As my senior discount card is nearing its expiration, wanted to get out to probably my favorite LA County course – Santa Anita. Love the setting, the nice mix of holes, rolling contours of the fairways.
Golf course is certainly not perfect, but for $16.50, what a deal to play this course. Greens were good, not as quick as I’d like, but they never are. Most of the fairways have good coverage, with some bare areas. The one bunker I found was just fine. I’m always surprised how easy it is to get out early mornings, staff is very friendly and accommodating.
Santa Anita Golf Course Arcadia California Senior GK Coupon
Pacific Dunes is the pinnacle of public golf in the US. After playing 36 at Bandon Dunes and the Old Mac, I decided to head over to the only course on the property I had yet to play. Also, for anyone wondering the 3rd round is always free at any Bandon course.
Instead of heading over to the Punch Bowl putting course or to the Pub I decided I would play until sunset at Pacific. I was quickly blown away and immediately vaulted Pacific to my favorite track on the property.
The Course
Hole 1, a short par 4 has a great tucked green which, although nothing special, was my favorite opener on the property. Once you hike up to the second tee box, you know this is a special place. Holes 2 & 3 eventually route you adjacent to the ocean, with 3 being a monster Par 5 playing straight into the teeth which was my favorite par 5 on the property. All 3 times I played it it was playing close to 580 yards and offers absolutely zero room for error for the long hitter trying to get home in two. Once you finished hole 3 you turn the corner to what many regard as their favorite hole on the property, a cliff side par 4. Holes 5 – 9 take you off the ocean, including hole 7 which is a terrific long par 4 (#1 handicap).
Holes 10 – 13 prove to be the most scenic & difficult ocean holes you will ever find. This stretch will test you as they play directly north into the summer prevailing wind. If you can manage those holes at even par you’ve done well. Holes 14/15/16 a par 3, 5, and 4, respectively, give you your last real chance at birdie as 17/18 prove to be a difficult closing stretch.
My Thoughts
It’s amazing how people rank the courses at Bandon. You can talk to people all weekend long on what courses they thought were the best and you will get a different answer from everyone.
This is what makes Bandon such a special place. For me, Pacific and Trails were the clear cut winners and I would go with 1a) Pacific, 1b) Trails, 2) Old Mac, 3) Bandon Dunes. I heard many people rank Old Mac dead last and others had it number 1. Pretty awesome if you ask me. Quick note on the conditions at Pacific Dunes. They were perfect.
Finished up a 3 night/4 day golf trip to the Bandon property for Memorial Day weekend. I have a lot to review and many pictures to post.
Bandon Dunes (the property inclusive of all courses) is a world class golf destination that may not have many rivals in terms of number of top 100 courses all within a stones throw from each other. Places that come to mind that can compete include maybe Pinehurst & Pebble Beach. I will go into detail on each course on the property but I will say this, what makes Bandon perhaps the best golf destination in the world is the variety of golf they offer. From Bandon Trails to Old Mac & everything in between.
My Review
Bandon Trails was the first course we played on our weekend trip and I was blown away at the layout. Many visitors overlook Trails when coming to Bandon as it is not a true links golf course. But the demanding layout sits far away from any of the other golf courses on the property and has a very remote feel to it. I would argue Trails to be the toughest course on site or at the very least tied with Old Mac. Once you get past the 1st hole, the course slowly switch backs up to the highest point on the property, hole 14 tee box, which is also said to be the location for which Mike Kieser decided he would purchase the property some 25 years ago.
Trails is well protected by massive pine trees which make it a great option for the 2nd round of the day when the wind is picking up. There are a handful of driveable 4’s (8, 14) reachable 5’s (2 & 9) which can provide some chances at birdie/eagle. What makes Trails truly exceptional is Coore/Crenshaw’s ability to blend three distinct settings Ocean/Forrest/meadow and create what I think is a course without a single “bad” hole. Once you get into the forest section there is a stretch of 6-7 holes where you feel like you are the only people on the property.
