Played on 3/9 with the 2nd group out. Free birthday round with the OB card but would of been $42. Even with the sunrise tee time, the range was up and running under the lights. 1st group was a group of employees and we were paired with 2 other employees, who did not seem enthused of the pairing. We graciously told them if the 1st group lets them go ahead, we’ll casually trail behind. Never saw the 2 again and the 4some pulled ahead too, absolute morning rabbits. We finished at 3:20 feeling we took our time and enjoyed. 3some behind us was over a hole behind.
Course was in good conditions. Tee boxes were pretty good. We played the blues and they moved them back from their normal areas to grow in the regular areas. Fairways were running firm, with great grass coverage, except for 100y out on #2, which was destroyed by the coots. Rough was cut just a few above the fairways, but thicker around the greens. Greens were in great shape, firm, very little ball marks, and fast, almost scary with the slopes. Bunkers were the worst part, hard packed, pebbles, and hard to hit out of.
Still my go to based on price and conditions with the OB card.
Reviewed by: JohnnyGK, Thousand Oaks
After all these years I finally played The Links at Summerly on Saturday 3/10.
Golf Playing Conditions 4.62 FAIR
It was a scramble format, in the rain, and we teed off around 8:30am. Finished in 4 ½ hours.
tbone127’s review from 3/2 was spot on so please read it as well. Thanks!
I never got to play this course in its glory days, I meant to then Lake Elsinore flooded the track and shortly after that the course came on hard times. It’s a long drive for me from Thousand Oaks and I wanted to experience the course when it was at least decent shape, well it’s in decent shape, certainly not great shape, but definitely playable. I really liked the layout with all the risk/reward shots and surroundings. It features some super fun greens which are the highlight of the course. I was fortunate to play with someone that knew the course very well so I was given the correct lines off the tee and what to look out for. I think had I not had that insight, and had it not been a scramble, I would have got in some big trouble off the tee, it’s not a grip and rip track.
What to Expect
They are doing a lot of work still on the golf course and they will be planting a bunch of new sod to bare areas of the fairways. On the perimeters of the fairways/rough they are cleaning them up more but it will likely be some time before those bare areas are addressed fully so make sure to keep your ball in play off the tee because a shot off the fairway can take some big hops into the hazards. They are going to plant new sod to some of the tee boxes that were previously closed. Not the way back tees although. As for the greens they rolled smooth, fast and held shots,You will find some invasive grass here and there on the greens but they are addressing it and it hardly effects play. Most bunkers I was retrieving my ball from were in good shape. But being a scramble I never got to hit a shot from them so don’t have good info for us there.
After golf had some very good food and service in the clubhouse. They brought back the previous chef and are going to be utilizing their high-end smoker more. I was impressed with the tri-tip sandwich, had cold beer to go with it, watched a little golf in the clubhouse, excellent service, great 19th hole.
Something to Consider
I’m going to make a prediction that THIS is The Links at Summerly’s come back year. I see the commitment with the staff, the resources are there, the place has great bones, I can’t wait to get back out there later this year to see the progress, catch a sunny day, and snap a bunch of pictures.
Played the Blues (5827/67.3/120) with Kathy & Ralph in 4 1/2H, which is WAY too long for this course. Clear and a little breezy in the 70’s, excellent golf weather.
Woodhaven is a fun course that would be an excellent choice for seniors and golfers that would like to play a less demanding, shorter course in very good condition that doesn’t require forced carries or have penal rough. OB on both sides the length of the hole is a common theme on this layout. The course is fairly short and scoreable if you are straight, especially off the tee. Definitely not a grip it/rip it type course, there are many fairly tight to tight holes.
The Review
The tees are lush but a little longer than I prefer. They were decently maintained for divots.
The over seeded fairways are lush and mowed close. Excellent to play from.
This is some of the best rough I have encountered this golf season. Lush and not long, just long enough to make longer clubs a chancy play.
The traps had decent sand and were decently maintained.
The greens were very firm, even well struck irons shots usually released. They are very smooth and putted medium fast speed. They slope gently from back to front and only a few have tiers. Not alot of break on these greens, These greens are probably only about 1/2 the size of the greens on many courses I play. So you can expect many chips shots to tight pin locations @ Woodhaven.
Bottom Line
The customer service was excellent from everyone. No drink cart, but plenty of water stations. Other than during the hot season, this course would be easy to walk, shorter, flat and most tees are close to the last green. No GPS on carts. Recommended.
Played 2-27-18. Played as the rain stopped and had the course to myself for the most part. Visually a very beautiful course. Fun layout. Tee boxes in good shape, fairways brown in spots but no more than all our So Cal courses these days. Greens were in great shape. Moderate speed but held well and rolled true. Design is somewhat forgiving in that tee shots off the fairway will often roll into the short grass for you. Look forward to coming back. A strong 6.5 to 7.
Went out yesterday after Noon to beat the rain? So did many others. But still got around in 4 hours which could have been less (oh well).
Course is doing well, since my last review. The only real issue is with the bunkers. Many do not have enough sand and you might just as well take a drop? Left a message with the superintendent by phone (hope he acts on it).
Tee boxes are fine.
