Welcome to my semi-private thread reviewing the conditions at Altadena. Ran over late yesterday, 6/24, and got out for super twilight around 6:30 as a single. Short story is that I've probably never s... Continue »

Welcome to my semi-private thread reviewing the conditions at Altadena. Ran over late yesterday, 6/24, and got out for super twilight around 6:30 as a single. Short story is that I've probably never seen the conditions at Altadena as nice as they were yesterday. The Winter and Spring weather we've had have been extremely kind to our local courses. With the exception of a couple of tee boxes that have some less level sections to them, most teeing grounds were nicely level and all had good grass coverage of appropriate length. Fairways were green, well grown in, and consistently groomed — generally nice lies and they looked good. Rough was also generally well groomed and consistent — usually playable but lush enough to have a little grab to it, occasionally a little deeper. I avoided the bunkers but they are usually OK here, a little on the firm side, sometimes with some pebbles. Greens had a nice, healthy covering that ran at a medium pace. There were occasional, small, peripheral blemishes, but nothing significant. The greens especially looked as healthy as I can recall. For a course that typically is a mixed bag of verdant and burnt out areas, it is the overall impression of consistent green that struck me. I got around briskly with no waiting and enjoyed it very much. As always, probably not a course that merits any kind of pilgrimage, but if you are in the area, it will currently put its best face forward for you and it's worth a look for a casual, local vibe. Natural forces notwithstanding, the current management should get some props for the current state of affairs.

I went over to Altadena for super twilight yesterday for the first time in a while and started out as a single around 3:40. Caught up with a friend in the group ahead to finish as a five-some. The mos... Continue »

I went over to Altadena for super twilight yesterday for the first time in a while and started out as a single around 3:40. Caught up with a friend in the group ahead to finish as a five-some. The most noteworthy aspect of the course is that they have changed the sequence, which I will come back to after a quick recap of conditions. Due to timing, I only played 7 holes total, skipping the current 7th and 8th holes. Overall I'd say conditions are a little wintery but fair. Tee boxes are generally good with coverage. Fairways are predominantly green with good coverage, but the grass can tend to be uneven/lumpy up close, so there will be some variance in the quality of your lie — sitting a little up or just a little down. Things have an underlying moisture so sometimes I got pitch marks where my drives landed rather than rollout. Rough is generally green, reasonably consistent, and not overly long or punitive. I was in one bunker and it was OK to play out of, leaning a little closer to firm than fluffy. The greens were a little mixed — generally quicker than expected with surface quality varying. Most were in decent shape, but a few had distressed surfaces in areas. Overall, the course is serviceable for a casual round at less than full price. The old routing started out with the inner loop holes one through five (a par five) and finished with the perimeter holes, six through nine (the other par five) . They have flipped this so that what used to be the sixth hole is now the first hole and you play the perimeter first, finishing with the inner loop and the former fifth hole par five. I'm not sure what motivated the change, but it makes sense and plays better. The previous first hole (now fifth) is a 453 yd par four that is the #1 rated hole and was a bit of a bear to start with. The current first hole is a 300 yd par four, made somewhat strategic by a well placed fairway bunker — very gettable as a par four and drivable for some. You now generally get a better opportunity to build up some confidence and rhythm before you get to the #1 rated par 4 hole at five position. The par five finishing hole (shorter than the par four rated #1) is a nice opportunity on which to end. While I have only known the routing that was just abandoned, I believe this new routing was used in the past and may have been the original for this iteration of the course. If you go far enough back into the history of the course, it was 18 holes once upon a time. I think the current sequence will provide the opportunity for a better score without any actual change in the holes themselves, and so improves the experience. I may still be the only one from this site out there, but at least now you know if you ever go.

Played super twilight on 6/18 on a rather hot day. We tee off around 6 pm and barely got 9 holes before it got really dark. POP just over 2 hours to play 9.

