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Golf Course Review Makani Golf Club Kailua Kona Hawaii

Makani Golf Club

Golf Course Review Makani Golf Club Kailua Kona Hawaii

Reviewed by: mjquick, Salt Like City

Golf Playing Conditions 5.94 GOOD
Golf Playing Conditions 5.94 GOOD

I play this course at least two times when on the Big Island because it is different (2500 ft. above sea level) and I love the layout. It 10 degrees cooler up here and the views are great. I was first out and they were rolling the greens so they were perfect! They are working on the fairways and they need to. This is the worst part about this course. Played 12/10 and 14/2018 and when I come back next year I will play it again.

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Golf Course Review Angel Park Golf Club MOUNTAIN Las Vegas Nevada

Angel Park Golf Club (Mountain)

Golf Course Review Angel Park Golf Club MOUNTAIN Las Vegas Nevada

Reviewed by: rob1563, Las Vegas

Golf Playing Conditions 7.40 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 7.40 GREAT

Back on the home course on Saturday, 12/15. $50 with the OB Card, teed at 8:20ish, and finished in just over 3 1/2 hours with John_T and his dad.

Course was in great winter condition. Tee boxes mostly level, some divot damage. Fairways were lush, no thin spots, the re-seed has taken very well, except along the water on #2. Rough was 1-2 inches and fairly lush. New bunker sand is going well, saw them replacing some on the back. Greens were pretty good to great. Some ball marks, but mostly smooth, almost fast.

It’s winter so the migrating birds have homestead on 2 and 9, so there’s a chance of a poop ball. Weirdly, they like the 9th fairway over the 18th on the shared lake.

Always a fun time and a good challenge. 17 and 18 are a great finishing combo.

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Golf Course Review Bayonet Black Horse Golf Club BAYONET Seaside California

Bayonet Black Horse GC (Bayonet)

Golf Course Review Bayonet Black Horse Golf Club BAYONET Seaside California

Reviewed by: Alex326, Monterey, Ca

Golf Playing Conditions 7.95 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 7.95 GREAT

I hadn’t played Bayonet in a while (I usually play the sister course Blackhorse). Bayonet is a bit tighter in the fairways, but the greens have a TAD less undulations, but are quicker. Overall, Bayonet is in great condition as usual. Greens were smooth and very fast. They are on the firm side so anything less than a perfect well struck full approach shot has no chance of staying on.

Fairways are in nice shape overall. With recent rains, there were a couple of thin/wet areas but nothing major. Skirt areas around the greens are very tight lies. Rough was manageable, lush and cut to about 2″.

Tee boxes were absolutely gorgeous. Perfect in every aspect, lush, level and divot free.

Sand traps were a mixed bag. And I should know. I was in A LOT of sand traps today. The first one was decent then the next few were wet heavy sand, followed by a couple of thin bunkers, only to finish off with the last one being perfect. Sand was pure white and fluffy like fresh powder snow.

Only saw the cart gal once and the restaurant still needs an overall. Course is always challenging, offers views of the bay and has above average conditions. It’s definitely a peninsula go to course and a good warm up for challenging greens before hitting the big courses in the 93953 zip code.

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Golf Course Review Wildhawk Golf Club Sacramento California

Wildhawk Golf Club

Golf Course Review Wildhawk Golf Club Sacramento California

Reviewed by: jonnyincali, Galt, CA

Golf Playing Conditions 6.53 GOOD
Golf Playing Conditions 6.53 GOOD

Played on a Friday afternoon in early December. Check in was easy, well stocked pro shop. Course has large driving range with mats, didn’t use it on this day. Starter at first tee pacing group appropriately.

Course itself was in pretty good shape for early December. Greens are some of the best in the Sacramento area. Rolled true, not fast, not slow. Tee boxes definitely need some work, with plenty of bare spots. Fairways decent for December. Inconsistent amount of sand in the bunkers, but you can tell that the course staff is working on this, as it has improved from the past. My largest complaint was that their was too much watering given that we’ve had a rainy month. Fairways were soaked in spots even though it hadn’t rained in over a week.

Overall this is a fun course to work on your game at. Not too difficult; you can hit all of your clubs, including driver. Decent option in the Sacramento area.

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Recent Golf Course Review Torrey Pines Golf Course SOUTH San Diego California

Torrey Pines Golf Course (South)

Golf Course Review Torrey Pines Golf Course SOUTH San Diego California

Reviewed by: sbarajasjr, San Diego

Played here today (12/19) with a 1pm twilight tee time and got about 15 solid holes in before the darkness gave way. South is well on its way to being ready for the Farmers in every way possible, from grandstand setup to course conditions. Today was by far the thickest I have seen the rough in the 25+ times I’ve played and it was every bit as tough as you can imagine.

