Played on Wednesday, October 8 around 9:00 am. POP was around 4.5 hours. Not great but not unexpected either. Busy day but the staff was courteous.

The course is in better shape. It is getting more water and the fairways were greened up. Nice to see. They were placing new sand in the green side bunker as we finished #9 and we noticed there was new sand at #18 also. The greens were good. Fast side of medium. Overall, the course is improved over what it has been for the last few months.

I am cautiously optimistic that the course is coming back to where it should be. I had a good time.

Played Sunday, October 5, around 7:00 am. Started late after they put a gap group in front of us and they were a hole behind after one hole. About the 5th hole though, they took off and started playing at a good pace. It was like a tag team and a group that had an interest in pace substituted in. Ended up being a 4 hour pace. Snack shack was open when I we went by after the 2nd hole, nice to see as it was not open early the last couple of times I played here. I made sure to buy something when we made the turn to give positive reinforcement for the good behavior.

I knew from Greenskeeper that they had punched the greens on Monday and Tuesday. It was a heavy punch. Interestingly, the greens were still pretty firm. Lots of hops and change of direction to the putts. I thought they were faster than the practice green. The fairways were pretty tight, almost winter like condition with some bare spots (looking at you #16). There is quite a bit of lush rough but also some areas with bare spots. I had a couple of nasty lies, on dirt between clumps of grass. The bunkers were also a mixed bag including several that had insufficient sand. I was in one fairway bunker (#13) where a heavy rake job left me with a teed up lie. I lost no yardage on the shot, ending up in the back bunker that had less sand than the fairway one. At least this time here I did not end up near one of the crazy steep edges they bunkers have (last time here I had to play a bunker shot on my knees outside the bunker, lunging down at the ball). The tees were lush and level.

Overall, not as good tee to green as I have seen it and the aerated greens are what you would expect from the large punch. I enjoy Lakewood but I may delay my return until the greens heal.

Played Sky Creek on Saturday, September 27 about 8:40m am. A Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed course in a DFW suburb, it was recommended to me earlier this year by some guys I played with at another area course. Pricey, but I walked away thinking that the course was worth the $135 rack rate ($146 with tax). Rode with a threesome, father, son and son-in-law. Fun group. Nice service throughout. The starter's area had snacks and a water station. The GPS in the gas powered carts notified us several times we were falling behind (sad but true) and there was a marshal looming at times but not interacting as we were obviously trying to catch up. 4.5 hours POP.

The course is beautiful. Hard to believe it is in a densely populated area. There are some homes around it but they are set well back and for the most part unobtrusive. There are creeks and gullies throughout and a lake near the clubhouse holes. The first hole was about 385 yards from the green tees we played (6367 yards) with a gully about 240 yards out, so a lay up for me. At least a couple of par fives required a lay up including one I hit a great drive but was left with about 205 yards of complete carry to a forward pin tucked into an area on the brink of the gully. Many of the greens were raised with punitive drop offs to the sides. There were also small areas where pins were placed requiring risk/reward decisions on approach shots. I really appreciated the lay out.

The course was well conditioned especially considering the amount of play it gets. Bermuda rough and fairways were generally lush. The rough was thick enough to be punitive but we did not lose any balls in it. The sand was generally good although of the three I was in, two were had firm, really nice hitting surfaces that were representative of the other bunkers while the other in the green side bunker on 18 was loose and almost beach sand in consistency. The greens were really nice although they were tough for this out of stater to read. Tough putting day. Quite a few birdie looks with only pars to show for it. Down grain they were running about 11. There were some dirt, hard pan areas under the trees and in the rough.

The course is well worth a try if you are in the area and looking for an upscale course. There are nice courses faround here that cost less but I think Sky Creek provides value for the rate. I plan to play it again when back in the area.

Played on Tuesday, the 16th, around 8:30 am. Rode from the blue tees as a single behind a couple of foursomes of ladies. The group in front of me had some difficulties and it seemed really slow but the POP ended up being around 4:10.

