Played Walter Hall yesterday morning walking as a single with 2 other walking singles, and finished in about 4 hours. Conditions were a bit better than I expected, the dry weather lately meant not nearly as much mud as I thought there would be. Greens were firm and fast, but a bit on the bumpy side. Fairways had a bit more roll which was nice, although they did look a bit thin in spots. Rough was very good, and the one greenside bunker I found was nice to play out of. Tee boxes could use a little work, lots of divots and a few weren't very level. Overall a decent experience for muni golf.

Played The Home Course this morning, and had a very good experience as always. Started an hour late from my tee time due to a frost delay, but once out on the course the weather was absolutely perfect for a March day here in the north west. Pace of play was very good as they had us start as a shotgun, with my buddy and I walking with a single riding starting as the first group off of #1. Pace was great as no one was in front of us and the group behind lagged a bit, at least until we got to #15 (which is pretty close to the clubhouse) where they were sending off groups. For those last 4 holes we did have to wait on every shot, but the first 14 holes were so perfect I really can't complain.

Greens rolled very good for the late winter/early spring here, faster than most public places with the occasional bump. As the temperature went up, so did their speed. I happened to be striking the ball really well, so every shot in held very well, and I was very happy to not find any unrepaired ball marks when I arrived to each green. I was also fortunate enough to not find any bunkers, so I can't comment on their condition. A couple of them are being redone and are marked as ground under repair, I would imagine once that's finished they'll be just fine.

Fairways on the front nine, and the first few holes on the back, were actually even better than I expected. They're always firm with lots of roll, but at times a little thin. This morning they were just about perfect, up until #15. From then on they were thin, and a bit sandy as well as it seemed like a bit of maintenance was being done. I think finding the rough on #17 was better than being on the fairway as the rough here is pretty short, and not too much of a penalty. Tee boxes were very good, on the par 3's the markers had been moved away from any divot damage so there were no issues whatsoever.

As always, The Home Course is worth the drive for me to get there. I wish I had a little more time today, as they have opened up a restaurant and I've yet to be able to try it. For the longest time this place has had nothing but a trailer for a golf shop and a great course, hopefully the next time I'm down I'll be able to sample the other amenities they're getting around to adding.

Played Willows this morning, walking as a two some teeing off as the second group out behind a walking 3. They let us through at #9, after we'd done a fair bit of waiting, and the pace after that was very quick. We probably got around in about 3:15. Conditions were very tough, a pretty good bit of wind, rain off and on, after a week of pretty steady rain, making for a course that plays a lot longer than the yardage would indicate. They're dong a composite of the 2 courses right now in order to keep play off of the holes that are the worst with the wet weather, and I think that's smart of them. It was this way last week, and the guys in the shop said it would be this way for at least the next 2 weeks. You'll play 1-11 of Eagle's Talon, and then play Coyote Creek's 3-9. Par still ends up at 72, and while it isn't perfect design-wise, it is functional.

Greens are very soft and very slow, yet still somehow kind of decent. They'll hold absolutely anything, a low bullet of hybrid will have 1 hop and stop, even a semi-bladed chip won't go all the way through the green. Fairways are very messy, rough is long and lush, and if it weren't for the bright yellow srixon I'd have probably lost a few from them getting plugged while in play. Hitting from the bunkers was actually kind of fun, as long as you were at least a hundred yards away because they're so compact its just like hitting off of a driving range mat. Granted, 3/4 of each bunker had about a foot of standing water, so you had to fish your ball out of a small pond in order to hit that fun shot. Green side they were just brutal. Tee boxes were passable, usually the worst part of playing here but today they didn't seem so bad since it was so sloppy with the rain everywhere else.

Overall, it was a very tough round, but I would have regretted spending the morning on the couch. Its been so wet up here for the last few weeks I can't imagine conditions being very good anywhere, so playing at the course around the corner from home will definitely get it done.

Visiting family for Thanksgiving this week, and I managed to sneak away for a round this morning on the Mountain course at Angel Park. I teed off a few minutes ahead of the 7:30 am tee time I had made, and got around with 2 other singles in right about 4 hours, never waiting on the group in front and never being pushed by the single behind us. I liked the layout a lot, with a good mix of long and short holes that fit my game playing from the blue tees. Conditions seemed a bit mixed though, greens rolled pretty good, although I saw way too many unrepaired pitch marks. They were firm, and on the quick side to me, with a decent amount of break. Fairways were ok, rough was good, and the one fairway bunker I found wasn't difficult to play from. I feel that the tee boxes however were very bad, most of them were very patchy, and never anything you could call lush. Customer service in the shop was very good, and the starter was very nice as well. I paid the rack rate, and while I could see how at times it might be worth that, I feel the conditions just weren't quite there for that price. I certainly don't regret playing there, but I would imagine one could do just a little bit better.

