday, 5/27. With temperatures in the low 90's in the SFV, it was a real pleasure to experience mid-to-upper 60's with a nice breeze while on the cours... Continue »

Thoroughly enjoyed a 10am round at Olivas on Wednesday, 5/27. With temperatures in the low 90's in the SFV, it was a real pleasure to experience mid-to-upper 60's with a nice breeze while on the course. Overall, the course is still in fine shape. Fairways are not quite as green as they were a couple of weeks ago, but they are just as lush - a delight to hit from. The rough ranges from nicely cut grass of 1 - 3 inches to specific areas with grasses that are up to several feet high. Stay out those areas. You probably won't find your ball. I wasn't in any bunkers today. But my partner said there was plenty of good sand in the greenside bunkers he was in. The greens were soft and receptive and about medium speed. They rolled quite nicely, and were consistent throughout the course. I really enjoy playing this beautiful golf course. It is easily walkable with just the right amount of challenge. I highly recommend it.

Enjoyed Olivas Links so much last weekend that I made a return trip this Sunday with a few first-timers after gushing so much about the place all week. It's simply one of my favorite SoCal courses now... Continue »

Enjoyed Olivas Links so much last weekend that I made a return trip this Sunday with a few first-timers after gushing so much about the place all week. It's simply one of my favorite SoCal courses now and a place I will never mind making the hour long drive to anymore.

Conditions were once again excellent this week with great greens, lush fairways, ample bunker sand, thick but playable rough and great tee boxes. The only downside today would be the lack of any cart service or snack bar, but they're doing what they need to do right now during the shutdown. Still, it would be a nice addition at this point and the risk is minimal for a big reward.

Used the driving range this time and it was simple enough, but the mats did seem a little worn and were definitely uneven. Still, not a big deal at all. Very minimal frills at check-in and got a push-cart again after pre-paying for $61 for the round.

Super enjoyable layout on a gorgeous day but need to get back again when I'm hitting the clubs better. Highly recommend this Ventura County gem right now.

Why it took me this long to make my way up to Ventura and play the glorious Olivas Links I will never understand. Played on Sunday and the setup is all very virus-conscious. No carts available but I d... Continue »

Why it took me this long to make my way up to Ventura and play the glorious Olivas Links I will never understand. Played on Sunday and the setup is all very virus-conscious. No carts available but I did get a push cart and it was a bit cool, but overcast day as we tee'd off at 9:30am. I love the colors of this course (even without the sunshine bursting through all day), from the green fairways to the yellow flowers to the dark big banzai-looking trees, and the white sand in the bunkers. There was one hole on the back nine, I think it was 15, where I felt transported back to Maui and the Wailea Gold course, only without the lava rocks. It's that nice, at least to my eye. Each hole kept me fascinated and engaged, while the conditions just made me smile (my horrible game notwithstanding). Fairways are currently in pretty close to perfect shape, as is the rough. If you're outside the rough you're going to have a hard time finding your ball. It's very thick and provides a worthy defense for this super fun layout that doesn't waste your time with gimmicks or trickery. Keep the ball in play here and you will absolutely be rewarded. Fairways are ample on most holes and you have every chance to shoot a low score here. Back to course conditions, the greens are in excellent shape. Again, no weird gimmicks or funky stuff. Are there tiers and difficult slopes to manage? Of course, but nothing crazy. They roll very nicely at medium-fast speeds, hold shots amazingly well, and are a pleasure to putt from since the ball goes where you set it to go. Bunkers also in very good shape and the tee box options are wonderful and allow for all manner of shots (we played the blue tees). No frills currently due to the fresh reopening, but none of it was needed. I can only imagine how wonderful this track is when all the nice amenities are back in play. I can't wait to play here on a beautiful late summer afternoon and enjoy the cool ocean breeze while navigating this heavenly plot. I had always read nice things about Olivas but never once thought that I would love it as much as I did. A must-play and play often if you ask me. And what a steal at $53! I am beside myself gushing about this place.

Played here 5/4 for my GK Match with Perry on a warm but tolerable Monday. Busy day out there as everyone is coming out of the woodwork so full tee sheet and a bit of a scramble trying to stay a safe ... Continue »

Played here 5/4 for my GK Match with Perry on a warm but tolerable Monday. Busy day out there as everyone is coming out of the woodwork so full tee sheet and a bit of a scramble trying to stay a safe distance from everyone. Course, as mentioned in last two reviews from only a week ago, is in great shape all things considered. Won't go into much detail as both previous reviews still apply and don't require further explanation.

