Had the distinct pleasure of playing in our GK Guru (and subsequently GK Cup) event at The Saticoy Club yesterday afternoon and it was an experience to remember. This is a classic 1921 Bell design tha... Continue »

Had the distinct pleasure of playing in our GK Guru (and subsequently GK Cup) event at The Saticoy Club yesterday afternoon and it was an experience to remember. This is a classic 1921 Bell design that winds its way up and down a prominent hill overlooking the agriculture fields between Ventura and the coast. There are some wild views, but even more wild golf shots to manage!

It's a very challenging layout but it's not as tight as I was expecting when I was preparing for it. There are always options off the tee and if you're hitting it relatively straight and with the proper distances, you'll be okay. The course's main defenses though are many - a lot of deep, strategically placed bunkers, uneven lies all day, some wild elevation shifts, some DEEP patches of rough that may as well be OB, and of course some very tricky green complexes that confounded my putting game all afternoon.

But the layout itself is a true treat and you'll feel transported back in time to a true classic. The course conditions are great all across the board, with great lies in green fairways all day and manageable rough just off the fairways (avoid the deep stuff!). I managed to avoid all bunkers except for one but it was perfect, and I heard the same all day from Johnny, Alex and Ron with whom I was playing. Tee boxes (we played from the blues) were in very good shape, and the overall aesthetic was just top notch.

POP was an issue at over five hours, but we were the problem without a doubt. Plenty of ball searching in the rough areas took a lot of time, and working out the putts on these complex greens seemed to take more time than it should have, but we were simply enjoying the surroundings as well and trying to take it all in. It's simply a stunning patch of land to be privileged enough to experience and it's a place I will always hope to play again.

The staff I met was very helpful and the practice areas were just fine and suited to whatever needs you might have pre-round. But the ultimate summary here is pretty simple - the layout is the star. Every hole is a fun adventure that just gets you excited for the next one, and the next one never disappoints. My favorite hole? I think it has to be the downhill par 4 15th. You just need to see that one for yourself, so if you get the chance, make sure to make it happen.

Played course for first time yesterday. I'd always heard it was a tough course so I spent time doing research. Their website (https://www.thesaticoyclub.com/) has videos done with a drone of every hol... Continue »

Played course for first time yesterday. I'd always heard it was a tough course so I spent time doing research. Their website (https://www.thesaticoyclub.com/) has videos done with a drone of every hole along with playing tips. I also used Google Earth to view the course and measure things like how far it was to doglegs and identify hazards that might not be noticed from a tee box. I like to describe some courses as 3-D which means there's a fair amount of hills, up/down tee/fairway shots, etc. This course is very 3-D. The first hole is even a tee shot from top of a hill. There's also many uneven lies on fairways. The range is even hitting down to level maybe 100 feet down so forget about figuring out how far you hit your clubs. Members can go to the range of Saticoy regional course a couple miles down the road to figure that out or Sterling Hills course range not far away either.

The course was in great shape as you would expect a private course to be. Greens rolled nicely and quite tricky to read on several holes. Traps had plenty of good sand and I found myself in a bunch of them. The rough areas have much growth to hide your balls if you end up in them. I lost several that way, to be honest. It wasn't a good golf day for me but I can't blame it on the beautiful weather nor lack of good information I found. The course sits up in the mountain fairly high so you get ocean breeze and it was in our face on several tee shots and fairways. Everyone in our foursome was playing it for the first time and described it as a beautiful but very challenging course. My rather out-of-shape 68 year old body was very worn out at the end of the round even though I did some yoga before the round to stretch.

