I went over early Tuesday evening, 6/20 to play a couple of balls around for practice out on the course. It was still warm, but the course was pretty open, letting me complete the course before dusk with no waiting or pressing as a single. For Altadena, the overall conditions are pretty good, but the exception I wanted to report was the greens have been aerated with some kind of slit cuts. There were no indications of sand but the cuts were not minimal and definitely impact putting. I've seen fine slit cuts that barely affect anything, but these are more prominent that that. My guess is a week before they are putting normally with residual visual indications.

I played Pacific Dunes twice last weekend, 6/17 and 6/19, at 4:20p on Saturday and 1:50p on Monday afternoon. First of all, this is the most beautiful course I have ever played. I got perfect weather the entire trip. Saturday it was sunny and 65, with the wind starting around 7mph and going completely flat on about hole 11. Monday the wind was blowing about 15-20mph and changed things a bit.

Course conditions are exactly what I expected...perfect with a distinct ruggedness to it. Tee boxes were all flat and lush. The fairways had great coverage, and were definitely more firm than I'm used to playing in SoCal. Tons of run out with a low drive. The only gripe I have about all of the fairways on property are the amount of divots. Being a walking only resort, there are quite a few unfilled divots in the landing areas. I had multiple gorgeous drives end up in some nasty spots. Oh well, play it as it lies!

The bunkers on Pac are phenomenal. Huge blowout bunkers await any directionally challenged shots. It's like they have ball magnets in them. They're full of soft beach sand that can be quite difficult to get out of if you go too deep. Many are so penal you're just trying to find any direction to get out.

The rough was very deep, with some areas having tall grasses as long as 18" with long, splotchy beach grass and fescue underneath. The length made finding balls a challenge.

The greens were gorgeous! Very firm, but not near as fast as they feel under your feet. They're fescue based, with poa creeping in, and were running around a 9 on the stimp. It definitely took me a few rounds to figure out the pace. Very few ball marks because of the firmness.

I had an awesome caddy named Jeff Cunningham for all 5 rounds. I'd say he saved me at least 5-10 strokes per round. Plus, he was just a nice guy. Practice flighting down shots, and long putts from everywhere before you head to Bandon, because those are the most important shots in the bag.

Pacific Dunes is everything I could want in a golf course. Amazing views, perfect course conditions, and a great layout that tests every part of your game. I rank Pacific Dunes as my favorite of the four courses at Bandon Dunes. I'm dreaming of the day I go back...

The dew-sweeper ahead of a foursome on Sunday 6/11, tee off temp of 48 degrees. Alone on one of the prettiest pieces of golfing property this side of the British Isles. I don't have adequate words to describe this place. I'll just say it was an amazing experience with some of the best greens I've ever played.

Played late morning on 6/6 with my uncle. Got a course layout description and some helpful advice from both guys in the pro shop. The course is very much a links style built into the low lying sandy dunes a couple hundred yards from the NW Oregon coast. Plenty of wispy grass grows between holes ready to make recovery shots difficult. Greens were firm and landing short was usually an option. Fairway grass coverage was very good and rough wasn't very bad until you hit the really long stuff. Greens were solid overall outside the first par 3 that appeared to have been re-sodded recently. The course had lots of character with many interesting angles and cants that will shoot your ball into... undesirable spots. Wind was up and blowing by about hole 6 making the last 12 a real adventure. It's the only 18 hole course in the area so prices are a little more expensive that you might expect but it's still a lot of fun and worth checking out if you're in the area.

Note: They are expanding/redoing the first fairway so a few tractors and graders were out.

Played late morning on 6/4 getting paired with two locals and one member. The course had just opened up from cart path only the previous week (a foot and a half of rain over average will cause those two month delays) talking with the starter. Some fairways had been given a sand topdressing so a few lies were on the beachy side. Other than that maintenance, the course was in very good and lush shape. Greens were pure and FAST. Above the hole lead to some very defensive putting. Tee boxes were in good shape although some back boxes were unplayable due to high grass (2-3 feet) in front of them. Rough was thick though somewhat patchy in spots. A bit of a gamble once you strayed from the short stuff. Bunkers had good coverage and plenty of sand. Very happy with the experience for the first leg of my vacation rounds.

