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ROUNDUP: GK Guru Visit Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake, Chula Vista California

Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake Chula Vista California Hole 5

Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake

ROUNDUP: GK Guru Visit Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake, Chula Vista California

Reviewed by: JohnnyGK, Thousand Oaks
Out with GK Gurus on Wednesday 7/9 1:45pm to play Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake for the first time. Very enjoyable. Thank you everyone that came and my group Gary (gary00) and Steve (sparky14).

Since launching Greenskeeper.org back in 2002 I’ve followed Eastlake (former name) with curiosity in the beginning reading mix reviews and eventually with sympathy as reviews about the overall playing experience greatly deteriorated over time. A sad story to be honest with you. The place has great bones.

Then about 18 months ago I heard of a new owner, this now being Enagic USA (drinking water company) with lots of money being put back into it. Could they seriously turn this place around I thought? After over 15 years of significant neglect? Answer a resounding yes already with still much more to do to. This October the Enagic Golf Club at Eastlake will host PGA caliber players as the revival of the San Diego County Open.

The Review

Golf Playing Conditions 7.52 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 7.52 GREAT

We played the golf course under summer turf conditions Wednesday and enjoyed it. It’s important to know this course is going to over-seed with rye grass in September which impressed me. You know an owner is serious about maintaining good conditions year around when they dropping that kind of money on rye grass seed. I’m already looking into booking a GK Plays outing there for November. Anyway for summer turf conditions and knowing they still have work to do to I was very pleased with the conditions.

Greens were in good shape, rolling 10.5 according to a sign posted, held shots and were mostly smooth. We seemed to catch the most popular pin placements that day as the surface around the holes certainly had many more ball marks, new and old, than most other areas of the greens. Also on many greens you can see the completed enlargement of the surfaces that had me scratching my on how they could have been so small to begin with. Good work there. Great improvement.

Fairways were all Bermuda/Kikuyu with remnants of some thin spots as result of recently transitioned rye grass. Look for the fairways to fill in more as the summer goes on. Bet next month they are going to be in excellent shape. Still I had good mostly lush lies all day.

Rough is a mix of Bermuda/Kikuyu that can get thick at times green-side. Overall not very penal through the green and adjacent to the fairways. Mostly lush.

Bunkers, already 9 new bunkers (as in were not there before), looked to have good quality sand. I found one fairway bunker and no green-side bunkers so don’t have a lot of firsthand experience with them. COVID-19 no rakes as expected but you can tell they make sure to rake them all before each day of play.

Tee boxes, we played the blue tees, by far the most popular with some thin areas and divot damage I only noticed on the blue tees. The black tees looked to be in much better condition and those new gold tees coming will look even better once installed. Got a sneak peak at the new scorecard for the gold tees … 6961 yards. And get this, for the San Diego County Open, hole 9 (525 par 5) and hole 18 (510 par 5) will be playing as par 4s! – next time teeing up here I want to try the black tees. No thanks to the gold tees.

As for the layout I really liked it especially as a first time player there. Never do any holes parallel each other, lots of elevation changes, doglegs in both directions, beautiful water features, risk/reward holes, well protected greens, some nice views on the back nine and great variety of short and long par 4’s. Rather than go on about the layout I snapped a bunch of photos so please check them out.

Service all day was very friendly and professional. I really like that they have someone out there in addition to the on course food/beverage service offering free Enagic water and refills on divot mix.

Final Thoughts

I live in Ventura County so this golf course is special travel treat for me but if I lived in San Diego County I’m for sure getting over to play this track it multiple times a year. How cool it is for San Diego golfers to have a comeback golf course story unfolding like this. Go check it out. Highly Recommend.

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ROUNDUP: GK Guru Visit Black Gold Golf Club Yorba Linda California

Black Gold Golf Club Yorba Linda Hole 10

Black Gold Golf Club

ROUNDUP: GK Guru Visit Black Gold Golf Club Yorba Linda California

Reviewed by: Rat-Patrol, San Diego
Out with the GK group, 6/25, on a warm day with some swirling winds coming up through the canyons. First time here and my initial impression was a good one. Seems like a nice facility, smallish range, putting green behind the clubhouse, nice clubhouse/restaurant area.

Golf Playing Conditions 7.55 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 7.55 GREAT

Once on the course conditions were good with the greens being the highlight. Big contoured greens that rolled smooth, on the fast side, a bit firm in spots and tricky. Loved the way the greens rolled but could not read them well enough to make anything from any distance. Bunkers were in good shape with a nice playable surface, fairways were great to play from, rough varied I did find a few thick spots, layout is fun, interesting and certainly makes you think (although IMHO the design was a bit ambitious making some areas difficult for the grounds crew to maintain and most likley in some areas a major undertaking), my cart had no GPS others did, but when everyone gets their own cart they needed to pull out the extras (mine had a logo from a Palm Springs area GC on it). Staff seemed accommodating, friendly and saw the snack cart multiple times. Upstairs snack bar was open and looked busy.

Overall a fun track with nice facilities in good condition worth a play.

