Played Encino on Tuesday June 5th. The course has greened up considerably since the last visit about a month ago. I continue to enjoy this course, as it seems more than a simple up and back muni.

The tee boxes in were mostly good shape, some tee markers were on unlevel ground which always bothers me. The condition of the grass was fine though.

The fairways and rough have gotten much greener over the past month. The rough being in much better shape. With lots of lushness on many holes. The fairways were a bit patchy on some holes, with plenty of clover growing in. The length of the grass was level throughout, and the patchiness never really bothered any of my shots.

The bunkers on the course are in very poor shape. I am glad to have only visited one, but the others I viewed throughout the round were very thin, and compact. Especially the fairway bunkers.

The greens ran medium speed and were fairly smooth on the whole. Lots of leaves and debris on the greens though, which was a hassle to clear prior to any putt.

Overall the course is in decent shape, and as always you get what you pay for. The pace of play was excellent at just about 4 hours, we never had to wait on anyone. But it was a Tuesday afternoon, not exactly prime hours. Will be going back again soon, as I enjoy this layout, and it serves as a good confidence boosting course.

Encino Golf Course Review
Encino California Golf Course Reviews

Played on 5-16-12. I had been looking forward to playing this course for quite a while, especially after reading the reviews from the GK event last year. My expectations were high, and I think the course delivered and probably exceeded them in many aspects. Had a 730 time, and was in the car at noon. I have heard that 4.5 hours is about average, so that was fine. Never waited on anyone else, and the group behind never really pushed. Service all around was excellent, tons of drink cart passes, the starters, and bag guys at the start and finish were great!

The practice facility here is top-notch. Excellent all grass range, and huge putting green that was nearly identical to what was experienced on the course. There is also a large practice bunker area, but I did not use it. The use of the practice facility is included in your playing fee, so that is always a nice bonus.

The tee boxes on the course were in excellent shape. Being an early group out, we did not see a lot of wear on them from the days play. The markers were moved to areas that had not yet been played, and were very level and lush. I noticed some areas of the tee boxes that were being healed from other days play, but the placement of the markers ensured we did not have to deal with that damage. I have heard that this course gets a ton of play, so that is expected.

The fairways on this course are something special. The softness and perfectly smooth roll are something to be seen. Every single fairway was immaculate, and looked like a perfectly vacuumed carpet. The rough here is very lush and even throughout, not too long to make the shot super difficult, but it was not as friendly as being in the fairway. I did not notice any brown or bare spots.

The green complexes were also quite grand. The actual greens showed no divot damage or bare spots. They ran extremely quick, with downhill putts definitely making me sweat. The greens were quite firm, and if you did not judge the approach correctly you would be rolling right on through. The MANY sand traps on each hole were also were in excellent shape. Very challenging on almost every hole. Tons of sand in each trap, and it made for nice splash outs!

Overall my experience on this course was excellent. I am sad that I have not played this course before, I plan on going back in the near future. The mountain backdrop that literally goes right down to the sides of the holes is spectacular. Arnold Palmer really created a gem here, and I can't wait to play again.

SilverRock Resort Golf Course Review
La Quinta California Golf Course Reviews

Played this course on 5-15-12. Had a early time for the morning round 630, was finished by 1045, but was never waiting on anyone. Service was fine throughout, just normal, nothing spectacular. The drink cart passed several times. This course is very challenging, and anyone who has played it knows of the DEEP bunkers that are on several holes. Faldo did a great job laying this one out, plays different than the usual Palm Springs CC style courses. The shaping of the holes, and the use of the terrain with elevation changes is excellent.

The tee boxes on the course were in excellent shape, having been one of the first few groups out, we didn't experience any trouble with play wear. The boxes were all perfectly level, lush, and not beat up.

The fairways on this course were superb. When I was in the fairway I saw very few divots, and the cut was perfectly level throughout. The rough was lush but not to penal, this is a resort course with lots of average golfers playing (like myself), so the rough was not too challenging, but was definitely thicker than the carpet like fairways.

The green complexes were excellent. I found the speed of the greens to be quite high and a challenging read on almost every hole. They were quite firm though, so if you were just pin high, you should expect your ball to bounce and roll through. Almost no divot marks or damage were visible, probably due to the firmness. The bunkers around the green were in mostly great shape. I was in a few that were sort of compact, and maybe lacking some sand. But others were in soft and fluffy condition. These bunkers can be extremely challenging, with some more than double your height to the green(12ft +), so bring your best 60 degree and a great flop shot.

Overall I had a great experience on this course, and look forward to playing it again. Some course knowledge I think will go a long way here. Very challenging layout, so be sure to pick the right length tees for your game.

