I have played this course at least 20 times, and every time I swear to myself never to return because of the pace of play. Yesterday was a Saturday and we teed off just after 10am. It took us SIX AND ... Continue »

I have played this course at least 20 times, and every time I swear to myself never to return because of the pace of play. Yesterday was a Saturday and we teed off just after 10am. It took us SIX AND A HALF hours to play. You did not read that wrong. Granted, it always takes 5:30 to play, but 6:30 is beyond the pale. Of course they didn't have a marshal (and never do). Of course the restaurant was closed after the round (even though we teed off at 10:00am). That said, I always return because the course is great. Now, if you don't mind a round that takes over six hours to play, then by all means play here - but if you don't want to wait on EVERY SINGLE SHOT on EVERY SINGLE HOLE then stay far, far away.

Not a typical Sal review as Kevin's review earlier today covered all the basics quite well and accurately. I will add my two cents... I understand the course is a links-style, so there is almost no n... Continue »

Not a typical Sal review as Kevin's review earlier today covered all the basics quite well and accurately. I will add my two cents... I understand the course is a links-style, so there is almost no need to keep the fairways green, but the first time I played here nearly 10 years ago, they seemed to put a greater effort in this. Believe me, I get that this is the last thing you should care about when the greens are good (and they so are here), but perhaps a tad more green in the fairway aesthetics would help visually and play-ability (many golfer see dormant grass and don't bother to fix/fill divots; they do when the fairway "looks" immaculate.) Other than that, Rustic is a killer layout that punishes errant drives and careless mistakes on the enormous putting greens. Highly recommend.

Played here last Friday with sbarajas (GK Match) and mdames. A local joined us and walked the course with Mike. 10:30 tee time and Sal and I paid $66 to ride. Great weather, no wind and mid 60's temps... Continue »

Played here last Friday with sbarajas (GK Match) and mdames. A local joined us and walked the course with Mike. 10:30 tee time and Sal and I paid $66 to ride. Great weather, no wind and mid 60's temps.

All the fairways and rough were dormant Bermuda. Some tight lies here and there, but mostly good in the fairways where there was a good layer of dormant sod to take a divot if you are so inclined. Lucky for me, it allowed a great amount of roll out. We're talking up to 100 yards of roll out on some poorly struck drives.

Sal and I played the blue tees and they were level and lush for the most part. I never had any issues there. Great turf and easy enough to place a tee.

I found a bunker or two and thought that the sand was somewhat in poor shape. Some small rocks, lots of foot prints that were not raked (was I in a waste bunker on Hole 1, I don't know). Some of the green side bunkers looked fine, though.

My ball found the top of a gopher/ground squirrel mound of soil on Hole 12. My fault for not hitting a decent drive, but there were areas of the course that nature wants to take back.

Greens and aprons: this is obviously the heart and soul of this course. As many of you know, as you approach the greens, there are large areas that are closely mowed that are basically putting surfaces. Lots of undulations and mounding make for some exciting and tricky putts. The greens were lush and firm. Not a lot of ball marks and the firmness meant you either had to impart a lot of back spin or land just short to hold the green.

We were visited by the beverage cart several times. She was friendly and had almost anything you wanted.

I have enjoyed playing here over the years; it's almost an hour drive from me, maybe more in traffic. It's a great course and I hope to play here more this year.

Out on my home course walking the blues this morning 1/27/2020 joining another single who was really cool to play with on a glorius day for golf high 60's for weather with a few holes of wind on 11 an... Continue »

Out on my home course walking the blues this morning 1/27/2020 joining another single who was really cool to play with on a glorius day for golf high 60's for weather with a few holes of wind on 11 and 12 for a brief moment but other than that chamber of commerce weather. Course was busy this morning and we waited behind several 4 balls coming in at 4 hrs 25 minutes. Great friendly staff as always at Rustic. Greens highlight of the course very smooth, semi-soft on approaches. Rolling pure. Fixed an extra couple ballmarks here and there. Rating 8/10 Tees very lush, green and level and in very good shape. 8/10 Fairways are thin and dormant at this time but still produced decent padding. 6/10 Saw they had several maintenance workers working on several bunker complexes throughout the course. I was in front canal bunker on 1 which contined nice newer softer sand to splash out of. 7/10 Greenside rough is beautiful around the fringes 8.5/10 Fairway rough is mostly dry, thin and bare in spots. Needs the most attention. 6/10 Overall greens, tees and greenside rough are all in great shape. If you enjoy firm links fairways with nice challenging green complexes this course is for you. Recommended.

Played here at 11:10 yesterday with a GN Hot Deal for $50. Opted to walk with a nice Sun Mountain push cart they provided instead of taking the cart. Paired with 3 nice guys and we all played the blac... Continue »

Played here at 11:10 yesterday with a GN Hot Deal for $50. Opted to walk with a nice Sun Mountain push cart they provided instead of taking the cart. Paired with 3 nice guys and we all played the blacks. Teed off right on time. Pace was slow with lots of waiting and then on the back nine we fell a bit behind the group in front of us. Total POP around 5:10 (eek).