It's been about a year since I last pl... Continue »

Played super twilight on 6/18 on a rather hot day. We tee off around 6 pm and barely got 9 holes before it got really dark. POP just over 2 hours to play 9.

It's been about a year since I last played here. The golf course is coming around. It looks like management is working to improve course conditions. The fairways were looking really green for this time of year. There were some holes where it was really dry between the tee boxes and the start of the fairways. Fairways were a little lush in spots here and there, which made it harder to walk. Tee boxes were looking pretty good. Can't comment about the bunkers as I didn't land in any this time but it looks decent. My only complaint while playing today are the greens. It seemed it was rather sandy and bumpy. There were also a lot of unrepaired ball marks also. Greens were putting a little slow with all the sand on the greens. Will be back in a few weeks to see how the greens are recovering.

Super twilight rate on a weekday was just under $8 walking. Like coming here to just practice. I also like the driving range here where you hit off grass. There's also nice short game area here too.

Unlike the other courses I review, reviewing Altadena always gives me pause. Most of the reviews submitted seem to be mine, which at some point seems a little weird to me and almost makes me reluctant... Continue »

Unlike the other courses I review, reviewing Altadena always gives me pause. Most of the reviews submitted seem to be mine, which at some point seems a little weird to me and almost makes me reluctant to write it up. AM I the only one who actually plays this course and is it worth another report? Ah, well, enough contemplative navel gazing and on to the task at hand. So I was out there a couple of evenings ago and got nine in with another single. Building on my previous review of the place, it is rounding into maybe the best shape it's been in a while. The moisture and generally cooler weather have been good for our golf courses. In response to the greening up mentioned in said review, they've caught up with the mowing and the rough is a bit more under control. The rest is as previously mentioned except that the greens are rounding into shape and noticeably improved. There is still the occasional, rare, random scar to be found, but the general surface has grown in to a pretty consistent and healthy carpet of grass running at a medium speed. Is it a destination course? No. But as someone who usually pays super twilight and almost never pays more than than twilight at this and sister course Eaton Canyon, I have run out of things to complain about and can appreciate it in its current state. It's a pleasant course in pretty decent condition with mountain views and a casual vibe. Nice little patio to grab a beverage and hang afterwards. If you are in the area, you could do worse.

Having slagged it a bit on my last review, I felt the need to update. On 4/10 I was over at Altadena for super twilight to get in as many practice holes as possible. Playing two balls through most of ... Continue »

Having slagged it a bit on my last review, I felt the need to update. On 4/10 I was over at Altadena for super twilight to get in as many practice holes as possible. Playing two balls through most of it, I got in 8 holes, but two were repeated, so I actually played holes one through six. The winter rains have had their effect. Overall, the course is probably peak green, with the wild grass and weed areas, that will get brown, thin or die off in the heat, being currently green. Fairways are bumpy in spots but greened up and providing a good hitting surface. Consistent with the few other courses I've seen lately, the rough is long and thick in many spots, and I lost my first tee shot not far off the fairway. The greens I played have recovered from the bare spots and blight that I reported last time — medium speed with good coverage and some unevenness throughout, they are serviceable and consistent with the practice green. Missed the bunkers, but they are usually OK here with pebbles in some. The grass driving range is reasonably well kept up, if a little uneven in spots. Hardly a destination course, it has recovered to the point of being worth a casual round. I almost always hit it at twilight or super, so it makes it worth my while for working on my swing and getting a pleasant walk in while I look at the mountains.

