Played Angeles National this past Sunday with Johnny, Mattias and Kassper7 and we rode the white tees for a nice $60 fee... » More

Played Angeles National this past Sunday with Johnny, Mattias and Kassper7 and we rode the white tees for a nice $60 fee that Mr. GK himself got us set up with. I was also playing my initial round on the Flex Tour thingy that I'm trying out this year for the first time, and we had our own little match play going on after Perry and I took down the Swede and the Grand Poobah at Black Gold a few months back. All of this led to a rather slow POP based entirely on us playing competitively, and of course all of those lost balls out into the wilderness areas.

As the last few reviews have stated, it's incredibly thin at Angeles right now and if you're not picking the ball extremely cleanly, you're either getting a big chunk of earth or thinning it into the Santa Monica mountains. Visually very interesting seeing the dormant fairways with their yellow hues surrounded by the greener rough, but it's all thin and very frustrating around the greens especially with chipping being a nightmare. Bunkers were very heavy after the rains and had plenty of standing water. Tee boxes were great.

Greens were definitely in great shape and running super fast. There are no gimmees here whatsoever and we had a fun time going back and forth with the pin based on the new 2019 rules. If you were far out and downhill, that pin was staying in. If you were close, it was coming out. But the greens again are in super shape and rolling true. It was difficult to get balls to stop on them though at those speeds and the less than ideal approach conditions.

Cart service was around a few times despite not being particularly crowded due to the cold temps, and the carts have a solid GPS system in place to help out if you're not too familiar with the layout.

This is an already very tough design with many forced carries over waste areas, hidden hazards like the lake on hole 8, and strategically placed bunkers and trees that will test your accuracy all day long. Add to that the thin fairway and rough conditions and it's a recipe for a pretty rough round. But as we all know, this is just temporary at a great facility like Angeles National and they will very likely have conditions back up to snuff very soon when we get out of the winter malaise.

I'm not sure what the rack rate is right now but I would certainly be reluctant to play here unless I got the kind of deal that Johnny managed to get for us, but I also don't think that will be impossible to find. They seem to do a very good job here at knowing what their customer expectations are and act accordingly.
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I was itching to get out and play, as I hadn't been out since Jan.1 and probably won't get to play again before heading ... » More

I was itching to get out and play, as I hadn't been out since Jan.1 and probably won't get to play again before heading down south to Aviara in about a week. Decided to chance the weather and head to Del Monte which is an easily walkable course. Track has slight elevation changes on a few holes but nothing major. Just enough to keep it fun. We had light rain for the first half dozen holes or so and mist off an on the rest of the round. Given that it has rained off an on for the last 3 days, the course was naturally wet. But still in decent shape. Greens which are very small, were smooth and divot free but rolling slower than usual. Most pins were in the back, up on the high side to avoid the few puddled areas a few of the greens had on the low sides. Other than the cold water in the cups, no real issues with the greens.

Tee boxes were excellent as always. Fairways are narrow at Del Monte, but the "first cut" is like 20' wide on each side so no real penalty unless you're really wild off the tee. Some of the fairways were swamp zone's but most were in good conditions. Give it a couple days to dry out and the fairways will be excellent. An easy 9+. First cut rough was very playable and sometimes even preferred depending on how wet the fairway was. I was in 3 bunkers and all were fine. Given the rain, I was actually impressed at how good the sand was in the bunkers.

POP, was non existent as there was only one other group out on the course other than us.
For the member rate of $39 w/ a cart during the winter, this course is a steal. For the $110 walking rack rate, there are better options in the peninsula.
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Super course. Played in December but all in great condition. There is no overseeding at DF so there are no damp areas an... » More

Super course. Played in December but all in great condition. There is no overseeding at DF so there are no damp areas and they let it go brown over winter. It is a pristine course on a very compact layout with narrow fairways but no fairway bunkers, only one big one - the desert. The greens ran quite smoothly and reasonably fast - maybe around 10 . I would play it again in a trice, one of the best if you get a chance.
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Played here on Friday 1/11 in a charity tournament. The course is 3 weeks away from the Phx Open. The finishing touche... » More

Played here on Friday 1/11 in a charity tournament. The course is 3 weeks away from the Phx Open. The finishing touches are being made on all the sky boxes & tents. The last time I played this course was 7 years ago in one of Johnny GK's events. Since then the course has been remodeled. The main thing I noticed is they added or moved a lot of sand traps and some holes had some small changes. Over all I think it came out well.