The Review

Golf Playing Conditions 7.12 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 7.12 GREAT

Tee boxes: Excellent shape. As anyone who plays here knows, guys love to try the tips and today was no different, so the green and taupe boxes were clean. Didn’t have any issues driving the tee into the turf and the ground was solid, mowed level and tight.

Fairways: A joy to hit from and visually stunning. It’s clear when the City steps up the maintenance work before the pros come in January. They didn’t offer tremendous roll as they were a bit damp, but not a bad lie all day!

Rough: Hell. As mentioned before, I’ve never personally seen it this thick and with this many grass clippings blanketing the course. I’m surprised pace wasn’t any slower as everyone was having a hard time locating balls that I with 20/15 vision couldn’t see feet away from me. Bullish and thick-headed players got hilariously humbled and that was a treat in itself.

Bunkers: Perhaps the weakest part of the course today and they were still good. Some had damp areas but even the three I was in had enough sand to get out of. With a new batch of sand, these will be perfect.

Greens: Near perfect. The tourists in my group couldn’t believe how green they were considering we don’t get much rain. They were rolling extremely fast, with smooth and tricky breaks. The pros will be in for a treat!

Final Thought

ETC: Starter was friendly. Cart attendant came around three times and was also friendly, even as the prices for everything were usual Torrey. Pace of play was excellent today and was set to be just under 4.5 hours, which for here is mindbogglingly quick. Course currently is Cart Path Only (CPO) sadly but if you can get out, do so!!

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RECAP: GK Plays Rams Hill Golf Club Borrego Springs California

Rams Hill Golf Club Borrego Springs California Group 8 + Santa

Rams Hill Golf Club

Golf Course Review Rams Hill Golf Club Borrego Springs California

Reviewed by: sbarajasjr, San Diego

Guess I am the first review for the GK Plays outing at Rams yesterday (12/9) and as always, it was a blast. Conditions here today mirrored those of almost every other time I have made the trip and it’s hard to walk away from this course unimpressed. Overall, every aspect of the day was fantastic. Played well for the first time here and that probably added to my ratings but here they are.

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Rams Hill Golf Club Borrego Springs California Hole 2
Rams Hill Golf Club Borrego Springs California Hole 2

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Rams Hill Golf Club Borrego Springs California Hole 12
Rams Hill Golf Club Borrego Springs California Hole 12

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Course Review

Golf Playing Conditions 8.64 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 8.64 GREAT

Tee boxes: Played the blue tee boxes, but anytime a course of this caliber offers a fair amount of tee sets, it’s a huge plus as it helps avoid everyone playing from the same set (incorrectly I may add) thus avoiding major turf issues. Never had an issue finding solid footing, though on a few holes the turf was a tad harder to drive the tee into, however much of a first-world problem that may sound like.

Fairways: Like always, carpet-like and sparkling forest green pathways contrasting the wonderful desert background. Roll felt like it was more than fair, turf conditions were wonderful in that I had no bad lies to hit from and everyone from GK before me used the feed mix in their carts generously. Visually stunning to see a course where the fairways look like the photo on the scorecard.

Additional Thoughts

Rough: The times I found the “rough” yesterday weren’t overly penal, however I’m not certain I found anything that wasn’t fairway, water, sand, or desert more than twice. Those times the rough wasn’t half as thick as Torrey South, but it did hide the ball some and made me club up.

Bunkers: Was only in one all day and the sand consistency was excellent; offered ample amount of off-white beach style sand to at least attempt a sand save. Didn’t really hear any complaints about the fairway bunkers, so I assume all the sand was in good shape today. Did have a few bunkers that were poorly raked so I am hoping whomever that was in the groups ahead of us will give it a better effort next time.

Greens: Like all else, excellent shape sans one or two greens that had some burn out/turf issues that were thankfully on the extreme end of the pin placement. Roll today was fair (as opposed to the glass-like consistency in roll the first time I played here a few years ago) and I didn’t see any issues with the terrain. Again, my group (second to last) found quite a few craters from guys who had a heavy foot with their cleats, but that’s on them not the course.

