Played 7-23-17 with iluv2golflady as the last stop on our little road trip. We picked this course strictly by location after getting some recommendations from fellow Gkr’s. Check in was a bit frustra... Continue »

Played 7-23-17 with iluv2golflady as the last stop on our little road trip. We picked this course strictly by location after getting some recommendations from fellow Gkr’s. Check in was a bit frustrating. We paid for the round using credit from GoPlay cards. It turned out that when GoPlay called the course to submit payment, they said it was for only one player. The girl in the pro shop said there wasn’t anything she could do about it even though we had our receipt showing confirmation numbers for two players. After some back and forth phone calls to GoPlay and the course manager who was not there that day, we got it straightened out. We then grabbed a quick lunch before playing. I did see a nice looking driving range, large putting green and bunker practice area. From the first hole I had a feeling I would enjoy the course. There are lots of undulations in the fairways and those dips and mounds that I like so much hiding bunkers from view. The fairways were in pretty good shape. Most of the tee boxes were level but a bit chewed up. I was in two greenside bunkers. Both were deep with vertical sides and just barely enough dirt to keep my shot from flying out of control. The greens varied greatly from soft, smooth, medium fast to super ugly shaggy, patchy, bumpy (#3 in particular.) I agree with Robert that #15 is a beautiful par 3. There are tall reeds and very deep bunkers in front of the big wavy green. My other favorite hole was #18, a par 5 with its green guarded by water, rocks and bunkers. POP was a fast 3 hr 40 min. It was a lot of fun and I would definitely play here again if I’m in the area.

Up in Bakersfield for a work event and had a chance to get away for a twilight round at The Links at RiverLakes Ranch today. So should we start with the good, the bad or the middle ground? Let's be po... Continue »

Up in Bakersfield for a work event and had a chance to get away for a twilight round at The Links at RiverLakes Ranch today. So should we start with the good, the bad or the middle ground? Let's be positive for a little while and touch upon some of the things they're doing right here. For as hot as it is out here right now, the fairways for the most part are in good shape. You will find a few holes that are absolutely lush, and some others with a bit thinner coverage, but anytime you hit the ball where you are supposed to, you will be rewarded with a good lie. The layout is definitely very interesting and there is plenty of water around the course surprisingly to keep you on your toes. Some very pretty holes as well, especially the par 3 15th - beautiful. A lot of undulations in the fairways as well to make for some very interesting approach shots. 18? Great closing hole for sure. And finally, the staff seems to be very nice, especially at the bar. As far as the middle ground goes, well, the greens are in okay shape, but just way too many ball marks and funky tiers that almost seem a bit over the top with all of the ups and downs. There are also any number of dry patches on the greens, but that's pretty understandable with the current heat wave. The rough is also good in places, spotty and dirty in others - find those fairways. And most of the tee boxes are okay but a few need some love. The rest? I'm glad you asked. The bunkers are very solid. Not solid as in 'good,' but solid as in immovable. They're simply some of the worst I've ever encountered. It's simply hard dirt with a few loose granules here and there to fool you. Every shot out of the bunkers is nothing more than a chip from a thin lie anywhere else on the course. [expletive] Awful. What else was awful? Well, it was 100 degrees out and there was no cart service, which is totally understandable on a quiet midweek day after 3pm. But what's unfathomable is sending people out and telling them there's water at the 11th hole tee box bathrooms, and then finding those water fountains dry. I called the front and they said they run out of water for them by that time of the day. Excuse me? That's simply dangerous and unacceptable. Luckily there was a cooler with water on the 14th hole that still had the precious elixir flowing, but they simply have to be more aware of what could happen if someone got dehydrated out there and was relying on that fountain. Need to do better. This is also a course that perhaps could be walked, but it's a trek for sure - some of the distances between holes are very long and it would be ridiculous to try it on hot summer days. So there you have it. I would call this a definite love-hate experience for me. I think there's some great potential here and when it's a full spring or fall weekend with full service and better bunkers, I bet this course would be a blast to play again. But a few too many loose ends currently that will hopefully be addressed in the near future could go a long way towards getting more people amped up to come out here and play.

