I'm not going to rate this one as they were one day removed from a month-long shutdown for over-seeding and things clearly need some time to come around. But fairways although they look green offer up spotty lies still and are (unsurprisingly) soft.

Greens have been verticut and are longish grained and the slowest I have ever seen outside of pitch and putt courses. I am not sure you could stimp them as you might not even get a yard of roll from off the 'meter'. Give it a good month and things should be much better.

Style-wise, it's an old school PS layout playing through a slightly shabby housing development and featuring lots of mature tree-lined fairways and a ton of H2O on 10 holes at least. Trickier than it appears from the score card with par 5's that played stoutly and lots of narrow holes on the front nine. I liked the layout (reminded me a bit of Taquitz) but it needs time to recover still.

Oh and not that it makes much difference but they have reversed the nines from what is shown on GK. Makes for a better finish with 18 as a 5 and 9 as a 3 (although I think the front nine is the tougher of the two.)

First time playing.Typical PS resort style layout, with more teeth than the average resort course featuring wide fairway landing areas, significant and deep bunkering and mounding around greens a la Pete Dye, and tricky, undulating putting surfaces.

Everything was in generally good condition - tees were the weakest part. Most of the gold boxes were moved up so it was playing short. Quite a few tees on the back had heavy divot damage and were quite uneven in spots. That was the only black-mark. Otherwise things were good for early fall and before over-seeding. I'd give fairways, rough, sand and greens all solid 8-9's out of 10. Fun play were you can score well if you are in the right spots (I had a five birdie day!).

Course is in good condition (maybe not a "Ben Franklin" good?). Played ridge and then creek (they wanted me to play canyon crest but I snuck onto creek as it is the best of the 3 nines IMO). Overall, Creek was a bit better conditioned and that was mainly in terms of the greens that were faster - but not fast - over there and smoother too. Ridgeline greens were slower than sludge around 7.5-8 on stimp and soft and spongy feeling too. Quite a few bobbles over there as well.

All other areas were superior especially considering the drought. Maintenance galore was going on and judging by the size of the shavings coming out of the mower the fairways and rough must have been ultra-shaggy. Just wish maintenance would work in the opposite direction of play so you don't have the same leaf blower behind you for nine holes. Tees, fairways and rough all 8.5/10 with just a few dry areas and some mower burn. Traps looked crusty but had plenty of sand below.

No one on course so buzzed around as a single in 2.30 hours even with a practice putting session on most greens. Paid 90 and that would be my absolute limit right now.

Got this for 66 on a Sunday AM prime time and that's all I'd pay. Course is nice, but it's all about the kikuyu! I guess it's ok to hit off in the fairways although it is odd transitioning to what I think are bent greens, But it's in the rough and especially with the iffy lies it yields around the greens where this becomes a big issue I think. Hard to judge any finesse shot coming out of this stuff. I get that it makes sense economically and in a drought it fares better, but it's a terrible surface from a golfer's standpoint.

Otherwise, greens are being aerated in a day so not much point commenting on those although they were quickish and mainly smooth. Sand was good-looking from a distance as it was well-groomed but that was a thin layer sitting atop concrete. Nice to play here once in a while as it is a great layout, but I don't like that "grass" at a 100 dollar price point rack rate.

Only thing I would add to previous review is to do with maintenance on most of the greens.

Several had areas of resodding (around 10-15 sq ft per green affected) mainly around the edges but on one or two occasions right in the center (#15, e.g.). Other issues were some hex plug repairs (minimal) and some reseeding/sandy spots affecting patches of green here and there. Again, these were generally on the margins of affected putting surfaces but on a couple of occasions more in the middle of the green. Sometimes these same maintenance areas were located on the fringes or encroached into them. Just an FYI.

Sand traps crusty and rock-filled too.

Back swinging clubs (poorly) after a 2 month hiatus. De Bell are flattening and re-sodding tees #6 (par 3), 11 (par 5) and 14 (par 3) which should be a welcome relief as these were either amongst the least level (11) or the most beat-up on the course. Temporary tees on each of these holes meantime. Also, fairways were recently verti-cut and de-thatched. Even still, they were nice and green with a good pad under the ball and preferred lies throughout.

Rough was juicy and difficult to judge (as is the case with kikuya grass). Most greens had nice grass coverage although a couple had hex plug repairs on the edges. They were soft and putted very slow by De Bell standards so much so that putts that usually won't put the brakes on were pulling up short of the pin. Just a few bobbles here and there. Wasn't in any sand but it looked a bit iffy - crusty, with lots of pebbles.

That said, for the money this was a well-conditioned muni, in the main. I still think it's the hardest regulation course under 6000 yards in the wider area. 12 out of 18 holes have a hazard or OB close in on both sides, while the other 6 have a hazard or OB on at least one side. It would be like playing a course with 30 water features to negotiate. One bad swing and you are done. To that point, I score almost 4 strokes above my overall GK score-tracker average on this track, in spite of its modest length.

POP was surprisingly good for a Sunday morn with virtually no waiting after the second hole.

Apparently it was hillbilly day @ EG. One of my partners had basketball shorts on and should have been hitting from the ladies tees (and still suffering). Behind us were two aging rockers with music playing from their cart (can't we just have a general ban on that practice?) so you could hear the tinny Zeppelin beats from their I-phone every second shot). In this dept. and in terms of general golf quality, the place is slipping.