Conditions are good. Fairways are dormant and thin, but not too bad. Very tight lies. The rough is almost non-existent except around bunkers and near the green complexes. Both fairways and rough are yellow/brown, but the greens, giant collars and the surrounds are all green. The greens are medium fast (really fast downhill), smooth and accepting of full shots. I was only in one actual bunker and it was in good condition. I was also in the waste area short of No. 3, which needs some attention. There were big piles of dirt in it, some loose pipes and other exposed pipes that run underneath it. Black tee boxes were maybe the high point for conditions... really nice and lush.

Even with a 5+ hour round and playing terribly, I had a great time. Hard not to enjoy this wonderful course. Highly recommended!

Teed off as a foursome at 10:50am on Thursday, 12/12. Completed the round at 3:15pm. Pace of play was fine, with little-to-no waiting. The course is in good links condition. The fairways are firm and ... Continue »

Teed off as a foursome at 10:50am on Thursday, 12/12. Completed the round at 3:15pm. Pace of play was fine, with little-to-no waiting. The course is in good links condition. The fairways are firm and tight, with just enough cushion under the ball to make a good strike. The rough is a mix of grasses. Some areas are a bit thick and others are sparse and clumpy. The areas immediately surrounding the greens are very nice; green, lush and about 1 inch high. Very nice to chip from. The greens ran quite fast, with plenty of slope for a lot of break on many putts. Being above the hole was a real penalty. The greens were very nice. They rolled true and were quite firm. Of the two greenside bunkers I was in, one of them had plenty of firm sand, and the other had much softer sand. Both were fine to hit from. The course is in good shape, and a challenge once you hit the greens.

Played 11-7-19 early on a foggy morning walking as a single in about 2 1/2 hours for $44. All of the Tee boxes had been punched and sanded recently, but no big deal as they were all level and using a ... Continue »

Played 11-7-19 early on a foggy morning walking as a single in about 2 1/2 hours for $44. All of the Tee boxes had been punched and sanded recently, but no big deal as they were all level and using a tee it didn't effect play much. Fairways are starting to dry out a little so some yellow and brown spots with some tight lies but good roll out. Rough around the greens was in good shape, green and lush and about 2-3 inches, along the fairways thin and patchy with bare spots. Was not in any bunkers, but from past experience they are usually on the firm side. Greens were rolling very nice at medium/fast pace, semi-soft and rolling fairly smooth. Overall course is in nice links condition. For me personally I prefer to play this course in the fall and winter when the fairways start to go a little dormant and the course plays more like a true links should.

Had a 18 hole playing lesson this morning with a student. 3rd out in perfect weather after the early morning chill. POP 3 hr 50 riding. The greens today reminded me some of when this course first ope... Continue »

Had a 18 hole playing lesson this morning with a student. 3rd out in perfect weather after the early morning chill. POP 3 hr 50 riding. The greens today reminded me some of when this course first opened. Fast, firm yet holding higher compressed irons with spin. Hard to believe that they verticut and sanded 5 days ago. These greens were awesome! Rating them a 8/10. I can see these greens getting into the 9 /10 range soon. Fairways are still visibly green with decent coverage. They are becoming firmer as the colder weather approaches--just like this course is supposed to play--links style. Fairway rating 7/10 Tees were nice and level with good coverage. 7.5/10 Today we were able to throw some extra balls in some of the bunkers. Most of the bunkers were firm like they usually are here. Some of the bunkers were wet like they had the sprinklers on or near some of the traps before the course opened. Greenside rough is still beautiful with the fairway rough being more unpredictable. I saw a lot of maintenance workers this morning which I always like to see working on the course. If you love great challenging green complexes give Rustic a try. For sure the maintenance yellow alert can be removed. Highly would recommend this course. My student who is also a men's club member loves playing out here.

First off this AM in the fog and cool breeze. Of course it warmed up as we were finishing. POP 3:15. Our mistake was not checking GK last night/or this AM. They were verticutting and light sanding the... Continue »

First off this AM in the fog and cool breeze. Of course it warmed up as we were finishing. POP 3:15. Our mistake was not checking GK last night/or this AM. They were verticutting and light sanding the greens. Good thing they sent us out the back 9 first, so we really only had to deal with the maintenance on the front (more later). We found the tee boxes to be fine, but the fairways were very dry, but they rolled great. They were also difficult (IMO) to get a really good lie on many shots (and that was the case on all fairways). Traps were acceptable, but not the cleanest. Greens on the back chipped/putted fine and with speed. But there are areas of dryness on them, leaving them with a speckled look. Front nine conditions were hampered by the light sand on the greens unfortunately. Customer service was very good, with the exception of not informing us of the maintenance work we would face. We also were told that they are expecting high/severe Santa Ana winds over the next couple of days? So call ahead, if you are planning to play.