Walked Eagle's Talon with a friend this morning, teeing off as a twosome, as the second group out behind a foursome in carts. Pace was pretty good, we waited on the guys in front of us a few times, but never for long and we got around in about 3:45. Course was in very good shape, considering it had rained very hard right up until about an hour before we teed off. Greens were very soft, a bit bumpy, and holding just about anything with very little release. They putted fairly slow, but considering the weather they were not too bad. Fairways of course didn't offer a whole lot of roll, but balls didn't plug as often as expected, and most have decent grass to hit off of. Tee boxes are still sketchy here, and bunkers were pretty miserable with all the rain. Having the winter card gets me a rate of just over $30 walking, and I feel that's a decent enough price for what you'll get. It's about the same as you'll pay anywhere else, and I feel the conditions are slightly better.

Teed it up in a Men's club event this morning at Legion and enjoyed the round very much. Tee to green the place is very solid, good fairways and rough, decent tee boxes. Found 2 traps that were a little thin, which didn't bother me when I was 100 yds out from the green, but I would have liked a little more sand in the green side one at #16. Greens rolled ok, a few bumps here and there at a medium pace, and holding shots pretty well. Pace of play was solid as well, our foursome (2 walking, 2 riding) got around in 4 hours on the dot, waiting maybe 2 or 3 times for no more than a minute or 2. As always, I had a pretty good time at Legion.

Played Bellevue yesterday morning (8/19/17, 7:00 am tee time) with a friend, and found the place to be pretty reasonable. Greens had a few bumps, but not nearly as many as I expected. They were pretty soft, and accepted most any shot. Pace was medium, not too fast and not super slow either. Elsewhere the course is pretty hit and miss, fairways and rough were ok, some tee boxes horrible with others decent. I found 1 greenside bunker, and it had good, heavy sand. Sadly, even though there were 2 rakes right next to it there was an awful lot of footprints. Pace of play was shockingly good, my friend and I walked it with another 2 in a cart and got around in about 3:45. We played here since I didn't have a lot of time, and it fit the bill. I wouldn't go out of your way for it, but since its right around the corner from where I live, it was worth it.

Walked on yesterday morning (Saturday, 8/12/17) as a single, was grouped with a three some and teed off at 6:30. Played at a very nice pace, finishing the round in just under four hours. Greens were pretty good, they looked like they would be a bit bumpy but actually rolled decently. Medium to quick pace, and holding solidly struck shots. Fairways weren't very consistent, there were lots of dry spots like you would expect with the lack of rain recently, but some places were actually very muddy and wet. In general I had no trouble playing from them and always had a pretty good lie. Rough was very lush, quite long and definitely penalizing. They are definitely giving the course plenty of water. I found the greenside bunker short of #8, and it was quite thin. Seeing as I've played here a lot, I was ready for that as I've never seen that bunker have a decent amount of sand. Tee boxes remain the weakest part of the course, very rarely are they level. While there are some shortcomings with the place, it was a decent experience.

Teed off at Walter Hall this morning at 7:07, right on time with our tee time. My buddy and I were joined by a single, and we walked the course in just under 4 hours, it seemed. Conditions were pretty solid, fairways and rough really nice, and the greens a bit better than I remember them being in the past. They would hold a solidly struck shot, and rolled reasonably well, with the occasional bump. I didn't find any bunkers, but they looked ok. If there's one area that could be improved, it would be the tee boxes. Divot damage wasn't too bad, but many of them are just not very flat. There's nothing here that'll make you say "wow", but overall, the combination of conditions and price make it worth the trip.

Walked Willows Run Eagle this morning while taking a day off of work. Considering how absolutely miserable this past winter has been here in the northwest, the course is in pretty reasonable shape. Fairways and rough are a bit shaggy, and very wet, but it has been raining non stop for the last week or so it seems, so its pretty hard to complain about it. The same for the bunkers, lots of them are little ponds now but I can't see how there's too much the crew can do about it. Tee boxes are decent, some of the worst offenders are closed now and being rebuilt, I would guess that by the summer they'll be very nice. Greens remain pretty good, although a couple seemed to be in need of a little love. Seeing as how there was a break in the rain, and I had the place all to myself, it was a very nice way to spend the morning.

Played Bellevue this morning, teeing off right on time at 6:15 walking with 2 others. Conditions here are pretty bad right now, the greens have lots of dead spots, and bounce all over the place. Fairways, rough, and tee boxes are a little bit better, but not by a lot. I found 2 greenside bunkers, and they were reasonable. I find myself playing here often as it is close to home, and today I just didn't have the time to travel somewhere. At the same time, $40 to walk it is too much for the current state of the place. I think I'll have to stay away for the rest of the year, and hope it improves some next season.

Played West Seattle yesterday morning (7/31/16) and had a very enjoyable time. Our foursome (3 walking, 1 riding) teed off a few minutes past our 7:07 tee time, and played the blues in a little bit over 4 hours. There was a wait here and there, but nothing too bad at all. Conditions were solid across the board, but the highlight was the greens. They all rolled very nicely, quite true and consistent at a medium to quick pace. It did take a few holes to get used to them, as the larger of their 2 practice greens (the one that I used for quite a while before the round) was a little bit slower than the course. Well struck shots held, but anything else would release a bit. All other areas, fairways, rough, tees, and traps, were good as well. A couple of my playing partners complained that the traps were thin, but the 3 that I found (1 fairway, 2 greenside) were quite consistent, with soft heavy sand that behaved how I would expect. Of all of the Premier managed municipals here in the Seattle area, I think West Seattle's been the best this season.