Overall - and this pains me to say it as I love the track - this was the worst condition I have ever seen it in. Even the greens, which are usually the stand out here were terrible. Tee boxes were either like hitting from a meadow they were so thick, or were lumpy and patchy at times. Fairways are thin and dry. I think they are 'thatchy' and they need to condition the soil - it seems more often than not you are getting a tight compacted lie with no chance of a divot. Sweeper golf. The rough is non-existent although they are optimistically outlining in dark green where they want it to grow in. Good luck as the bermuda is paper thin in these parts and the only rough is, well, the rough weeds that crop up in it occasionally. About half the fairway traps are being allowed to grow over and are marked GUR. Otherwise, the sand was thin coverage over a compacted base. Many had gravel in them and were comically full of footprints (you know the kind where it looks like someone took the most roundabout way through the traps by walking in endless circles to their ball). As for those greens, I expected them to be healed from aeration by now, and while there are no open holes, each one in terms of color looked like a waffle and putted like one. Super bumpy, slow and soft. No putts tracked on line. Around the greens, the fringes were heavy, thick and lumpy too and were in bad need of some mowing. You've all heard of the drought I presume? Hard to see how this place gets much better any time soon with the lack of water.

I have a soft spot for this course as I think it punches well above its weight in terms of shot quality and it's a good test of golf course where you don't have to miss by much to run up some big scores.

Buttttt: it's looking rough right now. They are clearly trying to get it in shape, but the best part of the course are the bunkers and when you say that then it isn't good. Fairways and rough are thin and patchy with lots of sandy lies. Around the greens the rough is more lush and most fringes are well maintained. Tees boxes, some fairways and rough have been cored with big spikes (one ball rolled into a hole as I was addressing it) and the greens - while they have good speed - are very bumpy and bobbly. I hope they get it together soon because it really is a great little track. Keep driver in bag and let putts roll to the valley (and stay below hole on approaches)

Hadn't played here in a while and with all other tee sheets backed up thought I would give it a go, Sunday prime-time. Glad I did - course conditions generally very good and layout is certainly unique. Tee boxes, fairway and rough in good to above average condition 8/10. Sand I was in only once and it was wet and heavy but well-groomed and full 9/10. Practice green was slick but on the course pretty slow, even on down-hillers. Smooth though, so the roll was true 8.5/10. Overall solid 8-9 rating.

Course layout is a study in contradictions. Front nine is Lost-Canyons-esque, Champions-Club-like with sprinkles of Glen Ivy #18 with lots of forced carries, crazy elevation changes (yes, I'm talking about you 4, 8 & 9 - 8 plays over 100 ft down from tee to fairway, for instance) and weird sight lines where you have a hard time picking a spot to shoot for off the tee or figuring out how much distance there is till disaster. Greens are also distinctly sectioned up so if you miss the right spot then three-putting lurks. That said, a lot of greens are surrounded by mounding so you can often play bank shots that work out well. On the approach, it's one of those places where you don't need to go pin-seeking to get it close.

Now for the contradiction - the back nine. Most of it plays pretty conventionally across the flatter portions of the property near the entrance (exception being 10, 11 and 18). They try to trick it up with mounding around the fairways and other stuff but this user finds this stretch to be muni-like and bears no resemblance to the toothy front half. Just my opinion.

All in all though, your friends at the USGA are yanking your crank with the course rating here from blues or blacks. I am sure it must just be an honest typo with the second decimal on the stroke. Make no mistake - this is a stout test of golf.

Am I allowed to say the course is dry? Or will the "it's-how-the-game-was-meant-to-be -played!" patrol have to reprimand? (err no it wasn't)

My usual disclaimer - I know, we're in a drought. But you should still know course is dry (there - said it). Rough non-existent as a result, except round greens where it is patchy to lush and tangly. Also lots of bushy dormant bermuda lies around greens - so you know how fun that can be.

Tees were good but I played the blacks. Fairways semi-dormant, thin, dry (said it again) and hard. Greens are fine looking but with a few bobbles (quick downhill and slow uphill - play the terrain to measure your breaks). Sand is good for the most part, but there are a number of traps that they have given up on and are marked as GUR (esp. on 13 - never understood why those fairway traps were there anyway). Those traps are 'dry' (oops - again). I would rate about 6.5-7 right now. Have at it.

Cold weather has taken its toll on the fairways. Dormant, thin, dry and hard with a straw like weedy covering mainly. At least they run out. Rough is patchy or non-existent to very lush in places especially around the greens. A few tees had newer turf plugs growing so they were a little thinner, but generally good. Fringes and aprons were very good, but the greens were very firm for the most part and the downhill ones like 12,14,16 and 18 were hard to hold shots on. You had to land it well short or it rolled right through. Sand was the usual.

Overall I'd say it was a 7 but that is mainly due to the fine quality of the putting surfaces.

Winter conditions. Also, still soggy in spots, especially in the lower elevation front nine.

Fairways and rough are a mixed bag with some good lies, some not.

Greens were nice for a muni with great coverage, good consistent speed and only minimal bobbles. Medium soft and held well struck approaches.

Sand is the best conditioned area (how often do you get to say that at your local muni!?) Well groomed and conditioned with an ample layer - ten out of ten.

Tees are always beat up here with the amount of play it gets, but today they were even more gnarly than usual with tons of divots and the usual ones which are severely crowned.

Overall good golf for the 38 I paid Sunday prime time.