Our Saturday Golf Group had the opportunity to play the Saticoy Club yesterday 8/7/21 and what a treat if you want a challenging course to play. Overall all course conditions were amazing and the gre... Continue »

Our Saturday Golf Group had the opportunity to play the Saticoy Club yesterday 8/7/21 and what a treat if you want a challenging course to play. Overall all course conditions were amazing and the greens are very undulated and fast. Yesterday they were not as fast as I have seen them in the past. But still slick. Very friendly staff and there to help with anything you need. I would highly recommend this Country Club if you ever get the opportunity to play it.

played the rare away round here in early november on a week day through a reciprocal website agreement. had long at the saticoy club on my radar and finally took the long ride up from LA to play it. p... Continue »

played the rare away round here in early november on a week day through a reciprocal website agreement. had long at the saticoy club on my radar and finally took the long ride up from LA to play it. played the tips (~7k or so in yards, the scorecard for this course on GK is not current, should be updated) which are 74.6/138. i came away very impressed with the saticoy club. if i were looking to join a different club right now, it would be top of my list. they have a great deal for under 40 members where the monthly dues are 600 a month, and the monthly dues are also in that range if you live 65+ miles from the club because you're considered a national member. and no initiation right now. as far as the course goes, you can see it's a billy bell and after 7 holes i turned to one of the members i was playing with and called it soule park on steroids. or it has the feel if you mixed soule park wtih say hacienda GC. very interesting contoured greens with speed. there are some nasty false fronts and other holes where missing to a certain spot around the green is absolutely crucial. had i not been w/ members, i would have been a bit surprised by some of this just by observing the approach shots from yards out. however, every tee shot was out in front of you, nothing too gimmicky or tricked up. routing wise, only odd thing is that both 9 & 10 are par 3s, which is rare and a bit weird... about the par 3s, there are 4 of them and from the tips they are 225, 190, 170 (way downhill) & 205. the 170 hole plays 150-160 with the downhill but into the wind, and it's over water, that's the 10th hole. that's the only quasi-tricked up hole / one i didn't really like. maybe b/c i made double there by not judging yardage right off tee and hitting 1st ball into the pond. still i would say the knock on the par 3 set at the course is that from the back, you're hitting 3 long irons into the greens and one mid-iron, so the course lacks a great short par 3. of the four par 5s, the first one of them (6th hole) is gettable in two, the other 3 are not. and with the 10 par 4s, none are set up where you can drive the green because the few in the sub 360 yard range play uphill. however, this doesn't make the course boring or repetitive. it's a very strong golf course, one where i'd say no single hole would be rated higher than 8 on a scale of 1-10, but also none related lower than a 4. just 18 good, solid, very good holes. in that case i think it's akin to Oakmont CC in glendale in how it lacks weak holes but different than say Hacienda GC which has 1-2 reasonably weak holes but also 3-4 fantastic ones. net net, if you have the chance to play saticoy, take it. and if you're under 40 or regularly drive long distances to play, look into joining. you would not get bored playing saticoy day in day out, not to mention they're part of the "championship collection" meaning you'd probably get some good reciprocity if that amenity is open to all of their members.

Played here 3/2 with my men's club on an absolutely gorgeous 70 degree day in Somis. It's been almost 4 months since the GK Guru's made it out and the course has only gotten better since then (no CPO ... Continue »

Played here 3/2 with my men's club on an absolutely gorgeous 70 degree day in Somis. It's been almost 4 months since the GK Guru's made it out and the course has only gotten better since then (no CPO today thank goodness), with every aspect of the course improving slightly since last November. Pace today was atrocious, but no fault of the course, all the older gentlemen today spent more than the allotted 3 minutes looking for shots. For my money, this is the hardest golf course I have played yet, playing tougher all-around than Torrey, Aviara, or Maderas for me, but I still enjoy coming out here every time.

Tee boxes: The weakest aspect of the course that was near perfection so let the rating of 8 gauge how "bad" they truly were. A few un-level lies and a some chewed up boxes, not helped by the fact everyone today played from whites.

Fairways: Comparable to the overseeded fairways I just played in Palm Springs; wonderfully lush but finely manicured carpet of forest green. Roll was more than adequate and not a bad lie all day.

Rough: Penal with Torrey-like blades of tall grass, lots of ice plant, native brush, etc. to flank the traditional rough as well. A humbling amount of tall rough lines just about every hole and trees peppered throughout.

Sand: Plenty of sand on the course and every bunker had ample amount of raked sand that allowed for sand saves and/or shot shaping as necessary.

Greens: The green complexes here are insane. Any shot short will run right off (I had three separate approach shots spin right off the green and about 20 yards down the way) and any chip/flop shot that doesn't sit, will also scram right away from the hole. Speed on putts varied from quick to lightning fast with some pin placements being complete headscratchers and/or unfair. Be ready for pain!

