Soule Park Golf Course is a great golf course and fun one to play. This originally designed course by William F. Bell in the early '60s was renovated by Gil Hanse in 2005. I never did play it after the redesign and the greens made it feel like a bucket list has been played. What an enjoyable course to play!!

We played here yesterday, 10/10/21, where the temperature got up to about 82 degrees if any. There was a slight breeze of no more than 12 miles mph and a clear blue skies.

The greens here were delightful to putt on. Yes there were many golf ball divots and a hand full of them were not fixed properly leaving to heal longer than it should. If I were to guess, these are bent grass (I could be wrong). They were smooth and not grainy that rolled pure and fast.

The bunkers were good and had plenty of light colored fine sand- well prepared.

The teeing grounds were very good and had a lush with grass coverage.

The rough was healthy and some areas could be penalizing with its thickness although there were just a few areas where it was thinning due to foot/cart traffic.

The pace of play took us 4 hours and a half while following a group up front.

If the greens haven't been aerated yet, it is a must play. Enjoy!

Well, I finally made it to Sandpiper for the first time. Bucket list checked and it did not disappoint!

It was only about a couple of hours drive for me but well worth the visit. I arrived at 7:00am for our 8:00am tee time. The temperature were at mid to high 70s as we finished the round. There were occasional light breeze of 5-9 mph throughout the day along with clear sunny skies. What a treat!

Definitely a big boy course!
It isn’t that long from the mid tees, but there are some narrow fairways on short par fours. The Billy F. Bell designs a strategically placed trees and bunkers that must be avoided or even a must land and stay on the fairways or troubles await on both sides. Some of the greens are just like it and it requires precision, demanding a must hit and stay on. Obviously, I don't know the course well enough to know where the favorable landing areas are, but each after the hole is played, it reveals the do's and don'ts. Cleverly designed! Natural elevation changes are present so with all that said, I could only imagine this course would play in the wind.
The whole course is rough around the edges. One has to use an imagination to appreciate what it could be, but then I could only imagine what they would charge if they have to manicure the whole course.
The general rough alongside of the fairways are okay and not penalizing, however, some of the nearby areas around the greens and a few fairways were the thick tall fescue exist are just as brut as hell for someone unlucky enough to find them- good luck finding it there let alone try and get out of it.
The fairways were closely mowed but there were scattered unfilled divots- what a shame from those guys who would leave those divots unattended.
The bunkers were inconsistent with some of them with hard grounds under an inch of sand, others were normal and some were hardened clumps of sand/clay.
Teeing grounds were nice and lush with good coverage.
The greens have recovered very well from the chemical reactions of a problem they had experienced recently. Only the #4 green had a slight blemish and showed a slight stress but all 18 greens were very healthy with slick smooth and fast roll including #4 green with a slight discoloration which I’m sure could be gone in a week or two. Small tine holes but very few were evident in some of the greens though it never really affected the roll.
It was also a busy day and many locals on foot were on with a few small group outings in the morning.
All-in-all this is a solid track with good acceptable and playable conditions. I don’t know why I waited so long before I visited here, but I can’t wait to come back and play it again!

09/12/21 round at Muroc Lake gc inside the Edwards Air Force Base. It’s in the south most side of the Kern county, so close to the north most side of LA county as it butt ends each other and it is a great deal and a value. Right now their course is in pretty good playing conditions. The greens are slow- to medium but fair and smooth. The fairways are lush- yup, I just said lush. But this is still Muroc Lake, a military facility, but one can only imagine how good the course could be with good well maintained golf turf. I consider myself lucky for I remember when this course was pure bent grass greens but don’t ask me. I was like a year and a few months in the game when I first visited here. I also remember the greens not being so undulated- I think a redesign has happened. When I first saw it, I was comparing the greens of Muroc’s with the greens at El Cab cc as they were both so pure and healthy during that same time. It was fast but not crazy. Deep emerald greens and sharp edges all around the course. Just walking on the course made you proud of the game and the military at the same time.
Anyway the recent rain made the grass even healthier than it has already been.
And to think, I’ve also seen this greens gets so fast back then that it becomes unplayable in the windy days they get.
Right now the whole course, it’s pretty healthy and it all just depends on who’s cutting or how low do they want to run the greens.
I hope they lower it for next month’s championship.
If you have any means to get on base, you’ll see that it’s current conditions surpasses many of the munis and that is a great value for the bucks these days.
I feel so lucky and proud of the military for having a local program like this.

Tahquitz Resort
Play day 09/04/21 7:00am tee time on sunny warm day with very little wind.

