Walked the blues this morning 8/9/21 with buddies Matt and Pedro joined by a very nice single Lonny. Weather was beautiful in the morning teeing off at 850am warming up on the back nine. Pop 4 hrs 30 ... Continue »

Walked the blues this morning 8/9/21 with buddies Matt and Pedro joined by a very nice single Lonny. Weather was beautiful in the morning teeing off at 850am warming up on the back nine. Pop 4 hrs 30 minutes. You get a great workout walking this track. Long course and long walks from tee to green. Fairways are in excellent condition. Lush lies, great padding. This time of year the fairways here are top notch. Rated 8/10 Green side rough lush and in great shape 8.5/10..bordering a 9. Was not in any bunkers. Greens have no ballmarks, super healthy and holding irons nicely. They are putting very slow. The maintenance crew was watering every green just as our group was arriving on the back. Rated 7.5/10. Highly recommended Tees lush and in great shape. All level. Rated 8/10

Walked the Blues this morning 7/26/2021 joining a friendly 3 ball at 8am under Maui like humid weather conditions. Cloud cover, some sprinkles and no wind. Comfortable temp though as the cloud cover h... Continue »

Walked the Blues this morning 7/26/2021 joining a friendly 3 ball at 8am under Maui like humid weather conditions. Cloud cover, some sprinkles and no wind. Comfortable temp though as the cloud cover hid most of the sun. Super nice pro-shop staff. POP was 4 hrs 15 minutes as a slower group let us play through on hole 10. We had played 9 holes in 2 hours with a beginning golfer in our group and the group behind us called the pro-shop complaining of slow play while we waited on the group in front of us. Anyway. I had not played my home course in a couple months. She is in great shape as far as the fairways, tees and aprons are concerned. The rough has also become more lush and has improved in quality. I am not sure why the last two reviews were so downright negative but they did have some truth in regards to the greens..more on that below. Fairways very lush, almost full grass coverage in most areas. Nice lies and with the grass being thicker in the fairways the course has some more length and less roll. I loved the fairways and am rating them right now close to a 7.5 or 8/10. Tees very nice, lush ,mostly all level. I tend to play right where the stones are placed and most every part of the teeing grounds were great. Rated 8/10. The rough just lining the fairways was in better shape than I have seen it in winter months. Semi lush mowed down nicely. Greenside rough just around the green complexes are still beautiful and lush and in good shape. Fairway rough 6/10. Greenside rough 8.5/10 Aprons are soft landing and putt slower but fairly smooth. The greens are very soft at this time. Looks like they recently maybe 2 weeks ago did a small tine on them. If you are used to very quick Rustic greens you have to adjust to hitting the ball a little harder right out of the gate. However I did not see any maintenance issues with the greens. Most putts rolled smoothly and most ball marks were fixed. Just looks like they are growing the grass out more and keeping them watered due to the upcoming hot August and September months. Rated 7/10 I was in greenside bunker left of 12 on my drive and it was hard packed and raked and in good shape. I did see several of the greenside bunkers look firmer when I walked by each of them. Would highly recommend Rustic right now due to the nice conditions in the rough, fairways and tees. I am sure as the summer months pass us they will roll and cut the greens to make them firmer.

I want to start this review by saying Rustic Canyon has been my favorite golf course in the LA area for years but the last 6+ months have been disappointing to say the least. I have never written a re... Continue »

I want to start this review by saying Rustic Canyon has been my favorite golf course in the LA area for years but the last 6+ months have been disappointing to say the least. I have never written a review on this site before, but I hope this message can be heard.

The staff and service is always incredible, the facilities are great. But it simply seems the course has given up on keeping it at tournament conditions. This course is known for being a top 20 golf course in California and for being the premier links track in the area. But currently this course does not live up to those standards or playing conditions.

Pros:
- Amazing Property
- Great service
- Food is great

Cons:
- Greens are the slowest in the LA/Ventura county
- fairways are excessively long and slow
- aprons are too soft to play links golf

I hope this is a seasonal issue that the course can get under control because this should be the premier public course with 100miles of LA.

I would recommend staying away until they get the maintenance back in order and the course playing like it should. Currently it is hard to justify playing Rustic over Moorpark CC, Simi Hills, Olivias Links or any other Ventura County course.