The course is in great shape. It's longer than it was before. Championship Tees: 7261 yards Par 71 74.7/142. We played the Players Tees: 6614 yards Par 71 71.5/131. The greens are firm but they hold good shots. They roll very true. They were not quite tournament speed but they are getting close. You really had to be careful on downhill putts. Greens played 11.5 - 12. Fairways were lush. They were set up tighter for the upcoming tournament. It looked like they were growing out the rough. It was playable in some areas where the rough is 1 - 3 inches. Other areas it was 6 inches high and tough to play from. All the new bunkering and sand is fantastic. It's that soft powdery beach sand that's so white it's blinding. Tee boxes are lush & level.

TPC Scottsdale has an awesome practice facility. The service is top notch. I highly recommend playing the Stadium course as well as its sister the Champions course.

I submitted new photos of every hole. Including the infamous Tiger Woods "Loose impediment" boulder from the 1999 Phx Open and the diabolical "Coffin Bunker" on #13. Hitting the tee shot inside the stadium on #16 was awesome! I hit it 12 feet pin high left of the hole. ( Heard the imaginary cheers.) Proceeded to miss the birdie putt. ( Heard the imaginary Boos)
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Played Sterling Hills on Sunday 1/13 between the rain on Saturday and Monday. I hadn't been out to Sterling Hills post-... » More

Played Sterling Hills on Sunday 1/13 between the rain on Saturday and Monday. I hadn't been out to Sterling Hills post-drought and since they started doing a lot of work on the course. I was very pleased with the progress they seem to be making. Lots of GUR marked off allowing the grass to take root and grow in. A lot of areas that would never be in play (i.e. between tees and landing areas) have been cleared out completely and either kept bare or allowed to grow out with vegetation. It seems like they are being very conscious of the areas that need work and water (fairways/greens) and focusing their efforts where it makes the most difference.

Greens were in very good shape. Soft after the rains, but running very smooth. The greens here are fairly large and tiered. Downhill putts required good touch to get the ball close.

Fairways are in good winter shape. Not very pleasing to look at, and a little muddy after the rain, but plenty of roll and good lies to be had.

Rough is mixed. Some deep grabby stuff near the greens. A mix of lush, thin, bare areas the further out you got.

Sand was not good after the rain. Lots of standing water in the fairway bunkers and very firm greenside bunkers. They may be doing their job of helping with fairway drainage, but they are not fun to play from.

Tees were level but had some bare areas and divot damage, especially on the par-3s and shorter par-4s.

This is a great value as they are trying to be the home of "all-inclusive" golf. Rates included greens fees, cart, range balls, and a full-size entree at the restaurant. Pace of play was right around 4.5 hours as a riding 3-some stuck behind a 4-some.

I really enjoy the layout and mix of holes at Sterling Hills. When conditions were so far below average, there was just no reason to play here with so many other quality courses a short distance away. However, if conditions continue to improve into the spring, and they stick with their pricing model, this will be one of the best values around.
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Played Pebble on January 13 and was a little concerned about the weather with a chance of rain, but to my delight there ... » More

Played Pebble on January 13 and was a little concerned about the weather with a chance of rain, but to my delight there was no rain and the weather was beautiful, that is if you like overcast and 50 degree weather. My caddie was Jerry Franklin and he was a great guy. From all the reviews that I read about the course they were all spot on. I was paired with 2 other guys from Seattle and their families. At times there were about 10 people with us but everyone was very respectful. The course was in great shape and you can see workers setting up stands for AT&T. The rough was a little challenging because I was playing a yellow srixon and it made it difficult to find sometimes. The course is tougher to walk than most people think especially if you're taking a cart because of the walking back and forth. I was in the bunker on two when Jerry to said hit only 160 because of another bunker/hazard and the sand was pristine. On 7, I had a 60 degree from 95 yards and was in the bunker to the right, I was very fortunate to save par from there. The greens were fast at times and slower at times and there were more breaks than I realized. All 18 holes to me were standout and it was enjoyable time that I will never forget. It's a shame they don't allow you to play the course without staying there but If you ever get the chance I highly recommend it...
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Played on Sunday 1/6 with Mr. Kich. It had rained the day before which made for a bit of a muddy walk, but the course o... » More

Played on Sunday 1/6 with Mr. Kich. It had rained the day before which made for a bit of a muddy walk, but the course overall drained well and it was very playable. I always arrive at Woodley with very low expectations due to the relatively bland course and the average to below average conditions, but more often than not I leave pleasantly surprised.

