What a super day and outing at Western Hills CC Monday. Great to see GKers out there. This was my 5th event at Western Hills CC and my favorite so far. The course was in excellent shape with summer lush turf (only blemishes I found were some the greens had thin/bare spots near the surrounds). The greens were mostly smooth, med-fast and held shots. Bunkers played well with many, mostly greenside, with new sand since our last outing in December. Tee boxes were all lush in great shape. The renovated Hole 8 and Hole 10 Tee Boxes have filled in nicely. Pace of Play was just under 5 hours.

For an outing organizer perspective, it’s great they have the restaurant open for our players prior and after play. Plus, I like how close the driving range, clubhouse, practice putting and first tee are to each other…makes keeping track of your group players easy.

I finally was able to hit my tee shot reasonably accurate Monday. The course is loaded with trees, OB and other hazards when you miss the fairway. Makes the layout much more enjoyable and get-able.

We’ll be back out to Western Hills CC on November 10th. I’m excited already. Thanks everyone that comes out GK Events (link to right upper corner of page). Put Western Hills CC on your list to play or consider joining :)

Played and ran a Vivid Golf/GM/Greenskeeper.org private course event at Spanish Hills Club on Monday. Spanish Hills Club was one the first private clubs to host our group. The club was impressive then, it’s on a higher level now with many more improvements to the clubhouse, facility and course on the way. If you’re a group organizer, Monday, June 30th was my 10th event here since 2023. We love it. The staff is very professional from contracting the date through event day and with follow-up.

Spanish Hills Club checks all the boxes for any outing organizer. If you’re an outing organizer reading this review, message me here on greenskeeper.org – JohnnyGK – or email me at jhakim@greenskeeper.org – I’m happy to help you with any questions.

Thanks, rgm2525 for your help as always with running the events. Huge thanks to everyone that comes out to these events and coming GK Plays I’ll be launching for 2025. These private course events and coming GK Plays are essential for me to keep Greenskeeper.org going and it feels great to seeing GKers! :)

Great time at Valencia Country Club “BIG V” on Monday. We found out why Valencia CC was a recent sectional finals US OPEN qualifier. The bunkers, green complexes and pin placements played so tough. Missing the green, anywhere was going to seriously test your short game. My ball striking was solid off the tee, which you got to have out there, and I was hitting my irons mostly clean, but my iron game accuracy was off just enough to find a nasty greenside bunker on most holes (10 to 12 holes – lost count after 10). Some holes multiple bunkers and most of the time multiple shots to escape a bunker. But my sand game right now is so dialed in for my next round – LOL.

Super day playing with GDR23, rgm2525 and mark_6m. Valencia CC was in fantastic playing condition. Lush tee to green. Bunkers are well maintained, groomed with high quality sand. The sand was consistently soft, a little thick and a little heavy. It made for a great playing surface. Never was my ball plugged or fried egg. Greens were smooth, held shots (except hole 14) and medium/fast. Stay below the hole if possible and don’t short side yourself with tough pitch shots. Tee Boxes were lush, level and groomed. What stood out the most to me was the improvement of the fairways. Two years ago, Valencia CC reopened after a full new improved heat/drought tolerant turf replacement. There were complaints at first as you can see by reading some of the past reviews here on Greenskeeper.org. But now, the fairways look fully established, providing excellent lies and driver rollout. It’s a blast hitting tee shots on this track and being rewarded well for finding the fairway.

We had a fun Skill Challenge Putting Contest where we tried to replicate JJ’s Spaun’s winning US OPEN putt. L-R, 64 feet, 5 inches. Over 100 tries, no one drained it. Super job mark_6m running the contest. With over 120 players GDR23 and rgm2525 had their hands full at check in. We got a great friendly GKers staff running these :) Great job.

Thank you, Valencia CC, for once again hosting our group and providing an exceptional experience. Thank you, the MOST, to EVERYONE that comes to play the Private Course Monday outings and our coming GK PLAYS! GK is all about community. Love seeing us tee it up together.

What a day it was at The Saticoy Club on Monday 4/14 …even ran into AndrewZ28 totally unexpected!

