Played this afternoon, using a free birthday round, riding for $16. The starter shack had a sign stating the green speed at 11'-6". The greens were fast and firm. I like that, but in the windy conditi... Continue »

Played this afternoon, using a free birthday round, riding for $16. The starter shack had a sign stating the green speed at 11'-6". The greens were fast and firm. I like that, but in the windy conditions only good shots were rewarded and others ran off. They did roll great; true and fast. We played the white tees and they were all in good condition without a lot of divots and nice and level. Good grass coverage from tee to green. The rough was mowed to a consistent height, approximately just over an inch. I was in a few bunkers and found them to be just okay as there seemed only to be a shallow layer of sand over some hard pan in on or two, with better coverage in another. Good pace of play at just over 4 hours.

Fun Super Bowl Sunday round today at River Ridge with Kassper7, getting a nice online deal and hoping for an empty track and blue skies with everyone watching the game instead. Unfortunately neither r... Continue »

Fun Super Bowl Sunday round today at River Ridge with Kassper7, getting a nice online deal and hoping for an empty track and blue skies with everyone watching the game instead. Unfortunately neither really happened - the course was not necessarily crowded, but far from empty, and the cold weather and slight drizzle persisted much of the round and caught me by surprise as I expected it to clear up and certainly should have considered an undershirt.

First time ever playing at RR and it was a pretty good experience. We played the Lakes 18 from the blue tees and it was a much harder track than I anticipated, as evidenced by the 131 slope I failed to notice before teeing off. The par 5s are long, every single one, so you can almost forget about eagle putts, and the par 4s are very challenging - a lot of water coming into play and some tough fairways to navigate. The par 3s are a mixed bag - some long while others guarded by their slope.

I found the course to be in very playable condition without a doubt, but far from pristine. It had a rough, unkempt feel to it, but also very welcoming of good shots and penalizing for the poor ones. The fairways were mostly in good shape, however there were some large swaths of sod laid out in a few of them, and of course the odd burned out area here or there. The bunkers were in pretty nice shape from what I saw after going in one on the first hole and never again, while the tee boxes were all in quite good shape.

The greens were rolling very nicely indeed - not a lot of ball marks to contend with but also not super receptive to many shots that weren't coming straight down. The undulations and breaks on these greens are less severe than they look, but challenging without a doubt. The speed was probably a 10-10.5 on the Stimp today, which was a nice pace to get used to. And the rough was a bit mixed but certainly some rough, sticky stuff can find your ball if wayward.

Not really any easy holes out there as Kassper7 pointed out during our round - it's a tough place to play, especially that tricky 'Amen Corner' they got there. But when good shots are rewarded, it's a pretty cool track to appreciate and enjoy. I would like to come back on a blue sky day with minimal wind (today wasn't bad with the wind but I understand it often is during other months) with a little better course knowledge.

River Ridge, we shall meet again.

Played today, using a discount tee time on teeoff.com. $32 riding; paid another $5 for a small range bucket, almost not worth it (30 balls, worn balls, mats, and tees). Maybe a larger bucket split bet... Continue »

Played today, using a discount tee time on teeoff.com. $32 riding; paid another $5 for a small range bucket, almost not worth it (30 balls, worn balls, mats, and tees). Maybe a larger bucket split between a couple of golfer would be fine. The practice green down by #1 Lakes is a good representation of the greens on that course; however, the practice green up by the range tends to be a bit slower. The course in general was in great shape. No bare ground, with somewhat dormant Bermuda grass and perennial rye mixed in. Some areas of rough could be deep enough to hide your ball, where fairway lies were very nice. The course seems to ride out the rain nicely. The last rains came through here on Monday (four days ago), and there were no overly wet areas. Greens ran true and medium fast. Good times! I recommend this course.

I'll be brief. I traveled up to RR Lakes with my dog on Monday, 1/16 to take advantage of my free birthday round — busy because of the holiday, delayed start, and a slow but steady 4.5+ hour round. I ... Continue »

I'll be brief. I traveled up to RR Lakes with my dog on Monday, 1/16 to take advantage of my free birthday round — busy because of the holiday, delayed start, and a slow but steady 4.5+ hour round. I was grouped with another single and a twosome, all pleasant company. Greens were clean and fast — 11 stimp according to the signage, Vineyard was listed at 10.5. Conditions were very good as usual and no apparent residual issues or obvious signs the recent rains. Good hitting surface on the fairways, generally low and forgiving rough, bunkers were dry and playable. A steady breeze was a factor through the round on what was a really beautiful day to be out. A vigorous walk for both me and the dog, we always love having a chance to play here.