Tee boxes: At times a bit unlevel where the markers were placed, otherwise they were fine considering there is no mix available to fill divots.

Fairways: Just like tee boxes, no divot mix available to fill holes, but outside of that they were in fantastic shape; green, lush but not overgrown, fair amount of roll.

Bunkers: Only in one thankfully but right on the median between white beach sand and sandbox sand. Good consistency and even raked in most places, even as rakes are M.I.A.

Rough: Penal where it exists. Natural landscape of course lends itself to make the E.S.A. far more penal, especially in this mini-super bloom with larger growth of bushes and wildflowers everywhere.

Greens: Wonderful shape with minimal divots. Holes here DO have flagsticks with a piece of rubber an inch down in the cup preventing balls from going all the way in. Very possible to fish out your ball without touching anything public.

ETC: Staff was efficient and safe. Course did what was required from them for COVID-19 requirements. Match was fun and opponent was even more enjoyable. Course is in great shape and if you can get out, best walking option in Ventura County.

Played at 12:40 today and as GDR23 mentioned, walked, but everybody is walking!! LOL! All I would say is that a ditto everything that GDR23 wrote and his review as well exact same pace of play exact ... Continue »

Played at 12:40 today and as GDR23 mentioned, walked, but everybody is walking!! LOL! All I would say is that a ditto everything that GDR23 wrote and his review as well exact same pace of play exact same slow up on the back nine but overall fantastic the weather held up throughout the day with a one-club breeze it was a joy to be out and playing highly recommended but remember every day is a Saturday now because nobody is working book early!

Walked the Blues this morning 4/27/2020 joined by Ennis, Jim and Tom. Super cool dudes to play with. Let them know about GK, hopefully they will join. Our POP was 4 hrs 40 minutes. Weird thing though ... Continue »

Walked the Blues this morning 4/27/2020 joined by Ennis, Jim and Tom. Super cool dudes to play with. Let them know about GK, hopefully they will join. Our POP was 4 hrs 40 minutes. Weird thing though was we were not pushed and we did not wait much on the front nine but the back nine we waited on the group in front from hole 13 on. We didn't care though as it was 70 degrees with a 1 club wind with almost perfect conditions and we were golfing.

Social distancing protocol done very well here. Putting green and chipping green closed, range open with mats. Proshop closed off where staff would meet you, take credit card payment only and hand you your card back on a disinfectant wipe(awesome). Bathroom facilities were open next to the trailer. I did not check if they were open on the course. Starter on first tee giving social distancing regulations and course procedures. Very nice touch. Cups were regular size with a little plastic or metal piece put just below the cup so that putts would fall in the hole but just not to the bottom of the cup. No flagsticks, ball washers and no rakes in the bunkers on the course. So if you are worried about COVID19 I would not worry at all at Olivas they are doing a great job and have everything safe and marked off. They even have a box of lines for players to stand for most tee boxes to keep distancing.

The golf course is in outstanding shape.

Greens rolling medium speed, very healthy greens, soft on approaches. The time off really helped eliminate all the old pitch marks on the greens. Probably the healthiest that I have seen the greens in some time as far as no ball marks. I have seen the greens quicker but they were a treat to play on. Rated 7/10

Fairways--wow super lush, great coverage. All lies in the fairways you are sitting up with a perfect lie. Olivas always has beautiful fairways in the summer. Rating 8.5/10

Tees super lush, all level and in great shape. Rated 8.5/10.

Was in fairway bunker on 12 and greenside bunker on 18 that for no rakes were in good condition. The sand quality was good. In order to keep them in decent shape starter instructed all players to level sand off with their feet after they play. Bunker rating 7.5/10

Rough just off the fairways was lush and in great shape. Penalty areas were Bethpage Black up to 5 foot tall beautiful flowers and vegetation. I took some pics on my phone of the penalty areas with all the wildflowers. If you are past the cartpaths here even with a good eye you could be in the vicinity and still not find your ball.

Can't give this course enough props--Highly recommended.