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ROUNDUP: GK Guru Visit Black Gold Golf Club Yorba Linda California

Black Gold Golf Club Yorba Linda California GK Guru Visit-Hole-10 & Clubhouse

Black Gold Golf Club

GK Guru Visit Black Gold Golf Club Yorba Linda California

Reviewed by: JohnnyGK, Thousand Oaks
Played Black Gold yesterday with fellow GK Gurus 6/25 as well as a GK Cup Match. Been about a year since playing this course. I normally don’t like to space it out that far apart given how much I like it. Felt great to be out there. My foursome was dconnally, gary00 and aakes90278.

The Review

From the onset this place was busy as you could tell the local community of Yorba Linda was happy to have the full facilities open again. Driving range was spaced for COVID-19 precautions and face masks were required while in the

Golf Playing Conditions 7.55 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 7.55 GREAT

Pro-shop.

As sparky14 noted in his review and I agree, the fairways were as lush as I’ve ever seen them and I have been playing Black Gold Golf Club since 2003. I have to applaud Black Gold once again for making the decision years ago to go through the painful long transition from a Bermuda/rye grass fairway turf to an all Kikuyu as it has certainly paid off in the long run.

Greens in very good shape as expected however not as firm and fast as I normally experience. Most golfers probably like that as these greens are very challenging and your short game has to be spot on to negotiate difficult bunkers and most of all tough lies out of the Kikuyu rough. I was green-side in two on hole 4. Had a tough delicate in Kikuyu downhill lie, thinned it a little, ran through the green, another difficult pitch, two putts, walked away with a 6.

Rough, lush and my comment above pretty much sums it up. Hit the greens in regulation to avoid the super tough Kikuyu pitch shots is a premium.

Bunkers, greens side sand, fluffy white and beautiful. Fairways bunkers, little firm and in good shape. This is exactly how I like a golf course bunkers to be. I need the soft stuff around the greens and the more firm stuff in the fairways.

Tee boxes, we played the white tees, my first time playing the white tees there, they are certainly the most popular tees at Black Gold. They were in good shape, not great, mostly lush and level. However when I glanced at the blue tees while driving by they were more lush and level.

Final Note

18 is simply one of the best finishing holes around. Not just because of its risk/reward par 5 design and beauty but because you finish with a gallery from the clubhouse patio looking on. Gary00 got an applause when his shot from the fairway looked like it was going to roll into the hole. Loved that. Its not every day daily fee golfers can get that rush of hitting shots with onlookers cheering. Heck we got more fans watching us than the PGA Tour now! – LOL

Check out the photos I posted.

Highly Recommended.

Editor’s Note:  To become a guru is not only easy but it’s helpful.  Write reviews of the golf courses you play and post them on www.greenskeeper.org.  Get Noticed.  Then apply to become a GK Guru by asking our Staff in our forums.  You get to play some decent golf, with above average conditions AND you get to tell us about your experiences.  Influence avid golfers like yourself on where to play their next round of golf.  Simple enough?  Then get going!  Write your reviews and post them on GreensKeeper.org!

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Round Up: GK Guru Visit Ridge Creek Dinuba Golf Club Dinuba California

Ridge Creek Dinuba Golf Club

GK Guru Visit Ridge Creek Dinuba Golf Club Dinuba California

ALERT: Aeration
Aeration of the greens 6/22 & 6/23.
* Although Greenskeeper.org researches all alerts before posting, we ask that you please contact the golf course for confirmation.

Reviewed by: JohnnyGK, Thousand Oaks
Catching up on this review from Wednesday 6/10. Good times out at Ridge Creek Dinuba with rgm2525, CenCalGolfer33 and Deepsea14. It’s a great location for a meet-in-the-middle for SoCal and NorCal golfers. It’s also a great course that has yet to ever disappoint me. Personally I think it’s vastly underrated as far as rating and slope, this golf course has some serous teeth. Fairways are generous for the most part but miss them and almost always pay a steep price in deep rough, hazard or a nasty bunker. Greens are large but no push over. And if the wind kicks up this already long golf course, 7482 from the tips, will have you for lunch.

The Review

Golf Playing Conditions 6.74 GOOD
Golf Playing Conditions 6.74 GOOD

We teed off at 11:30 and finished in just over 4 hours with no waiting. Greens in great shape, holding shots but a touch slower than times I’ve played them in past. Their COVID-19 precautions pins were the only negative as they hardly let the ball drop so you need to agree upon prior to the round with your group what a good or not good putt is just in case. Fairways played fantastic. Last year the fairways were more lush and green but were also soft. Aesthetically they looked better then but they play much better this time allowing release on golf shots you would expect from the links style course. Plus the lies were great all day. Love fairways like this. Rough was beastly if you found the second cut. Hit and miss, well mostly miss, at finding your ball. The first cut was about an inch above the fairways and easy to hit from. Greenside rough varied in length and let me give you a word of advice, take an unplayable drop if you are in it wherever you are on the golf course. I took an 8 on hole 4 because it took me 4 lob wedge hack shots to escape it. Tee boxes in good shape but a little dry. Bunkers, COVID-19 conditions with no rakes and I believe they allow you take a free drop from them. Sand is old, hard and compressed. My guess is this has a lot to do with COVID-19. Personally I think they should fill in some of the bunkers in that need extreme work. Would be a cool look on some of the holes.