ETC: Newer carts with no GPS. Staff today was skeleton crew as you'd expect on a Monday at a country club, those present were very friendly. Full field today so parking was a problem as club is older with minimal parking and homes a few yards away from clubhouse. Layout here is excellent with great mix of holes, par 3's some of the best in my opinion. No cart attendant or clubhouse access outside of restroom. Few drinking stations on course and two bathrooms (on either 9) that could use some TLC. Thankful to be able to return to this club a few miles from home and would easily recommend.

Took the healthy drive with Blake from Long Beach to the Saticoy to join the rest of the GK crew (thanks Johnny!), and this course was as emotionally exhausting as the LA traffic to get there--what a ... Continue »

Took the healthy drive with Blake from Long Beach to the Saticoy to join the rest of the GK crew (thanks Johnny!), and this course was as emotionally exhausting as the LA traffic to get there--what a challenging course! My accuracy was off for most of the day, and boy did the course make me pay. Then once getting on the greens, you were greeted with lightning fast speed and crazy undulations. On more than one occasion a seemingly nice chip/putt caught an unfortunate ridge and would roll all the way off of the green. If you're looking for a challenging course, this one will be right up there. Absolutely stunning conditions and the staff was awesome!

Played 11-18-19 with the GK group, Teeing it up with Blake, Mike,and Steve on a real nice day for a fun round of golf. The course was in great shape as everybody has said. What a great course with a a... Continue »

Played 11-18-19 with the GK group, Teeing it up with Blake, Mike,and Steve on a real nice day for a fun round of golf. The course was in great shape as everybody has said. What a great course with a awesome layout and great views on real nice piece of land. Thanks to Johnny for setting this up and to The Saticoy Club for having us out. About the only negative for the day was having to leave. If you ever get the opportunity to play here jump on it.

I played here yesterday with the guru outing organized by Johnny. Big thanks for the great opportunity to play this wonderful course. Also, it has been a while since I have been to any GK outing so I ... Continue »

I played here yesterday with the guru outing organized by Johnny. Big thanks for the great opportunity to play this wonderful course. Also, it has been a while since I have been to any GK outing so I was happy to see everyone who was there.

As far as course conditions, it was almost immaculate. At least where it is mowed and maintained. There were areas that no golfer should visit. Some of the rough will just eat your ball and if you are lucky enough to find it, good luck hitting it!

Tees (I played the combo white/blue) were nice and level. I never had a bad stance.

Fairways were great. Lots of room if you could hit a halfway straight shot. I could not most of the time, but when I finally did find a fairway it was great to hit from. Great roll out on drives and soft enough to take a pro-sized divot. Since it was cart path only, I got in the habit of bringing several clubs and the sand bottle out with me.

Rough was intense. First cut was fine. Ball sits up. No problem. Get outside that and it's anything can happen time. I was surprised I was able to find my ball when I did find the rough because most of the time it was just a guess as to where it ended up.

Sand was great in the bunkers that I found. Absolutely fun to hit from with a consistency that gave me confidence to hit a good shot.

Greens were amazing. Fast, fast, and fast! I like fast; however, if you are above the hole and are putting towards the ocean, look out! You could baby a putt and still run it 10' past. Uphill putts were just as challenging. So many three putts. I had a four putt on one hole from only a few feet away. As fast as the greens were, if you could hit a decent approach you will find them very receptive and holding. You have to execute, though. These greens take no prisoners!

All in all it was a great day playing hooky from work and given the chance I would love to play here again! Thanks again, Johnny and The Saticoy Club!

There seem to be enough reviews from our outing of this course so I will describe my experience in the form of three Haikus.

Am I on the green?
Please tell me I'm on the green.
No, the sand again... Continue »

There seem to be enough reviews from our outing of this course so I will describe my experience in the form of three Haikus.

Am I on the green?
Please tell me I'm on the green.
No, the sand again...

Nice shot on the green!
Something happened soon after...
Bring a pitching wedge.

Wow, what a cool hole!
Local knowledge would help here.
When can I come back?