This was our 4th Day After The Masters event and once again The Saticoy Club shined. This time around we went bigger than previous outings showing off the new Vivid Golf tent and putting on a Masters Champion Putting Skill Challenge. Thank you GKers rgm2525, GDR23, barkydog1 and mark_6m for your assistance. I can’t add anything to AndrewZ28 and GDR23 reviews as far as course playability and description. I can however give an outing organizer’s perspective.

This was my 8th event in 3 years at The Saticoy Club and it remains the top experience among our group, which has well over 500 players now. Our players love everything about the course and how they are treated by the club as guests. It’s a special feeling driving up to the clubhouse glancing at the beautiful course that stays with you for your entire visit. It’s a peaceful place with a pure golf vibe.

As expected, the event services are exceptional at this LPGA host course. Full outside services on hand for bag drop and other assistance. Beautiful driving range, practice putting and The Pit (located at the bottom of the hill next to hole 10. The proshop is full stocked and Pancho Grill is conveniently located at turn/clubhouse.

I posted a bunch of fresh photos. The course was in immaculate shape. Never pass up a chance to play here if you can. Absolutely consider joining The Saticoy Club.

Thank you everyone that comes to these private course Vivid Golf / Greenskeeper.org Monday outings.

I always love seeing GKers and teeing it up with them.

Played with GKers rgm2525, itslikeimsayin and antmayes on Monday 4/21 at Wood Ranch Golf Club. It was our 67th Private Course event and our 9th here. It’s always special having our events at Wood Ranch GC beyond what a fantastic golfing experience it is because it was the first course to welcome our group to play in 2021.

Once again, Wood Ranch Golf Club demonstrated Monday why our players love taking on this track with exceptional playing conditions, event facilities and great service. From an organizer’s standpoint, it’s one of my favorite staging areas providing a large driving range, two practice putting greens, snack bar, clubhouse, parking lot and both the 1st and 10th tees near each other. It’s easy to keep track of your group as well as launch large shotgun events. The layout is always a challenge with many exciting holes and scenic elevated tee boxes. Wood Ranch Golf Club has one of our highest return event participation rates. As far as membership, having now played Wood Ranch Golf Club over 10 times, I could never get bored of this layout. It’s a blast to play with challenges throughout. Hole #13, the "Island Hole" and an incredible Par 3 perfect for a Closest To The Pin.

Thank you everyone that came out to this event and others I’ve been putting together. Don’t miss the next Wood Ranch Golf Club outing (August 11th). Check out the photos I posted. I’ve also got some fun social media I’ll be making from the event on Facebook and Instagram.

Highly Recommended.

Great day out at The Oaks Club at Valencia for our 65th Private Course event in collaboration with Vivid Golf and Golf Moose. It was our first event with the pre-round Skills Challenge. This event featured a delicate pitch on the 6 ft / 3ft circle. I couldn’t resist utilizing the courses beautiful practice facilities Thanks GKers rgm2525, GDR23 and Barkydog1 for the assistance.

What started as a chilly morning following a light shower, turned into a beautiful, partly cloudy day. The course was in excellent very challenging playing condition. The rough was thick, 2 to 3 inches primary / 4 to 8 inches of secondary. Balls off the fairway commonly required extra searching and at times some luck to find. According to the course staff, the rough is in the process of being cut down but will take a series of cuts to be at the playable height the club is accustomed to. The greens were smooth, mostly firm and medium/fast. The fairways were lush, full coverage and looked beautiful. The sand traps I experienced were groomed containing high quality sand. The tee boxes were level, lush and groomed.

The Oaks Club at Valencia, once TPC Valencia, is a very challenging, hilly, course winding through oak trees. The Oaks Club has many scenic views but also blind shots that can frustrate players. The golf carts do not have GPS so make sure to pack your own or a range finder. In addition, if you’re serious about trying to score well there, unless you know the course very well, study a course map because ball placement on most holes is more important than distance. On the holes I know how to play, I enjoy them very much The holes I don’t, not so much.

If you’re a group play organizer, as mentioned above, the course layout presents some challenges for first time groups. However, your group will appreciate the great turf conditions, excellent service, food, views, clubhouse and facilities. Overall, it should still be a very satisfying experience I recommend.

Thanks everyone that comes out to these events!