Additional Thoughts
I wont dive much into course conditions at Bandon in my reviews but I will just say that all courses were in superb conditioning. This is links golf so the conditions vary significantly throughout the year. But one thing to note, the greens at Trails are getting heavily spotted with Poa and late in the day they do get bumpy. I heard from multiple people the Greenskeeper is planning to stop fighting the Poa and slowly let it take over. In no way did this impact my enjoyment of my second favorite course on site.
Rode the Blues this morning 5/29/2018 for a GK guru round teeing off at 10:05am with JohnnyGK, MrKich and Barkydog. POP was 4 hrs 40 minutes. Weather was beautiful low 70’s with maybe a 1 club breeze on the back nine. Had not played out here in 15 months. Tierra Rejada’s range is closed for a couple weeks as they are fixing the fence around the range. They have a very huge and sloped putting green and a separate nice smaller chipping green. Down below on their range they also have a nice short game chipping area with a practice bunker.
The greens were very shiny green, soft and were putting medium speed. They had some minor poa circles creeping in that could effect putts. For the most part the greens ran true. We fixed a couple ballmarks here and there. Green rating 7/10.
The fairways were more lush than thin. 75/25 lush to thin. Some divot damage in the low lying and common areas like #10 fairway. I thought they were in pretty darn good shape. It gets hot in this area and it looks like the course is trying to water where they can. Fairway rating 7/10
The tees were semi-lush with mostly level teeing grounds. There were a few tees where you had to spend time hunting for a stance but you could always almost find it. Some divot damage on the par 3 tees that I tried my best to fill in with sand. Rating 6.5/10.
The rough was low in most places just off the fairway and high in others like where my buddy was just off of #1 fairway. The further you got off the fairway the rougher and less predictable it got. Rated 6/10
Was in one greenside bunker on #7 that contained raked firmer sand.
The layout here is an interesting one on the front–very hilly elevated tee boxes with small target landing areas. I think the front is tougher and has a lot more character than the back nine. It’s 2 different golf courses. Some fun character holes on the back as well like 11 and 14. Better hit it real straight here to score.
Its only a mile from home so for sure I will be back on birthday rounds or rounds that I can land a deal on. Recommended for a fun and challenging option in the area.
Rode the Blues (6751/72.7/138) in less than 3 hours as a single. The weather was around 60, completely cloudy and misting when I left Hunter Ranch around 1030a. Just pulled into Rancho Mirage, 102 and clear — go figure.
HR is a hilly, challenging layout in very nice condition. The fairways are framed by hundreds of 100+ year old oak trees. It is unusual to get a level lies anywhere on a course set among rolling hills. The fairways are generous in width but the course can be really penal if you stray barely off many fairways.
The tees were mostly lush and were well maintained for divots. Some could use leveling would be the only negative.
The fairways are a mixture of grasses and are mostly lush, nice to play from.
The rough was mostly lush close to the fairway, thinner the farther you got from the fairway. Stray off in the oaks and you are playing on hardpan.
The sand traps were well maintained with nice, soft, white sand.
The large, undulating greens are firm but still usually held irons well. They putted smooth and medium fast.
The customer service was good as usual here. No drink cart or Marshall usually, nice restaurant beside the well stocked, beautiful clubhouse. Definitely recommended.
Reviewed by: sbarajasjr, San Diego
Played here today (5/26) with fellow GK member jpeairs85 and a friendly twosome on the Canyon/Vineyards combo. Was bummed we couldn’t play Ranch today, but had an enjoyable round finishing in just a shade under 4 hours, so no complaints there. There was a huge tournament out there in the morning that was not done when we tees off at 2pm but they seemed to play determined and quickly. On to the review…
The Review
Tee boxes: Okay to good condition. A few of the par 3 boxes were pretty chewed up, but I would say that is to be expected. All others had good turf to stand on (level) and there are a few tee options on the course.
Fairways: Great condition. The recent May gray that creates morning mist and drizzle has greened up the fairways and left them with good lies throughout. Roll seemed fair today (even on holes where the slope was unfair) and visually they were appealing.
