I live in Arcadia and play Santa Anita often. Saw a couple of negative reviews here and wanted to defend the golf course as a great place to play. Conditions this spring are much better than they were last fall - hopefully this year they have the means to keep it going strong year-round. Greens are never fast and the course gets a lot of wear, but it has good character and an interesting history.

The layout is sneakily challenging. It presents at first as a flat course, but there are lots of undulations - some rather dramatic, such as in front of the 6th green, and across the 9th fairway. These make for uphill and downhill lies, so it’s a great place to come practice those. The staff are great, in my experience, and the ambience is really comfortable - the surroundings (the park, tennis courts and Arcadia High School) make for a nice atmosphere.

As for pace of play, I almost always come at twilight times, sometimes playing less than 18 holes and running up against sunset. At these hours, there are very few pace issues, and I can usually walk the front nine in less than two hours.

4/17 1st time here and 1st time playing in a couple of months but could not have picked a better place and time, weather was ideal after 2 days of colder and windy conditions warm and calm and 7000 ft elevation. Had booked an 840 but got there earky as I usually have to allow extra 15 min for getting lost and yes even with my phones helpful gps so at check in was given the option of going off by myself or waiting. Quick few putts a few swings at the range and away I went.
POP about 315 with a few practice shots here and there and really hacing no reason to hurry as the setting.provides views and solitude.
Fairways are good overall. #1 looked a little spotty thin and mixed grasses leaving uneven lies left me thinking that winter cinditions were in play but from then on most fairway areas were really nice with good cover albeit rather tight lies. Rough about 2 inches and grabby both impeding roll and making for some more challenging extraction. Further beyond the rough were some bare areas or wild vegitation. Tees level and in good shape.
Bunkers had ample sand which was compacted and damp which was by choice due to the recent 40 mph winds. Light and fluffy would result in empty hardpan.
Greens felt a little crusty and looked to be a little long grained but rolled surprisingly well and much faster than they looked. Greens are not overly large but have enough contour and slope to make it entertaining. Red yellow blue flags for front mid and back but often were placed laterally in those zones so would be near the edge or kina tucked into a corner. Greens were firm so for me approach shots rolled long.
Layout is varied and the remote feel with no housing anywhere in sight and the distant snow capped mountains is genuinly refreshing. There are some small lakes which at thos time are mostly dry due to limited rain this season.
Staff is really friendly and welcoming. A prior review described this course as a hidden gem, $40 senior rate a real bargin for a very positive experience.

Played today. Poor POP. 5 H. Course in nice shape. Fairways green with good lies and nice rollout. Rough no issue. Traps were playable and players knew how to use a rake. Greens very nice and releasing shots and putting with good speed. Good customer service all levels. Other than POP nice round of golf. Play very early would be my best advice. Sr rate with cart $48. $30 to walk.

Course continues to be in fine shape, albeit a notch below what it was maybe a month ago. No recent rain and warmer temps have the course dried out again.

The back 9 will be closing for 3+ months soon to redo the sprinkler system. Not sure if that is a factor or just what I wrote above. However, putts I was running 3-5' by the hole a few weeks ago are now coming up 2-3' short. They look nice, but they went from medium fast bordering on too fast for recreational golfers to medium slow in about 2 weeks.

Fairways lush and nice to play from, lots of rolls. Good POP rough, you can almost always spot your ball from 50 yards away. Tees very well kept up, lush with few divots and the sand is among the best around here.

Course completely unwalkable because it is so spread out. Nice restaurant, excellent driving range with multiple practice areas. Almost always excellent customer service. Highly recommended.

Played this morning. Still good Sr rate with Sr card at $36.25 for 18 w cart, $22 to walk. Course in good condition all around. Nice green fairways giving good lies but still soft so not much rollout. So we all know the course is long, so play it forward if need be. Rough was playable and so were the traps but many were not really raked very well, so we made our own rule of allowing raking then placing and playing ones shot. Greens are in good shape and putt very nice and with decent speed. Good customer service at check in. Course could use some new carts IMO. POP was right on 4 hours.