Played today in 100 degree weather with a $39.00 Groupgolfer coupon. I am happy to report that conditions are improving and the course was much more playable than it was three months ago when I last played here.

The driving range is now all artificial turf and you hit off of brand new mats. Painted yardage lines and plenty of yardage markers are helpful but I miss being able to aim at pins on "greens" like it used to be.

The course layout is the same but some of the tee boxes on the back nine were moved up (blue tees where the whites used to be for example). Out on the course you will find artificial turf at strategic locations where the carts enter and exit the cart paths. Also they've used artificial turf on the paths leading from the cart paths to the tee boxes.

One final change: the back nine on the Valley is now called the Desert nine. Once the front on the Mountain course is restored they will have three nines: Valley, Desert, and Mountain. For now the Mountain is not open but it was good to see the greens being watered as I drove in.

6/21 using GSC $40 2some from the blacks--tees level with good cover some par 3s with the small boxes are pretty chewed up but most of the divots are filled. Bunkers are groomed but due to the watering most are pretty wet by observation--managed to stay out today, thankfully.
Fairways somewhat mixed there is really good grass for the most part, tightly mowed green and lush--some patches of thin or bare which again did not come into play so I had good lies everywhere in the fairway--also quite a few unfilled divots--a shame really considering how much water and effort is being put into upgrading the conditions.
There is ROUGH thick and deep 2-4 inches along the fairways and around the greens--punitive and demanding--beyond the rough and often between the tee and the fairway is the decomposed granite--best advise ever--stay in the fairway!!
Greens have gotten really good much smoother firm but receptive medium to medium fast and fairly consistent--often more slope than I was able to determine so getting the speed and recognizing the subtle breaks at the hole kept me confused most of the day.
Friendly staff--golfer oriented--under 3 1/2 POP even with a couple of searches involved and the kindness of a 4some who waited after finishing #5 to let us through(that was the 1st time we had to wait while they were on the green-so they were very thoughtful)
Scenic layout with some nice vistas--generally a good variety of holes though many of the par 3s are about the same yardage 160-170 but pin placement can definitely factor into shot election.
This course has adventure written into it--somewhat off the beaten path--plays a lot harder than the yardage indicates and can be downright frustrating with the blind shots and the need to locate and hit your intended target if you can see it(as if that would help)--keep it in play =fun-- don't=anguish. Some good deals available so worth trying.

Played today in a nice POP of 4 hours, in dense fog. Place to go if you want to beat the heat? Never lifted until we came off 18. Course is in good condition, since our last weeks round, but we noticed that the greens, now have a fungus (look bad but putt/chip fine and not all have it). With the fog and hot days, the greens can get a fungus/mold, if they cannot dry out properly (pro shop explanation). Sad to see, as they were in great shape last week. The rest of the course is very playable. Tee boxes good; fairways provided good lies all round, though some fairways have GUR circles; sand traps were fine and heard no complaints; you will find some rough outside most of the fairways. Customer service excellent at all levels.

Its heating up, its summer time in Southern California, which means the majority of our greens are going to be getting slower and bumpier. If you want pleasant weather combined with smooth greens, there are only so many choices, but one of your best choices is going to be River Ridge Golf Club in Oxnard.

This was the main reason for choosing River Ridge Lakes Course as host for the GK Cup 9 final and it did not disappoint. In fact, very impressive conditioning, and not just because it was the same day as the Oxnard City Championship, because it’s always in great shape, especially over the summer.

I thoroughly enjoyed my round Sunday with Nickesquire, sixpez and kassper7. Check out the photos I just posted and the GK Cup 9 recaps/video in the forums.

