Whenever I need to reaffirm that golf is not simply out to humiliate me everyday, going to Alhambra usually helps me get back to center. It is a bit of high-handicapper paradise. I personally think it... Continue »

Whenever I need to reaffirm that golf is not simply out to humiliate me everyday, going to Alhambra usually helps me get back to center. It is a bit of high-handicapper paradise. I personally think it's a bit more difficult than the GK rating for the blue tees give it, but of course it's a very short course outside of a few select holes. I still find it challenging and easy to get into some high numbers if not careful, but for some reason it agrees with me - and in more ways than one. The walking price is great ($36 on a Sat), and the conditions are really excellent. It was the first time for two new golf friends to play it, and they came away very impressed with how green the course is, how much attention the staff puts into the little things on the course, and its overall playability. Current conditions are very good. Greens are not super fast but very straight on the roll and soft enough to cradle most decent shots. There are a few tough pins, but it's generally a good place to go low. The fairways look great - better than some country clubs I've been reading about here lately. Tee boxes are good, sand is also in pretty good shape. Rough can be quite thick in areas as a defense against the lack of length - keep it straight. Staff at Alhambra all around is one of the best I've ever experienced on a regular basis. Every last one looks pretty happy to be there working and seems genuinely concerned about customers having a fine experience. A lot of other courses could learn from them in that regard. And next time I will remember to take pictures as I'm surprised to find only 3 currently up on GK. This place looks great right now and folks should see that.

I've been to Alhambra much more than usual lately and probably wouldn't have gone yesterday, 12.13, but the circumstances surrounding a round with my wife, a friend of mine, and his girlfriend, made i... Continue »

I've been to Alhambra much more than usual lately and probably wouldn't have gone yesterday, 12.13, but the circumstances surrounding a round with my wife, a friend of mine, and his girlfriend, made it the best choice for the occasion. Wife had a cold and couldn't make it, but the three of us played on. I wrote an extensive review as recently as 11.23, so I'm pointing you there as a base and just adding a bit here. Fairways are winter conditions with generally decent, but sometimes tight, lies, and a lot of runout. Makes a short course play even shorter and more forgiving as long as the shot is on line (good for our group on the day). They are doing a good job of marking undesirable patches as GUR, so I think that helps increase the likelihood that you will be playing from a decent lie. Greens are very good right now — quick enough to demand your attention but not crazy, and the surfaces are in nice shape. Pace was generally steady, but slower than I've typically experienced lately at a bit over 4.5 hours. It filled the bill and my friends, who had never seen the course, enjoyed it very much.

Back to my stomping ground at Alhambra. As usual, check in was easy and staff friendly.

Greens were a bit slower than usual but still one of the best in the area. And considering the price poi... Continue »

Back to my stomping ground at Alhambra. As usual, check in was easy and staff friendly.

Greens were a bit slower than usual but still one of the best in the area. And considering the price point, cannot be beat. Bunkers decent, mostly heavier sand. Few GUR marked off.

pace was a bit slow with some groups falling behind a hole. finished in close to 5 hours with recommended pace of 4 hours for the course. Marshall was seen sitting at hole 15 (par3) not really doing anything.

nice little course and sure to be back.

Went down as a single for a 11:22 tee time Sunday morning, 11-22 (just noticed that interesting bit of numerical symmetry). On the first tee they sent out another single and we played the round as a t... Continue »

Went down as a single for a 11:22 tee time Sunday morning, 11-22 (just noticed that interesting bit of numerical symmetry). On the first tee they sent out another single and we played the round as a twosome. I had booked a discounted fee on their site that included a cart. I declined the cart and they were nice enough to knock that off and I walked for $21. Same thing happened the previous week. According to the starter, the last group ahead of us was about an hour out, so we had nothing in front of us for nine holes. Conditions-wise, tee boxes are generally well covered and flat, with a few having a bit more divot damage. The fairways are suffering a bit from the season and the dry warm air. The staff is marking most of the bare areas, but there are still some they haven't marked. There is a good bit of runout and in most cases the lie won't be as lush as just a couple of weeks ago. But you will more often have coverage and a decent lie, if sometimes a little tight. I was generally fine with it. Bunkers I visited were on the firm side and the rough is a mixed bag, but generally not overly penal. I want to focus on the greens, because I think they are in good shape, pretty challenging and will sneak up on you. They are fairly (sometimes surprisingly) quick, with some subtle breaks beyond the obvious ones. Getting above/beside the hole can be tricky because even on a short putt, a light touch can mean a ball that takes a last-second, unexpected turn, while a slightly more authoritative stroke that misses will roll out, leaving you a real tester coming back. You can start getting a little twitchy after a while and it's the course's subtle way of providing more defense than initially seems. We caught an unexpected five-some at the turn and they let us pass on the par-3 11th. We again had open course in front of us and finished the round in about 3.5 hours. The staff here are always very cool. On a beautiful, warm, cloudless, still day, it was a nice, relaxing, stress-free round. It may not seem like a "big boy" course, but there is enough going on here to challenge most people and keep their interest—certainly as a change of pace. Enjoy.

