Wow, from start to finish this is a big boy test of golf. The elevation changes and scenery are only the tip to this test of golf. The fairways and collars of the greens are WAY overcut and will take ... Continue »

Wow, from start to finish this is a big boy test of golf. The elevation changes and scenery are only the tip to this test of golf. The fairways and collars of the greens are WAY overcut and will take awhile to grow back. A bit tough to get a fairway wood on the ball in the fairway. Other than that the beach sand in the bunkers and ease to get to the greens from the cart made 36 holes in a little over 5 hours on a Thursday doable without feeling really tired. If I didn't have to drive almost 4 hours I would've kept playing. Love this course layout, One of the top 3 I've seen...ever! And I've played a lot of golf in my days.The layout is the best.

Played 10-28-19 with Gary using the GK coupon playing 36 holes for $59 and finishing in about 6 hours. Black tee boxes were a little more unlevel than the whites but both could use some leveling, but ... Continue »

Played 10-28-19 with Gary using the GK coupon playing 36 holes for $59 and finishing in about 6 hours. Black tee boxes were a little more unlevel than the whites but both could use some leveling, but they did have decent coverage. Fairways were in good shape, maybe a little thinner than last time I played here but still good lies with good roll out. Rough along fairways was cut pretty low and easy to hit from, around the greens there were quite a lot of thin and bare spots making it a little more difficult for short chips. Was in a few bunkers that looked nice but were very thin and firm with one of them(left side of 8) have a large rock about the size of a volleyball in it. Greens were in really good shape rolling medium/fast and smooth, holding shots real nice with very few unfixed pitch marks. Course is starting to show a little change in conditions with it getting colder, but still in good shape and worth playing.

Had the entire day to play today so decided to cruise up to RSM for 36 holes today with my buddy RGM2525. Based on the wind conditions in Moorpark and surrounding valley areas RSM was a good call in t... Continue »

Had the entire day to play today so decided to cruise up to RSM for 36 holes today with my buddy RGM2525. Based on the wind conditions in Moorpark and surrounding valley areas RSM was a good call in that regard. I played earlier here in the Spring and always enjoy the peace and quiet vibe and layout at RSM.

We teed off at 8:25am for our first round riding the black tees. Our POP passing one group was 3 hours for our first nine. Our second 18 holes we also came in around 3 hours passing 2 more groups.

RSM has a huge range with titleist range balls and a very nice chipping/sand practice area and huge putting green that like the greens on the course were in great shape.

The greens here are in beautiful shape rolling pure with little to no ballmarks. Quick putting wise yet holding irons with spin like darts. Many big undulating greens here that were a pleasure to putt on and play. Rated 8/10.

Fairways were firmer this time of year vs in the spring. Would say 25% lush, 75% brown and firm. Tons of roll if you have a low trajectory ball with your driver. Rated 6.5/10. Thought the fairways were tight but still playable.

Was only in two greenside bunkers for 36 holes on Number #2 and number #18 which contained just enough sand. My playing partner found his fair share which were firmer and maybe needed some more sand.

Tees are unlevel like last reviewer stated. You could always usually find a level stance after hunting but most boxes need to be leveled some. Thought the tee boxes though were lush and looked good as far as lushness was concerned. Tee rating 6.5/10

The poorest part of the course was some of the chipping areas around the green. Many were hardpan, muddy, thin or sometimes bare depending on where you landed. Rated 5/10.

Staff was great, great challenging layout from the back tees and the greens were great.


I also must add that I can see many players falling into the category of not wanting to play the black tees at almost 7000 yds and not wanting to play the whites at 6278 yds. A blue tee box(6500-6800) option is very needed out here.

Would highly reccomend this layout and conditioning of the greens which are great. Had a great time. Thanks RSM!

It's been a couple of weeks since my last trip to RSM. And nothing different. Still enjoyable, with great greens and expert service. But they really need to do something about the tee boxes. Shocking.... Continue »

It's been a couple of weeks since my last trip to RSM. And nothing different. Still enjoyable, with great greens and expert service. But they really need to do something about the tee boxes. Shocking. And surprising for this course. There must be some issue going on I'm not aware of, but getting harder and harder to find a level tee anywhere on most holes.

RSM went through some tough years during the drought and it's good to see the course coming back. It's been greener this year but still looks and plays ok. THey're always maintained the greens well an... Continue »

RSM went through some tough years during the drought and it's good to see the course coming back. It's been greener this year but still looks and plays ok. THey're always maintained the greens well and today was no exception. As noted, the course is a bit on the brown side now, which is not unusual this time of year, but it doesn't affect play much. There are some hardpan areas in a few fairways where you get a nice kick and run. So, some maintenance is still due. The main issue is the tee boxes. They're in the worst shape I can remember. Many are hard, players not fixing divots, and some not even level. I've never seen that state of condition before. To my recollection they were always near perfect. Based on conditions today, I wouldn't go full-rate on this course. About the best you can do is $59 on Mon - Thurs, which is a great deal. Weenkend afternoons are $75 riding with range balls and that's about the break point. I wouldn't go at a higher rate. It pains me to say anything negative about this course because I love it. The design is awesome, the challenge is good, and the entire operation is first-rate. I'm confident it will get back to its former condition soon.

