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As many already know, the course is under new management. Here's my take on the results so far, starting with the bad so I can finish on a positive:

The Bad
The staff reductions are significant. I usually play in the afternoon and like to enjoy a beverage and one of their excellent quesadillas after my round. The bar & kitchen closed in the late afternoon (before 5 pm, although I could still get a cold beverage from the fridge at that point). When we were done with the round, there was at least an hour of full daylight left but the course was effectively closed. This isn't a deal breaker, but it is a bit sad since there was a very nice vibe to the place before these cutbacks.

The Neutral:
The Lakes course is closed. This is a non-issue for me since I didn't really like that course. If this business decision results in a better experience on Ivanhoe, I'm all for it.

The Good:
Although smaller in numbers and reduced in hours, the staff was extremely friendly, informative and helpful - they always have been. I wouldn't change a thing about who they are - just give them some more hours!

The Ivanhoe course is coming around. Over the last year or two, they had some strange "mining" operation going on in the back 9 - seriously a huge pit in the ground. I don't know if it was clay or gravel or what. That looks like it's finished now.

But more importantly, they are watering the grass again. The fairways now look like they could be used as a wildfire break instead of a wildfire ignition point. This, I believe, was mostly out of the control of the ownership and more a result of the end of the drought. In any case, it's nice to have my best drive of the day resting on green grass than on hard dirt.

The greens were in decent, not great, shape. I don't blame management for this since most of the problem stems from unfixed ball marks - a common problem on inexpensive courses. My missed putts were the result of poor strokes, not poor greens.

The carts are newer or, at least, refurbished. Ours rode quite well. They now have ice chests and they were, overall, in good condition.

Obviously, this is not an expensive course, nor should it be. However, in terms of value, it is almost impossible to beat. I hope the new business model is successful and someday the clubhouse will re-open during the late afternoon hours. I really miss those quesadillas!