I hit Alhambra today, Sunday 11.8, around 10 am and got out immediately with another single. Not to make a habit of it, but once again someone has written what I consider a very good and accurate revi... Continue »

I hit Alhambra today, Sunday 11.8, around 10 am and got out immediately with another single. Not to make a habit of it, but once again someone has written what I consider a very good and accurate review after playing just yesterday (roarksown1), so I'm going to point you to it (about one page back) and just add a couple of comments. On a beautiful, cloudless, almost windless day, the pace was just right for us at just under four hours. The tee boxes were in their normal spots, vs. the forward push reported on Saturday, and so were maybe a little better experience for me condition wise. Otherwise, I'm in complete agreement with the other review, right down to the quick greens and seeing the cart girl once on the back nine. Kinda spooky, actually.

Back to Alhambra today w/GKer Mattias and two other friends. Played the blues for $36 walking. Apparently the 'cold' temps kept the crowds away. 8:18 tee time and we had the course to ourselves until ... Continue »

Back to Alhambra today w/GKer Mattias and two other friends. Played the blues for $36 walking. Apparently the 'cold' temps kept the crowds away. 8:18 tee time and we had the course to ourselves until the 13th or so. Full round in just over 4 and a bit. This course gets a low difficulty rating because it's not long, but that's a bit unfair. There is plenty of trouble to get into in terms of water, elevations and OB that can eat your ball supply, and tree-lined narrow fairways. But if you're hitting fairly straight, you'll have a good round. Greens are fully healed from aeration and pristine. Rolling fast too, but holding shots well. None of our foursome had good days putting trying to get the speed down. Greens have plenty of slope to them as well. Fairway coverage not as thorough as last visit, but still plenty good. GUR areas well marked. Tee boxes a bit chewed up (tees were moved good bit forward) and could be more level. Sand was okay - not bad, not great. And the rough is pretty consistent - not too penal or thick (had many GIRs despite poor play off the tee). Saw cart girl once on back 9, but maintenance guy said many folks cancelled. Staff is very nice - seem to appreciate every guest. And good little restaurant post round. Played pretty well matching last visit's 84, but far too many putts! Alhambra once again does not disappoint as long as you realize it's a shorter course that is great for your short game as you'll be hitting between 60-100 yard second shots much of the day.

Have you always wondered what it would be like to play a course from the red or junior tees without anyone looking down at you? Wanna know what it feels like to be Bubba Watson at the local muni? Co... Continue »

Have you always wondered what it would be like to play a course from the red or junior tees without anyone looking down at you? Wanna know what it feels like to be Bubba Watson at the local muni? Come to Alhambra. I hadn't played Alhambra in many years and thought I'd see how it felt now - compared to then. I felt like a baller. The tee boxes were being overseeded so even the short blue tees were playing up a little on many holes. With 6 par 4's less than 300 yards I was able to be hole high or further with my drive twice.

As I strutted around the course I noticed that it was a fairly pretty course and soon I came to the conclusion the whoever is in charge of this course seem to actually CARE about it. Everthing is nicer than you would expect for the price. The grass coverage, the bathrooms, the fact that there is marked 'ground under repair' out on the course. Impressive.

Sure, there are bare patches out there but less so in places that are annoying. The fairways were nice but the ground was so soft that a shot hit fat wasn't going anywhere. The greens were too slow for my preference but in good shape. I would imagine PoP is very dependent on who is in front of you. It's a short hitter/hacker course by it's design - so expect the like out there. Teed off at 10 and played the first 6 holes as fast as desired but then waited a bit after that for a close to 4 hour round.

