Posted on October 25, 2019October 15, 2019 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Royal Links Golf Club Las Vegas Nevada

Royal Links Golf Club

Golf Course Review Royal Links Golf Club Las Vegas Nevada

Reviewed by: roarksown1, Playa del Rey

Was very excited to play Royal Links for the first time, especially after reading recent reviews that were quite positive. What a difference a week makes? Everything was fine upon arrival and we got our cart and proceeded to the small but adequate driving range.

We tee’d off with a 2pm start time and there was a horrible smell and excavation work going on in the middle of the first fairway between tee and green. Sewer main broke perhaps? Either way, the landing area was a muddy, smelly mess. After that the course was okay, but it was certainly more dried out than I expected and the rough tall grass is almost impossible to find your ball in unless it’s just dumb luck.

The Review

Layout is of course very linksy and quite different to the standard fare. I actually enjoyed all of the hidden pot bunkers and trying to avoid them based on my phone GPS (carts really should have a GPS for those without their own – what are you actually paying over $100 for if you can’t play the course well without that knowledge?). Tee boxes were in pretty good shape (played the gold tees which were often hard to see since the grass was dried out), and the bunkers were okay but certainly not great.

Greens were definitely super slick and in great shape. Very fast, a lot of ‘turtle-back’ green complexes which made approach shots difficult, and fine coverage. It was very easy early to misread putts and simply tap them 10 feet past the hole. But with a few strokes, the speed became more apparent.

I enjoyed the tributes to The Open courses and the hole descriptions for each one – that’s a nice touch and makes it far more interesting. I was surprised that the Postage Stamp from the gold tees was playing at 165 yards! I though the whole point of that hole was the short distance?

Parting Thoughts

Cart service came around a few times on a perfect afternoon for twilight golf. Still, can’t help but feel that the price would be just fine if conditions were a little better than what they are right now. Are they letting it dry out for reseeding soon? If that’s the case, then poor planning on my part. If not, they should spruce the place up a bit IMHO.

Posted on October 24, 2019October 15, 2019 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Alhambra Golf Course Alhambra California

Alhambra Golf Course

Golf Course Review Alhambra Golf Course Alhambra California

Reviewed by: 24hourgolf, San Marino

Went out yesterday @ 2 PM. Got right out and finished in 3 H. Great customer service in the shop. Found the course to be a tale of two 9’s.

Front nine fairways were dry and lots of thin brown areas. Tee boxes were acceptable. Traps seemed hard/crusty. Greens were slow and had areas of sand on them, that had not totally healed from aerating.

Back 9 was in very good shape. Tee boxes good. Fairways had good coverage and lies. Traps were still hard/crusty. Greens were in good shape and chipped/putted just fine, though still a tad slow.

Price and pace of play were excellent, making for an enjoyable round of golf.

Posted on October 23, 2019October 15, 2019 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Harbor Park Golf Course Wilmington California

Harbor Park Golf Course

Golf Course Review Harbor Park Golf Course Wilmington California

ALERT: Aeration
Could be doing minor aeration during Fall 2019. Calls to the LA City golf courses and checking the LA City Golf Course website have provided very little or no information about when minor aeration will or will not occur. However there have been posts from golfers that this is occurring so hence this alert.
* Although Greenskeeper.org researches all alerts before posting, we ask that you please contact the golf course for confirmation.

Reviewed by: koigarashi, Culver City, CA

Played here yesterday teeing off shortly after 7:00 AM.

Immediately I was very pleasantly surprised at how good the fairways are right from the first hole. Lush yet closely mowed and let any ball that found the fairway to roll very decently. Because of my early tee time, there were some wet spots from the sprinklers that hadn’t drained, but other than that they were the best I’ve seen them here in a long time.

Greens have fully recovered from any fine hole punching that had been done, and putts rolled smoothly and evenly at a medium speed. I’m glad that the City of L.A. decided to do fine hole punching only this fall, as the greens at both Rancho Park and Encino, which I played recently, were in an excellent shape also.

Luckily I didn’t find any bunker, but other than the usual unraked foot prints, the sand looked decent and reasonably playable.

Rough overall was a hit and miss, ranging from not difficult to brutal on an inconsistent basis.

Thanks to the early tee off, was able to finish the round in little over two hours walking – good for here any day! Other than one grumpy senior in the foursome I was grouped with (another story in itself LOL), the company was great and I thoroughly enjoyed the round. Will be sure to go back soon.

Posted on October 22, 2019October 15, 2019 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Rustic Canyon Golf Course Moorpark California

Rustic Canyon Golf Course

Golf Course Review Rustic Canyon Golf Course Moorpark California

Reviewed by: GDR23, Thousand Oaks

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.

Green-side 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.

