The GK Cup final was played this past Saturday at Goose Creek and no one could have picked a better spot that was in better shape. The Goose is always very consistently top notch, but on this particular day it was even better in just about every facet. Truly spectacular.

It helped of course to be playing on a picture perfect early winter day with temperatures in the high 70s, minimal wind if any, and absolutely clear skies. It simply doesn't get any better than this. And on top of that, the course itself was in prime shape.

Let's start with the fast-rolling greens - unbelievably consistent and inviting. The greens themselves are super challenging with many subtle breaks and levels but a good putt here is absolutely rewarded, but the speed must be dialed in, especially on the tricky downhill ones. They also held shots very well and were simply a joy to be play upon.

The fairways? Fantastic. Not a bad lie all day. Even the areas around the greens, while challenging, were super fair and consistent. Middle of fairways were absolutely carpet and it was so much fun to hit from good spots. The rough was definitely a challenge in some areas but it was never so deep as to make it impossible. Bunkers were in very good shape as well with fluffy, white sand and just the right depth to make necessary shots. Tee boxes were also just great (we played from the 'blue' IV tees).

POP was amazing as well at this properly-run facility. We finished in around four hours and fifteen minutes and never spent any crazy amounts of time waiting. We also had cart service come around at least 4-5 times during the day, so that was outstanding. And what about practice facilities? Top notch ... great putting and chipping areas and the range is great although they do have large mats but no one seemed to mind moving forward a bit to use the grass for driver swings.

What else can be said? Goose Creek is absolutely at the TOP of its game right now so if you want a quality golf experience at a tremendous value, this is the place to be. What a treat.

Snuck out for a solo round at De Bell in Burbank this weekend after finding a single time online the night before. I played from the blue tees and joined a threesome with a 12:00 tee time. If all went smoothly then finishing should have been no problem, but we had some very slow groups in front of us and essentially were the last group to finish with enough light - barely.

It was my first time back to De Bell in four years and of course I was quickly reminded why. The front nine is such a bizarre set of holes and when you're not simply perfect then it gets incredibly frustrating quickly. Luckily the back nine is a little more traditional and saves the round. It would also be more enjoyable despite the quirks if the conditions were great, but that's simply not the case.

The greens don't appear to have been rolled in quite some time so that led to lots of slow, bumpy putts and even some greens that had large cuts right through the middle of them. It's up to the player to adjust to some degree, but the degree of inconsistency from green to green is just deflating at best. Fairways were also in mediocre shape with many large dirt areas starting off each fairway, so any miscues were highly punished. Rough was okay in areas but mostly non-existent as there's OB on all sides here. Bunkers get top marks though as they were very fluffy and easy to play from - great job there. Tee boxes? Meh.

No cart service and no GPS on the carts, while the driving range is simple but more than adequate. The pro shop is well appointed and there's a very nice restaurant and snack shop on the upper level - no complaints about that aspect of the course at all.

But ultimately, I'm reminded again why I rarely come back to this course. I did at the very least enjoy my best-ever score here, but that's not saying much.

Snuck out with a buddy for a late afternoon round at Roosevelt last Friday and found the course to be in quite good condition comparatively. No, definitely not in peak shape, but it's very playable right now despite some setbacks that seem pretty customary at this little Griffith Park gem.

Greens are okay right now but still suffer from lots of bumps and ball marks as is customary here, but it wasn't as bad as past visits. Fairways have decent to good coverage overall but there are some thin areas for sure. Bunkers were just okay, and the tee boxes same.

It's usually a three-hour round at Roosevelt but this went much quicker and we actually even got some great weather just before the weekend turned a bit more dire. It's just a fun experience but don't think it's a cakewalk as there are probably four holes that are really challenging on this course.

Monthly golf group got together at Santa Anita this past Saturday and we played from our customary white tees with two groups starting with a 9:30am tee time. All pretty seamless at the start with range and practice putting time and an on-time start.

Course conditions are actually quite good right now if you're comparing to past visits. No, it's not perfect out there but if you've played Santa Anita enough times then you know how to appreciate solid fairway coverage, smooth and fast greens and functional bunkers. What you won't find right now though are great tee boxes as they're level well enough but very thin - at least from my set of tee boxes.