Played 4-26 as a single. Tee time was 1:45 but the front was way backed up so they let me off the back. Not a soul in sight until I got to 16. POP was right over 3 hours as a single. Weather was nice,... Continue »

Played 4-26 as a single. Tee time was 1:45 but the front was way backed up so they let me off the back. Not a soul in sight until I got to 16. POP was right over 3 hours as a single. Weather was nice, a little breezy at times but very enjoyable for Bakersfield.

Played the black tees and there is always plenty of grass and level spots to hit from. Fairways are in good shape, nice tight lies throughout. Rough is thick in some areas and thin in others. Hit a wayward shot into the long long grass that lines the outer rough and good luck finding your ball. The bunkers, as always are poor at best. With how high some of the lips are it's nearly impossible to get your ball out without skulling it over the green. The greens are really coming in nicely. They are rolling pure, still a bit slow but smooth. There are still plenty of people who don't find it necessary to fix their divots on the green but for the most part, every green is in good shape. In fact, the greens were almost hard. Not a lot of spin to be had in the later portion of the day, so it was a nice change of pace from the soft greens I'm used to playing out there.

Got out Saturday afternoon. Beautiful day. POP 4 hours minimal waiting. Tees a little long, par 3 a little beat up, but in good shape. Fairways were clumpy as some of the grass was growing faster than... Continue »

Got out Saturday afternoon. Beautiful day. POP 4 hours minimal waiting. Tees a little long, par 3 a little beat up, but in good shape. Fairways were clumpy as some of the grass was growing faster than the other types and this continued into the rough. Rough was short in some places and real thick in others. It could effect you shot. Greens had evidence of being punched recently. they were long and very bumpy. Some ball mark damage on the softer portions of the greens. Bunkers are very poor. Most have a layer of dust and that is about it. Very hard base easy to skull them out. They also have rocks and some of the faces have grass growing in them. Once healed the greens will be very good. Bunkers need work and have for years. Being the only public non traditional course in the area make it worth playing.

Finally was able to dust off the sticks and get out and play on Veteran's Day. Teed off at 8:30am and naturally got stuck behind a slow group. But, being on the course beats being in the office so my ... Continue »

Finally was able to dust off the sticks and get out and play on Veteran's Day. Teed off at 8:30am and naturally got stuck behind a slow group. But, being on the course beats being in the office so my group relaxed and enjoyed the day off.

The course didn't do any overseeding to my knowledge but is as green as ever going into the colder months. Tee boxes and fairways were lush. The par 3 tee boxes, especially the whites, had a lot of divot damage. Still don't know why they haven't put some sand on those tees to help alleviate that but oh well. Greens are coming around very nicely. You can barely tell that a year ago they were all but dead, and are rolling better than ever. Still have unrepaired ball marks here and there, but overall the greens are great. Traps are still hit and miss, but more often than not you have just enough sand to get the ball up and out.

Overall I believe now is the best time to get out and play Riverlakes. The weather is actually enjoyable here in Bakersfield, so take advantage of the 2-week window we get a year and come up and play the best public course in Bakersfield.

Played 9-28 with a buddy. Teed off around 1:45 and finished around 5:30. Would have been faster but the local high schools were out there and seemed to be taking their time. It also got very windy on ... Continue »

Played 9-28 with a buddy. Teed off around 1:45 and finished around 5:30. Would have been faster but the local high schools were out there and seemed to be taking their time. It also got very windy on the back nine and it seemed to slow everybody down. The greens have recovered from the recent aeration and are rolling a bit better. 13, 14, and 18 are still in poor shape from the fungus that ate away at all greens. Fairways were great, soft with no roll out. Tournament tees were in great shape, some actually still very soft even in the heat of the day. Whites were kinda ate up on the par 3s. Bunkers are still coming along, some with sand others hardpan. Overall a good round.

