Posted on March 31, 2018March 26, 2018 by Vic Flores

Golf Course Review Encinitas Ranch Golf Course Encinitas California

Encinitas Ranch Golf Course

Encinitas, CA

Reviewed by: sbarajasjr, San Diego

Playing Conditions 6.85 Good — Playing Conditions 6.85 GOOD

Played here yesterday with GK member Jon P. at the SCGA One Day Series 2-person better ball tournament. It was an absolutely fabulous time out there and we actually did quite well (-10) and tied for 3rd in a full field. This was my first time playing here (amazingly) and I was quite impressed with the course. In spite of the fact it is so short, you never really feel the lack of length as a hindrance. There were some very quirky and enjoyable holes, other crazy ones that made you think, and course knowledge here is definitely a plus. Overall I would absolutely come back here. Conditions weren’t prime (as the last reviewer mentioned) but that did not take away from a great day. The review…

Tee boxes: Perhaps the least positive part of the day. Most of the tee boxes were fairly beat up (probably from the amount of play before us), but I distinctly remember at least three holes in which it took more than a minute to find good turf to drive my tee into. Also, there were more than a few boxes that were uneven and slope in one direction.

Fairways: Good overall, though there were quite a few unfilled divots out there. More importantly though, there was grass to hit from on 95% of shots, ample roll, and visually it wasn’t some gross yellow-tinged patchwork of dirt.

Rough: Thick in certain areas. Penal at it’s worst but from a scale of 1 to Torrey, closer to 4-5; made you club up, but no issues getting the ball out. More penal than rough were the OB/red stake areas that are scattered around the property.

Bunkers: Was in quite a few today but they were good! A mix in terms of sand consistency, but never was it that hard to get out. Fairway and green-side bunkers all had good quality and ample amounts of sand. A few had some d%mn sand, but it turned out to not be soaked.

Greens: The highlight of the round. Some of these green complexes were just insane (think Redhawk at its worst), while others were just run of the mill. All had fast speeds, tricky breaks, and good conditioning. They were challenging and offered some head-scratching putts all day.

ETC: The Encinitas Ranch staff was very friendly; the SCGA rules officials were a little less than friendly, but alas they couldn’t ruin the day. Staff said they pride themselves on pace of play, and even though SCGA outings are notoriously slow, today the front played at 2.45 and the back at 2.15 so there you have it. Carts with plenty of juice and color GPS that were super useful on blind shots. Course layout was fun. Good clubhouse/grill and cart attendant out and about. Ample parking lot and not to difficult to find on the map. Overall had a wonderful time and would recommend.

Posted on March 30, 2018March 26, 2018 by Vic Flores

Recent Golf Course Review Goose Creek Golf Club Mira Loma California

Goose Creek Golf Club

Mira Loma, CA

ALERT: Aeration
Will be aerating the greens 3/26 & 3/27.
* Although Greenskeeper.org researches all alerts before posting, we ask that you please contact the golf course for confirmation.

Reviewed by: BrianH, Westlake Village

Played the Goose Saturday morning the 24th with a 9:15 tee time with a friend and one his friends and were joined by a nice single. POP was right around 4 hours playing at a leisurely pace with nobody in front slowing us down and nobody pushing from the back. The customer service was on point with a very friendly check in, down to the marshals, and the beverage girl who we saw multiple times.

I was a little concerned that the course would be a little soggy with all the rain we saw for the previous week in Ventura County, but the course either drains well or they didn’t get a ton of rain as things weren’t soggy in any areas and no puddles in the traps.

The Review

The fairways were in great shape, the ball rolled out nicely on drives and had great lies all day long, but there were some divots in some of the main landing areas. Played the whites since my buddy and his friend aren’t long off the tees and they were in great shape. A few divots on the par 3’s but that is to be expected. Grass was a great length and always had a flat spot to hit from they do a great job of moving the tees around to keep everything tip top.

Sand traps ranged from being compact to super fluffy it depended on the trap and the lie, but I would say they were all in good to great shape.

Rough was mostly about 2-3 inches in length, but the ball seemed to set up nicely so it’s not like you had a terrible lie and you could get the club on it.