Greens were the highlight of the course. Definitely slow and soft due to the rain, but they were fairly smooth. Some ball marks due the how soft they were and discourteous golfers, but it wasn't too bad.

Fairways were dormant and ugly looking, but there were fewer than usual bare spots and a good lie was not difficult to find.

Rough is always a grab bag here. Spongy longer grass, bare areas. Not overly penal, but it really stops your ball and can make some of the long holes even longer.

Sand was fine, average to above average. The rain had given it a nice crusty upper layer, and besides some standing water on a few of the out of the way fairway bunkers, they all played consistently and well.

Tees were a little beat up but it was not hard to find a clean level spot.

The pace of play was surprisingly quick for a Sunday morning. As a 3-some with 2 walkers, we finished in about 4:15 minutes.

No frills to be found. This is just golf, some of the cheapest around. You obviously get what you pay for, but sometimes you just want to hit the ball, work on some stuff, and enjoy being outside. Woodley is just the place for that.
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Played Sunday 1/13/2019. Fantastic greens, nice fairways, great, challenging layout. I have been playing here for year... » More

Played Sunday 1/13/2019. Fantastic greens, nice fairways, great, challenging layout. I have been playing here for years and it's always a good time. Zipped around in 3 hours, 18 minutes.
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Loved this experience. We contacted the local caretaker who gave us access for the day for a very reasonable price, abou... » More

Loved this experience. We contacted the local caretaker who gave us access for the day for a very reasonable price, about $100. Just 6 of us. So there's this great expanse of proto golf course with greens dotted about and only very rudimentary fairways. You choose your tee ground and head for some flagstick, way in the distance. We stayed for about 5 hours exploring the place -it was brlliant. The highlight was probably the coastal par 3 with the green perched on a ledge and jutting out over the ocean. As far as condition goes you would not rave about it when comparing to the Bandon courses across the road - it was quite dry in places although the greens were very firm and free rolling. Lots of untended rough to avoid. If you go to Bandon, its a must play.
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Teed it up Sunday with Mattias, roarksown1 and kassper7 at Angeles National Golf Club on round the came together pretty ... » More

Teed it up Sunday with Mattias, roarksown1 and kassper7 at Angeles National Golf Club on round the came together pretty quickly at a $60 rate. Good time!

The conditions of the golf course other than the greens being in excellent shape (fast, holding shots and smooth – with exception to some small slits that did not impact the roll of the ball much), was very dormant with thin lies. Looking back at the history of reviews this time of year it seems to always be that way. Add to the thin lies wetness you’ve got on your hands some very challenging conditions to hit the ball flush unless you are very good at compressing your iron shots. At first it was bothering and frustrating. Then I took what the golf course was giving me, the ability run shots from all over the place. I took a page out of rob1563 in Vegas’s book and used putter from all around the green complexes with much success. Rather than try hitting perfect wedges, I opted to hit low releasing shots. I ended up having a blast with it. Made me play the golf course as a links layout on many occasions. Had to get creative in ways I don’t normally do. What a difference the golf course was in terms of lushness the last time I played it in October. I believe most golfers will be very disappointed with the thin lies but very happy with the greens.

Great service all day from bag drop, proshop, range, marshals and on course food & beverage service. Not many golfers out there due to cold temps so we played at a relaxed pace. I’ll be back out here to play again in the Spring.
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Expecting rain, did not want to travel too far or spend a ton of $$, because I wasn't certain I'd get the entire round i... » More

Expecting rain, did not want to travel too far or spend a ton of $$, because I wasn't certain I'd get the entire round in. As expected, not very busy, so not a problem getting out. Course was actually in better condition than I thought it would be. Greens rolled well, fairways lush and wet ! Bunkers decent considering the recent rains.

The biggest disappointment was not finding Dennis in the pro shop. There was always a comfort level whenever I visited here. Always enjoyed talking with him prior to my round. He will be missed.
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Played this course in December and found it to be in really good shape despite the floods which had closed it a few week... » More

Played this course in December and found it to be in really good shape despite the floods which had closed it a few weeks before.
The greens, bunkers , fairways and rough were all very playable and made for an enjoyable day. With our Troon Card 2-for-1 deal it was also good value.
Its quite a way out from Scottsdale but definitely worth the drive. I would rate it at least the equal of Troon North Monument and Grayhawk Raptor.
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