Marriott's Shadow Ridge Resort Review
Palm Desert California Golf Course Reviews

Played this course on 5-14-12, the heat kept most golfers at home, but the 7:04 tee time ensured we would miss most of the harsh sun, was in the car at 1045, so the pace was good. Service at this club has always been good, and continued to be good on this day. No drink cart passes, but the window was open at the turn.

The tee boxes on the course were fairly beat up, and several of them were quite un-level. The boxes were wide enough to move the markers around without having to be on a unlevel spot, but apparently on this day thats were they landed.

The fairways were mostly good, I did notice on several holes that their were burned out brown patches. I thought it was a little early in the season to see this. But it did not really affect my play, as I never found my self on one of those patches. Generally the rough was good, some areas were much more lush than others, but fairly even overall.

The greens were not in the best shape on the other hand. They appeared to be cut quite low, but the speed was slow-medium slow. Even downhill puts were coming up short. The green side bunkers were in good shape, nice fluffy sand that allowed for splash out shots.

Overall the course is average for the Palm Springs area, it has one of the lower rates and offers a good warm up round if you are staying in the area for a few days and plan on playing multiple courses.

Rancho Las Palmas Country Club Review
Rancho Mirage California Golf Course Reviews

Played this course again on Friday April 6th. The course has "greened" up considerably over the past month. Still an incredibly challenging layout.

The tee boxes were in excellent shape, nearly perfect teeing grounds. Very few divots on the par 3's, and the rest of the boxes were nearly flawless.

The fairways continue to be very thin, and bare in several spots. It was very noticeable on several holes, especially on the approaches to several greens. A couple were completely bare with no grass, I am glad I did not have to take any shots from these approaches. The rough has grown in a little better than my last visit, but continues to be very thin. A couple holes had some lushness on one side of the fairway, but overall the rough is generally non-existent.

The greens continue to be in excellent shape, and running extremely fast. This was once again probably the best part of the course conditions wise. The bunkers were sort of hit or miss, I found several throughout the day, and some were fluffy and soft, others a little more hard packed.

Hopefully with some more rain this course will continue to bloom and the rough will be able to grow into a proper length. If playing here for the first time, bring lots of old golf balls, you will lose several.

Angeles National Golf Club Review
Sunland California Golf Course Reviews

Played Monday April 2nd.

The course has improved over the past few weeks from my last review. I went to play Encino today, but the line up was about 6 groups deep, and Balboa was open. So the choice was easy, the course has "greened" up in the past few weeks with the rain that we have had. The rough is coming in very nicely and was quite lush on most holes. The fairways have also filled in rather well.

The greens seem to be stagnant though, they have not improved, and were actually quite bumpy, with uneven speeds from green to green. Some were quick, others quite slow.

The pace of play was excellent, I assume because everyone was on Encino. But the pacing should be good on a Monday afternoon. I enjoy these two courses, and they provide a nice confidence boost.

They have also added a new set of tees. So the Scorecard that is on the website is now out of date, sort of. They have changed the old back blues into the Black Tees (6619yds). The blues are now (6370yds). The whites are (6115yds), and the new yellow tees are the shortest at (5679yds.)

Balboa Golf Course Review
Los Angeles California Golf Course Reviews

Played Encino for the very first time today March 23rd. Went out at 248, and was in the car at 7, so just about 4 hours. The pacing on this course seemed to be much better than my prior experience at Balboa. Having said that, I enjoyed this course much more than Balboa. I thought the holes were much more varied, and made me think a bit more than Balboa. I found myself enjoying it much more than my past round at Balboa.

The tee boxes on the course were pretty good overall. As usual the par 3s were a bit beat up, but I was still able to find a decent spot to tee up from. They were all fairly level, and fair.

The rough on the course was much better than I expected, it was fairly lush on most of the holes. It was not nearly as spotty as the sister course. You could definitely tell where the fairway ended and the rough began. I think it was definitely helped out by last weekends rain. The fairways were rather thin though, and patchy on some holes. They were really a mixed bag, some were very nice, especially the approach on several holes, I even considered putting a few times.

The greens were not the best, they ran rather bumpy. Essentially every single one, you could watch your ball jump and bounce on its way to the hole. The speed would be considered medium to slow. Did not notice un-repaired ball marks though, so that's always a good sign.

Overall the experience was pleasant, I enjoyed this routing and layout more than the Balboa course, and will find myself returning here soon.

Encino Golf Course Review
Encino California Golf Course Reviews

Played Balboa again on Friday Mar 16. The pace of play was pretty good for an afternoon twilight session. Was in the car at just under 4 hours.

The course was in decent shape, the tee boxes were a bit more scuffed up than I last remember them, including still being mostly uneven. This part really bothers me, not so much the divots or thinness because I get to tee up, but the unevenness is an issue. I did notice that the plateaus with the red markers were a lot less beat up than the back blues where I was playing.