Everything is lush and green- very good playing conditions for as late a summer as it is.
The greens were fairly rolling smooth for the most part on the Bermuda although the cups were looking like it’s been there a day or two ago (no big deal). It was in medium speed.
The rough were pretty thick and heathy- about 2 to 3 inches up.
The bunkers had sand- some of them has moisture in the early morning and I caught one pretty heavy. I wanted to blame the foot prints but I wasn’t in one. (lol)
The teeing grounds were in good shape- some had lots of divots but there were plenty of areas to tee it nicely.
The pace was only as good as the foursome in front and who they followed- 4 hours and 10 minutes.
Beverage cart came around a few times but we had plenty of water.
Great day for golf here.

Heritage Palms cc
Play day was 09/05/21 8:45 tee time on a nice warm Sunday- high 90s or maybe it got up to triple digits, but it’s summer in the lower desert and it was not bad at all.

It’s always a pleasure to be here and I was excited to see the course from the practice area as nice as it was. The current overall conditions are amazingly very good in this late summer. It was really a pleasure to play it. It’s not their good winter conditions although about midway from it as their winter conditions are as good as it gets in golf in my opinion. The whole course are just so green and good to play on.

The green fairways ran nicely and cut low which was sweet. Their roughs were pretty healthy in uniform cut and color- pretty classy to look at, but try not to be in it, it’s thick!

The greens were fabulous- again I mean we are in late summer and if you know how late summer conditions usually are in comparison to what they have here now is a real treat to be able to play in this at this time. It is grainy but that’s Bermuda greens for you.

We played the combo tees and those tees were in pretty good conditions. The par three tees were not bad at all- a few groups ahead of us so there were a few divots as expected.

The bunkers had good sand in it and fair. There were a few footprints but not terrible- players there rake their bunkers.

The gate will ask for your tee time and whose tee time and issues a day pass. A staff delivered a cart for me at the parking lot. The staff at check in was smooth and helpful to point out where my group was- it was simply excellent!

A 1:20 tee time- finished at 5:50 Sunday, 082921, partial sunny day that felt like it was in mid 90s though I was warned about a very hot temperature day.

I guess the mid day round has an advantage of not having to play on wet grass as the fairways ran a little more freely. However, the greens may noticeably differ from one another in speed for some reason. Overall the course was in good shape for as busy as it is and it has surpassed my expectations in its current conditions.

The greens were at medium to slow in speed with many ball marks and more than a few were unfixed or fixed poorly- and I may be nitpicking, but I'm just reporting what I saw.
The bunkers have sand. Although inconsistent, they have sand. Rakes are provided although it seems it's only been used a few times- lots of heavy footmarks.
The teeing grounds were okay, and the fairways were pretty cool, lush and fair.
The rough were pretty healthy and many had about 2 inches up along the fairways- some thin spots... not a big deal.

I think I'll play here again as I get a chance and hope that I do.

No bev cart here, but my check in was smooth- big sign at the door that they'll call the tee time for check in. If I had to guess, it's announced 10-12 min prior to a tee time.

Play day 08/14/21 9:45, finished at 2:00 our group followed another 4some- must be busy up front, but it’s not bad. Humidity was up in high 90s- 102.
Arroyo GC Red Rock was once a good and well maintained golf course. The spread in between holes were not bad as we’re always in a cart. Many times over the past six years or so, their conditions gradually became lower and lower to a point that it’s difficult to ignore hoping it comes back to good again. So whenever I get the chance I keep trying to see if things have turned around- nope, only disappointment.
The greens are pelted with ball marks and it seems no one caress- fresh and old ball marks are evident of careless patrons- sad. But I have to say that there were a couple of greens late in the back that weren’t so bad.
Most if not all the bunkers were just terrible- you don’t have to be in it to be able to say they are bad, and it’s pretty terrible with rocks and pebbles with hardly any sand in it.
The fairways were wet grounds mixed in barren and spots of grass growing so the ball gets muddy and we were playing in between grass in a barren lie. It looks like many fairway grass were in some type of disease- I’m not sure what it is but it does not look good nor play good.
Most of the teeing grounds were okay from the black tees and many areas of the rough were lush and about 3 inches in height which was the better part of the course.
The beverage cart came around a couple of times or more, and the staff were okay and helpful.
I really wish this course would turn around and be good again. $109 visitors rate is a bad joke and not even a good joke in a resident rate. I would rather drive another half hour away for a better golfing experience rather than to be trapped in a course such as this one.

Play day: 07/25/21 10:21am
The weather was cloudy/overcast sun occasionally showing. Thunder from a distant east, and the temps never got to triple digits. Slight breeze felt good.

The more I get to play the course the tougher it gets for me- remembering all the "don't go there" area/spot. But then the more I appreciate its very cool and strategic design by the master himself Jack Nicklaus. We've all enjoyed a great match here while respecting as well as challenging risk and rewards the hole would give us.