Nice to get out early without the threat of frost or CPO due to rains. As they will be punching greens next week, the greens as you might expect are really nice right now. Roll true with a quick pace. Fairways are lush and have good coverage. Bunkers are great as usual. Very busy this morning, but able to get out first, so pace of play not an issue. Other than dealing with a lot of maintenance, which goes with the territory, very enjoyable.

Played 4-15-24. Got out for a $35 rate. Course is still getting back to its one time perfect conditions. There are still some dry areas and the greens are recovering from aeration so a little slower than usual but a pleasure to play. I have always felt that you can put up with a lot of flaws if the greens are good and that is the case here. It is not the gem it once was but getting closer. Check it out if you are in the area it is well worth it!

From 4/8/24

Enjoyed another wonderful GK / GM Outing at WRGC. WRGC is a fun Players Course but on this day it was tough test of golf with wind speeds that exceeded 20 mph at times. WRGC is a very well-designed course that places premium on accuracy off the tee and into greens. The course features clear definition between its mid-sized fairways and rough areas, well placed bunkering on fairways and proximate to greens, along with strategic water hazards on a couple of holes, and normally with fast greens, but not on this day, as greens were much slower than normal which actually played to the courses difficulty.

The course is primarily flat except for 7, 8, 16, and 17 which have elevation changes from tee to green, along with some attractive views of localized orchards. The course plays like a Championship Style layout. The course seemed to play much longer that it's yardage due to the wind. The course was in above-average condition overall. The course layout is rated a 5 out of 5, conditions are rated a 4.2 out of 5. I note the following:

Tee Boxes: Level and lush, no damage. Above average condition.

Fairways: Green at times tight. Above average condition.

Greens: Green, slow in speed, with medium softness. No damage observed. Speed about a 9.5 - 10 in speed. Above average condition but lack of speed was odd for WRGC.

Sand: Well maintained and firm. Above average condition.

Rough: rough was well defined from the fairway and green collars but not too overgrown, about 2 – 4 inches. Very grabby at times. Above average condition.

Waste Areas: - Waste areas on various holes did not offer the opportunity of recovery due to their overgrown nature. Above average.

Driving Range: The range is always excellent but hitting from mats. You are on an elevated perch hitting into a grass valley with green markers at 100, 150, 200, 225, and 250 yards. Range ran out at about 300ish. Range balls were your typical yellow rangers, but in good condition.

Practice Putting Greens: Both practice putting greens are ample and very well maintained. They seemed inconsistent with the speed of the course greens on this day, but representative of the speed I have encountered in the past when playing here, which is about an 11.5ish.

POP: 4.75 hours – no wait was encountered on any hole.

The WRGC facility included a nice snack bar at the turn, and a very nicely stocked pro shop. Service received was excellent.

Really enjoyed this course and certainly wish I could play it more often. If looking to join a quality golf club with the emphasis on golf this is a really good one.

From 3/25/24

Sunset Hills CC is a very well designed golf course that offers a variety of golf holes that are fun, interesting, and challenging. The course is built onto a scenic mountainside that features views of localized mountains and some local housing. This gorgeous course features large mature trees, strategic bunkering throughout, and several elevation changes.

Sunset Hills CC places premium on accuracy off the tee as you are hitting into narrows fairways, and into small greens from the fairway or on par 3s. The course defends itself with its narrow or small landing areas, well positioned bunkers, medium length rough, and fast sloped greens. There were a few doglegs and some blind shots. The course is always a challenge and requires the execution of quality shots at all times, as being offline here introduces difficulty to achieve recovery. The course played its yardage, and fairways provided limited roll out on drives and approaches.

The course is well maintained and in overall above-average condition. The course layout is rated a 4.5 out of 5, conditions are rated a 4.3 out of 5. I note the following:

Tee Boxes: Level and green, no damage. Condition above average.

Fairways: Green, lush, and defined from rough. Grabby with limited rollout. Condition above average.

Greens: Green, medium-fast in speed, on the medium to firm side, and tricky to read at times. Speed about a 10.5. Conditions could be better, but still better than average.

Sand: Maintained with excellent consistency. Condition excellent.

Rough: Maintained and defined, about 3 – 5 inches. Condition excellent.

