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.

Had a chance to play this course on 6/13 while on a business trip. What a nice course!

The course had a great layout giving you many options off the tee. I chose the Blue tees (6500 yards) but it was playing a lot shorter and only hit driver 4 times which was a bummer. A lot of 4 irons/Hybrids off the tee for positioning.

Water on every hole, the greens were excellent, held shots, medium to slow in speed.

Rough wasn't too penal ball rarely sat down in the rough mostly sitting up.

Fairways were in great condition, it had been raining on a daily basis (no surprise there) so there were a few fairways with a little water but no biggie.

Customer service was top notch from the girl in the clubhouse, to the cart person, to the kid meeting me at the first hole.

Pace of play was just over 4 hours. I played as a single and groups on the front nine were letting me play through until I met this foursome who said there is no where to go in front of us so we're not letting you play through. And all four proceeded to dribble the ball around the back nine. It was brutal.

Now, the main reason for this little trip to SF. I made a connection recently and was invited up to play this very exclusive private club, so I got up here as soon as I could. My friend ppark81 joined me as my guest. We ended up playing as a twosome, teeing off at about 1:30. They do allow some carts for certain members/guests, but mostly they try to enforce a walking-only policy. I wanted to walk it anyway, especially since we had a caddie. Our guy, Steve, handled both bags and was a good fit with us. The course is a workout of a walk with a lot of big hills to climb up and down, so we finished in a little under 4 hours and savored every minute of the experience.

The course was in very nice condition. It's not really a lush/deep green look here. The conditions are focused on having a pro style of play. Everything is very firm and tight, with fescue fairways and pure bentgrass greens. Lighter color look to everything, but it sure played nice. The tee boxes and fairways were great, with the firm fairways providing ample roll-out. The lies were tight, but the surfaces were very nice to hit from. The rough was cut down and easy to play from in most places, then there are some "native areas" that were sometimes very deep and other times less filled in. Most bunkers are lined with rough/tall fescue that provide a beautiful aesthetic, but make some escapes a bit intimidating. The greens were super firm and super fast, but pure as pure can be. Just a light topdress of sand that didn't affect putts in any way.

This is just a neat old course with a ton of history and an incredible layout. The extensive bunkering (some of which done by Alister Mackenzie and definitely in his style), especially around the greens is both breathtaking and fear-inducing. It it is hilly and demanding. The winds this afternoon were very strong and that is pretty common here. It is just beautiful, fun and challenging. Everything you can want in a course. The club itself has a pretty laid-back vibe (not too stuffy) and we felt very welcomed as unaccompanied guests. It was a wonderful golf experience on a top-shelf course that I won't ever forget. Cal Club may not have as recognizable a name as Olympic or Cypress, but it is on the same level as any of Norcal's top clubs. If you ever have a chance to play it, take advantage!

Just got back from an outing with the guru guys: Johnny, Larry, Gary, and Vince on a rather "warm" afternoon. Check-in was simple enough and I was met with a "better you than me out there in that heat" line. I've done worse by far (114 in the shade in Yuma and 117 in Palm Desert come to mind), but this one was a bit rough due to the humidity and haze. Headed over to the range and was able to hit a few shots to the targets set up at the standard yardages. Putting green up front was quick, a bit spongy, and foreshadowed the absolutely frustrating putting day I was about to have.

Headed out on the course as a 5-some (not like there were many other people out in the heat) and we decided to play the blue tees. The course itself is very interesting and could technically be seen as "target golf." While you are not severely penalized (most times) for a miss off the tee, the course does give you hints on where you should be off the tees. Most landing areas are given as the widest part of the fairway and usually just before bunkering on the shorter par 4's. You can decide to bomb it over the bunkers (I did plenty of that after the heat took hold of my thought processes) but you will have to fit the ball into a much smaller landing area.

Tee boxes: I don't think we stood on a single tee box that I would consider "level" (yes, I'm picky about that as I like to use the full tee box depending on the pin position or the shot I want to hit). I think much of that would be due to tee box positions used this day. I spent a great deal of time looking for a spot I was comfortable setting up without being above/below the ball or on a downslope.