The middle of summer conditions are to be expected, however, the greens here are still smooth.. well some bumps here and there. The firm greens condition makes it tough to get close and the back pins were easier to get close to- or get short sided in the back :-)

One good thing about it is that the fairways were also firm, and the ball ran pretty good. Careful on the shorter fairways. The bunkers had plenty of sand and it was good. The roughs weren't much of a factor- 2-3 inches and they were lush.

Some grass around the greens are starting to go away and spots shows barren but not to a point of unplayable at all. There was work going on the #9 and #18 green. The fringe had been taken out and it looks like it's going to be replaced (I know late this season, but that's what it appear to be). It also looks like they're testing out their technique on drying out the rough for the next season as it shows spots where they've tested it. It's going to be an amazing look when the new season comes in.

That's all I have and time for, but just to say it again, This course just excites me more than any other course in the immediate area. I would give it a high 6.8 rating at this time.

Oh, Staff were all very nice and helpful and the beverage cart came around a few times.

Looking forward to my next visit here.

Ciao!

Play day: 07/11/21, 6:37 tee time.
Overcast skies at low 90 degrees weather during our round was nice.
It’s been at least a couple of years since I’ve played here. We played the south/west combination which was still lush and in good shape.
The greens rolled medium slow and bumpy at times, but not too bad.
Bunkers still does not have rakes but plenty of sand.
Fairways were good and lush.
Teeing grounds were in great shape.
Rough was lush- taller in some areas but mostly just 3-4 inches.
Simple check in with helpful staff.
3 hours and 50 minutes round.
No beverage cart.
Good day of golf!

Play day 07/10/21
Tee time was 06:07.
It was 90° covered skies when I got to the course and stayed the same pretty much for a couple hours.
The starter introduced me to another single and we zipped through the front in an hour and five minutes, but we caught up on the men’s club guys in the back and made the pace for a normal 2 hours.

The fairways were still nice and tightly mowed. There were standing water at some usual locations- some were in play which wasn’t a good thing.
Bunkers have plenty of sand and good to play out from. Mostly level teeing grounds…
Overall, the course is good to play.
No beverage cart, no gps on the carts fb. Helpful staff. $39 for resident.

Paiute Snow Mountain
062221 7:30 partly cloudy and some 12 mph breeze, a perfect summer golf day at the Paiute Resort.

I can’t find the right words, but It has been a very long time since I have been wowed by any course conditions and this one surely tipped the scales for me, and if I could give more than a “10”, the highest rating, I would freely hand it to Paiute and it would be a pleasure. Everything, every aspect and every inch on this golf course conditioning right this moment is triple A+ .

During play, there were almost no others on with us- just about every hole we were on were just us so the pace of play were all up to us and so we took our time and tried to take it all in within four hours. Carpet like fairways in a uniform color and a darker green colored rough were very pleasing to the eyes with its silky smooth fast greens were out of this world- it was unreal. Lost for words, but trust me and see for yourself. Definitely a must pack and go play right now. We were just at another very good course in town yesterday and thought highly of it but Paiute blows them away- that’s how good it is right now!

Sand quality is great with rakes now, and the rough may only be up to 3 inches but, oh so healthy. The teeing grounds are mostly level, find your spot and shape your shots according to the ground’s influence if makes any sense.

The services were great, very helpful. There was a beverage cart that came around more than a few times. Food and beverage was very good. This place is so well orchestrated. They treat their customers like an important guest- they were all very welcoming.

Thank you, LV Paiute Resort.
BRAVO !!!

Play days were over the weekend 06/05-06/06 in a nice summer like weather of 103, although it didn't feel like it- probably because of the slight breeze we had most the early part of the day. Oh, but when it stands still it feels hot especially near the bunkers.

I joined three old friends for golf who are now residents here and at an adjacent golf community. So happy but jealous at the same time for them being together again from an old club we all were from. :)

Current guest greens fee are at $35 which is really a deal. We paid $29 as a resident, and I'm sure if we had a player's card it'd be around $24. Anyway, all rates includes cart and range balls with the round.

Good reviews prior to this and I have not much to add to it, however, we played lift clean and place as the ball picks up mud on the soft fairways. The greens rolled pretty good and true though in some parts of the greens you may see small spots of the coarse leaf Bemuda emerging as the rye slowly goes away for the summer. Still a great overall conditioning considering we're in the beginning of June already.

Pace of play here is always within four hours for the most part. But on Sunday's round, we just played the front 9 twice because of the tournament ahead.

'Miss this place- still can't get used to the switch of front and back but not a big deal. The course is a lot of fun to play.

Great place to spend a golf weekend.