Played Friday, 4/24, in the morning. They had it set up for limited interaction with staff, there was a table blocking the door to the trailer club house, just lay your credit card in the tray and wa... Continue »

Played Friday, 4/24, in the morning. They had it set up for limited interaction with staff, there was a table blocking the door to the trailer club house, just lay your credit card in the tray and wait for the okay to play. There was no one waiting when we arrived but when we made the turn I could see a line at the clubhouse. That said, everyone was pleasant and targeted to get people on the course. The putting and chipping green were closed but the driving range was open. There was someone in the parking lot announcing the conditions. Great service.

The usual pandemic measures were in place, including lines sprayed six feet apart next to the white tee boxes. We played the blues but social distancing was practiced. Thankfully, no masks required considering we were outdoors.

The course was in excellent shape. Nice fairway and pretty thick rough (lost a ball in the grass on 16). The native areas were pretty darn thick but I was able to play out of it when I found my ball (once having to go out backwards - don't ask). Several balls were lost by playing partners though. The sand was okay the two bunkers I was in. The greens were the highlight. Fast side of medium, smooth and fun. Fairly firm also.

The tough part of the round was no flags. They had holes with an insert about one inch deep. If they had painted the holes we might have been able to see them on approaches. As it was, we had to stand on the greens at times to find the holes. Pretty amazing considering we had pin sheets showing the area, 1-4, the hole was in. I liked the inserts though because putts were able to fall in on a good putt, something that would not be able to happen if they had reverse cups as some courses have.

We played in 4.5 hours. We were not slowed by the group in front after about 6 holes and the group behind rarely, if ever, had to wait after than time. Looking back on it, the relatively slow pace of play was likely because we were looking for balls in the deep rough, sometimes a couple or three on a hole. We did not spend a huge amount of time on it each time, but it added up. Overall, a fantastic time had by all.

On Saturday, Feb. 29th played Olivas with my buddy Gary GR23 and his student Denis. Our tee time was at 1:00PM. The course was completely booked as they had the Toyota Jr Golf Tournament. The golf ... Continue »

On Saturday, Feb. 29th played Olivas with my buddy Gary GR23 and his student Denis. Our tee time was at 1:00PM. The course was completely booked as they had the Toyota Jr Golf Tournament. The golf course is good conditions but I can't wait to play it during the summer as those golfers that have played Olivas during the summer knows that it's at is best. The greens, fairways, etc. are perfect conditions.

Even though it's not the summer as yet, Olivas is always fun to play. The greens were in great conditions and the ball was rolling very well. The fairways are a little brown but still good to play from if you end up hitting the fairway. They have keeping up the rough and is not as bad as it usually gets. The sand traps are well kept and it was easy to get out.

I had a great time specially playing with my buddy Gary since I have not played in a while. If you haven't play Olivas as of yet I totally recommend for you to stop by and play a round. Customer services as always the best. Over all I rate Olivas on fairways, sand traps, greens and rough 8/10.

Out this afternoon 2/29/2020 with one of my students for a playing lesson also joined by my buddy Pedro and a nice single Tom riding the Blue Tees. POP was pretty busy as the course had a Toyota Cup t... Continue »

Out this afternoon 2/29/2020 with one of my students for a playing lesson also joined by my buddy Pedro and a nice single Tom riding the Blue Tees. POP was pretty busy as the course had a Toyota Cup tournament in the morning and a pretty packed tee sheet behind. We finished 10 minutes before dark teeing off just after 1pm and even though there was a lot of people on the course we had a great relaxed time.

Olivas has such a nice practice area, separate chipping areas with barrels, chipping green, practice bunker, all grass range today and a nice big putting green. Great friendly staff and looks like they got newer carts. Reasonable prices and cooler temps with a great layout..I can see why this is such a popular course.

The greens were soft on approaches, putting medium speed with not to many ballmarks present. Rated 7/10

Greens were half lush, half thinner dormant brown grass with plenty of padded grass. Anyone that plays out here on a regular basis knows that the fairways at both Olivas and Buena really starts perking up and getting lusher come April through September. Rating 6.5/10.

Tees were mostly all level, cut nicely and a shiny green color. Beautiful. Rated 8/10

Was not in any sand bunkers but they all looked raked with a perfect amount of sand.

Rough just off the fairways was nice, semi lush and green. Playing partners had a couple balls in the native areas today and it was lost ball central, ugly knee high stuff and hard to find unless you step on it. Rated 8/10

Would highly recommend Olivas. In another month or so the fairways will even by nicer.