The greens were outstanding. A well struck putt held their lines and the greens had few ball marks. It was a little confusing since I usually play in the morning and the greens seem to speed up throughout the day as they dry out, but for some reason the opposite happened hear and the greens slowed down as it got closer towards noon.

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Goose Creek Golf Club Mira Loma California GK Review Guru Visit - Looking back on Hole 9 — Goose Creek Golf Club Mira Loma California GK Review Guru Visit – Looking back on Hole 9

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Goose Creek Golf Club Mira Loma California GK Review Guru Visit - Hole 10 Approach — Goose Creek Golf Club Mira Loma California GK Review Guru Visit – Hole 10 Approach

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Bottom-line

I great time was had and I can’t wait to return, highly recommended.

Posted on March 29, 2018March 26, 2018 by Vic Flores

Recent Golf Course Review Torrey PInes Golf Course (SOUTH) San Diego California

Torrey Pines Golf Course (South)

San Diego, CA

ALERT: Aeration
Will be aerating the greens on the South Course 4/10 & 4/11.
* Although Greenskeeper.org researches all alerts before posting, we ask that you please contact the golf course for confirmation.

Reviewed by: divotnjay, Coronado

Punished myself in the wind on Sunday. Walked on as a single and got right out, showed up at 8:55 and got paired up with 3 great guys (all brothers) at 9:10. POP was phenomenal!! finished at 1pm, incredible, never waited on the group in front and never pushed from behind. Perhaps the chilly windy day kept some people away and maybe the ever increasing higher green fees ($78 for resident to walk). Course is in overall good condition.

Teeboxes were just fine. Great coverage and level, never an issue.

Fairways were darn near perfect, had great lies all day.

Bunkers were nice, not perfect, but never had an issue getting out, found a few of them, one was plugged about a foot below the lip on 14 right hand side of the green, was able to get it out, though.

Rough was surprisingly cut down and wasn’t too much of an issue, easiest I’ve seen it in a long time.

Greens were pretty good. They held shots if they were struck perfectly, but they seemed a little more firm than usual, most had some roll out. They were their normal fast speed, but they were tough to read, none of us could seem to get a handle on them. None of us holed many putts beyond 5FT, crazy. Quite a few greens had many unfixed ball marks, kind of upsetting. Number 4 is temporary about 50yds short of the normal green, It’s not really a green at all, it’s the same as the fairway and it’s not marked very well. Oh well, I finally made a par at 4, lol. I’d be pretty pissed if I paid $200 and had a temp green, though.

Saw the bev cart a couple of times. The pins were in super difficult positions. It dawned on me late in the round that they seemed to be placed in similar Sunday positions to the Farmers/PGA spots. Very tough with long irons to go for the pins. Overall, had a great day and I need to get out there more often.

Posted on March 28, 2018March 26, 2018 by Vic Flores

Recent Golf Course Review River Ridge Golf Course (LAKES) Oxnard California

River Ridge Golf Course (Lakes)

Oxnard, CA

ALERT: Aeration

Will be aerating the Victoria Lakes Course greens 4/23 – 4/26, reopening 4/27.
* Although Greenskeeper.org researches all alerts before posting, we ask that you please contact the golf course for confirmation.

Reviewed by: kviser, Saugus, CA

I played here last Friday morning, teeing off a little after 10:00. I had a free birthday round and was walking, so no charge at all!

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River Ridge Golf Club - Hole 7 tee box — River Ridge Golf Club (LAKES)- Hole 7 tee box

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River Ridge Golf Club - Hole 16 greenside — River Ridge Golf Club (LAKES) – Hole 16 greenside

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The course was a little wet in most areas and the right side of hole 1 approach was saturated enough to have standing water despite being on a hill. Green speed displayed on the starters shed read 10’-10”, but I would say it was slower than that. No severe ball marks or damage of any kind on the greens or anywhere else. Many bunkers had to be drained and raked. I saw at least one Greenskeeper working on it; I was in several bunkers and mostly they were all drained and raked except maybe one left of hole 11. Tees were nice and level. Overall the course is in good winter condition with a mix of dormant warm season grasses and some greener poa and rye.

