First time back out at Rustic Canyon in almost five years so needless to say I was quite excited to get back out on this Gil Hanse gem. It was supposed to be a crazy hot Friday afternoon but it turned... Continue »

First time back out at Rustic Canyon in almost five years so needless to say I was quite excited to get back out on this Gil Hanse gem. It was supposed to be a crazy hot Friday afternoon but it turned out just perfect and not even too much wind careening down the canyon. Epic.

The prices at Rustic have definitely gone up since my last visit, but it was always likely underpriced if we're being honest, so I was okay with the new cost. You do get what you pay for and here it's nothing but golf goodness, especially when the conditions are so good.

Greens were just tremendous and it's always fun to navigate those massive complexes. Am I on the green or am I not? Can I chip from here? SHOULD I chip from here? It's wonderfully tense decision making at its finest but the payoffs are fabulous. Greens rolled really nice, not as super fast as expected, but still demanding of your full attention. Just wonderful.

Fairways were in very nice shape as well with superb coverage in just about every area. Sure, it's hot out there so a few hot spots are going to find your ball, but it's 100% the exception rather than the rule. The rough is only to be found in a few spots as you're either in the fairway or in a native area sprinkled with a playable (in many cases) fescue that draws in all errant shots. Tee boxes (played the blues) were flat and in very good shape, while the bunkers all had good sand in them but it's not of the super fluffy and light variety.

Course layout everyone knows but it's just so good and fun. Get your scoring in on the front nine as the back is going to give you a bit of a harder time, but they're both equally engaging and challenging routes. It was hot so we took a cart and they were nicely appointed but do have an annoying GPS trait where they show you a color-contoured green map on every approach and you can't simply turn that part off which is vexing. Seems an easy fix!

So yes, get out to Rustic as soon as you can and you won't be disappointed.

Palyed 3/21. Course is in very good shape right now. Greens are smooth and fairly fast. Fairways have good coverage and rough is better than it used to be. Sand traps were good but mostly compacted s... Continue »

Palyed 3/21. Course is in very good shape right now. Greens are smooth and fairly fast. Fairways have good coverage and rough is better than it used to be. Sand traps were good but mostly compacted sand. The price has been going up here, it is no longer a cheap option. Weekend round with cart and range balls will run you $120. They have upped their game though. The have some marshalls out there, cart girls was around a few times and they seem to working on bettering conditions.

Haven’t reviewed in a long time: I’ll keep this short, rustic is in great shape. The greens are immaculate, receptive yet very fast. Best I’ve seen in 10 years. Reminds me of earlier days at rustic. K... Continue »

Haven’t reviewed in a long time: I’ll keep this short, rustic is in great shape. The greens are immaculate, receptive yet very fast. Best I’ve seen in 10 years. Reminds me of earlier days at rustic. Kudos to the greens staff.

Walked the blues today 12/2/24 teeing off at 12:10pm finishing at 4:40pm with a POP of 4hrs 30 minutes under beautiful weather with 1 club of wind on the front and no wind on the back nine with temps ... Continue »

Walked the blues today 12/2/24 teeing off at 12:10pm finishing at 4:40pm with a POP of 4hrs 30 minutes under beautiful weather with 1 club of wind on the front and no wind on the back nine with temps in the low 70s. Joined by my buddy Matt and two nice singles Gary and Randy both locals.

Rustic is in beautiful shape for December with the fairways running a little firmer and tighter than previous months especially on the front nine but still in beautiful shape to compress irons. 8/10.

The tees were mostly all level, some divot damage on the par 3s but beautiful on the 4s and 5s. Rated 8/10

Oh the greens! Reminded me some of when this place first opened. Firm and fast and putting true! Close to a 12 on the stimp. Many 15 footers if not struck precisely can turn into 5/6 feet coming back. Just love the greens. They were still holding irons beautiful yet rolling devilish. Rated 9/10

Greenside rough beautiful, fairway rough in above average shape and the further you get from the fairways it turns tougher and firmer near the cartpaths. Rated overall 7.5/10

Not in any bunkers but they looked firmer and compact.

Looking forward to many rounds out here in the next several months. Highly recommended.

Out this afternoon 10/28/24 walking the blues with my buddy Steve joined by a nice couple from New Hampshire. About 1.5 club wind today under 70 degree weather partly cloudy with a POP of 4 hrs 10 min... Continue »

Out this afternoon 10/28/24 walking the blues with my buddy Steve joined by a nice couple from New Hampshire. About 1.5 club wind today under 70 degree weather partly cloudy with a POP of 4 hrs 10 minutes finishing with about 10 minutes to spare before darkness.

Conditions continue to thrive at Rustic with very lush Fairways 8.5 /10, beautiful tees that have fully grown in and are level 8.5/10, medium paced rolling greens that were receptive 8.5/10 and greenside and Fairway rough that is lush and beautiful 9/10.

Was in greenside bunker left of 11 that was damp but nice sand underneath to splash out of.

Even with the recent rate increase still one of the better values around in socal for what you get. Highly recommended.