Played 10-2-19 using the GK coupon for 36 holes and finishing in 3 hours 15 minutes going through a couple groups on the second 18. Tee boxes were just okay, decent coverage with some of them needed t... Continue »

Played 10-2-19 using the GK coupon for 36 holes and finishing in 3 hours 15 minutes going through a couple groups on the second 18. Tee boxes were just okay, decent coverage with some of them needed to be leveled. Fairways were very nice, in good condition, lush and green with good roll out and nice lies. Rough was cut down pretty low and had some bare spots here and there with some larger bare areas around the greens. Was in a couple of greenside bunkers that had very nice white sand and nice to hit out of. Greens for the most part were in good condition with some small bare spots along the edges, rolling medium/fast and semi-soft. Overall course was in better condition than I expected for this time of year. Customer service was great with very easy check in. Great course with a fun layout that has really come back from the condition it was in a while back.

Played 9/12/19 @ 1115am with the greenskeeper coupon- thanks Johnny! What a deal! Check-in was a breeze, the guy at the desk said they had punched the greens about 4 weeks ago. Tee boxes were ok, some... Continue »

Played 9/12/19 @ 1115am with the greenskeeper coupon- thanks Johnny! What a deal! Check-in was a breeze, the guy at the desk said they had punched the greens about 4 weeks ago. Tee boxes were ok, some were really bad- mainly the par 3s. Fairways were mowed down and had a lot of roll out, especially on the downhill holes- 11, 15, 18. Rough not really an issue, just a couple of inches longer than the fairways. If you wander any farther than that, it’s almost a jungle. Sand was great, although there were rocks mixed in. Greens have issues, some had bare spots on them- 8, 10, 13, 14. They kept the flags away from them, but I did have to putt through it once. Played 2 rounds in 3.5 hours passing through a couple groups... All in all a wonderful course! The views on the back 9 looking over the valley are incredible. The course has some issues with the greens, but for the price and the views, it’s worth it if you’re in the area. I don’t think I would drive up here just to play this course though.

A little late with this one. Played 4-2-19 with John, Gary, and Alex, very fun group to play with. Tee boxes were in good shape, mostly level with good coverage. Fairways were real nice, very lush wit... Continue »

A little late with this one. Played 4-2-19 with John, Gary, and Alex, very fun group to play with. Tee boxes were in good shape, mostly level with good coverage. Fairways were real nice, very lush with great lies and descent roll out. First cut of rough was in good shape, not to long and fairly easy to hit from, get outside of that and its most likely a lost ball, knee high and thick. Was in a couple of greenside bunkers that were a little thin but still okay to hit out of. Greens were in great shape, semi-soft rolling smooth at medium/fast pace. Very happy to see this course back in such good shape, hopefully it stays this why for a long time. It is definitely worth going out of your why to play.

Teed it up with 24hourgolf (morning), GDR23, Alex362 and rgm2525 (afternoon) for 36 holes. Awesome time!

Just posted a bunch of high resolution pics here on GK. Check them out.

For years every t... Continue »

Teed it up with 24hourgolf (morning), GDR23, Alex362 and rgm2525 (afternoon) for 36 holes. Awesome time!

Just posted a bunch of high resolution pics here on GK. Check them out.

For years every time it rained in Santa Barbara I thought, good, means Rancho San Marcos will be more green. I know sounds silly but this is one of my favorite golf courses and it was painful seeing it struggle through the drought. In 2017 is was back to being green and now it’s in the best shape I’ve seen in over 10 years.

The ambiance of Rancho San Marcos tucked in a beautiful valley next to Lake Cachuma inside the Los Padres National Forest is tough to beat. Add it the ranch décor theme of the facility and you’ve got quite a stage for your round of golf.

As far as conditions, excellent. The whole course is very lush, green with full coverage. The greens are smooth, medium/fast and holding shots. The fairways are like carpet (amazing when you think back to the way they were during the drought). Rough, lush, with primary cut low yet secondary rough almost knee high and dense. Miss a fairway badly off the tee and don’t bother looking for your ball. And if you do be careful of snakes as it’s that time of year when they come out from hibernation. The bunkers all contain high quality sand which in some cases could use some raking. The tee boxes are lush and level. The course is a total pleasure to play.

Before your round you want to give yourself time to practice as they have an exceptional all grass driving range, pitching/sand area and putting green. You also might want to give yourself time to grab a bite to eat. Quality food priced right. I had a breakfast sandwich in the morning and delicious tri-tip soft tacos for lunch.

Service is in the clubhouse is great. I did not however see an on course food/beverage service all day. Guessing because it was a Tuesday round.

Something to note, they do not have GPS on the carts but do have 150 and 200 yards plates in the fairways. Advise to bring your own yardage devices.

I’m already planning to get back up there for another round in May!

Highly Recommended