Overall- Above average Valley public course- The design, value and facilities are all very good. The condition of the course is mostly above average, but the few remaining greens in bad shape and the ... Continue »

Overall- Above average Valley public course- The design, value and facilities are all very good. The condition of the course is mostly above average, but the few remaining greens in bad shape and the inconsistent bunkers limit my rating.

Pace- Excellent- Sunday midday and the course was ours. We never had anyone in front or behind for a nice leisurely sub 3.5 hour pace.

Course conditions- Bordering on very good- Tees, fairways and rough are all lush and if anything a tad on the long side. Occasional areas of divot damage on tees and fairways but never anything terrible. The green appearance all over the course is a welcome respite to the brown areas that most Valley courses have this time of year. Bunkers were hit and miss with some being waterlogged, some being hard pan and many that were recently worked and very playable. The greens, which had been lost and were completely gone over the last few years have mostly returned. Roughly 2/3rds were in very good shape and the others were poor at best. (Why not all of them have returned is unknown but certainly they are headed in the right direction.) All were running at medium to slow speeds, which is not bad with all the tiers and slopes.

Staff- Friendly and helpful, I had limited interaction so I cannot comment and/or rate in depth.

Value- We had a hot deal so the price was fantastic for a weekend round. Two players and cart $50

Layout- Very good layout and design. Holes encompassed; long, short, left, right, wide, narrow, big greens, small greens. The mix of holes allowed for varying strategies and the chance to use many different clubs. Technically not a links so rather than have a semantic debate lets just say that for Valley public courses the design is well above average.

Amenities- Practice areas and bar/grill/banquet areas were ample and in good condition.

This course will easily be the best in Bako and one of the best in the Valley once the rest of the greens and the bunkers have been bought up to par.

I play this course frequently, as it's near my house. When it first opened it was the best public course in Bakersfield. Greens were tough, fairways were pristine, and the bunkers ate balls up. Over t... Continue »

I play this course frequently, as it's near my house. When it first opened it was the best public course in Bakersfield. Greens were tough, fairways were pristine, and the bunkers ate balls up. Over the years things began to fall apart, partly with poor care from players and what not. Around 2012, Riverlakes lost their greens completely to a fungus. They all basically died, and never regained their original posture. They were painted green and were basically dirt and loose sod for a long time. They attempted to resurrect them, with temp greens in fairways while the greens were worked on, but they never returned. Every summer they'd die, and players would resort to the temp greens again. Finally, in 2014, a new person was hired as head greens keeper, and since then things have been amazing. Nearly every green is back to it's original form. Aside from a few that are still kept a little hairy while they return, the rest are in great shape. A little bumpy at times, but still rolling true. The fairways are green and soft, along with the tee boxes. The only knock on this course is their bunkers. They are, for the most part, rock hard and difficult to play out of. Many feature deep and steep lipped bunkers, so being able to get out of one is difficult. They are slowly renovating a few bunkers at a time, so hopefully in the coming years we begin to see the fruit of that labor bloom. Riverlakes is a fantastic public course to come visit and play if you're ever in Bakersfield.

I love this course, whenever I'm in Bakersfield I make sure I have enough time to play it. the layout is amazing, every holes is very different than the others and its a "links" layout with lots of u... Continue »

I love this course, whenever I'm in Bakersfield I make sure I have enough time to play it. the layout is amazing, every holes is very different than the others and its a "links" layout with lots of undulations and lots of bunkers. The course isn't easy, especially the back nine, so I suggest you move "up" a tee box when you play but it is a lot of fun, never boring. The first two holes are relatively easy and give you time to warm up then the 3rd hole is their signature par 3 surrounded by bunkers, the rest of the front nine is very good. The back 9 holes #10-13 are the real deal, you got to hit some good shots through that stretch, then #18 is a par 5 with an Island Green, a beautiful hole, if you hit a good drive you can go for it and the green is very big and receptive. The clubhouse is very nice, just like a country club, the food is really good and they got a great beer selection for a golf course, and the ladies in the restaurant are very nice.