The fairways of the course continue to be very thin, and brown. Still mostly in hibernation, the approach areas are especially thin on several of the holes. The rough was really a mixed bag, some holes the rough would be decent and lush, and even green some times! (my playing partner once remarked "what is green grass doing on a course like this?") Other holes it was thin and spotty. You really never knew what you were going to get.

The greens were improved over the past several weeks. I thought they ran very true and smooth. Hardly saw any un-repaired ball marks. They must be putting their water budget into the greens, which is not a bad place to put it.

Overall it was an enjoyable round, I went on as a single, but slowly gathered partners until we were a foursome. Had a very good time, and have no complaints about any of the staff.

Balboa Golf Course Review
Encino California Golf Course Reviews

Played this course for the first time on Friday March 2nd. I have been here several times to use the grass driving range and excellent practice putting greens. Both of these features are excellent and worth the trip.

Knowing this was a Nicklaus course, I was expecting difficult, and the course did not let down. Very challenging design, with many "natural habitat" waste areas that you are not supposed to enter, and honestly you don't want to enter.

The tee boxes on the course were in excellent condition in my opinion, the markers were well spaced out, and there were few divots or uneven areas. I thought they were one of the better parts of the course.

The fairways and rough were another story though. The grass seems to be completely dormant still, and the rough as noted in the prior review is completely non-existent. You can barely tell where the fairway ends and the rough begins. The fairways were extremely thin, with lots of bare patches. They also were nearly as hard as concrete, we found that our ball would just roll and roll, into hazards that were not really in play. The lack of rough compounded this problem.

The absolute best aspect of the course were the green complexes. The bunkers and actual greens were in magnificent condition. The greens ran really quick, had almost no marks, and rolled very smooth. I found myself in several bunkers, and the sand was in top notch condition and they were all well raked.

In conclusion the super thin fairways and lack of decent rough made this a tough outing. I would like to see the course in late April, maybe after the rough has grown in and the fairways have gotten to their full potential. A return trip will be in order, as I did enjoy the routing and style of the course. The layout is very challenging.

Angeles National Golf Club Review
Sunland California Golf Course Reviews

Played Balboa for the very first time on 2-24-12. I enjoyed the course, even though it is fairly simple. The usual Friday crowds ensured that we could not complete the whole course since we teed off at 245 (played 16). But that is probably expected on a muni course when the weather is perfect.

I thought that the tee boxes were fairly well maintained, with my only gripe being that the markers for the day were set on uneven portions of the box. The fairways were probably the shabbiest part of the course. There were many dried out and thin spots, especially on the approach on several holes. This made chipping up to the green very difficult. I thought that the rough was pretty even and solid on most holes. Having only visited 1 sand trap, but being close to several others they looked well maintained and fluffy.

I thought the greens ran rather well and smooth, not too quick but challenging nonetheless. When ever I fixed my divot, there were always 2+ more to fix as well. I guess people don't consider a divot tool a basic piece of equipment anymore. :(

Overall I had a good experience at the course, the starter was quick, and saw the drink cart twice, once on each nine. I hope to return and play again, hopefully a little earlier so that I can play the last 2 holes.

Balboa Golf Course Review
Encino California Golf Course Reviews

I have now played this course several times over the past 2 months. I will be moving to better pastures for at least a few months. The pace of play here is not daunting, but 4.5-5 hours is typically especially on the weekends. I played Monday the 19th, teeing off at 7:50. Played with a couple great guys, but the movement in front of us was rather sloth like.

The tee boxes definitely need some work. I think this course sees a lot of action, because almost all the tee boxes were really cut up. The rough on the course is probably my biggest gripe. You have no idea what to expect from hole to hole. Some holes the rough is really thick and lush, other holes it is sparse grass with gravel and hardpan. The fairways are well maintained on most holes. The sand bunkers are in excellent shape from the few I visited, plenty soft, well raked and fresh. As some of my previous posts have pointed out the greens here are excellent. They run much faster than they appear, and some are quite difficult to read. Saw very few unrepaired divots, and the over all condition was good.

With some more rain and TLC the rough would see some great improvement. Hopefully when I return in a few months the course will have improved. Overall though you get what you pay for at this course, and it is what is expected from a local muni.

Hansen Dam Golf Course Review
San Fernando California Golf Course Reviews

Played this course on Tuesday, although it was a perfect 65 degrees and sunny, the course suffered a little from the very wet Sunday-Monday storms.
The fairways were fairly thin, and slushy wet on some holes. The rough was tough because of the lushness, but that is why its called "rough". The tee boxes and Greens were by far the best part of the course. The greens were running very fast, and continue to be a great challenge. The tee boxes were nearly flawless, extremely level with very few divots or marks. Overall the course is in good shape for being the end of January.

Wood Ranch Golf Club Review
Simi Valley California Golf Course Reviews