The conditions were pretty much the same as last time except they were aerating the fairways on the back nine and I assume were going to do the ones on the front also. I did not see the Local Rule at the clubhouse saying lift, clean and place and I had some mud on my ball a couple of times from the work. I did lift and place on 18 after ending up in an aeration hole on the drive.

Really nice to get out here again. Just beautiful. My wife and I had lunch at the cafe on Wednesday. My wife commented on how good the food was for a golf course diner. The crowd was evenly split between golfers and locals stopping for a bite to eat. Another reason to recommend the course!

Played Tuesday, September 9, around 7:30 am. We started on time and played in 3:55, nice pace. Sometime I am going to remember that the driving range is closed on Tuesday am. I had to work out my issues on the course, which did not help my score. Professional starter who dealt expeditiously with an issue on the first tee. The snack stand was not open when we went to #3 but it was open around 9:30 am when we made the turn.

The course is in pretty good shape. The fairways were shaggy. I had to laugh on 14 when I tried to figure out if I was in the fairway because I realized I had not been in the fairway much before that so I did not have much frame of reference. The answer was, yes, but the grass was so long it was not easy to be sure. I think it was more shaggy on the back nine than the front. The rough was lush and definitely a factor. I was in the sand a bunch and they were a mixed bag. Thin mud in at least one and nice sand in a couple of others. The tees were good. The greens were good also although I have seen them better. Certainly they can be faster, they were medium or a little faster as the day got hotter. They were also hand watering them so that may be a reason they were slower than expected.

Overall, I have seen it better but I have also played on worse lately. I had a good time and will be back.

Played Tuesday, 9/2, the first group after the Ladies Club. Teed off right on time at 10:40 am and nice place of play on the front nine, making the turn in 1:55. Back nine not so much, ending up playing in 4:35. No cart service. The cafe was doing a good business.

The course is in poor shape right now. Huge areas of fairways that are not getting water. Big roll on drives was the only thing good about it. The rough is pretty non-existent and not a good hitting surface. It also allows balls to roll off the slanted fairways and into the dirt areas under trees. Around the greens and the greens themselves are good. Tee boxes were fine. Sand was okay. Overall, not great.

Nice weather and great views but the course is definitely not ready for a close-up.

Played again on Friday, July 25, teeing off before 8:00 am. I played with two older gentlemen from June Lake and a single from the LA area, all riding. Nice congenial group. We played in about 4:15 although it felt longer. I walked playing from the blue tees.

The conditions were the same except they had rolled the greens and they were fantastic. Fast and true. I played out of bunkers on ## 1 and 2, wet dirt both times. Not much dirt on the first I should add. I was in a bunker on #15 with new nice sand. An excellent surface to hit from. Hopefully they will complete improving them soon.

I bought bug spray before my round on Wednesday and did not need it. On Friday, I had to spray myself on #5 after seeing one mosquito on my arm and others hovering nearby. The back nine is usually worse for them so I appreciated the early warning!

The course is well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Played this morning at about 8:15 am after walking up about 7:45. Arnie in the pro shop came out to the putting green and directed me to join two other guys. Great, professional customer service as usual. It was fairly slow out there with a 4:20 POP. Nice time though with a couple of locals. $55 to walk. Nice to walk the course again, I had not done so since I stopped carrying my bag about 12 years ago. The course is flat and the weather cooperated for a really good experience.

The course is in nice mid-summer shape. There are some bare spots in the fairways. Generally, though, the fairways and rough are very nice. We did not lose any balls in the rough because it was cut too low for that to happen but it was a factor. The sand traps I was in were pretty good. They had new sand in a few but I was not in any of them. The tees had the same crowning issues and on one par 3 the tee markers were set up on a down slope which made no sense. I had to go back a club or two length to get a good lie. The greens were great, nice fast pace and rolling really nicely. They looked beautiful too. Really a pleasure to play on.