I've been hitting Altadena much less lately and played Friday with a buddy and a single, first off twilight @ 2:30. I hadn't played here in a while and there's been new management for a few months. To... Continue »

I've been hitting Altadena much less lately and played Friday with a buddy and a single, first off twilight @ 2:30. I hadn't played here in a while and there's been new management for a few months. To me, it's in arguably the worst shape I've seen it, maybe ever. One plus is that the driving range is grass and it looks like they are managing that well enough. Other positives are the tee boxes generally being flat and serviceable, they attempting to cut and define the fairway grass (any bare or brown stretches not withstanding) the lies are mostly decent, we're in generous rollout season (wintery), and the rough is mixed but generally OK. I hit no bunkers so no comment, though they are usually good enough here if you don't mind the odd pebble or small stone. The greens are crap — running as quick as I've ever seen them here — but crap. Practice green also. Plenty of scattered bare areas, bumpy and dinged up. Currently, because it's convenient and knowing what I'm in for, I might come out here for a practice round at super twilight if I didn't care at all to work on my putting, but more likely not. Realistically, and especially given this time of year, I will probably stay away from the course for a good while to wait and see the longer term results of any attempts by the new management to improve the place.

It's not like it's been abandoned, and there is always hope that it will improve. A local like me can drop buy, take a look and decide how badly I want to play on a given day, but even I am spending most of my golf time on other courses. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to go out of their way to play here right now.

The manicured grass, the beautiful foliage! No - not on the course but on the gorgeous homes that surround it. My best drive of the day was in my car - getting to the course. The course itself looks... Continue »

The manicured grass, the beautiful foliage! No - not on the course but on the gorgeous homes that surround it. My best drive of the day was in my car - getting to the course. The course itself looks like an overflow parking lot for a county fair - lots of bare dirt and rocks. Fairways are a battlefield of every grass type looking for purchase - a good lie not guaranteed. Rough is a crapshoot of lies with "bad" a common theme. Greens are slowish, smoothish - a couple have dead patches - a couple have ugly veins of crabgrass infecting them. The 7th hole has a maintenance building apparently transferred from the set of one of the "Saw" movies that comes into play because it's both part of the hole and shockingly - balls feed toward it. Traffic cones scattered around the course pointing out points in need of repair add a much needed pop of color but not in the most attractive way.

This course owns me and I've never played well here. The whole course is on a slant so it's mostly uphill and downhill lies. Chipping is difficult on the inconsistent grabby grass. Most of the greens are raised so mis-hits are pushed farther into worse lies. The par 4s are either long or short and tight - neither of which suits my game. And while the yardage and slope say this course should be a walk in the park - I think it's much harder than the card shows.

I went over early Tuesday evening, 6/20 to play a couple of balls around for practice out on the course. It was still warm, but the course was pretty open, letting me complete the course before dusk w... Continue »

I went over early Tuesday evening, 6/20 to play a couple of balls around for practice out on the course. It was still warm, but the course was pretty open, letting me complete the course before dusk with no waiting or pressing as a single. For Altadena, the overall conditions are pretty good, but the exception I wanted to report was the greens have been aerated with some kind of slit cuts. There were no indications of sand but the cuts were not minimal and definitely impact putting. I've seen fine slit cuts that barely affect anything, but these are more prominent that that. My guess is a week before they are putting normally with residual visual indications.

Went out late Saturday afternoon, 9/10, as a single. A friend said they are putting more water on the fairways lately. I'm not sure if it's true, but they seemed a bit more greened up than my last vis... Continue »

Went out late Saturday afternoon, 9/10, as a single. A friend said they are putting more water on the fairways lately. I'm not sure if it's true, but they seemed a bit more greened up than my last visit here. There are still a lot of brown and dry stretches, but I found a good share of decent fairway lies when you are generally where you are supposed to be. The tee boxes on the whole were pretty green and level with a couple of minor exceptions. The greens were running medium, were a bit marked up and not always smooth, but they seem to have a newer grass on them that has more of a soft felt look and feel that I think is a nice surface to putt on. Seems like an improvement and I'll be curious to see them when they've been given a little TLC. Missed the bunkers but they are usually serviceable, with some having more pebbles than others. It's a good course to knock out a practice or very casual round for twilight or super twilight rates. In marginally better shape than the last time I played but still a bit on the neglected side overall. I'm hoping they are coming around to putting more care into the place than has been shown over the last few months.