runningpie

Everything is relative when reviewing River Ridge. It's never in as good condition as its neighbors across the river in Ventura, but it can be a bargain, and the layouts of both courses are interesting and challenging. Right now as of the new year, the greens are bumpy but pretty good and reasonably fast. The fairways are ok. They've done some reseeding of them over the last year and they are coming in pretty well. The sandtraps need the word sand removed as there is no sand in many of them and the recent rains have washed them out. The storm was particularly heavy in Oxnard and the skeleton maintenance staff at RR hasn't gotten around to fixing things yet. But all in all, with the cheap rate I paid, I was happy. Beautiful views from the top of the former landfill.

Played the Vineyard 5/26. Conditions have improved recently. They are finally getting through the mowing and the fairways are better - actually delineated from the rough, and the turf seems to have improved. The grass on the greens is also improved. They are not as splotchy and bumpy, although still very slow. Looks like the grass health is coming around after a rough winter. The traps are still a wasteland. In general course conditions are significantly better than a month ago.

I only expect so much from River Ridge, as it has been in mediocre shape for years now. At least it is priced well. I would only play here if I got a bargain. Even with that caveat current conditions are worse than usual. Fairways are as bad as I can remember (on Vineyard) with all kinds of invasive species growing in the fairways and bare spots abounding. The rough is completely untended. Traps are dirt patches. Greens, which have been reasonably good this winter, are now recently punched and sanded, so they are still a couple weeks from recovering. All in all it was a pretty rough experience and I wouldn't recommend it at least until the greens recover and the one guy on a mower makes it down all 18 fairways.

Olivas is a great course and very good value. I've played there a bajillion times. It is sometimes pretty darn slow on weekends, but not enough to keep me from coming back. It's a coastal, links style course etc..see description

.Just writing this to inform about current conditions: Right now (late Dec) the fairway grass is fully dormant (brown, looks dead, but it's not). They've mowed the "wild areas" which they do once or twice a year. So the course is playing easier than usual because balls are rolling further and errant shots are findable. The greens and surrounds are all in good shape and putting is medium fast and true. If anything greens are rolling faster than in Summer. If you're making a special trip I'd come here in Spring or Summer, just to play on the normally lush fairways, but if you're local come on down...even if it's brown.

One small thing. There is no drinking water out on the course. Bring your own. You can refill after 9 as it goes by the parking lot.

Angeles is a very nice high-end course with some current upkeep challenges, I assume based on water restrictions. The layout is in the Arroyo beneath Angeles Crest, so nice views, very few trees, and sand/rock/cactus in the waste areas ready to catch an errant shot. Many enjoyable holes in the layout. Some require local knowledge so first-time players will get a few surprises with blind shots. Overall the course design is very enjoyable, and the GPS in the carts helps. Fun from the back tees for better golfers. A little reminiscent of Rustic Canyon, but with tighter landing areas and smaller green complexes, and the aforementioned blind shots. Like, Rustic, I'm sure this place is a bear to take care of for the greenskeeper with high winds and heat. The fairways are pretty baked right now. I assume they can't water as much as they want. Greens were in good shape and interesting to putt, with good speed. Traps were fine, with native sand. At the moment with the baked fairways I would say not worth the price, but if you get a deal, and can stand the heat, go for it.

Sterling is usually a nice round for me, if the pace of play is ok, and today it was fine. Foursome played in just over 4 hrs. Weather always nice in Camarillo, with nice views. Current Conditions are pretty good. The kikuyu grass has its usual challenges. Fairways are spotty. You might want to play preferred lies with your buddies. The best part of Sterling lately is the greens. They roll nice and true. Some of the best of the public courses in Socal.

I play this course when in the Bay Area because of its convenient location. It's best attribute are the views of the Bay Area from the higher elevation holes. The layout (East Course) is plenty challenging and interesting. There are many challenging risk/reward holes. The condition is just average, but good enough. Fairways and traps not perfect, but good enough. Greens putt nicely. I find it to be a pleasant place to play. Last round the pace of play was very slow (mid-day Saturday). Other than that an enjoyable experience.