No cart service all day, functional not fancy carts and a decent driving range that could really use a bit of a revamp, especially with all the stray balls going over towards the left side of the 10th fairway. But overall pretty solid day under the mountains.

Made it out to Teal Bend this past week with two work colleagues and wanted to thank those who supplied me with some good tips before playing there. And yes, the road to Teal Bend is quite an adventure as you have to exit the highway at the airport and then navigate some roundabouts before getting there, but once you do, it's pretty nice.

The property itself is pretty great as there are no houses around the course whatsoever and absolutely every hole is framed by forest and colorful autumn nature. We experienced a myriad of weather patterns on the day so we saw the course at its best and worse from that standpoint. It's not what I would consider terribly narrow, but most every hole has lost ball potential if you go too far right or left. There's just no finding balls in that thicket.

But the layout is very fun and engaging and really a good but fair test of golf. Unfortunately the current conditions sort of let the rest of the scenery all down as it's not in optimum shape at the moment. The fairways are good, far from great, but have lots of thinner areas despite all the precipitation up there. The greens were mostly okay but many had piles of dirt core samples around them from a rather annoying apron punch that wasn't cleared. Often approach shots or chips would not reach the green thanks to this and that was frustrating.

Bunkers were actually mostly in good shape with lots of fluffy sand on the holes that I encountered, but as it had rained the past days, a few of them were a bit on the grainy side and one or two even had some standing water left. The rough was hard to find as most of the holes had just fairway and wilderness, but where it was, it was good and playable. Tee boxes (we played the blue-white combo) were mostly all good. Would absolutely love to play this place again in perfect summer conditions.

POP was okay as we got out a bit early thanks to the starter after around twenty minutes on the quite nice (and grass) driving range, but the group in front of us was not exactly setting the world afire with their pace, but it wasn't enough to be too upset about. We played the round in about four and a half hours at the end of the day - perfectly okay.

With a greens fee of only $57 though, it was all well worth it. Again, would love to come back here when it's prime and really enjoy all it has to offer. It's a good day out if you get there, but hopefully they clear up those dirt core piles soon!

Found a late tee time for Mattias and I along with another buddy for Sunday this week at Alondra and booked it on Friday night. We had a 12:18 tee time so as long as things kept moving, we should have no problem finishing, right? (very subtle foreshadowing ...)

We warmed up on the fairly-well appointed driving range, got our cart and headed out on time with another single. That was the start of the disaster. The group in front of us were in no hurry whatsoever, taking all the time they wanted to chat and play multiple balls at times, and simply cost us finishing despite more than a few calls for them to hurry it up. At one point one of their group left his driver all the way back at the tee box and while he drove back, the others just chatted instead of getting their tee shots away. It was utterly maddening. Needless to say we only got through 16 holes before calling it a day for darkness.

Course conditions weren't helping the situation either. Greens were bumpy and inconsistent but did hold shots well. The fairways were either thin or dirt with a few green areas in between, and often the rough was a far better option. The tee boxes were beat up but level at least for the most part, while the bunkers varied from hole to hole. On one hole they were super thin and impossible to take sand, while on the next super fluffy to the point of plugged balls that landed in them. Just ridiculous.

And all that for a $69 greens fee. Wow.

We did have cart service from a lovely gal who was the highlight of the afternoon, but of course the overall POP of the round was just abysmal. We really, truly could have finished with no issues if weren't for the complete imbeciles playing ahead of us that ruined our afternoon. Very disappointing.

Unfortunately the member-guest tournament I was supposed to play in yesterday at Yorba Linda CC was canceled due to the high winds, but a group of six of us decided to brave the tempest and played a six-man scramble tournament instead since we'd all gone through the trouble of driving down there.

While the wind was definitely an ever-present factor all day, and we had some significant gusts that wreaked havoc with balls on the greens, it wasn't so bad that they should have canceled the tournament, but of course they were protecting their interests. It's fine. We had a great time anyway and even won the most skins.

The course itself is very fun with tight fairways being the rule rather than the exception, and a lot of significant but not overwhelming elevation shifts between the holes. Very few are simply flat so you always have to adjust shots, but with the high winds that was always going to be the case no matter what. There's only one par 5 on the front nine so it's a par 71, but it's a pretty nice and fun variety of par 4s throughout, while all the par 3s are long and dangerous, with the exception of the short, uphill 17th. But yeah, very fun layout.

