Category: Golf Course Review

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Golf Course Review Santa Barbara Golf Club Santa Barbara California

Santa Barbara Golf Club

Golf Course Review Santa Barbara Golf Club Santa Barbara California

Reviewed by: t8fish, Altadena

Golf Playing Conditions 6.95 GOOD
Golf Playing Conditions 6.95 GOOD

Played Saturday morning, 10/26, grouped with two other singles, and teeing off a little before 9:30 at $64 to walk. I hadn’t been out here in a few years and was looking forward to revisiting. On a calm, sunny day, overall conditions were pretty good.

Tees were generally flat and green and no particular issues come to mind. Fairways had good coverage overall that was on the tight side, so good surface with a good amount of roll. There were occasional, scattered, tight, browned-out patches, but I would not characterize them as hard-pan and I think in most cases they provided a decent — if perhaps discolored — hitting surface. Again, I don’t recall any problems playing in the fairways.

The rough mostly had green coverage and usually it was not especially punitive off the fairway unless you got blocked. Bunkers had a thinner, soft, top layer of sand on a firmer base that resisted footprints. I found them generally clean and playable — interestingly, just like Hansen Dam the previous week.

The maintenance alert should be removed. The greens were clean and pretty quick. No sign of aeration. I left a lot of first putts too far past the hole, underestimating the speed more often than not, and many of the greens had undulations to make it more interesting. The exception is the 9th green complex which is getting a complete rebuild, so there was a temporary green short of it.

While not an a particularly long course, I think the yardage on this course is misleading and it plays longer and a bit more challenging than the numbers would suggest. Partially because two very short par 3’s are offset by a number of good length par 4’s, and partially because some of the medium and shorter par 4’s are made more interesting and challenging due to hills and altitude changes. A bit pricey as a muni, but about 1/3 the cost of Sandpiper. And while it doesn’t have the ocean views, it is in SB and the view of the mountains coming up the 18th makes it a pretty nice finish. I scored like crap, but had a good time and recommend it.

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Golf Course Review Camarillo Springs Golf Course Camarillo California

Camarillo Springs Golf Course

Golf Course Review Camarillo Springs Golf Course Camarillo California

Reviewed by: GreensKeeper-Mobile, iPhone App
Posted: 10/28/2019
By: Pedro7170

Golf Playing Conditions 6.40 GOOD
Golf Playing Conditions 6.40 GOOD

Yesterday, I played Camarillo Springs with my buddies. Our tee time was 10:05AM and finished at 2:15PM. The golf course was not to busy and we didn’t wait for anybody.

The fairways are OK, they need a little TLC some fairways were dry and it was hard to compressed the ball. It felt like hitting from a fairway bunker. The tees need a lot help there where a few of them that weren’t level and my feet felt out balance. There were some tees that I had to position my ball a few drivers back from the tee makers in Order to get a good level area. The greens were to bumping and sandy. Bunkers are OK and they were OK to hit from. Other that we had a great round and it was fun getting out and play the game that we love. As always costumer service was friendly and welcoming. Until then get out up there and continue to kill your drive and get lots of birdies.

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Golf Course Review Links at Summerly Lake Elsinore California

The Links at Summerly

Golf Course Review Links at Summerly Lake Elsinore California

Reviewed by: weber, coto de caza
I checked the weather when I woke at 4am and the forecast was 20-30 mph winds with gusts to 40+. I was going to bail, but decided to drive out and play anyway. To my surprise, the winds weren’t that bad, maybe 15 mph.

Michael in the pro shop was fantastic. He welcomed us and made us feel he really appreciated our patronage. He talked about the recent improvements and the plan they have to further improve the course and make it a positive customer experience. You could tell this guy actually cares !

While there are still many issues with conditioning, I could see a big improvement from the last time I played here. Lots of new sod has been placed on several fairways. Still many areas which need attention, but the effort is apparent. Rough: what rough ! Once off the fairway, it is just hard pan/dirt. Many of the bunkers are just terrible, some reflect they are trying! The greens were the most frustrating. They really need to be rolled, as the ball kind of “wiggles” its way towards the hole, does not keep its line at all. Speed was inconsistent.

I have never been a huge fan of links courses, but I enjoy the change. I can see the potential. I just hope they follow through and continue to improve the course, because it is so different from what I normally play, and could be a fun track once they achieve their goal. I applaud their efforts and enthusiasm. Thank you Michael for being just a great host !

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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

Golf Playing Conditions 8.02 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 8.02 GREAT

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.

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Golf Course Review Alhambra Golf Course Alhambra California

Alhambra Golf Course

Golf Course Review Alhambra Golf Course Alhambra California

Reviewed by: 24hourgolf, San Marino

Golf Playing Conditions 6.07 GOOD
Golf Playing Conditions 6.07 GOOD

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.

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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

Golf Playing Conditions 5.86 GOOD
Golf Playing Conditions 5.86 GOOD

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.

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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

Golf Playing Conditions 7.18 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 7.18 GREAT

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.

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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

Golf Playing Conditions 6.87 GOOD
Golf Playing Conditions 6.87 GOOD

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.