It was a fun ride but I'm not sure I need to feel like Gulliver playing the Lilliput Country Club on a regular basis.

Another one of those courses I played once and vowed always to return, that day finally came today for Alhambra. I had played it early in my now three-year golf career and remember that while not a lo... Continue »

Another one of those courses I played once and vowed always to return, that day finally came today for Alhambra. I had played it early in my now three-year golf career and remember that while not a long course, it offered up plenty of challenges for me in terms of hazards/water, elevations (mostly on the back 9) and some narrow alleys off the tee. After looking online briefly Sunday morning, found a $36 deal walking and convinced my buddy it was worth the drive. I remembered Alhambra being in very nice condition a while back, and was not disappointed today in the least. The greens had recently been punched but have recovered well and are in fine shape - looking very good, but not super fast. Maybe even a tiny bit spongy? Either way, one adjusts quickly and enjoys them. The fairways for the most part are in very good shape, although I strangely found some dirt patches like 2-3 times, but that is in no way indicative of the general conditions. The tee boxes on the par 3s are chewed up pretty good, but that may just be after a busy weekend. Ended up in two traps and both looked more hardpan than they actually played. Rough was pretty uniform around the track - stay out of it as it's pretty thick and challenging to play out of mostly. It was a hot day and there were not enough water stations around the course (and 2-3 of the water fountains were out of order), but did see the cart girl a few times. Weird part of that? Was dying for a nice Coca-Cola out there but they only had Pepsi Maxx? Huh? Oh well. POP was just over 4 hours and should have been better but the foursome in front of my twosome (playing from the blues) had two guys who were fairly terrible and took a lot of time navigating the course. Service at the front desk was personable, professional and fast - ideal. As for me, I had a very good outing from a personal standpoint - in fact, one of my better days on a regulation course (although I do recognize it's a bit Los Amigos-esque in length). I bettered my original 102 here almost two years ago by 18 strokes - shot an 84 going 6 over on both 9s - happy about that. Course is really nice, a great value and should certainly be considered if you've never played it before and want a manageable, yet very well maintained track.

I don't play Alhambra too often and hadn't been there in about nine months, but my swing has been trending better lately and I was in the mood to play an easier, low key track for some repetition and ... Continue »

I don't play Alhambra too often and hadn't been there in about nine months, but my swing has been trending better lately and I was in the mood to play an easier, low key track for some repetition and positive reinforcement. I went down Saturday, 10/3, around 1:20 and got out right away as a single, with a single out ahead of me. I had checked GK first, of course, and knew the greens were just a bit under two weeks clear of aeration but, since my attitude was kind of casual, figured I'd check it out. As it turns out the greens were quite playable. The punch holes and pattern were still visible, pitch marks came up a little sandy, and there could be some visible bounciness on longer putts, but they were very receptive to approach shots, ran at a medium pace and held their lines pretty well. In a week they should be in very nice shape, but having modest expectations, I was pretty happy with them on the day and can't attribute any missed putts to the surface. Otherwise, the course conditions were pretty good. Tee boxes generally level with good coverage. I don't know if it's a newer addition, but the monuments on the tee boxes all have the center-of-the-green yardage painted on them, which is really handy for calculating your distances and club choices. Fairways were generally consistent with coverage and good lies—more lush than the last time I played—perhaps surprisingly so in a drought. There were numerous small areas scattered about the course that had issues, but pretty consistently marked as GUR, so their crew seemed to be on top of the situation and you weren't penalized if it came into play for you. As it was, I never ended up dealing with any of them. Never hit a bunker but they looked OK. Rough here varies but is generally not very penal. The single ahead of me joined up with the twosome ahead of him, with groups strung out ahead of them. I kept a casual pace playing alone, didn't really have to wait much or that often, and I'd guess it was a 3.5 to 4-ish hour round (not sure). No cart service, but the crew in the pro shop are consistently friendly and professional. They gave me the 2:00 twilight rate early without my asking. It's a pleasant, well run little muni and, while I'm not here often, it is an enjoyable change of pace. It happened to be exactly the experience I was looking for on the day.