Course conditions are quite good as one would expect. They recently re-seeded so the greens were running really great (when the wind wasn't acting up) but very challenging to keep shots on them without the right trajectory, especially with the elevated greens. Teeboxes were in perfect shape, while the bunkers were thin but mostly due to the winds taking off the top layers - they should be fine when things calm down again. Rough was very thick but mostly playable when not deep in autumn leaves. Did I mention there are trees everywhere lining just about every hole on the course?

We didn't get the full compliment of amenities as the course was for all intents and purposes 'closed' with only a handful of players out there ... having a great course all to yourselves is really the coolest experience regardless the conditions. But overall the staff was great, we had a nice time in the men's dining area afterwards with drinks and appetizers and I can't wait to play the course for real when the rescheduled event takes place in the near future.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy ... quite a day at C Dubs this past week when three friends and I booked a foursome with a 12:56 tee time on Friday. When we arrived, we were told that they were running about ten minutes late. No problem. While warming up we then saw chaos emerge as no carts were ready and empty tee boxes remained as our wait time then blew up to around 40 minutes. Now finishing was going to be in jeopardy.

At some point one group of Asian seniors took it upon themselves to 'jump the line' and it basically turned into the Kevin Hart scene in 'The 40 Year Old Virgin.' Yes, you know the one. Same vernacular and everything. It got ugly. It was uncomfortable. It was unprofessional, but also weirdly justified? Just an an all-around mess before we finally got going (although I have to say the poor girl in the pro shop dealing with all of this was fantastic!).

Once on the course, despite the delays, conditions were better than normal here, as highlighted in the last review. Greens were actually rolling pretty nicely and medium-fast, while also holding shots well and not being too bumpy. Fairways had decent to good coverage in most areas (with a few exceptions), while the bunkers had heavy but playable sand. Tee boxes were probably the most in-need areas on the course.

We did indeed barely finish as we came in on 18 with the last light of the day. There was no cart service throughout so make sure you give yourself a little time at the turn as the snack shop is wildly inconvenient and needs addressing as well. Carts are basic but fine, except for the fact that one of them in our group died on the 11th hole, so they brought out a replacement. Quite a day indeed.

After far too many days off from my game, got back out this past Sunday to La Mirada with a 10am tee time and played from the blue tees riding. Unfortunately my two friends who were scheduled to play backed out but I was paired with two singles to help with pace - sort of.

POP was pretty bad all afternoon if we're honest, but it didn't bother me as much as usual as I was just so happy to be out playing again. We waited one or two groups at least on every hole on the front nine and the same on all the par 3s on the back. Overall we finished in over five hours so not ideal. There was also no cart service on a busy Sunday so we were limited to the nice little snack/hot dog setup near the starter on the turn.

Conditions were also not ideal with pretty beat-up tee boxes, a lot of thin areas in the fairways, very inconsistent rough, pretty thin bunkers and of course recently punched greens that were still very bumpy, had no real pace to them and were always an adventure. I am having trouble seeing how they will get better from this in the coming weeks, but I'm not a greenskeeper, so I can't opine very realistically. But yeah, things all around could be much better.

And yet I still had a very good time because I really enjoy the fun layout at La Mirada even though I didn't score particularly well. I'm hoping in a few weeks the course will be in much better shape and I don't have to wait another three years or so before getting back out there again.

Got in a round at Rio Hondo with a buddy of mine playing with a 12:44 tee time and riding, playing from the blue tees. We were paired ironically with the new head greenskeeper Tom - great dude! - who let us know that they will be aerating the Rio Hondo greens this Sunday 10/20. Something to keep in mind.

Right now Rio Hondo is slightly off from its best, which is usually quite good as it's one of the best municipal courses in LA county, and not just for the value, but its conditions as well. But right now the greens are not in optimum shape as they're rather bumpy and showing some wear and tear - that should be better after the upcoming punch. They still held shots well but just weren't near their very best.

Same applies to the fairways which were adequate but definitely a lot of thin areas and a few too many 'divots' or dry dirt patches where I would find decently placed shots. The rough was nice though and very playable but ample. The bunkers were also in pretty good shape all things considered - no complaints there. Tee boxes? Decent for sure, and mostly good, but a few were a little rough around the edges and there were a few holes with some makeshift tee areas as they're doing some work on the tee boxes so they got creative with the markers.