Rough: As Jim mentioned in his last review, there’s not much rough to contend with, rather the ESA and lateral hazards that frame every hole are far greater in quantity and difficulty. The rough that does exist was not overly penal.
Bunkers: Varied but overall okay. I was in only two bunkers today but they were on the low end of the “okay” scale; more dirt than sand and rather coarse. I did see a few on the fluffier side, just not enough of them.
Greens: The highlight of the round. Very good condition; the roll was very smooth and the speed varied all day from slower than thought to lightning fast, depending on the wicked slopes and pin placements. A real test today!
ETC: Staff was very friendly, from starter to cart girl, they made a real effort to make you feel welcomed.
Some Personal Thoughts
I love the layout here and the course played tough, especially with wind at times. Range could use some love and GPS on the carts would be benificial. Pace was excellent today and the price was right for a weekend. Recommend!
Played the newly renamed course O’odham (formerly North) for $31 at 2:18 pm on a packed Sunday 05/27.
Setting the Stage
First things first is we called and booked to play the Piipaash (formerly South) because that course is easier and the one my dad wanted to play. Pulling up before the tee time and speaking with the starter, Scott, mentioned to us that Piipaash will be playing slow all day because of the amount of people and O’odham is open, as we looked over at the first tee of Piipaash and there were 2 foursomes waiting. So we took Scott up on the offer and changed courses. I didn’t mind and I think it showed awareness that the starter gave us the choice.
The Review
What Scott mentioned was Piipaash was just host of the Scottsdale Open about a week ago and the course was in “peak” condition. It’s sister course O’odham was this links course was definitely that too. Every tee and fairway was firm and made every shot sit up. The greens were amazingly pure and running around an 11+, really fast compared to most courses pre-summer heat. The bunkers were free of debris and texture good enough to play the shot you wanted regardless of bunker location (there is a lot of them, not Ak-Chin Southern Dunes a lot but there are some tucked away and placed in the fairways).
My Thoughts
The strategy and design of this course is difficult enough to make you grind all day. Not a course per say where you’ll have a lot of triple or bigger for bogeys but it seems like you can never get your footing to score. The first hole is easy and straightforward, however right after you have the hardest hole par 5 second according to women’s handicap and the following par 4 is the hardest hole according to men’s handicap. The first par 3 is a mid-iron bunker guarded green at the 6th. Every shot needs to be calculated (can be thanks to on cart touchscreen GPS) and every 4 foot putt lined up. The holes seems to play off each other well and by the end of the day you realize it’s been an incredibly wearing 18 holes, without any water. Crazy how a course can be difficult without water.
The pace of play (below 4 hours and 10 minutes) and customer service provided makes this course pleasant, while the challenge of the design and landscape makes this a must play in the summer when most won’t drop $150 come Winter/Spring peak.
Editor’s Note: We need photos of this golf course! Help out your fellow GKers and upload some photos HERE!
Rio Secco Golf Club Henderson Nevada GK Guru Visit
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Golf Playing Conditions 8.51 GREAT
Teed it up Thursday 5/24 with fellow GK Gurus to once again experience the newly renovated Rio Secco Golf Club in Las Vegas. It was 6 month ago I first checked out the improvements and I have to say the course is only getting better. Most notably are the improved turf conditions (which were excellent in December). The new greens have become a little faster and remain very smooth, the fairways more lush, the rough more lush (green and out of dormancy), tee boxes more lush and new bunker sand still excellent. I’ve played Rio Secco many times and this was best condition I have seen it.
All other positives remain about this high-end Vegas course. Exceptional service, restaurant (highly recommend the steak sandwich), clubhouse, practice facilities (even saw Butch Harmon giving a lesson), layout (super fun & challenging) … place has got it all.
6 months ago it took an adjustment to the flipping of the nines but now that I’ve experienced it again, finishing with a par 3, par 5 and then par 4 right at the clubhouse makes total sense and offers more convenience..
