mobler

The fairways and greens were in excellent condition. My major gripe about this course, and it is a MAJOR gripe is the condition of the bunkers/"sand" traps. I use quotation marks because, ironically for a course with "Dunes" in its name, it's a misnomer to call them "sand traps" because, for the most part, they are sandLESS!!
The bunkers had NOT been worked by the grounds crew; there was hard pan, numerous rocks, some standing water, as well as mud.Trust me, cuz I was in far too many bunkers!! And, PLEASE, don't get me started on the high ledges/lips on greenside bunkers. . . .
My recommendation to play the course is based on staying out of bunkers and playing early in the morning before the wind gets too strong. Oh, and, get a GolfNow "Hot Deal" instead of paying the rack rate.

This course is built on a former ski area. LOTS of blind shots!! Sloping fairways and elevated greens are the norm. Tee boxes were rather beat up.

Canyon Mesa is a picturesque, par 28 (only one par 4 hole) executive course.

An interesting course, not the typical flat desert lay-out tricked up with far too many sand traps, forced carries over waste areas, etc.
This course has elevation changes along with beautiful views of the Santa Rita mountains to the east shining bluish in the afternoon sun. Some water features add addiitional variety and interest. Practically every hole is unique and memorable.
Conditions of fairways and greens, and tee boxes were excellent. If I had more time in this area I'd go right back there to play again.

Spectacular vistas on the back 9 with elevation changes. This is a fun, fun, fun course to play if you select the right tee boxes. Outstanding conditions. A bit pricey, but worthwhile, especially with the twilight rate.

VERY kid-friendly course. The youngsters will cause slow play for more experienced golfers.

With a GolfNow "Hot Deal" plus applying bonus points reward, we paid less than half the rack rate. Had we paid full rate I'd have been sorely disappointed.
As it was, I was merely mostly disappointed. Our 2-some was behind a 5-some and thus incurred numerous delays. There was no starter on the first tee, resulting in the 4-some behind claiming they had a 12:15 tee time while ours was at 12:18 -- 9 minutes intervals being the norm, groups in front of us slotted at 12:00 and 12:09. On an 80 + degree day there was no beverage cart on the course (although there were water jugs at decent intervals). At the turn, a server in the clubhouse said, "We weren't expecting to be busy."
The course touts itself as a "links course". I discovered that to mean no trees!! Course conditions were below standards we've come to expect from having other courses at this time of the year. Particularly poor were the "sand traps" -- in quotation marks because they lacked sand, being hard-packed dirt with a goodly assortment of pebbles.
Our experience with Salt Creek golf course was such that we see no need to return.

I thought the Oak Glen 18 was/is inferior to the Willow Glen course. Conditions were not as good, nor is the layout as interesting. The duck/mud hen droppings on several tee boxes was quite obnoxious.

My golfing partner and I were VERY pleased with our outing on the Willow Glen course at Sycuan. The fairways were grassy, greens were smooth, there were some water hazards to negotiate, and some elevation changes in tee boxes to provide some variety. Outstanding conditions for January!!!
We'll return to play the Oak Glen course.
One improvement that I would like to see is at least one additional set of tees for senior golfers. The current 3 sets of tees left me playing the whites @ 6,200 yds. while this senior golfer &age 73) would have preferred total yardage under 6,000.
The new riding carts were equipped with GPS which we were flummoxed to operate until we found out from the beverage cart gal that the course had not invested the $$$ to have GPS operational. . .

We played the Ivanhoe 18. Group ahead of us seemed to be regulars since each member of the 4-some had his own cart, a violation of written policy on sign at the first tee.
Pace of play on the back 9 was glacial, totally backed up. Did starter put 9-holers on the back?
This is the only course I've ever played which had a functioning sand mining operation in action. One had to hit over the submerged road for gravel trucks on a par -3. My partner's tee shot on the next hole was off to the right and about 10 feet from the fence behind which the steam shovel was busily digging. Needless to say, its noise and the noise of the trucks hauling sand was quite a distraction.
We will NOT return to check out the "Lakes" 18 holes.
Oh, we almost played the 6th hole, thinking it was the 4th hole: poor signage and no map on the xeroxed, el cheapo score card.