andygarms22

I returned to OAK QUARRY for special occasion, post-Thanksgiving golf and it lived up to the fondness I held after previous rounds in Riverside. We zipped around the course as a twosome in a timely manner. This course is not walkable, and that is perhaps my only complaint. The round starts with a comfortable Par-4 and an easy Par-5... It is best to take advantage with low scores at the start as the course gets challenging the deeper you get into the Quarry. There are long Par-4's that demand long/mid-iron shot approaches and each Par-5 requires its own unique strategy and contemplation. Make sure you have enough film in your camera to snap a few shots of the glistening quarry rockface as it surrounds the golf course, especially at the picturesque Par-3 fourteenth.

Leave pretention and premonition behind, climb to the top of the hill, and forget the golf cart. GOAT HILL is to be enjoyed on foot, zig-zagging the bizarre layout that crams 18 holes into a property that formerly hosted a nine-hole track. This course forces creativity and imagination, precision and accuracy. Longer hitters may be able to overwhelm the GOAT with long drives powered by modern technology, but this course is a throwback and is supremely enjoyable. Leave your metal woods in the trunk and graze on the green grass fairways after striping your mid-iron off the tee. Pay cash for your 18 and still have enough money in your pocket for a beer on the patio after the loop.

Candlewood is the old-school, tree-lined, form-fitting golf course I used to dislike, but its narrow tee chutes and fairways force discipline and creativity not often found on LA-area courses. The layout is a bit awkward and perhaps dangerous as it zig-zags in front of hitting areas, but the course is well marked and tee boxes are guarded. The greens roll true and fair, and areas around the green force a variety of creative chips, flops, and pitches. It is a short course that plays longer than its distance because driver is not always the play off the tee. It is a fair test that requires almost every club in the bag. The par four stretch that closes the back nine will make or break your day.

Many of the Corona-area courses tend to blend together, but DOS LAGOS stands apart from the rest. The layout is challenging but fair and requires use of every club in the bag. Not every hole demands using driver off the tee, and therefore some strategy and thinking are required. There are long par threes that tend to play into the wind... And the back nine five pars play with the wind, giving some chance of getting near the green in two. I have played well in each visit to DOS LAGOS, perhaps thanks to the exceptionally friendly staff in the pro-shop and bar and omnipresent beverage cart girl. DOS LAGOS will definitely remain in my rotation despite its location an hour away from home.

Saturday was my first round at SAN DIMAS, upon a co-worker's recommendation and I will not return. We were sent off as a two some rather than paired up with another group, and the course was totally over-crowded with fivesomes. It took nearly six hours to play and there was no ranger in sight to enforce pace of play. There are goofy, tricked-out holes that are challenging for a first time player, and many holes that feature trees in awkward spots in the middle of fairways, blocking approaches and penalizing good shots.

This is my favorite course in Los Angeles and a venue that I jump at the chance to play anytime I see a special reduced rate. It offers an excuse to play further away and detour on the way home at Golden Road Brewery. As for golf, Angeles National is challenging but fair. Green complexes force the player to aim for certain segments on the green rather than being satisfied with being anywhere on the dancefloor. Three putts are abundant if approach shots lack precision. The round opens with a forgiving, straightforward Par-4, but closes with a demanding dogleg around water that requires precision off the tee and on the approach.

I understand weekend rounds at public golf courses may not offer the snappy play I desire, but the pace of play at El Dorado is unacceptable. I teed off as a part of a threesome at 1230pm Sunday afternoon, and put my clubs back into my trunk 600pm Sunday evening. Fivesomes litter the course and no rangers anywhere on the grounds to enforce pace of play. We waited on every teebox, sometimes behind 2-3 other groups before playing the next hole. The course offers a good mix of different yardages and holes point in different directions, forcing the player to use every club in the bag... And you will have plenty of time to think about that next shot as you wait, and wait, and wait...

I walked off the course after nine holes. Tee times were delayed over thirty minutes because of overcrowding, and it took nearly 3.5 hours to complete the front nine. I requested a raincheck or some other compensation for the ridiculous pace of play, and was told that 3+ hour nines are "typical" at Costa Mesa. There are plenty of other reasonable options for golf in Southern California and I will not return to Costa Mesa CC for any reason.