Carts are simple but work well and don't have any GPS. We did not have any cart service all afternoon which would have been very nice on a hot day, but like Mick Jagger says - you can't always get what you want. POP was pretty good on the front nine but definitely slowed down a lot around the 13th hole and was a slog the rest of the way which was unfortunate.

All in all it was still a fun afternoon at a solid course but just keep in mind the upcoming punch and hopefully with some rain and TLC from the new greenskeeper, Rio Hondo will be back to its very best quite soon.

An absolute Sunday delight this past weekend getting to play the Rancho Park men's club Tournament of Champions at the fabulous Ojai Valley Inn course. I had only played here once before and my memories of it vastly under-appreciated the true quality of this amazing track.

In terms of layout, setting and challenge, it's an A+ ... there's absolutely no mistaking this course's quality not just in terms of design and terrain, but also its strategic challenge and the fun factor. It's just a great time and a really tough but ultimately rewarding set of holes. It's not extremely long (I played from the blue tees) but it does require a ton of accuracy on the target holes and the ability to hit both fades and draws depending on the hole. But the setting is just outstanding so you're often lost in the beauty of it all.

All that being said, unfortunately there were a few issues on this particular day that I got out there. The POP was an absolute nightmare, and of course I know that I was playing behind several groups from the RPMGC. How it got that bad I will never know or understand, but we finished the 'front' nine (we started on hole 10) in three hours and fifteen minutes. It was pretty agonizing but had good company and a terrific setting so it could have been worse. All in all we finished at around five hours and forty-five minutes - not ideal. Carts were fortunately very plush and responsive, we had cart service all day at various intervals and the GPS works well, but I definitely still recommend a range finder.

Greens were absolutely flawless - super fast and there are some crazy false fronts and other tiers you'll have to navigate and be at your very best to do so. Fairways had mostly good coverage with a few thin spots here and there, while the bunkers appeared to have ample sand from what I saw all day. The rough was very thick in spots but very playable in others - just depends on the hole and the shade factor. What wasn't great? A lot of the tee boxes were very sandy/dirt and made it difficult, especially on the par 3s. Really need some work there.

But yes, overall this is an absolute gem of a course and makes you really feel like this is what golf was always meant to be as you meander from hole to hole. It's a timeless classic that still holds up and you should never pass up an opportunity to play here.

Spent day two of the Colorado golf swing at Riverdale's Dunes course up in Brighton. It was a stark contrast to the tree-lined mountain terrain of the day before at Perry Park, but no less enjoyable or fun. It's just an entirely different type of course.

As far as Colorado goes, Riverdale Dunes is about as flat as you will find anywhere in the state I reckon. The fairways are ample and there are practically no trees whatsoever to provide shade or trouble. There are a lot of knolls and swales near the greens though to create their defense, and also a lot of prominent water features on many holes. If I'm not mistaken, this is a course with a lot of Pete Dye influence to it, along with Tom Doak, and it shows just about everywhere.

Conditions were mostly good with a few trouble spots mostly due to a lot of heavy construction going on across the front nine. It appears they're adding some drainage pipes so a lot of heavy equipment and workers everywhere. Once past that though, the course opens up and plays quite nicely. Fairways are in good shape with good lies to be found just about everywhere, while the tee boxes (we played the 'square') were all level and in good shape. I was only in one bunker and it had plenty of sand but still felt 'heavy' for some reason.

Greens were in very nice shape and held shots well despite rolling pretty darn quick. Not too many tricked out greens but very subtle grades that made putting a pretty big adventure until later in the round when I finally got a hold of the speed. They were consistent for sure.

Cart service came around numerous times which was very nice because it was still very hot for Colorado standards in late September, and as previously mentioned, there's really no shade anywhere to cool you down. Feels a lot like Cimarron out in Palm Springs in that regard. Driving range was also a good one.

Price was a steal at $65 per round, although we did have a fourth drop out and I called in advance to let them know. When I checked in I was told that it would be no problem but then I got an email later saying they were charging me. I called this morning to protest and am awaiting reply - hopefully they hold true to what they said at the start.

But regardless, still a very good deal for this fun and engaging track. Would surely play it again.