Posted on October 21, 2019October 15, 2019 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Simi Hills Golf Course Simi Valley California

Simi Hills Golf Course

Golf Course Review Simi Hills Golf Course Simi Valley California

Reviewed by: jyamastoker, Los Angeles, CA

Played on Sunday, October 13 with a mid-morning tee time. POP was around 4 1/4 hours to play 18. Not bad for a Sunday. Not sure why it was a little quiet. There was a slight smell of smoke from the nearby fires over the hill from a few days before we played.

Course is in great shape. The tee boxes had good coverage. Fairways also had good coverage from tee to green. Granted there were thin spots here and there and some parts of the fairways felt a little mushy from over-watering in that area. The bunkers were inconsistent. Some bunkers were a little thin, some bunkers had wet sand, while others had a lot of sand. The greens are recovering well from recent aeration. Most of the greens seem back to normal. Greens tend to roll a little fast today.

It’s been a while since we were last here. Love the new carts with the GPS yardage and hole displays on it. It’s great getting distances to the pin and to some of the hazards. Love to watch the flyovers for each hole to see the layout of each hole. Had to remember to return the key to get your key deposit back. Love the layout on this course. A number of different challenges on this course.

Posted on October 20, 2019October 15, 2019 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Santa Anita Golf Course Arcadia California

Santa Anita Golf Course

Golf Course Review Santa Anita Golf Course Arcadia California

Reviewed by: rgm2525, chatsworth

Played 10-14-19 early morning walking as a single for $30 and finishing in a little over 2 1/2 hours with some waiting on the back side.

Tee boxes were just okay, mostly level with thin coverage and some bare spots.

Fairways were decent with mostly good coverage and good lies with some thin spots here and there and some bare areas down in the swells.

Rough was cut fairly short so not much of a factor with some bare and thin areas mixed in. Was in one green-side bunker that was well groomed but had a thin layer of sand over firm ground.

Greens were okay but very slow and had some bumps, they were a little inconsistent from soft to firm.

Overall just average conditions which is what I would expect from a municipal course. Fun easy course to walk that has a lot of character.

Posted on October 19, 2019October 15, 2019 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Boulder Creek Golf Club Boulder City Nevada

Boulder Creek Golf Club

Golf Course Review Boulder Creek Golf Club Boulder City Nevada

Reviewed by: larryq2001, Brea

Played 3 rounds at Boulder Creek as I played in a tournament the weekend of 10/11. Practice round was played first and they gave us the resident rate which is always appreciated. Very nice folks in the club house. Zach, one of the nice guys there and added to what was to be a lot of fun this weekend. I play in this tournament every year mid-October and so look forward to it. Weather was perfect – high 70’s and no wind. Very dry tough – about 3% humidity making the skin (particularly the hands) dry and chapped.

The course is in great shape however. All of the over seeding has been done and the fairways are great. The Bermuda rough is going dormant and hitting from there means you get a tight lie. Bunkers are filled with heavy sand and are in good shape. No problems getting out of either fairway or green side bunkers.

Greens are still recovering from over seeding and rolled a little bumpy but still held the line. In a couple of weeks, they should be rolling pretty fast. Greens were hard though and weren’t always holding. Had to hit very clean to get it to hold but once you figure that out, you need to make the adjustment.

Love playing here. A great, desert style golf course with some great views. Generous fairways but some shots you need to think through. Highly recommend. If in the area, make it a point to stop and play.

Posted on October 18, 2019October 15, 2019 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Temecula Creek Inn Golf Course Temecula California

Temecula Creek Inn Golf Course

Golf Course Review Temecula Creek Inn Golf Course Temecula California

Reviewed by: Nickesquire, Rancho Mirage, CA

Rode the Whites on the Oaks/Stonehouse combo (6304/70.2/127) using Forelinx in slightly over 4 hours. Paired with Chris/Sue, nice couple and 140ver. Thanks for coming up Mike! The weather was around 80, clear and calm.

Fun course, the Oaks 9 is more wide open and less picturesque than the Stonehouse 9. The layout is constantly up/down rolling hills with fairly large, thick trees lining every fairway. Even though it is not far from major streets and the freeway, most holes feel secluded with no homes around and native areas ringing most of the course. Would be a challenging course to walk with the rolling hills.

The tees were good. Fairly level, adequate coverage with most divots properly maintained.

The fairways were fairly lush and nice to play off of.

The rough was decent with good coverage. A few areas were deep and lost ball rough, but most areas were not overly penal.

The sand was excellent. Nicely maintained with an adequate amount of good quality sand.

The greens were medium fast, firm but held approach shots well. However, chips would release and that needed to be accounted for. After playing on some of the slowest greens I have ever played on Friday, these seems like Augusta. Three putted 4 of the first 5 greens before I got the speed down and ended up with one of my worst ever putting days, but the greens were not the challenge, it was me!

Quick efficient check in. Good GPS on carts. Cart gal out and around numerous times. Good snack shop and busy restaurant onsite. Nice course in good condition, definitely recommended.