One of the best value courses around. Recommend you play it before aerification.

Posted on March 27, 2018March 26, 2018 by Vic Flores

Recent Golf Course Review Torrey Pines Golf Course (NORTH) San Diego California

Torrey Pines Golf Course (North)

San Diego, CA

Reviewed by: weber2323, San Diego, CA

Was 3rd off yesterday and the pace was fantastic. Finished in less than 4 hours and the group behind us was teeing off on 14 as we were walking up 17. I’m not sure if they let someone play through but even as we finished on 18 there was no one on 17.

I think the rains from last week slowed down the pace and firmness of the greens so that took some adjustments. Balls didn’t roll out as much on approach shots and my first couple of putts were pretty short. They were still great however and will probably get quicker as the weather is turning nicer this week. So its probably back to “normal” later this week.

Fairways I probably shouldn’t rate as I was playing out of the rough for most of the day. However they did provide some roll. A few places of divot damage but nothing too bad. Don’t really remember any bad spots in the fairway thou so overall very nice to hit from.

Rough was not too penalizing although the ball could sit down. I was able to get some hybrids on a few shots since the ball was sitting up. You’ll find a few dead spots out there and some lush spots.

Found a couple of bunkers and was in the fairway bunker on 7 and that sand was so soft. My feet basically sunk right in but that was the exception. Other bunkers I played seemed pretty normal, not too soft and not too compact.

Tee boxes were normal. Plenty of room to tee it up even on par 3 and all seemed to be generally level.

Posted on March 26, 2018March 23, 2018 by Vic Flores

Recent Golf Course Review Costa Mesa Country Club LOS LAGOS Costa Mesa California

Costa Mesa CC (Los Lagos)

Costa Mesa, CA

Reviewed by: NutNButCup, Buena Park
Teed off Wednesday morning at 7:20 finishing in 4 hours.

The Review

The greens were in good condition. They rolled with medium/fast speed and were smooth. The greens were a little firm so had to allow for some extra roll out with full shots and chips. The fairways were in decent winter condition with a few thin spots. The rough was majority good with some thin/bare spots. The two bunkers I was in were heavy, wet, and a little thin at the bottom but playable. The tee boxes were fair to good.

Bottom-line

It is an enjoyable course to play and the staff was friendly.

Posted on March 25, 2018March 16, 2018 by Vic Flores

Recent Golf Course Review Paiute Golf Resort Las Vegas (SUN MOUNTAIN) Las Vegas Nevada

Paiute Golf Resort Las Vegas (Sun Mountain)

Las Vegas, NV

Reviewed by: rob1563, Las Vegas

Played on Friday, 3/9, with a 10:40a tee time. I had very little interaction with the staff outside of the bag drop/cart barn guys, who were great. Probably the best cleaning my clubs have received at the end of the round (always a little disappointed with other cleaning the clubs). Due to it being the 2nd round of the day, our 3rd took care of paying ($70) and John_T took care of the food and drinks prior. I will say, on a very busy day (thanks for everyone visiting for the 4 basketball tourneys this week), it was incredibly smooth. On the 1st tee a couple of minutes early, and finished a shade under 4.5, waiting on a few with the 4some behind right up on us.

If you haven’t read a Paiute review ever, I will paraphrase almost everyone: (1) tee boxes mostly level with some divots on par 3s (2) Fairways like CARPET! Lush but with some run out
(3) Rough was about 1-2 inches, just enough to know you’re in it (4) Fantastic bunkers! Semi fluffy and easy to hit out (5) Firm and smooth greens, almost fast Tip: Remember where the highway is from where you are, putts are faster running away from the mountain behind it (6) it’s always breezy

Another fantastic day at Paiute. A great recommendation if looking for a great Vegas experience.