Played Today 6/26/21.
First of all checked in at the pro shop, the guy in the shop introduced himself as Ryan. Very pleasant experience, he was helpful and answered all our questions and checking in ... Continue »

Played Today 6/26/21.
First of all checked in at the pro shop, the guy in the shop introduced himself as Ryan. Very pleasant experience, he was helpful and answered all our questions and checking in was a breeze. The course is a beautiful layout with nice tee boxes, very decent fairways, bunkers and rough. I got on this review to comment about the greens. Appearance was great until you had to putt on them. I can't explain enough how bad they were, let me put it this way....the worse green's of any mini course in all of L.A. It was shag carpet that was pulled from my Grandma's basement. It looks like they cut and rolled but don't cut the grass close enough. This is an amateur problem with the maintenance department and don't understand why on earth we had to pay full greens fees for these horrendous greens. I spoke to Ryan at the end of the round to exert my unhappiness of our foursome for us even showing up there without a notice of full price and terrible greens. He handled the situation very well and explained he wasn't in a position to refund or discount our round. He handled the situation so well it was hard to argue with him. I also heard others complaining around the snackbar/restaurant area as well. Management has to understand that good golfers won't come back, especially at those fee's. If they just want the 15 handicappers and higher that don't notice the greens as much just build your brand towards the hackers. We won't be back.

Played Sunday afternoon, 6-20. I hadn't played here in over six years, and I've been missing out! Conditions were very good to great all the way around. Tee boxes are level, fairways are plush (and... Continue »

Played Sunday afternoon, 6-20. I hadn't played here in over six years, and I've been missing out! Conditions were very good to great all the way around. Tee boxes are level, fairways are plush (and mostly green), providing good lies throughout. Greens were smooth but not too fast at all, sometimes even slow which I don't mind. I was in one greenside bunker and got out fine. POP was the only somewhat negative, with the round taking just over 5 hours, as we waited on every par 3, and some other holes to tee off. The layout is wonderful, with plenty wide fairways, with challenging but not overwhelming forced carries. I would love to come back soon!

Hit Rustic Canyon for the second time in 6 months. This course is the gem it promises, though many might find it frustrating the first time around because a lot of its details are hidden until you se... Continue »

Hit Rustic Canyon for the second time in 6 months. This course is the gem it promises, though many might find it frustrating the first time around because a lot of its details are hidden until you see them from up close—lots of gunch areas that are hard to decipher until you get past them. And the closely mown green surrounds take a little getting used to, those tight lies near the green offer options but require a deft touch. But surely there are no better course designs and conditions for the muni green fee. This place genuinely deserves all the praise it gets.

This is a walkable course and many do walk it, but there are some real slogs between green and tee, especially on the back 9. The walk from 9 green to 10 tee is the Bataan Death March, and there are several close second challenging treks to come. All of this leads to a pace of play issue. The 4.5 hour pace rating is deserved and almost entirely attributable to those 4 or 5 long distance non-playing walks. The good news is that regulars who walk there know how to stay ahead. Newbies, not so much. Also, from 8 to 16 is almost all heading uphill, gently but taxingly. The first time I played and walked I was too gassed to really appreciate the course. My recommendation is to walk the front and ride the back; the green fee is low enough to make $25 to ride 9 holes affordable. Just a thought.

The course routing is interesting. There are five par fives and five par threes. As noted, there are a lot of gunch areas splitting fairways or forcing carries. There is little elevation change on the front 9, but is well used to the extent it is there, and the back 9 has some good uphill and downhill greens. Some raised greens, some not—there is a lot of variety. Long and short par threes. One or two par fives that long hitters might reach, and both long and shorter par 4s. Shorter hitters can take advantage of the closely mown green surrounds to get extra roll, and the greens, while not unduly undulating, do have some subtle slopes that require good ground approaches. It is just a real good design, nothing seems contrived and you have to think your way around.

I played about 10 days after the greens were punched, so they were slower than usual but rolled true. The greens usually are faster than is common on tracks that get a lot of play, and can make for a real challenge on approaches and long putts. A few greens have tiers or buried elephants, but they are fun to maneuver around as local knowledge grows. The course’s signature are the closely mown green surrounds; very unusual and a nice bow to links courses, these surrounds present both challenges and opportunities. Also very interesting to look at, and the greens themselves are smaller than they appear but you can use a putter from a long way off most greens. It is a neat touch, and I don’t know anywhere else like it.

The course is very mindful of the natural environment, and nothing looks manufactured. The bunkers have natural edges, and good sand even in waste areas. The course has no frills, but doesn’t need them—it is like your countryside neighbor made a golf course out of fallow fields, but with very good fairway grass, especially considering no water holes/reservoir and the amount of play. The superintendent clearly is focused on maintenance of the playing areas, and seems very much on top of that.

The range is basic and in below average shape. I recommend practicing/warming up at the Golf Development Center off the 23 about 10 minutes away. Best mats in SoCal. (That place deserves its own review, it is five stars for sure.). The practice putting green is an extension of the 18th green, and is fine.

The scorecard includes a rated combination course, so overall length options abound.

Pro shop is very basic, but the staff is excellent there and in the separate cart barn if you decide to ride. Not much in the way of food, but enough.

I am still thinking about this course a day after playing it for the second time. And fondly. I can’t wait to return, and likely will become a regular here. You have to plan ahead for a tee time, but that is true almost everywhere these days.

