Played Sterling Hills yesterday morning. Typical winter conditions. Do not be above the hole. The greens moderate to f... » More

Played Sterling Hills yesterday morning. Typical winter conditions. Do not be above the hole. The greens moderate to fast. The fairways green, but thin due to winter conditions. You do get a decent amount of roll. I’ve always thought the bunker sand is quite good here compared to other public golf courses around the LA and Ventura area. Then to top it off, a lunch ticket. The more I play Sterling, the better I like it. Friendly staff.
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What a way to start off the year! I joined Deepsea14 and Hmtgolfguy on an absolutely glorious sunny day. This is only... » More

What a way to start off the year! I joined Deepsea14 and Hmtgolfguy on an absolutely glorious sunny day. This is only my second time playing Cinnabar and just like Poppy Hills, I need to play it more often. This is a great course that checks all the boxes. Elevation changes, water hazards, strategic holes, grip it and rip it all to go along with very nice conditions.

My buddy Bob joined us to help us navigate our way around the course. This was especially helpful on the Canyon 9 as I had never played that set of holes before.

Other than a few fairways that were a bit wet and offered no rollout (nothing too wild mind you) the course was in excellent winter condition. Heck, the conditions were worthy of prime spring golf at a high end course. Greens seemed a bit on the slower than expected side but they rolled smooth at a medium pace. Downhill putts naturally were very fast. All of the greens have multiple tiers and/or undulations to make you work hard for your (putt for) dough. But somehow the greens didn’t seem overly tricked up like Say Spanish Bay for example.

Fairways were pretty lush throughout with only a few thin and soggy areas. I was only in one sand trap and it had a good amount of sand. tee boxes were the lone spot in need of improvement. All were level but they were littered with divots. Especially the par 3’s.

Customer service was excellent. We had 3 separate reservations under two different names and once I explained to the guy at the pro shop he quickly understood and got us all taken care of with a big smile.

Carts have GPS in them and the beverage cart was out early but I didn’t see her after the first few holes. POP was slow. It was the group in front of us that was an entire hole behind all day long. A bit of a bummer because I had to skip the last hole in order to get to work.

Definitely on the recommend list.
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Joined some friends for an early AM round this morning. Cold to start with but warmed up nicely. Tee boxes all good. Fa... » More

Joined some friends for an early AM round this morning. Cold to start with but warmed up nicely. Tee boxes all good. Fairways are good and bad. The bad being thin areas and dirt areas so fairways are inconsistent and while they give good roll out the lies are thin. Some rough outside the fairways but playable. Sand traps all have new sand and as long as they are raked they are playable. Greens are back in good shape. Hold shots release shots and have good speed and not just from downhill. And people seem to be repairing divots or maintenance is. Great customer service from Christian and Madison in the shop. Had bkfst after and food is good andbprices are outstanding.
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Started the new year with a bang heading all the way out to Norco to play Hidden Valley again for the second time with M... » More

Started the new year with a bang heading all the way out to Norco to play Hidden Valley again for the second time with Mattias and another friend of ours. We had an 11:20 tee time on a gorgeous day and opted to play from the blue tees.

No walking this course since it's about as hilly and unwalkable as can be, so luckily the carts are nice, but I must say that we finally found a governor as awful as Newsom - you will see more 'Slow Down' and 'Drive Cautiously' alerts on the screen than actual golf-related GPS information, and the number of areas where the carts almost come to a crawl is embarrassingly high. Quite frustrating and unnecessary.

In terms of course conditions, well, they're honestly not great, but for some reason it still is an incredible course to play with an amazing layout, challenging shots on every hole and some very picturesque views around every corner. But alas, you're not going to find this place up there with the best in terms of the actual quality of the course. If it ever did get that part together, I have no doubt it could be regarded as one of SoCal's best.

So what's in poor shape here? Again, kind of everything. The greens are very shaggy and look to have not been rolled since prohibition. They're slow, a little bit bumpy and really an adventure on every green - which is not what we're going for. Sure, they hold shots well because they're spongy, but that's about the only upside.

The fairways do have some nice areas and from a distance it all looks good, but I was surprised at how many thin shots out of the fairways I had to hit. I also found a ton of GUR flags and a number of times perfectly placed shots ended up in some unrepaired divots. Not ideal, but the fairways are probably still the best part of the course. Tee boxes were very thin and many unlevel so that makes for poor ball striking if you're not one to use tees in the box. And the bunkers had a very thin layer of sand that made sand shots quite challenging and anxious.

I'm sure that weather conditions play a big part in the course maintenance here so I understand why it's not exactly in the same shape as its glamorous neighbor Goose Creek, but there are certainly some things (like rolling the greens) that could be improved for a better overall golfing experience. But no matter the poor rating this course will likely receive after I hit 'submit' due to course conditions, it's still a very fun and challenging day out at one of SoCal's most unique tracks. Don't let the poor numbers dissuade you completely from trying this place out if you haven't before. It's memorable no matter what.
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Walked the blues this morning 12/30/24 at 11:30am with my buddy Mark and a twosome of brothers under beautiful weather l... » More

Walked the blues this morning 12/30/24 at 11:30am with my buddy Mark and a twosome of brothers under beautiful weather low 60s with no wind which I hear is rare up here. Our POP was 5 hrs behind a packed course of holiday golfers. Very friendly staff in the pro shop. No cart girl. They have a big driving range on mats, big putting green and we ate at the restaurant after the round which had great food.

My first time here. I really loved the layout which had some up and down tee shots, doglegs, straight forward holes and beautiful views of the surrounding desert mountains. Most holes had big mounding just off the fairways that could either hurt you or funnel balls back to the center of the fairways. Some nice elevation changes and the course flowed really nicely.