Teed it up Monday at Sunset Hills CC 3/24 with rgm2525, abbacat and TPROVJ. What a fun day!

Photos + Review
Sunset Hills Country Club , CA
3-24-2025

Teed it up Monday at Sunset Hills CC 3/24 with rgm2525, abbacat (Hi Wendy Kaye) and TPROVJ. What a fun day!

This was my 8th Private Course Outing at Sunset Hills CC since 2022. Our group really enjoys the experience here. The golf course was in excellent condition plus Sunset Hills CC provided a full friendly staff for F & B and bag drop service. Our outing ran very smooth.

Sunset Hills CC is a fun layout requiring very accurate shot making and excellent putting skills. Keep your ball in play, bring a decent short game, you'll score decent. Try to over power the layout, you might shave a stroke or two, but more likely you'll give them back or take a big number. My big loose swing make every round an adventure yet I find myself wanting to play it again and again. I'm not alone, Sunset Hills CC has one of the highest repeat play participation in our group's rotation.

Besides limited practice facilities, the facility lacks a full-size driving range instead having a short game area with hitting nets plus a few 150 yards limit driving range stalls, Sunset Hills CC has got all the other amenities and services. I see a lot of families memebers here.

Thank you, Molly Dunn, Membership Director, for the surprise welcome of coffee and donuts! See photo. It made a great impression with our group!

Greenskeeper.org very much appreciates Sunset Hills CC having us out in collaboration with Vivid Golf for these events.

Be on the look out for them. We got more coming here in 2025!

I ran my second Private Course GK / Vivid Golf outing at Santa Maria CC assisted by rgm2525 and paired up with GKers ag2000 and RRDenn last week. We caught a gorgeous Wednesday afternoon on the central CA coast with exceptional course conditions. The greens were smooth, medium speed and held shots. Fairways lush, green, full coverage. Rough lush, dark green, only 3 to 4 inches but the ball always sat down making it challenging. The bunkers were well maintained, white good texture quality sand and groomed. Tee boxes we’re level in excellent shape as well.

FUN FACT – Santa Maria Country Club was established in 1921 making it one of the oldest clubs in the same location in Southern California. When you play it, the old majestic trees look very cool and come into play!

It’s a pleasure working with the staff at Santa Maria CC to put on these 50 – 80 player events. Everyone who I came in contact at the club, including their members, was very friendly. I’m putting Santa Maria CC on our event calendar for Spring 2026.

We have some Santa Maria CC members play in our Ventura County events. 3 weeks ago, I asked one of them how the course looked, they said it’s in fantastic shape, they were right. Thank you everyone for coming to these events. I love seeing GKers at them and teeing it up. I’m in the process of bringing GK Plays back. I miss them too. Maybe we have one here to bring together GKers in CA.

Check Out My Photos Posted!

Highly Recommended

I ran my lucky #7 outing at Dove Canyon Golf Club Monday and man did we luck out with the weather system deciding to come a day later than the original forecast. The day was beautiful and perfectly timed as it was the debut of the Vivid Golf tent, soon to be the Vivid Golf Fun Tent at our future private course outings and GK events. Rgm2323 and I drove down from Chatsworth, leaving at 5:30am, popped into McDonalds for quick breakfast ($16? what? – my delicious signature Nicklaus wrap at the club was only $7.5), arriving at 7:30am with no traffic. Met up with Itslikeimsayin to do some video for Vivid Golf’s new Rumble Speaker while rgm2525 and sparky14 took on a full showing 123 players check-in. Thanks!

In the 7 times I’ve play Dove Canyon Golf Club, the greens are always in great shape, the fairways / rough dormant in the Winter / Spring, lush in the Summer / Fall, excellent bunkers and well-maintained tee boxes.

As for the layout, Mr. Nicklaus nailed it with this one. It’s one of the few Jack Nicklaus Signature Courses in Southern California and it’s a blast to play. I put its back-9 in my top 10 I’ve played in SoCal.

From an outing organizer’s perspective, the service is top-notch, the facilities gorgeous, exceptional driving range, delicious food (Jack’s Grill), stunning views and again a golf course our group very much enjoys playing.