Fairways have good coverage, roll and lies.
Greens are still in very nice shape (chip, putt well and have good speed). What rough you encounter is manageable.
Took advantage of February resident rate special today and got out to Reflection Bay for the first time. The course winds through some very impressive homes and spills out onto the shores of Lake Las Vegas making for some spectacular scenery! Love that the area is completely away from the city allowing for a peaceful day. I was met at my car by a friendly girl that took my clubs and loaded them onto the cart while I went to the pro shop to check in. I was told that they always pair you with a cart partner unless you want to pay extra for your own cart? Odd but no big deal.
Tee time was 850 as a single and was paired up with a fun threesome teeing off about 5 minutes late. Once on the course, our POP was 4 hours flat with very little waiting and never seeing the group behind us.
What to Expect
Course conditions were borderline excellent all the way around.
Tees- Flat, good coverage, minimal divots. Could use a trim in some spots but that’s being nitpicky.
Fairways- Deep emerald green with beautiful mow patterns like you see on TV. They were good to hit from other than the holes nearest the lake that were thinner due to those d%mn coots!
Bunkers- Beautiful white sand bunkers framed by a ring of dormant rough surrounding them for that cool contrasting look. They have a good amount of sand in them. No issues there.
Rough- Similar to the fairways, deep green and lush everywhere other than where the birds congregate. Not very long but thick enough where your ball might settle to the bottom at times to make for a tougher recovery.
Greens- Super firm and not holding all that well. Better to aim for front of greens to allow for roll out. I have a high ball flight and only the wedges would stop within 15 feet of where they landed. Never had to fix a ball mark as you couldn’t really make one. Chips and pitches would run out as well. They did putt very nicely at a fast pace!
Bottom Line
Overall it’s really fun course to play and very fair. No GPS onboard so BYO. Visually deceiving for first timers off the tee. If you’re striking the ball well, you’ll score. On the other hand, bad shots will be punished by numerous hazards. Good mix of wide open and tighter holes to make you think. For a Nicklaus course, the greens at are Reflection Bay quite tame. There are no crazy undulations or breaks. What you see if what you get. I can definitely see myself coming back here again as long as they keep offering deep discounts for locals. But even at rack rate, it’s recommended in it’s current condition.
A quick update on course conditions. Greens are fast and smooth as usual but are starting to show signs of needing aeration. Still, they remain a strong suit of the course. Fairways are dormant but very playable. Sand traps actually have SAND!!!
The Maintenance crew was out today dumping sand in a few of the bunkers so it looks like they are in the process of upgrading the bunkers to quality sand.
After that the only thing the course needs is a lake or two. Clubhouse is the best in the valley with Pheasant Run being a close second. Nothing else even comes close.
Played Hidden Valley for the first time with Orangegolfer and Larrryq2001 on Wednesday mid-morning for $44 including cart, I believe their standard weekday rate. These two guys are friendly gents, and great golfers, and both had nice rounds from the blues. I hacked it around from the whites. We waited on the tees throughout the round, and forgot to notice when we finished. It must’ve been close to a 5 hour round. You could see lots of golfers on every hole from the many panoramic views this course provides.
The Review
White tee boxes were pretty rough, with divots galore on most. A handful had mounds and slopes to deal with. The whites/blue markers were paired together on the par5 15th hole, presenting us with a downslope for the entire legal teeing area.
Fairways were in winter condition, a bit wet from rain, and had evidence of a recent punching on a few holes. Inconsistent grasses and thin at times. But, generally, the ball sat up well and were easy to take decent shots w/divots. On three holes, had approach shots land and then roll backwards 20-40 yards before finding a comfy spot that pleased it. Had other sideways kicks that went plenty more. Between this feature, various blind shots and several ill-conceived/placed forced carries (imho) reminded me of the now defunct Champions at the Retreat course on multiple holes. Rough was inconsistent in length. Water in several bunkers.
What to expect
Thought the greens were in very good/great condition and certainly the best feature of the course. The putts on the practice green were lightening fast, with the ball rolling down slopes, 20-30 feet before finding a spot to settle in. On the course, a little less stupid, and the greens held shots fairly well. They were actually soft to walk on, which helped them to not be a total menace to putt. They were still very fast, and with the many undulations and slopes, the ball could easily end up 4-6 feet past the hole on a downhill 10-footer, or take the ball 30 feet plus away from the hole as it took the slope away from the hole. Greens were indeed lush, and in spite of a number of repaired divot marks, ball rolled excellently and smooth, with few bumps along the way.
Saw the cart lady on both 9s. The course could use toilet facilities on the front, and more water jugs throughout. GPS on carts worked very well, allowing you to pick a spot on the hole to measure hazards, etc. Of note, the GPS provides front/back of green and a target marker in the center of the green, that is indeed for ‘center of green’, not the flag location.
The Bottom Line
Would like to come back in late spring/early summer and try the course again. Great scenery and views almost make up for my minor gripes about the course design. For my short-hitter game, this course presents an extra challenge and required a few silly layups with wedges, even after good drives (210-220yds) from the whites, to avoid hazards that I would have a very tough time carrying with a 5 or even a 3 wood.
