WalkOfLife

I'm an 11 handicap...This course will challenge you in every way. These are real greens, tough to read and undulating. Many tee shots are very visually intimidating with small landing areas for a decent view on your approach shot. The course played completely different from the tips and pretty long because it's a par 70. 600+ par 5s and 450+ par 4s, last time I played it it was really windy, good luck getting on in regulation if it's blowing like that. The full price is more than fair for this course.

Definitely Check this track out if you haven'y played it. I certainly wouldn't pay the prime price unless money is no object to you. I have three main issues with the conditions...the fairways are mostly hardpan, and very spotty with lots of dirt patches. The fairways have gone downhill. The bunkers are mostly hard and hard to play out of. The greens were good on some holes and pretty bumpy and beet up on others from foot traffic. They design of the course is kinda nutty being built on the side of a mountain, certainly an attractive design to play if you haven't experience this type of Cali golf, but not something most golfers wanna play on a regular basis. If you want, go check it out, you might like it

I'm currently an 11 Handicap...This course really gives me more of an appreciation for golf course design. This course has really humbled me a few times. It challenges every part of the game. But I feel the real weapon of the course is when you get near or on the greens...Seemingly well executed short game shots and putts can quickly kick you in the nuts and break quickly to an area on or off the green that you didn't even consider. Breaks are tricky to read and the greens can get really slick in spots. Robert Trent Jones did his job on this track!

I now live in LA, I played the NORTH last year and I played the SOUTH yesterday. This course is a great one, It's a legendary course and the most famous design from William Bell and Son. You immediately step into history and local golf culture here, make sure to chat with as many employees and locals as possible, they are very friendly with some great knowledge of the place. The staff is on their "A" game anybody that says different on here probably has some personal issues that they are projecting onto their experience here...but don't we all do that from time to time. The course is't extremely intimidating visually. Don't get me wrong, some of the approach shots are scary with the bunker layouts and raised blind greens from your approach. Also the par 4s play really long, really tough to get on in 2 with a head wind. I play a lot of public courses in LA and the greens here are a million times faster, hard for me to get used to uphill putts. The rough was down according to the locals we played with, still there were areas around the greens where my ball would get buried in some rough and it was very hard to play that kinda shot to a raised green, partly because I'm not used to being in that kinda rough with such short touchy shot, I screwed up a few times in that situation. In the rough with a long shot I was able to play it off my back foot and advance it nicely. Reading the greens was like being on an acid trip. This William bell was a sick genius, you swear you have a uphill left to right putt just to find out it's very much downhill right to left. I don't think I'm a slow golfer as I'm usually right on the leading group's butt when playing, but here I guess we ended up a hole behind after the first few holes. A local playing behind us kinda let us know that he was a local that has played there for the last 30yrs and that we should pick up our pace(he kinda yelled at us)...which we did and he thanked us for it later. I totally respect any local golf culture that I'm walking into and I hate when duffers visit a famous track and play super slow while taking a bunch of videos and pics with their phones...show some class people!! And make sure to play Torrey! If you respect the course and don't get too greedy, you can post a decent score at a true test of a course. It's not that difficult to get a tee time if you do your research and you will experience the game where so many greats have walked.

It's good to see the course is undergoing renovations, I wonder how it will look/play when it's done. First of all, the greens were solid, Fairway was decent towards bad with a good amount of dirt patches. Some of the bunkers have been updated with new sand and some were wet hard packed sand/dirt. It's not a complete dog track but I don't think I'll be going back, especially because I don't live near by. I guess if I lived really close I would play it on the rare occasion. 5.5 hour round after a being sent out 30 minutes late at (7:40 tee time). A big back up at that hour is kinda weak. The tee boxes are some of the worst I've ever seen, ripped up dirt or crab grass...you'll see;) I do wish this course the best of luck with their changes, you can see they are really trying.

If you want to experience great service and a really picturesque layout you should definitely visit this course. I feel like the back nine is a little more difficult than the front. I played in early morning late may and the heat didn't really bother me until the last couple of holes. Great practice facilities with complimentary range and short game balls.

The course has some character, greens are pretty good with some pretty big breaking putts, check it out. I would tee off early, when we got off 18 it was very backed up on the 1st tee(noon).

I'm on the fence If I will play this course again. I got a good deal last weekend so I played it for the third time. Once again the greens are fantastic and challenging, these greens will prep you for harder courses. Pretty much every other aspect of the physical course is horrible. I heard something about this course having been built over an old dump.. that may keep the fairway grass from growing properly. More often than not your ball will be on hard dirt in the middle of the fairway...when you go out the started tells you to just pick up your ball an move it to the nearest patch of grass(which is usually still dirt with a few weak blades of grass poking through. This course has potential if they ever figure out why the grass won't grow on the fairway. Give it a shot, bust most people I know wouldn't want to play a course in this condition.