Greens were very fast, smooth and holding shots. Fairways in great shape and only going to get better (bermunda turf). Rough in very good condition, blend of bermunda/kikuya, inconsistent in length but lush. Bunkers in great shape, quality sand. Tee boxes in very good condition, mostly lush and level.

There is a GK Coupon posted for River Ridge Golf Club, you can find it listed in the Specials-Golf Deals page and also on the River Ridge Golf Course pages here on Greenskeeper.org, they appreciate Greenskeeper.org very much. This is a must play summer course, great conditions, fast pace of play, worth the drive and very affordable. But please note, many Southern Californian’s like to drive north on the 101 freeway to escape the heat so there will likely be a lot of traffic on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. You’ll also run into traffic on the 101 freeway late Sunday morning/early afternoon. Plan for the traffic, be patient, once you’re at the course it will be all worth it.

I played with the gk guru group, teeing off on Tuesday afternoon at about 12:30. The temperature ranged between 95 and 100 degrees throughout the round, so the course was relatively uncrowded.
I was impressed with the practice facilities at Eagle Glen. They have a large driving range with all grass hitting areas. There is also a nice chipping area with a large practice bunker. So, if you play there, give yourself a little time to warm up and get a feel for hitting pitch/chip shots.
As for the course, it's a beauty. A very winding layout that twists though the hills. I found tee shots to be challenging, but fair. The greens were pretty large, for the most part. I would characterize the layout as moderately difficult.
The tee boxes were mostly satisfactory, though some of the moveable tee markers were placed in uneven areas. From tee to green, the conditions were good, though I did find a couple areas of near hardpan just off the fairway. The bunkers were nicely groomed. I found the greens to be a little tricky, but what helped me get the speed a little better was to putt as if the grain grew away from the hills.
Customer service was great in the pro shop. We also dined in the restaurant, and the service was very good there, as well. I also thought the prices in the restaurant were very fair, and the food was really good (I had the French Dip).
Thanks to Johnny and Eagle Glen for a great afternoon. I'll be back!

Played in a GK Guru outing on Tuesday 6/20 with Johnny GK, Gary00, Tubedude and Stickboy. Yeah, we played as a 5 some but we got around in about 4:30. (allowed to play as 5-some due to course being wide-open because of heat) Off at about 12:30 on a pretty warm day. Definitely hotter as the day progressed and I’m guessing it was around 100 but the course was pretty empty.

I last played here about 7 months ago and I can see some improvements from then. Fairways were in good shape so no issues there. Some lies are still pretty tight and some browning but overall in good condition. I have always felt EG is a challenging course. Accuracy off the tee is a must as many fairways are lined with thick brush. Roll out was good. Tee boxes were a bit thrashed and some were uneven. Bunkers were a mixed. I was in a greenside bunker and it was very soft sand. Then the following hole I was in a fairway bunker and it was pretty hard. The rough wasn’t long or very thick.

The greens were a bit grainy. First time I have ever seen that here. They are usually firm and fast but on this day they were medium fast but rolled true.

Despite the heat, it was a great and fun day. I see some good rates out there and I intend on playing here more. It’s definitely worth the rate.

Played CrossCreek on 6/17, Father's Day weekend.

It had been about 10 years since last playing this course and I'm wondering why it has been so long after playing this weekend. What a great layout, great conditions, pace of play, etc.

This course is a real challenge, if you don't bring a solid game to this course, you will get eaten up. You don't have to be a single digit but you better hit it fairly straight.

The layout is phenomenal, you start off the first few holes winding through trees, then it opens up for a number of holes then you finish winding back through trees, culminating into a incredible finishing hole that requires an accurate tee shot, your 2nd shot needs to hit over brush onto a green guarded by trees on the right side.

Greens were beautiful, rolled perfectly. Rough was not very hard to hit out of ball sat up most times. Fairways in really good condition. Sand was in good condition.

All in all, I won't wait another 10 years to come back here to play.