Out for back to back rounds on my home course Monday afternoon 10/14 and this morning 10/15 with both POP rounds around 4 hrs 35 minutes under cooler foggy conditions this morning and beautiful sunny ... Continue »

Out for back to back rounds on my home course Monday afternoon 10/14 and this morning 10/15 with both POP rounds around 4 hrs 35 minutes under cooler foggy conditions this morning and beautiful sunny conditions yesterday afternoon with very little wind to speak of. Very friendly staff both days. I had not been out to Rustic for about 4 months. Back 9 start both days The course is just thriving. Full tee sheets and very nice conditions for mid October!! The fairways are in some of the best shape I have ever seen them. Almost to lush? Very little roll out with absolutely perfect lies. Just a pleasure to compress. Rated 9/10 The greenside rough is just so beautiful here. Cut to a thicker level, uniform and in pga tour shape. Rated 9.5/10. Fairway rough is in decent to good shape. Rated 7.5/10 Greens are in great shape coming out of aerification around a month ago. Rolling pure and holding irons like darts. We felt the greens on the back were a little firmer than the front. Can't rate the tees on the front nine as they are in full maintenance completely sanded. Some of the tees on the back have minor patches of sand and maintenance going on. When the sand settles in and they are watered they will be in great shape. Was only in one bunker on hole 7 during my second round and it had a firm base but easy to splash out of. Rustic is no longer a bump and run links course! It's very lush in the fairways and currently plays longer than the stated yardage . Its softer fringes must be negotiated with the proper touch around the greens. Just love the staff, layout, challenge, scenery and fun factor here. Looking forward to some upcoming rounds here. Recommended.

This is late, but will be brief. My buddy visiting from NY and I got out last Thursday, 8/1, for an 11:20 start with two senior locals who were good company. I hadn't been here in a good while and it ... Continue »

This is late, but will be brief. My buddy visiting from NY and I got out last Thursday, 8/1, for an 11:20 start with two senior locals who were good company. I hadn't been here in a good while and it was nice to get back. All around conditions were solid and consistent from tee to green. Bunkers, rough and beyond can vary and get wild depending on how far you go — anything from sitting on dirt/sand to short grass to instantly lost in thick stuff. It's Rustic. The greens were reasonably quick and clean, but not as touchy fast as they can be. While warm with only light breeze at best, it wasn't the hottest of the week and we got lucky on the back nine with a high cloud cover that dialed back the sun and made it fairly pleasant — really all we could have hoped for. Pace was a little sluggish at around five hours but mostly steady. Recommended.

Walked the blues yesterday 4/2/24 joined by 3 nice singles. We had an interesting wind to say the least. Drive on 12 over the green and drive on 14 had 68 yds in taking a crazy line just right of the ... Continue »

Walked the blues yesterday 4/2/24 joined by 3 nice singles. We had an interesting wind to say the least. Drive on 12 over the green and drive on 14 had 68 yds in taking a crazy line just right of the green to give you a couple examples downwind. Drives into the wind on hole 11 and 13 maybe got 220 yds and went nowhere...lol. Total pop just over 4 hrs. We moved well towards the group ahead of us and never saw the group behind us. Beautiful but windy day for golf. Back nine start teeing off late morning. Interesting playing 14,16,18, 1,2,3 all downwind. I think it makes the back nine a touch more manageable. The conditions continue to excel at Rustic. Probably the nicest I have seen the tees[8.5/10], greenside rough[9/10]and fairways[8.5/10]. The greens[8.5/10] were in great shape,, super smooth around a 10.5 on the stimp with no ballmarks evident. Was in Fairway bunker on 10 that was hard packed and really nice to hit a wedge out of. Very friendly staff, still a great price especially walking during the week, great layout and superb conditions right now. I can't recommend this course more than now for conditions. Go play.

Walked the blues this afternoon 3/18/24 with my buddy Matt under mostly sunny skies for most of the day and a heavy downpour of rain for 10 to 15 minutes after we hit our tee shots on number 6. POP wa... Continue »

Walked the blues this afternoon 3/18/24 with my buddy Matt under mostly sunny skies for most of the day and a heavy downpour of rain for 10 to 15 minutes after we hit our tee shots on number 6. POP was around 4 hrs 20 minutes. Joined by a nice twosome who also walked. If you had a camera today would have been the day to use it. The sun piercing through the clouds with as lush as the course is was mesmerizing today. Greens were in great shape rolling around an 11 on the stimp and holding shots beautiful. Several birdie pins today and some other ones tucked like back right shelf on 18. Not many ball marks to fix and they were rolling pure. Rated 8/10 Fairways are lusher than I am used to on my home course. They are a pleasure to hit irons off of but contain little to no roll. Rated 8.5/10 Greenside rough is 8.5/10 beautiful lush and cut uniform. Fairway rough has improved over the last year and is thicker than in previous drought years. Was in one bunker left of 15 that was hardpacked but still easy to splash out of. Tees are in really nice shape, level, cut tight and lush. Rated 8/10. Nice to have number 16 and 17 back two tees back to normal as the last round I played here they were not allowing golfers to tee off from the normal teeing grounds. This is about the lushest I have seen Rustic since it opened which was over 20 years ago. Still some bump and run shots available but also some shots now you can take right at the pins. Highly recommended if you like green and lush.