Played here to avoid the crazy greens fees up the hill in Tahoe area. It's an easy drive down, especially from South Tahoe. Course is interesting, if a bit wacky. Starts off normal with desert-style holes through the sage brush with some water hazards, that are reasonably challenging and nicely laid out. Then it goes up and down an extremely steep hill that gives you many shots with extreme elevation changes, for better or worse. Pace of play on the back nine was silly-slow possibly based on these changes. It is what feels like a half-mile from one hole on the back nine to the top of the hill (I forget the number). There is a bonus 19th hole at the end. Because of the location it can be very hot, and often very windy, so check the weather. Conditions were good enough. I get the feeling they are fighting the extremes of weather to keep it in shape. An interesting course, but there are others in the area I'd play first. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

This is one of the better public courses in all of California. If you are in the area it is worth the trip, and by area I mean anywhere from Tahoe to Reno. It's a beautiful drive from those places, so you won't notice the time. The green fees are a little steep, but they have some golfnow deals every day. So the story goes it was originally designed to be as hard as possible, and has since been tamed a bit to be more playable. I'm a scratch golfer and played from the tips, and certainly didn't find it impossible. Mainly you need to be straight off the tee, or bring a lot of balls. There are a handful of holes they haven't made "more playable" yet, and I actually found those the most interesting. They tend to have humped greens so your approach, or even your putt, could roll right off if not hit exactly right. No matter the difficulty level, it's just a beautiful place - as nice or better than any of those expensive Tahoe-area courses. The clubhouse is a work of art (a Frank Lloyd Wright design). It has a nice range (balls included). It's just the quintessential mountain course, well worth an hour-plus drive. I bet conditions vary based on weather, Spring recovery from snows, etc., but when I was there in mid-July it was excellent. Your pace of play will be whatever speed you want to go, as the place is uncrowded to the extreme. There were 5 players on the entire course in the early morning when I teed off.

Played here while staying in North Tahoe. It was worth the scenic drive north. Very nice layout winding through the trees, and along the river with various ponds and elevation changes - very scenic and quiet. Course was in excellent shape, and place of play was as fast as you wanted to go. Some holes have houses along them but many are in the trees. Just a very nice layout for the better golfer with enough length and importance of placement off the tee at a premium. The staff was exceedingly nice and helpful too on my first visit there. Highly recommend.

I played here while on a trip to Tahoe. Well worth the drive down the hill to avoid crazy high greens fees on Tahoe-area courses. The overall layout is excellent with nice views and challenging water and sand placement. Course conditions were very nice. Pace of play was good enough. Some waiting. A nice course for the better golfer, with good length from back tees and lots of risk/reward types of shots. I really enjoyed it.

I play here maybe once a month, when I can't get tee times at my other local favorites. Right now (Jul 1) conditions are ok. The greens are very good, relative to other local courses. The fairways and rough not so much. Lots of rough patches and its kikuyu, so lots of bad lies, and hard ground as the course dries out. Aprons around the greens are really rough. All and all the condition is pretty average, but there have been improvements (especially tees and greens). My biggest bone to pick is the last 2 times I've played the pace of play was horrible, especially on the back nine. This last round I just quit as there was a 3 group wait on the 10th, with a Sixsome playing and no ranger - this on a Wednesday. The previous time I played it was a 6-hour round on a Sunday. Not sure if I'm just unlucky, or this is the norm, but it discourages me from wanting to return.

Played this in the height of the heat. As others have said, they keep it in nice shape and everything is fine in terms of playing conditions, But since this comes up as one of the top-rated courses in the valley (based on conditions) I just want to make the point that this is just a very ordinary valley course, like dozens of others I've played over the years. So if you are just coming into the valley for the first time on a golfing holiday and want a quintessential golfing experience, this is not it.

You should go play the PGA's or the La Quinta courses (Pete Dye et.al.) first. They represent more classic, and challenging golf. This course is long enough, but not much jeopardy.. A 5 inch break on the greens would be a lot. Not many traps or water in dangerous places. There were just a couple holes that felt distinctive. The rough is not a deterrent. So, yes, come play here if you've played all those tourist magnet courses, and just want a smooth, fast 18. Otherwise try out the famous courses first.

Played here for the first time in the heat last week of June. The course was not in good shape The greens had been aerified, which they warned us about so not a surprise. But the fairways and other areas weren't in great shape either. They looked like maintenance had fallen off at the course. It wasn't just the heat. It just looked uncared for.