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Rams Hill Golf Club Borrego Springs California Santa aka Latest GK Match Play Winner
Rams Hill Golf Club Borrego Springs California Santa aka Latest GK Match Play Winner

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Rams Hill Golf Club Borrego Springs California Hole 18
Rams Hill Golf Club Borrego Springs California Hole 18

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Final Thoughts

ETC: Cart GPS wasn’t quite as accurate as I hoped in relation to pin placement, but outside of that, great to see the investment in this software as the digital scorecard even took into account any input handicaps in its calculations. Comfortable ride, USB chargers, and ice/water bottles in the coolers a plus. Staff was attentive and genuinely nice (everyone knew GK and welcomed us multiple times). Very nice to see the new Ram Shack (I believe that was the name) on the back 9, as it was much needed in past years. Cart attendant passed by our group at least 6-7 times. Food in the restaurant was good and fairly priced. Patio after was heated and offered a comfortable environment for post-match celebration. Thanks for everything Johnny and co.; this was a great way to end the year!

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RECAP: GK Plays OMNI La Costa Resort & Spa LEGENDS Carlsbad California

Omni La Costa Resort & Spa LEGENDS Carlsbad California Hole 13

Omni La Costa Resort & Spa (Legends)

Golf Course Review OMNI La Costa Resort & Spa LEGENDS Carlsbad California

Reviewed by: sixpez, Rancho Mirage, CA

Golf Playing Conditions 7.39 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 7.39 GREAT

Another fun GK Plays outing yesterday. Thanks to JohnnyGK, the sponsors and the staff at La Costa for providing a great venue for the shotgun outing. I was in group 1B with dconnally and kassper7. Pace of play slowed down quite a bit in the middle of the round, but otherwise a very good overall Pace of Play (PoP.)

The course was in very nice condition all around. It was still pretty soft after the rain this week, so not much roll-out on drives and they probably haven’t been able to mow on a normal schedule. Tee boxes were great. Fairways were generally great with some mushy spots here and there, some marked off as GUR. The rough was brutal. It was very deep, lush and thick, so you wanted to avoid it as much as you could. Greens soft and rolling well at medium speeds, just getting a bit scruffy by the end of the round as expected. I was only in one bunker and it was well maintained with adequate sand.

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Omni La Costa Resort & Spa LEGENDS Carlsbad California Hole 5
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa LEGENDS Carlsbad California Hole 5

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I don’t know if I am in the minority, but I’ve always preferred the Legends Course over the Champions Course. I feel it has more character, nicer aesthetics and a solid layout. Either way, it was a great day out there with the GK crew. Now looking forward to today at Rams Hill!

AndrewZ Recent GK Match Play Winner AND GKPlays participant
AndrewZ Recent GK Match Play Winner AND GKPlays participant
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Recent Golf Course Review Journey at Pechanga Temecula California

Journey at Pechanga

Golf Course Review Journey at Pechanga Temecula California

Reviewed by: mpisarski01, Costa Mesa

Golf Playing Conditions 8.70 GREAT
Golf Playing Conditions 8.70 GREAT

D.O.P- 12/16/18
TEE TIME- 8:10
WEATHER – 40°
POP- 4HR 50MIN

Decided to head out to Pechanga for a little golf and gambling. We bought the Underpar deal which includes 2 people for $200 and a bounce back certificate. I knew in the back of my head that there would be a frost delay due to the very cold overnight temperatures. Right when we walked in at 7:30 there was a sign stating that there was indeed a frost delay. The clubhouse staff let us know that we had about an hour or so before they could open the range. We decided to eat at the restaurant and the breakfast was spectacular. About thirty minuets after arriving the staff came around and let everyone know that they were going to start teeing off in 10 minuets. he only issue we had was instead of a shotgun they just tee’d off in order so we still ended up teeing off 1 hour after our tee time.

The Review

Course is in fantastic shape right with the exception of some Ground Under Repair (GUR) on 2,7,16,18 which are CPO they looked to have suffered some storm damage and they had laid new Sod down already. Other than those minor issues all fairways were near perfect with consistent roll and fluffy lies. The Rough was very nasty which makes for 3 rounds in a row where balls were easily lost in the 3-5 inch rough, I will have nightmares about this for weeks. Greens were running about a 12 on the scale and were mostly firm. The par three’s seemed to be little softer than others which was a good thing. Tee’s need to be moved but they all were well spaced and provided a level hitting surface. I did notice that each hole had 2-3 Super Lush tee boxes that maybe they are using for a tournament. These boxes were twice as nice as what they were using so it was a little confusing. I was not in any sand but per my playing partners it was fantastic.

Final Thought

Overall this place is a lot of fun and usually has fantastic conditions. Staff is super friendly even with the craziness of a frost delay and 5hr POP. I will gladly come back anytime. Even if you pay rack rate I think its still worth it.