Great to get out here again. Best of all, the mosquitoes are not out in force yet considering it is still cool in the mornings. Recommend highly.

Walked the blue tees on Sunday, July 6, teeing off just before 7:00 am. POP was okay at 4:15. Nice service throughout except the halfway house was closed when we passed it at about 9:30 am. The cafe was packed when we went in for a beer after the round.

They were working on several of the tees. All three tee markers were well forward on those holes. I recall #s 3, 4 and 16 were like that. Nos. 4 and 16 were playing as very short par 4s, less than 300 yards.

The course is in good shape. There are still more gopher and ground squirrel holes than one can count in the outer edges of the rough or beyond, but the fairways were lush as was the rough in most spots. We had to search hard for balls on several occasions. The sand was decent too the couple of times I was in bunkers. The greens were great, getting faster as the round progressed and rolling really nice. The practice green (only the one closer to Harding in front of the clubhouse was open) was lousy, furry and slow with footprints evident. I blame my three putt on the first hole on that (ignoring you cannot be above the hole on that green). The tee boxes were okay.

This course will likely be back in our rotation once we forget the Dodger traffic and accidents backing up traffic on the way home.

Played Friday just before 7:00 am, walking for $13 with LA City Senior Card. Can't beat the price for nine holes. Seeing fivesomes go out was a little jarring but we played in less than two hours so no complaints with POP.

The course is in pretty good shape. Decent coverage in the fairways and nice coverage in general in the rough. The rough was not very long but it was still a factor. The tees were generally good although the ball was above my feet on a couple of them. The greens were nice. Medium speed and rolling true.

My friends play the course a couple of days a week. I would not make a regular habit of it but the price is right, it's close, and we were done by 9:00. I will likely be out there again this summer.

Played in the Golf Moose/Vivid outing on June 23, playing the blue tees and starting on the 18th hole. Very nice staff at the club from the snack area and pro shop to the courteous grounds crew. It was a well oiled event. Pace of play was slow but not unexpected.

It has been at least 15 years since I last played the course. The greens were much trickier than I remembered. For example, on 18 the pin was in the back of a very long green in a little area sloping generally from front to back. There were several holes with similar positions requiring us to chip over a hump and control the speed to try to stay on the green. On another, the pin was back left and one player went long right. Twice he chipped up about twenty yards and the ball rolled back to his feet. It was a really interesting green. The landing areas were generous but you had to be precise on approach shots. It was a fun layout.

The course is in great shape. It has Bermuda fairways and rough. The Bermuda was as nice as I have seen in Southern California. There are wood chip areas beyond the rough which I found on occasion. The fairways were firm with nice run out. The Bermuda gave a good hitting surface. The rough was thick and not too high but my ball sat up more often than not when I was in it. I liked the sand in the bunkers. Some of the green side bunkers had tall lips which I gratefully avoided. The greens were fast with some subtle breaks.

The course is highly recommended. I can't wait to try it again.

Played here a couple of times in the last week or so, most recently on Monday, June 16. Played early because of the heat. There were people going out when I finished so it was getting some business. Service was good. No starter on the 16th but the guy in the pro shop who was hustling to keeping things going including changing the match ups to smooth out the start. $69 including cart and range.

The course is obviously suffering from the heat (108 to 112 the entire time I was there). There were some bare spots in the fairways and on the greens. That said, I had a good surface to hit from generally and the greens rolled pretty good. They were a little slower on the 16th, medium speed, most likely from the watering they were doing as we played. No rough to speak of, most of the bunkers had enough but not abundant sand, and the tee boxes were okay.

Just a fun course to play. I went back the 16th because most of the courses I looked at on the east side of Phoenix had terrible summer reviews, including slow greens. Las Sendas was no perfect but it was better than the courses I was reading about. I also came back because I really like the layout. A little course knowledge helped also.

I'll come back next time I play in the area because I like the course. Hopefully, they get some relief from the extreme heat and the aeration of the greens helps.