Posted on March 24, 2018March 18, 2018 by Vic Flores

Recent Golf Course Review World Golf Village (Slammer & Squire) St. Augustine Florida

World Golf Village (Slammer & Squire)

St. Augustine, FL

Reviewed by: thegolfinguy, Lakeland, FL

If you’re into golf, one venue on your bucket list should be the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, FL. There’s plenty to do there, for example, you could spend all day at the World Golf Hall of Fame, taking in all the exhibits, viewing movies in the IMAX theater and testing your stroke on the Challenge Hole – reminiscent of Number 17 at Sawgrass. Or, if you’re looking to play a round of golf designed by a couple of legends, you can book a round on the Slammer and Squire Golf Course, one of two courses connected with the World Golf Village.

What to Expect

The Slammer & Squire Golf Course is the property’s original course and is located just a wedge shot away from the World Golf Hall of Fame. It was designed by noted golf course architect Bobby Weed with considerable input from the course’s namesakes: Sam “The Slammer” Snead and Gene “The Squire” Sarazen.

Five sets of tees plus a blended set – a combination of the Blues and Whites – makes The Slammer & Squire enjoyable for any golfer – provided you play from the set that best suits your game. From the back (Stone) tees, the course plays 6,939 yards with a course rating of 72.7 and a slope of 127. The Blue tees at 6,132 yards (69.2/121) will challenge most golfers and still enable them to leave with a little dignity. Ladies will find the Green Tees at 4,996 (68.0/115) an enjoyable test.

The History

The Slammer & Squire opened to the public in May 1998 and features two distinct nines. The outward nine traverses through fairways lined with giant Loblolly pines, while wooden pathways and bridges guide you through traditional Florida wetlands. On the back nine you will find generous fairways, contoured greens, and plenty of water hazards. You’ll also be treated to impressive views of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Just behind the pro shop is a full length driving range with plenty of targets, a large practice putting green as well as a short game area that includes a sand trap. The Clubhouse has a fully stocked pro shop with lots of logoed gear from a number of top apparel companies as well as Men’s and Women’s locker rooms complete with showers. Inside the clubhouse you’ll also find the Legends Grille where both breakfast and lunch are served. The food is reasonably priced and very delicious. I highly recommend the Philly Cheesesteak Sliders or the Caribbean Fish Tacos after a round of golf. The bar has all of your favorite libations as well as several domestic and craft beers on tap.

The Highlights

Memorable Holes (All Yardage is From the Blue Tees)

Most Memorable Hole: Number 18, Par 4, 371 yards. The distant bunker is a good line for your tee shot. With water running down the entire left side, there is ample room right of the green to bailout. The subtle undulations of the green will make your last putts quite memorable and the view of the Hall of Fame across the water is quite spectacular and definitely camera worthy.

Favorite Par 3:

Number 7, 143 yards. This hole is truly a shotmaker’s delight. Fashioned after The Redan, the famous 15th at North Berwick, the flag can be attacked either by carrying the bunkers straightaway, or better yet, by fading a tee shot. This allows the ball to feed down to the hole. Miss the green and you’re most likely staring a big number right in the face. No wonder The Redan is the most copied par 3 in all of golf.

Favorite Par 4:

Number 1, 358 yards. The wind will dictate how difficult this hole plays. Keep your tee shot left of the right-side fairway bunkers on this dogleg right. Make it to the dogleg off the tee and you’ll have a short approach to the slightly crowned green. Par – or better – is a good way to jump start your round.

Favorite Par 5:

Number 16, 527yards. The last three holes are a daunting task and feature the longest par 5 and the longest par 4 on the course. Shot placement off tee is essential on #16. If you’re feeling good about your game thus far, you may want to take an aggressive line over the fairway bunkers in an attempt to get home in two. Should you choose to layup, you must avoid the left hazard as well as the trees on the right side. The green’s false front slopes heavily back towards the fairway.

Last Word:

The Slammer and the Squire provides a challenge regardless of which tees you play from or how good you are. Low handicappers will be challenged by a number of risk/reward opportunities; playing these holes smartly will yield a low score. High handicappers will be glad to know that the greens are pretty straight forward with not a lot of hidden breaks and subtle undulations. They are quick, running about 11 or 12 on the stimpmeter. There’s a full length driving range as well as a large practice putting green and short game area to hone your skills. Should you arrive hungry or get so during your round, the Legends Grille is a great place to grab breakfast or lunch. The food is very good as are the portions. You won’t leave hungry.