I'm way late posting this review, and I just checked and it looks like they punched today so there probably isn't a ton of relevance to this review, but I had to post anyway.

Rustic Canyon is a MUS... Continue »

I'm way late posting this review, and I just checked and it looks like they punched today so there probably isn't a ton of relevance to this review, but I had to post anyway.

Rustic Canyon is a MUST PLAY. Hands down one of the most fun times I've had playing in a long time, probably ever. It's been on the top of a short list of courses I've wanted to play for years and I had a buddy who convinced me to take a day off from work, make the 2 1/2 drive and play 36. I owe that guy a hug and sleeve of ProVs for sure!

When we played the course was in really solid shape. Fairways were firm and brownish but that's how they should be. Never had a bad lie at all, was easy moving through the turf, but they bounced around which was perfect.

The tees were flat, solid coverage and it like most tees, easily receptive to putting a stick in the ground :)

When we played the greens weren't really that quick but rolled true. Now that they've been punched I can see why they had "let them go" a bit. But zero complaints at all. I can't wait to go back when the greens are prime. I get all jittery just thinking about it!

As for the layout, I don't know what I can say. It was so easy to see why this landed in the Top 100 you can play in Golf.com's latest rankings. If you haven't played before I highly recommend trying to do a 36 hole day. Playing it the second time was even more fun than the first time. Knowing the angles, the mounds, the bounces, etc. was a game changer.

We played the morning round from the blues and the back from the whites, got three different wind directions, and complete changes in surfaces in regards to turf moisture. All around one of the most enjoyable days of golf I've had. If this course was in OC or SD it would be $200+ and it would be packed everyday.

The entire crew out there was also amazing. Just super friendly and seemed to take a lot of pride in their work and course. That stuff goes a long way with me. We didn't eat there (we went to this place between rounds as a recommendation from my buddy, https://www.yelp.com/biz/green-acres-market-simi-valley-2, and it was so, SO good) but they had a really good selection of beers and the menu looked like a really solid snack bar lineup.

Chances are I'll get out there 2-3 times a year because of the drive for me, but everyone needs to make it a priority to play. 5 stars all the way around.

Got out late Friday 5/21 teeing off around 5:45pm and getting in 11 holes playing the front and then playing 1 and 8 again just before darkness with my buddy Matt. Beautiful weather with a little bit... Continue »

Got out late Friday 5/21 teeing off around 5:45pm and getting in 11 holes playing the front and then playing 1 and 8 again just before darkness with my buddy Matt. Beautiful weather with a little bit of wind.

The fairways are transitioning to thicker lush grass which was beautiful to see. Very nice lies in the fairways. Looks like they have been watering them more and I am sure they will become even lusher in the next couple months. Rated 7.5/10.

We played the blue tees which were all level and in good shape. Rated 8/10

The greens on the front nine contained little tines that really didn't effect the speed of the greens. We felt they rolled fairly smooth. Rated 7.5/10. Without the tines they would be in the 8.5 range.

Was in greenside bunker on 3 that had nice sand. They have added some additional sand in some of the bunkers we walked by on the front.

Greenside rough is lush, beautifully mowed and uniform in length. Rated 8.5/10

Fairway rough is more thin than lush and contains some good areas and some poor areas. Rated 6/10.

Other than hole 6 which is a tough par 3 the front is scorable with 3 par 5s and a short par 4.

Highly recommend Rustic right now its in good shape.

Played here Sunday, 4/4 with a 2:00 tee time. Booked direct on their site a couple weeks ahead of time for just $38. Paired with a threesome of nice guys. We all walked and played the black tees. Sent... Continue »

Played here Sunday, 4/4 with a 2:00 tee time. Booked direct on their site a couple weeks ahead of time for just $38. Paired with a threesome of nice guys. We all walked and played the black tees. Sent off about 10 minutes late and finished about 5 hours, 10 minutes later. Picture-perfect day with little wind, perfect temperature and mostly blue skies with light cloud cover.

Course conditions continue to be excellent. Greens were a little slower than when I was here a few weeks ago, but still in great condition. Medium speed, smooth and more firm than soft, although full, well-struck shots would check up. The collars seemed to have been aerated recently with small tines and very, very lightly sanded – none of which affected play at all. Fairways have good coverage of somewhat thin grass. Rough along the fairways is mostly thin and/or non-existent, but up around the greens it’s extremely lush, dark green grass in pretty much immaculate condition, probably about 2 inches deep. Tee boxes were in good condition. I was in a couple bunkers and neither had what I would call “good” sand, but I’m not sure if they were actual bunkers or waste bunkers. (The tiny strip of sand in front of No. 1 and then right of the 17th green.)

Aside from the slow play (and twisting my ankle near the 9th tee), I couldn’t ask for a much better day.