Thank you everyone that plays in Greenskeeper.org events! :)

I have to start this review by saying, I’ve been organizing multiple events at the Spanish Hills Club since 2022, what was already a great experience is now an expectational experience from event organizer/player's experience. I run 100+ players events and all my outings at this club have been sell outs. If you’re an event organizer, or just someone considering joining or playing at the club, read these reviews (and mine below), check out the photos posted. On the right side our Spanish Hills Club page, I have their current Golf Outings/Events contact.

Teed it up on Monday, 3/3 with GKer rgm2525, Bob and Pat. The course is in super shape, greens smooth, holding shots running medium/fast. Fairways, full lush coverage, firm with the ball sitting up. Rough, full lush coverage, already coming out dormancy is mostly green and beautiful. The rough cut down this time of year but come Summer, it gets thick. Tee boxes, level, lush and again well groomed.

From an organizer’s perspective on the event day, the cart staging area is fantastic as is their staff in assisting. There is a short walk down to the range and lower grill (food is delicious). They also provide a shuttle going back and forth for convenience. The recently renovated clubhouse and facilities are grand. Our players always feel like they are having a special experience.

On a clear day at the Spanish Hills Club, I always marvel at the stunning views. Check out the photos I just posted.

Thank you EVERYONE that comes out to my Greenskeeper.org Private Course Events in collaboration with Vivid Golf (owned by Golf Moose). Love seeing GKers attend these :)

Another great time at Bear Creek Golf Club on January 27th. Played with GDR23, barkydog and friend Brian from Vivid Golf/Golf Moose.

We lucked out with our location and weather in that the majority of SoCal was trenched the night before but Murrieta, although cold and damp, presented us a rain free day and beautiful golf course. I’ve played Bear Creek Golf Club now 5 times with this being the first time the fairways were overseeded for the winter. I enjoyed playing the dormant (still full coverage) bermunda turf winter fairways but loved playing the overseeded fairways instead (its my understanding BCGC will be overseeding in coming years as well for the winter). Although the ball did not roll out as much now, making the course longer, the ball sat up better. Best of all, it was the first time seeing the course with the dormant rough defining the overseeded fairways. Check out the photos I posted!

The greens were fast, smooth and loaded with tournament pin locations. ONE DAY I will have good putting round at The Bear, Monday was NOT the day. Wow, were those greens tough to read BUT A BLAST to play.

The bunkers were gorgeous. White, well maintained, perfect consistent medium/solf texture from hole to hole (can you tell I'm a bogey golfer/bunker connoisseur).

Its a pleasure running outings at Bear Creek GC. The staging area for 80 players max shotgun events keeps all your players nearby. The driving range (grass), practice putting, practice sand/pitching and clubhouse make it easy for our players to enjoy the experience. The Bear Creek GC staff are great to work with from reserving your event to the day of play and follow up.

Thank you everyone that comes to these events!

Monday 1/13 at The Saticoy Club was our 58th Private Course Outing since I started these events in Southern California in 2021. For The Saticoy Club, it was their 9th time hosting our group and we can’t appreciate them enough. It’s a spectacular, challenging, beautiful LPGA Tour golf course. The event service, facilities and food are excellent. Every year we pick a special course to host our Day After The Masters Event, this year, as in previous years, it will be at The Saticoy Club.

Conditions on Monday were superb given our current 6+ months drought and November’s “Mountain Fire” that burned right up to edge of the course. Greens were fast and smooth. Fairways provided full dormant bermunda grass coverage. The lies were a little tight but consistent with good roll out. The primary rough had full coverage, mostly dormant but still challenging. Tee boxes were in great shape, we played the blue tees, lush, tight, some divot damage so not pristine, but solid.

We’ve played the Saticoy Club mostly on perfect weather days, once in the fog, some windy days but never with 20 to 40 mph winds. Once out on the course, I was happy to find many holes on the course protected by hillsides and large trees from the strong winds.

I highly recommend playing or joining this “players” club. Try not to ever miss an opportunity to experience an invite or event here. Check out the photos I posted.

Awesome time teeing it up with GKers rgm2525, mark_6m and GDR23. Thanks everyone that came and comes out to these events. You can find more information about these events on the GK Events page. Top right corner link.