Amenities at Ridge Creek Dinuba as well as service are excellent. It’s a must that you experience the massive decked out practice facilities when visiting and enjoy the food from Jack’s restaurant if you have time. They are doing take out for golfers making the turn or you can now dine in on the patio social distanced. Bummer I did not have time after the round to grab a bite there as I normally do.

Check out the photos I posted. We might be doing an outing there in November.

They punch the greens 6/22 & 6/23 so try to get up there before that but if you don’t once the greens heal the golf course will be in excellent shape in July. Highly Recommended.

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GK Guru Round Up: Desert Willow Resort FIRECLIFF Palm Desert California

Desert Willow Golf Resort (FIRECLIFF) Palm Desert California. Hole 18

Desert Willow Resort (Firecliff)

GK Guru Round Up and Golf Course Review

Reviewed by: pedro7170, Camarillo

Golf Playing Conditions 9.28 IMMACULATE
Golf Playing Conditions 9.28 IMMACULATE

This last weekend, I had the opportunity to get out and participate in GK Guru Golf Outing. We played three golf courses ( One on Sunday and two on Monday). Rams Hill, Indian Wells Celebrity and Desert Willow Resorts. I had the best time and enjoyed all of these golf experiences. It was great to get out from my normal routine of playing the same golf course in my home town.

Our tee time was at 12:00 and played with my GK Guru’s buddies (Gary, Ron and Nick). I had a great time, especially with my buddies and see how well they played. I learned a hole lot from them.

Fairways were 10/10. Well kept, very green and wide. They were full of sand bunkers and made it very challenging. These bunkers were in play on almost every hole.

Rough 9/10. The rough was well kept and not hard to get out. Even around the greens it was not to hard to make a good chip or pitch shot onto the green.

The greens 10/10. The ball was rolling excellent and fast. It was fun is to see all of the sand bunkers covering and guarding the greens.

Tee’s 9/10. Tees were great but there were a few tees where I was playing from that were not level.

I loved the lay-out of the golf course and views were great. I enjoyed but I was two tired from playing two rounds prior (one on Sunday and Monday). Still, I had fun with my buddies and just been out enjoying the game of golf that we all love. Thank you GK for putting this together. Customer service was excellent and golf course I rate Desert Willow Resort 9/10.

LOVED IT!!! Remember get out there and continue hitting the ball as far as you can and get lots of birdies.

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Round Up: GK Guru Visit Mt. Woodson Golf Club in Photos

Mt Woodson Golf Club Romona California Hole 10

Check out the latest golf course reviews for Mt. Woodson Golf Club in Romona California. Click HERE.

But if reading is not your thing, consider checking out the gallery below. Be in the Know. Know Before You Go with Greenskeeper.org.

Mt. Woodson Golf Club in Photos

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ROUNDUP: GK Guru Visit Mt. Woodson Golf Club Ramona California

Mt Woodson Golf Club Romona California Hole 15 Green-side

Mt. Woodson Golf Club

GK Guru Visit Mt. Woodson Golf Club Ramona California

Reviewed by: larryq2001, Brea

Golf Playing Conditions 7.50 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 7.50 GREAT

Played Mt. Woodson for the first time with other Guru’s and was lucky to be paired with fellow GK’ers Tim and Brady. Fun guys to play with and a big thank you to these two guys for helping me through the layout, advising me on where to hit it. Would have been hurting without em as course knowledge is really a must here.

But the course is as nice as they come. Interesting, hilly and fun layout that meanders through the hills and although just over 5700 yards, it’s not easy. Target golf meaning you can keep the driver in the bag on quite a few holes. Fairways were in great condition. In fact one hole, #13 the fairway seemed near perfect all the way through the green. Lies were all great. The rough was a bit thick but that was expected. Tee boxes could use some work but nothing really bad. Was not in any bunkers but they looked like they were in good shape.

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Mt Woodson Golf Club Romona California Hitting Cage
Mt Woodson Golf Club Romona California Hitting Cage

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Mt Woodson Golf Club Romona California Hole 17
Mt Woodson Golf Club Romona California Hole 17

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The greens were really nice as well. Rolled very nice at about medium pace but held all shots.

Cute little grill with good food and I guess that would be my only complaint. The grill is right next to the #10 tee box and I noticed many groups stop to load up with food when they make the turn. Understandable to get a bite to eat but I can see that really slowing down play. I had a lot of fun out there and am looking forward to the next time I am out there. I have already talked this place up with a couple of friends and giving it some nice props.

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Mt Woodson Golf Club Romona California Hole 2
Mt Woodson Golf Club Romona California Hole 2

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Mt Woodson Golf Club Romona California Hole 3
Mt Woodson Golf Club Romona California Hole 3

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