Waste Areas: Maintained with overgrown nature that offered little to no recovery potential. Condition excellent.

Driving Range: Non-existent.

Practice Area: Chipping area and green present. Condition excellent. Speed of the practice putting green was consistent with course.

POP: 4.75 hours – very limited wait was encountered, all good. We paced ourselves accordingly.

Other: Noted a nice restaurant and golf shop, all appeared high grade.


This is a great golf layout without a doubt, that requires a solid golf game to score. I loved this track and hope to be able to play it again in the future. Fully Endorsed!

Thank you Johnny and GreensKeeper.org for this GK Outing!

From 3/17/24

Enjoyed another round of golf at OCC a few weeks ago. Again loved the experience and conditions. As previously reported, OCC is a mature championship style course that features large mature trees that line fairways strategically. The course is primarily flat and includes a large wash that comes into play on at least 6 holes. This is certainly a walkable course for all. OCC places premium on accuracy off the tee and into greens. The rough on this course will kill your score if you miss fairways and greens. The course is also well bunkered on both fairways and along greens. Greens were soft, always held good shots, and ran fast. The course offers views of the Glendale Mountains. The course played it's yardage, fairways offered little roll out on drives. The course was very well manicured and in excellent condition. The course layout is rated a 4.25 out of 5, conditions are rated a 4.75 out of 5. I note the following:


Tee Boxes: Level and lush, no damage. Perfect.
Fairways: Green and lush. Almost perfect.
Greens: Green, fast in speed, and on the firmer side. Some of the best greens I've played, almost perfect. Speed about a 11 – 11.5.
Sand: Well maintained, soft, and heavy. Explosion approach needed.
Rough: rough was brutal by design. Very well maintained and defined, about 4 - 6 inches with bury effect.
Waste Areas: - Waste areas were noted on a handful of holes and were well maintained overgrown nature with little to no recovery potential.
Driving Range: The range was also very nice, hitting off an artificial turf surface on this day. Range is flat, fully grassed, with various markers from 100 - 250 yards. Range balls were premium Callaway golf balls.
Practice Putting Green: Not too large, but in excellent condition. Speed was consistent with course.
POP: 3.5 hours – no wait was encountered on any hole.
Other: from locker rooms, bars, restaurant, and the golf shop, all were top tier.


I always love playing here when given the opportunity, this course is always in excellent shape, and offers a great test of golf. It defines itself well as a Players Course. If given the opportunity, don't miss out on playing OCC.

Rode the blues this morning as a part of the GK/Golfmoose event in group 1b joined by Marc and his brother Israel under beautiful weather around 70 degrees for a high and light wind speeds maxing out around 10mph.

One of my favorite courses in socal. Beautiful greens rolling around a 10.5 on the stimp, super pure with very little ball Mark damage and holding shots beautiful. Rated 8.5/10

Fairways mostly lush with great padding to compress irons. Rated 8.5/10

Tees perfect, level and lush. 9/10

Rough super lush, juicy and in great uniform shape. 9/10.

Was in one greenside bunker and one Fairway bunker that were raked and in great shape. Bunkers are usually lacking in socal but not these beauties. Rated 8.5/10.

Traditional semi-parkland style with lots of doglegs, some elevation changes, plenty of awesome strategic bunkering and I feel maybe the best back nine in the whole county.

Don't ever miss an opportunity to play the Coy.

I played Chester Washington on Thursday 4/11, the first time in a while and a few weeks after they aerated the greens. The greens are healing nicely. You can barely see the punching grid pattern at this point and overall the greens rolled decently. You can't really blame missed putts on the aeration. The fairways are in the best shape I've EVER seen them, like perfect carpet with the right amount of give and firmness for both hitting irons and giving rollout on tee shots. Also, and this is a big story, the rough has been cut down to a reasonable length so balls aren't impossible to find when you miss a fairway -- haven't seen it like this ever either. Pace of play was surprisingly good -- we teed off at 8:40 and finished close to 12:30. I'm guessing in the next week the greens will pretty much be perfect, and I might get out again next week because I enjoyed it so much. Highly recommend Chester Washington right now.