The greens were in very good shape rolling medium to quick speeds and holding shots very softly. Rating the greens an 8/10.

The fairways were on the thinner side and drives rolled forever. This helped me shoot a low score today as drives were rolling an extra 15 yds or so. They contained just enough grass to be considered playable without being considered hardpan. Rated 6.5/10

Wasn't much rough at all just off the fairways. Rated 6/10

Tees were level on the dry side with the par 3s being a little thinner and torn up but not to bad. Rated 6.5/10

Was not in any bunkers but playing partners described them as containing consistent sand with a good base to hit off of.

Recommended for layout and greens conditioning.
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Played yesterday. This is a PB Dye (son of Pete Dye) course and not like what his Dad does. A wonderful layout not to be... » More

Played yesterday. This is a PB Dye (son of Pete Dye) course and not like what his Dad does. A wonderful layout not to be missed when in the Orlando area. 40 miles N of Orlando. With over 100 bunkers and fairly small but wide undulating greens, I am glad I used the great practice area before I played. Alas it did not keep me out of the bunkers (LOL) but at least my bunker play was good. Love the mounding they did along the fairways that will funnel your ball back to safety. I am not going to write a whole lot because the review from before describes the course so perfectly (make sure you read it) and probably better than I could? We paid $49 to play which was terrific. And they gave both of us 20% off that for being veterans as that is a policy they have if you are a teacher, firefighter, police officer, veteran, medical professional, or active military. The restaurant was terrific. The customer service wonderful. Pro shop stocked with great items. I would play here everday if I lived in this area. I cannot recommend this course highly enough for anyone coming to the area. You will be glad you did.
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Thought this was part of the Sun Cit West golf courses. It is not. Not any better than the last review many years ago.... » More

Thought this was part of the Sun Cit West golf courses. It is not. Not any better than the last review many years ago.

I would not play it again.
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First out Sunday on a cold morning, but to my surprise, no frost delay. Still, tough to get loose with those frigid temp... » More

First out Sunday on a cold morning, but to my surprise, no frost delay. Still, tough to get loose with those frigid temperatures. Fairways still in poor to fair shape in many areas, but the greens were quick and rolled well. New sand in some of the greenside bunkers was needed and appreciated. Hard to complain playing golf in December, regardless of conditions.
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Cool early morning round in a little over four hours. The staff is efficient and friendly. The practice facilities are... » More

Cool early morning round in a little over four hours. The staff is efficient and friendly. The practice facilities are good and carts average. The tee boxes were all with good coverage and mostly level but some needed a trim. The rough is very short when present but the edge of the lakes are lined with netting to keep the fowl out and your balls in play. The fairways even though over seeded are thin in places but generally provide good lies. The over seeded section do provide green grass and great lies. The traps as always were the low light with some being a dark compact mix of dirt/sand. There were a few though that has good sand which was real damp and tough to hit from as well. The greens were really nice with good roll and quick. Most greens had almost no ball marks and total coverage rolling really quick even though it was still damp. Actually the greens were probably the best I've seen in a long time. The facility is always busy with the two courses and central location with easy freeway access. They've kept their rates reasonable over the years and still a great deal for the local offerings. We will return more now.
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Not much to add to the previous reviews except course is still nice and fun to play as of December 2024. Only semi-priv... » More

Not much to add to the previous reviews except course is still nice and fun to play as of December 2024. Only semi-private, used to be totally private. Around $90 for green fees depending on when you play.

I would play it again if in the area.
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Staying here at the "Lodge" tonight after playing here this afternoon. Tomorrow we will play Black Bear in Eustis and he... » More

Staying here at the "Lodge" tonight after playing here this afternoon. Tomorrow we will play Black Bear in Eustis and head up to The Villages to see some relatives who have retired there. Then back to the "compound" to celebrate New Years before returning home. Bay Hill is a very nice course that is well known and it is a wonderful venue that is very welcoming to its guests. I suppose a lot of that comes from the long time ownership by Arnold Palmer. I started staying and playing here back in the late 80's and early 90's and have always loved to come back. Not as much fun these days w/o Mr Palmer being here who made it a habit to introduce himself to his guests. But the course is still a terrific place to play and it's great to play a course that one sees on TV each year. It makes me feel a little comfortable as the holes are very familiar after watching the tournament over these many years. We found the course in great shape all round and had great fun putting on the greens trying not to 3 putt. Fairways were just fine. Bunkers were some of the best I have encountered when playing golf. Lots of water to navigate as well. I would recommend staying at the Lodge if you are in the area, which is close to all Orlando has to offer. Great choice of rooms/suites and cottages (which we are staying in) and personally much better than any hotel. + you can take advantage of playing a great course as well. Great restaurant on site and many to chose from close by as well.
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Play date: 121824 time: 11:00 (late post)
Senior rate: $70
First responder rate: $65
Weather: high 60s almos... » More

Play date: 121824 time: 11:00 (late post)
Senior rate: $70
First responder rate: $65
Weather: high 60s almost clear skies with light breeze increased to 15 mph towards the end of back.

The course was in good shape from tee to green. It was a real pleasure to play it.
Bunkers were maintained with sand but you may still see some un-raked or with footsteps or partially raked? (Almost unbelievable but we have more who does this than ever).
Fairways are nicely cut short with some run from drives. Not much divots on approaches- some filled w sand some they've missed.
Teeing grounds are fair.
The greens we nice and fast. You may have to fix some pitch marks or ball divot.

Pace of play was okay. We followed a twosome who followed the pack within four hours.
No beverage cart ( fyi) drinks/food available at the turn.

Always fun here and we’d like ro be back again soon.
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