Fairways/Rough: Some fairways are hard/short/fast (love this most days) and others are cushioned and lush. The rough is a mix of long and short areas with some tough lies to be found if unlucky. Not complaining as that is the point of rough. Personally, I would like the rough a little longer around the green to allow for a larger variety of shots. There were a couple wet spots on the edges of the fairway and into the rough including a casual water spot I found with a shot. No big deal, but makes me glad to see watering being done.

Greens/bunkers: I wasn't in any of the green side bunkers on the course but did see a few shots that appeared to come from adequate sand conditions. I did get to look at plenty of the bunkers as I was heading to my ball and the other bunkers looked to be about 75% in good condition and 25% in need of additional sand. The greens themselves look to be a mix of grass types leading to afternoon bumping and a mottled look. With the grain, the greens are absurdly fast when you are above the hole (I was up there very often). Against the grain, expect the ball to stop on a dime and break hard. The greens, whether into or with the grain, will take the spin and the ball will dance for you.

Funny/strange aside: Our cart's GPS system refused to work until about the 12th hole. By then we were already using an old yardage book my father game me and my laser. I cannot speak to the accuracy of the cart system but the other units in the group seemed to be more accurate than most I have seen in "mountainous" terrain.

Sorry for the tease, but this review is for the Fleming 9 short course at TPC Harding Park.

This was the second round ppark81 and I played today. We walked on and they let us know a First Tee group was about to head out. We ended up behind one walking fivesome of kids, but they eventually let us through after one of the parents urged them to. Total pace was about 1:45 for the nine holes. Price very steep for what you get. Came out to $40 I think for a non-resident with cart. It would be a great and easy course to walk, but we were pushing for expediency and saving our legs for our afternoon round.

The course was in nice overall shape, probably not too far off from the main course (which looked excellent other than they recently punched the greens). The greens on Fleming were probably punched a month or so ago and are pretty much fully healed. They rolled well at medium/quick speeds. The tee boxes were nice and the fairways were very nice. The rough was also well-kept and lush throughout. The bunkers had fantastic sand. Overall, a very nicely conditioned short course despite the amount of play it gets (always packed, from what I understand).

The layout is par-30 with two good-sized par-4s and one short one. Then the par-3s range from 140 up to 235, so it is certainly no pushover. It is just kind of a mini version of the big course with a lot of the same character and design traits in play. Good companion course if playing TPC Harding Park, but not a must-play by any standards. Gets lots of local traffic with resident rates, so you can expect it to busy most days and times.

My friend, ppark81, and I played here this morning. They actually don't open until 6:45, but we arrived earlier to beat the crowd and get off first if possible. Turns out the "crowd" was 5-6 old dudes who were really in no rush to get out ahead of us. So, we played quickly as the lead rabbits in about 2 hours. Really didn't see too many groups out on the course after those other guys went off behind us. Price was steep for this course. Came out to $53 as a non-resident with cart. A lot of regulars walk here, but it would definitely be a workout with the hills and some funky routing spots.

The conditions were decent. It was fairly lush and green here, but also a lot of brown areas too. Tee boxes were fine. Fairways were mostly good, with some inconsistencies (shaggy spots, weed patches, bare spots, etc.). Rough spotty with some very thick areas and some very thin areas, as well. The greens were soft and rolling at medium/slow speeds, with surfaces that were bumpy at times. The bunkers had great soft sand, but were not always that well raked. I had a real bad time in one of them!

It's an expensive track for out-of-towners and it doesn't seem that it even gets a ton of play from locals. We chatted with the old guys while waiting and they said it's rarely too crowded here anymore. The layout is short with only one par-5 and a number of short par-4s, but very tight and technical. Quite hilly with lots of big trees in play. Some sharp doglegs and uncomfortable angles (especially if you play a left-to-right ball like me). Then, there are two super-beefy long par-3s (holes 16 and 17 which are both about 240-ish yards, somewhat downhill). The setting is cool with the city on one side and the bay on the other, including a couple good vista points where you get a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Out today, course was virtually empty due to heat. Did pair-up with another single.
The course had been heavily watered, and none of the grass (tee, fairway, greens, or rough) had been mowed recently (understandable given the heat).
Not alot of roll-out anywhere.

Greens were soft, and it was like throwing darts (fun!). They slow, but rolled true.
Bunkers looked wet and packed. Only in one, but was able to get up and down (it was obviously hard pan, and blasted out).

Always enjoy El Prado courses. Staff is excellent, and price is right.