Arriving very early,we were put out as "bunnies" [2nd group off] after they could not find our
tee time I had made one week earlier. I guess we were so early that they didn't even have
time to open the restroom facilities but thankfully they have 1 (one) CAN behind the 3rd green.
Whew!!
General conditions are OK with the exception of rough that was inconsistent. I know its a "county" course but it doesn't take much to have the ground crew cut around tree wells and
eliminate the tufts of excessively long rough where balls can disappear too easily!!!
Tee boxes were chewed up but it always seems to come down to the greens which were OK.
Didn't use it but they have a very good practice facility. Got food at the turn and should have
phoned it in because they are in no hurry to help the "playing thru" golfer..
Thank God my 4some only plays here once a year!!

I too went out Tuesday and 6:30 and played in 3:45. I just like this course for conditioning and pace of play in the morning. Always under 4 and sometimes 3 1/2. Maybe because of the 9 minute intervals between tee times and they always have you wait until the group in front of you on #1 is on the green to tee off. Not sure if it was just me but the greens rolled nice but seemed a little slower than I remember.

Played Tuesday morning teeing off just before 7am and finished 3h 55min. Always enjoy playing Goose Creek. Solid track with a variety off holes that will challenge you but not beat you up. Sad to see the large tree on the right side of #14 (short par 4) gone. It really changes the difficulty of the hole. The greens were in great condition. They held shots and rolled medium/fast. Some green had been pecked quit a bit by birds but it didn't really affect play. The fairways were in good condition with some browning but had good lies all day. The rough was good with some minor patchy areas. The tee boxes were good. The bunkers were good. The practice facilities are very nice. Practice putting, chipping green, and a large grass driving range. The staff was friendly as always.

Played Tues 7:30 tee time. Agree with weber's comments.
We always go early and eat brkfst there, unfortunately they no longer offer their $3.99 Special, now it seems to vary and is priced at abt $7, still not too bad but no longer a bargain. We know the waitresses from before they started working there and they always treat us great. Customer Service has always been great here.

The Course - as was mentioned the tee boxes are OK, fairways are green to brown with some thin spots, rough was Ok not too long or punishing. The 2 bunkers I was in only had dirt and were crusty after drying from watering. The greens were receptive, and rolled slow to med as the sung came out. POP was 4.5 hrs, 2 some in front was a bit slow, allowed a single that was behind up to play through, we wanted to enjoy our round and he was hitting long drives.

Senior rate is worth the price.

Early morning round taking advantage of the senior rates. Course is in overall very nice condition. Greens rolled very well, receptive to well struck irons. Most of the fairways had plenty of grass, but a few areas needed some TLC.

Los Serranos - south is a "big" course, particularly from the blue tees. Some of the par fours have become a bit more than I can now handle, so might be time to "play it forward" Like playing here because the staff is always accommodating, price is right, but I sure miss all those trees lost from years ago

7/19 using tee off $23 with POP at 3 1/2 on a nice coolish morning. Fairways had good cover but most had not been mowed yet today so they tended to be on the shaggy side with very little roll out. Rough 1-2 inches retarding the ball and often providing a challenge to escape.
Tees have ok cover but depending on the marker placement the lack of level can come into play. Some bunkers have good sand and some are thin with hardpan.
Greens were softer slower and more bumpy than usual.
Good customer service as always friendly and easy going.

Played today in 3H 30M much better than last week. Only issue this week was that they sanded the greens today and while they cleaned them, it still made putting slow (but if it makes the greens better? then OK). Tee boxes fine; fairways just fine; rough seemed to be less, as it looked like a lot of recent mowing; bunkers all fine/no complaints. Customer service excellent at all levels.

played 6/29 but had some internet issues so very late with this--used teeoff deal time for $46. Course is more up country in the hills and jungle very lush with pretty constant elevation changes. Par 3s downhill nice visual with the entire green and hazards easy to see. Fairways mostly with good cover firm enough to give a little extra roll but really soft and cushiony providing good lies overall except that there are not many that are level being on all types of slopes. Primary rough was mercifully cut to 2-3 inches and left about 10 yards in width--beyond that 2 feet of Hawaiian gorse--but even the short rough could be penal depending on where the ball settled.
Traps looked ok by observation. tees level and in good shape. Greens smooth at medium speed with overall topography a major factor--holes with a lot of down hill slope leading to the green tended to continue the trend on the green.
Due to the hills gas carts are in use. Staff is very friendly easy gong and honest--someone from the group ahead of us had dropped a $100 bill at the starter who tracked down the careless and clumsy golfer to return his booty--no I am not talking about my self.
A very interesting layout scenic and cooler with less humidity and a real good value and test of skills.

The more I play here, the more I realize that this isn't just a nicely conditioned, fairly priced public golf course. Rustic canyon truly is the gem of the greater LA County area. A masterfully designed golf course that allows you to be creative off the tee, from the fairway, and certainly around the greens. The par 3's are terrific, large punch bowls (holes 6 & 8), that allow for multiple ways to get the ball close. Then hole 15, a three tiered green, requires spin control or you're likely to end up on the wrong tier. A great mix of wide open tee shots (1, 2, 9, 12, 13), and then a fair share challenging par 4's (7, 11, 14, 16, 18). The greens are almost always the highlight of the course, rolling firm and fast. We played Thursday & Friday July 13/14, and the course conditions were standard rustic. Not much to add to what others have said below. I strongly recommend getting out here, its a fantastic lay out and awards good shot making but the back 9 will hold you accountable.

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.

We got a chance to play here last Saturday (7/15/17). I was really looking forward to playing this course, as the last time that we were here, I had a hitch in my swing that would have made Charles Barkley proud :(. When we got to the starter, he told us that the course was in rough shape, due to the fact that they had punched the greens and the fairways. He said that we could play a few holes to see if we could manage, and that we could play the Valley course if we didn't like the conditions. That was nice of them. I told them that we would check it out. Though, the fairways were punched, they were far from unplayable. The greens were heavily punched, but they weren't too bad. My better half was satisfied (happy wife, happy life), so we continued playing the course.

One thing that I didn't remember from the first time at the Palms were the fairways. Many of them were like moguls on a slalom course, or those that you would see at a motorcross track. I thought that those features added to the character of this course. It's not what you would expect of a course in this particular area. Another thing that I didn't recall was the depth of the bunkers. They are pretty deep, and the sand was somewhat wet and compacted, so it was a trick to get out of some of them. Further, they guard many of the greens quite well, so you can expect to be in a few of them, should you choose to play here. I love all of the water features throughout the course, along with the ducks, geese, and swans that inhabit them. Keep the water in mind, if you elect to take on this challenge. As was stated in one of last month's reviews, the finishing holes are terrific. The 17th is probably my favorite par 3 in the Palm Springs area, and the 18th is fun and scenic. I recommend this course, especially when everything heals up. Good luck!

Played today @ 8am as a 3some and finished in about 4 hours. Waited a little on par 3s for the group in front but it was mostly nice consistent pace. Since my last visit here 2 months ago, course visually suffers a little due to smart water management. They are cutting back water on the areas that don't come into play for most golfers. As such, it may be less appealing visually but all landing areas on the fairways were green and had excellent coverage. Other than the great scenery, best part about the course are the greens. Very smooth with no marks today. somehow front 9 was much faster than the back 9 so it did give us some trouble on the back. Greens here are not multi tiered like so many of the newer course around but somehow they always seems to put the pins at the top or the edge of a mounded areas.
Still a very nice course and a great deal with GK coupon at $32. Recommended.