Played 12/18/2016 at 8:11 AM, $66.00/riding. Pace of play was 4:15. 90 degree rule was in effect for all fairways due to heavy rain 2 days prior; however, it wasn’t necessary. The course handled the h... Continue »

Played 12/18/2016 at 8:11 AM, $66.00/riding. Pace of play was 4:15. 90 degree rule was in effect for all fairways due to heavy rain 2 days prior; however, it wasn’t necessary. The course handled the heavy rain beautifully and was in superior condition as usual. This course may have the best greens in Ventura County, nearly perfect visually and functionally consistently rolling true at 11’ on the stimp meter. Tee, boxes, fairway, rough, and aprons around the green all in superior condition. I was only in one bunker, (greenside on 14) and it is was perfectly groomed and played properly. It was firm enough to avoid buried lie but deep and soft enough to dig your feet in for a text-book “thump” with spin to get out.
If you have never played here before, I highly recommend it. The course is beautiful and the layout is challenging with a great mix of holes. There are strategically placed fairway and greenside bunkers that require good course management, as well as undulations and slopes in greens and fairways; and, some elevation changes. All aspects of your game will be challenged here. Well worth the greens fee. Service was great from the pro shop, starter, cart girl, marshals, snack bar (adjacent to 9th and 11th tees) and restaurant. To top it all off, the food is superior!

Rode the black tees this morning 12/5/2016 on an EZlink promo$10.00 off special for $19.99 at 11:07am. Played through a 4some on #3 and a 5some on #5 tee--waited behind a 2 some on 8 tee on for a tota... Continue »

Rode the black tees this morning 12/5/2016 on an EZlink promo$10.00 off special for $19.99 at 11:07am. Played through a 4some on #3 and a 5some on #5 tee--waited behind a 2 some on 8 tee on for a total POP of 3 hrs 25 min. Nice starter let me out 30 minutes early. Weather was low 60's with a very slight maybe 5mph breeze at times. Nice golf weather. This remains one of my favorite layouts in the County. VERY long from the blacks, challenging, elevated tees to let the driver rip, some nice long par 3's and several lakes and OB that will keep a player honest. These greens were the quickest and probably some of the better greens I have putted on this year! Listed as a 12 on the starter shack they were at least that on level and downhillers. I just rated them a 9/10. They were quick, firm, very little ballmarks and putting smooth. If you were above the pin it was tap it time. They are doing a great job with the green complexes. For sure highlight of the course. The fairways are becoming thinner since my last visit here. Looks like they are spraying some green spray to keep them better looking. I thought at present time there was just enough padding for your irons. You get a ton of rollout on these fairways--hit a bullet on 16 and it rolled 10 yds past the 100 yd marker to give you an idea. Overall rating 7/10 for the fairways. The tees are mostly all level--in decent shape. The black tee on #10 has some sand on it and maybe could use more sod but overall the tees were rated an 8/10. Was in 2 greenside bunkers that contained enough sand to splash out of and both traps were raked nicely. Would not want the sand to be any firmer. Rated 7/10. The rough lining some of the fairways is thick and varies from deep thin wispy stuff, to lush rough to some minor bare areas. Rough was mostly lush though and in good shape. Rated 7/10. Recommended for sure.

The Lakes is in exceptional condition right now and also the best deal around. Miss the windy days and enjoy a lush, green (albeit turf dye) golf course.

The Lakes is in exceptional condition right now and also the best deal around. Miss the windy days and enjoy a lush, green (albeit turf dye) golf course.

Played RR Lakes on my return trip from Santa Barbara on Sunday, 11/20, getting out solo around 1:00 for $30 walking. A male/female twosome went off ahead of me in a cart and generally stayed far enoug... Continue »

Played RR Lakes on my return trip from Santa Barbara on Sunday, 11/20, getting out solo around 1:00 for $30 walking. A male/female twosome went off ahead of me in a cart and generally stayed far enough ahead that there were no significant delays. This is one of my favorite courses and I'm always happy to get out here, seldom as it is. Tee boxes were fine — level and well covered. Fairways were on the tight side with generally good coverage and a lot of rollout. Even when the grass is tight here, the turf has a characteristic underlying sponginess to it that makes it a nice surface to hit from. Bunkers had nice sand and the rough was generally non-punitive and easy to play out of. The greens were pretty quick, as is typical here. Getting my putts to stop when putting from above the hole was a challenge that I never quite mastered all day. There was probably about a 1+ club wind most of the round that died off toward the end. When I got the the 16th tee box, which is the highest point in the round and almost a 360º view, the late afternoon sun was coloring the area, surrounding mountains, and scattered clouds. You could see the dark clouds and rain tracking through LA to the south while dark rain clouds moved through Santa Barbara to the north. It really was rather exquisite and since there was no one to push me, I lingered for a while taking it all in. I had debated whether or not to stop for golf on the way home, but that moment totally confirmed that I had made the right decision and I felt lucky to be there.

Played 11-3-16 teeing off as single at 8am and finishing a little before 11am. Course in the morning was pretty empty I guess because of the 25-30 mph wind prediction that never happened maybe 5 mph ... Continue »

Played 11-3-16 teeing off as single at 8am and finishing a little before 11am. Course in the morning was pretty empty I guess because of the 25-30 mph wind prediction that never happened maybe 5 mph at most. Tee boxes were in good shape mostly level and a little thin. Fairways were semi green and in good shape with firm lies and a lot of roll out. Rough was a mix of short a clumpy to 5-6 inches and thick. Was in one bunker that was a little thin and firm. Greens were in good shape and fast but they had done a small slit punch on them which did effect roll and speed at times. Didn't even notice any damage from the fire until they 18th green.