I've played most of the famous courses in the valley, like the PGAs, La Quinta, Indian Wells, etc...I would much rather play those than this track, despite its pedigree. Its out in the middle of the valley, away from the signature rock faces of La Quinta, and carved out of the sand dunes in a pretty generic way. Not a very memorable experience or layout. Honestly, considering all the other options, I don't think I'd play it again.

For current conditions: Greens are fairly hard and true. Fairway nicely maintained. Check weather report for wind conditions. If foggy on the coast it's windy at Alisal. Overall a pleasant experience and a great location in Solvang. Worth the drive.

Rustic is still one of the best public courses in SoCal that you can afford to play. It's not as reasonable in price as it used to be, but its not exorbitant.

Right now, the greens are incredibly slow. I've never seen it like this, and I've been playing there since it opened. Supposedly they are letting them grow in after punching them earlier in spring, but its kinda shocking compared to how they usually are. The greens are a major component of what makes Rustic unique, so if you're making a special trip there to play, you might want to call and ask if they are mowing back to normal levels yet. I would postpone playing there again until then. A positive is the fairways are also being watered more than other times of year and they are lush (relative to fall and winter).

The course was designed to play in coastal on shore breezes (up canyon), which is exactly opposite wind direction of Santa Anas (down canyon). So again if you're making a special trip, best to go on a non-Santa Ana day. Spring is best. In the Fall winds can blow to the point of absurdity (50 mph and such).

I have mixed feelings about this course. I want to like it but always find it slightly disappointing, especially considering the relatively high rates. I only come up if I get a deal. It's a pleasant drive to go up to Solvang if you are from SoCal, and you can make a day of it in the Santa Ynez valley. The setting of the course is scenic and breezy. The layout is reasonably interesting. It's a relatively new course designed to be accessible to resort-level players. Meanwhile their older, more traditional 18 on the ranch is only open to people staying at the resort. The River Course is just dumbed down a bit too much for me. Other mid-level players may like it fine.
The greens I find the most frustrating. They are rolling nice now and are pretty hard, but almost every green is flat as a pancake, and pretty large, so you are in for a day of lag putts and tap-ins. Pace of play this particular Sunday was very poor. I got to know the foursomes behind and in front of us, as we met at every tee box. Overall I just wish it were 10% more challenging, but I am a low handicap player. Up the road in Lompoc, La Purisma is a much better challenge. But the river course is a pretty. pleasant place. People rave about the restaurant too. I haven't tried it but it is always busy. Oh, and at any of these area courses, beware the poison oak!

Had a great round at Sterling Hills this weekend. Went there as a single. Paired with a group that had to quit, and then starter/marshall went out of their way to make the rest of the day a good one for me. So kudos on the customer service. Meanwhile, the course is rounding into shape for Spring. Greens are coming back nicely from punching. They putt true and relatively fast, compared to the current state of many other local courses. Fairways a little rough, but as usual nice weather and surroundings. Always enjoy coming to Sterling Hills.

Always enjoy Sterling HIlls, with a few minor qualms. The deals with carts are pretty good, when you can get them. There is also heavy member play here, so they don't sell that many public times. The pace of play is usually quite good. It's a bit hilly, so if you're walking, hopefully you are in decent shape. The layout is nice, moderate length, Not a giant challenge for a low handicap, but plenty of variety, and nice views, along with typically perfect weather. I almost always have some minor quibble with the pro shop people upon check-in. Always leaves me with a less than nice feeling. Not sure what their trip is, but bring your actual reservation data with you if you pre-pay, so you can avoid hassle. The greens are typically very good, although recently aerated (like everywhere in Spring). The fairways are good but not great. Dormant in winter (again like many places). I like coming here intermittently, but not regularly, partly because of the weirdness in the pro shop, and the lack of good tee-times.

CS is a bit of a classic goat track, but still a worthwhile place to play in my opinion, especially if its not too long a drive. Right now the fairways are iffy, but you can play winter rules and move your ball a bit for good enough lies. The greens are actually fine. Putted true, not fast , but perfectly fine. The traps aren't the greatest. The layout is nice and reasonably challenging for a good golfer., and the setting and the weather are great. It's a nice course to walk, and its directly off the freeway exit so easy to get to. I like coming here every week or so . Love the atmosphere and inevitably play with someone interesting. I'd recommend it especially if you get a deal, The rates in general are low.