Played Sunday 4/11 at 6:30 am. Very good pace of play at 3.5 hours. Beautiful morning out there. I am not sure if the coffee shop is open yet. They still have a food and beverage area near the dri... Continue »

Played Sunday 4/11 at 6:30 am. Very good pace of play at 3.5 hours. Beautiful morning out there. I am not sure if the coffee shop is open yet. They still have a food and beverage area near the driving range. We passed the halfway house the last time about 9:30 and it was not open. No idea if it opens later but it was disappointing to see it not operating. The services are sparse at present, at least for the early morning crew.

TThey aerated the greens this week. It looked on the first green like they were aerating in front of us. The sand was piled in drifts. My putt hit a sand dune about two feet from the hole and turned up the hill. They had a person out there in a tractor dragging something to spread the sand out but we did not see the effects until the third hole and it looked like they had not done the back nine. Very, very slow. They were the worst greens I have played on in quite a while.

The rest of the course was pretty good. Unusually, the rough is up. We had to look hard to find balls and one player in our group lost at least two balls in areas not far off the fairway. It was quite penal on a course which has been cropping the rough low.

I would wait at least a couple of weeks to get out there again.

After over a year, finally made it back out to my 'home' course and played Rancho Park this weekend with three friends. I had enough LA City points for a free round, so that was great, but paid for on... Continue »

After over a year, finally made it back out to my 'home' course and played Rancho Park this weekend with three friends. I had enough LA City points for a free round, so that was great, but paid for one of my friends and a cart for around $54 - totally worth it. We played from the blue tees with a 12:30 tee time. Always enjoy getting back to this course so close to my home, and it's even better when they've really sorted out the tee times (10 minutes apart) so that you don't spend six hours or more out here. POP flowed all day long and we got done in just about four and a half hours - spectacular for a Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately some of the course conditions were a little on the negative side, but overall it's still a great track and facility, but they really do need to press those greens. They were quite furry and bumpy, and just silly slow. I must say though, one of the greens that was always in the worst shape (#14) happens to be in the best shape I've ever seen it, the green speeds notwithstanding. Again, nice coverage, but very slow and in need of some work. (Edit: Just saw that they're aerating the greens this week so maybe they just had them long in anticipation of this. Fingers crossed they come out in great shape after the punch.) Fairways were in pretty good shape but you'll find a little bit of everything here depending on your lie. The rough was thick in places, but also thin and bare in others well off the fairways. Bunkers I avoided all day but did not look too bad, nor did I hear any complaints from my playing partners. Tee boxes get a lot of usage out here and it shows, but good enough to not worry too much about. Classic old style LA course with a bit of history and enough flair to keep you coming back. The range is also in good shape, twin levels and very popular/crowded. Unfortunately though, they've still not come up with a solution to keep a million range balls off of the 9th and 18th fairways, so that will always be problematic. Maybe net up top as well?

Played here this morning with a 7:50 tee time. Things very organized and running on time. The check-in guy was announcing each group over the loudspeaker. Seems like courses have gone away from this p... Continue »

Played here this morning with a 7:50 tee time. Things very organized and running on time. The check-in guy was announcing each group over the loudspeaker. Seems like courses have gone away from this practice, but I like it. Keeps you in the know of exactly who’s supposed to be on the tee, if things are on time, etc. Paired with a twosome and another single. The twosome each had their own carts and the other single and I both walked. $50.50 green fee + $5 push cart rental. A few groups ahead was at least a hole behind, and we waited on pretty much every hole, but overall POP wasn’t bad. Just a little over 4:30. (My playing partners said POP has improved greatly here during the Covid era, and that pace was pretty slow today. Apparently gone are the days of six-hour rounds.) Range is open, practice greens are not.

Conditions are decent to good overall. Greens are probably the highlight. Medium-fast, smooth and about medium firmness. Fairways had good coverage, not all that attractive or visually consistent, but they played pretty good. Rough also had good coverage and varied from lush stuff where your ball would sit up on top beautifully to thinner spots that made it difficult to hit shots cleanly. Blue tee boxes were decent… some had lots of divots, and the 10th tee had the markers in an area where they had obviously done something to the grass while right next to that was much better conditioned grass, which was weird. I was only in one bunker – fairway bunker on No. 1 – and it was good. No rakes. One of my playing partners complained that a greenside bunker was mud, but they looked pretty good to me.

Only my second time here, and last time was a few years ago when I tweaked my rib cage on the 6th tee and couldn’t really enjoy the rest of the round. Really good course! It was cloudy all day, making the course not too pretty to look at, but it’s a good layout, a nice walk and a decent value – if and when you can get a tee time.

I played Rancho Park this morning with a 950 tee time. POP was about four hours. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon and the course conditions were excellent. Some of the Tee-boxes were a little rough... Continue »

I played Rancho Park this morning with a 950 tee time. POP was about four hours. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon and the course conditions were excellent. Some of the Tee-boxes were a little rough but for a city course that gets as many rounds as it gets it was good enough. The greens on this course were perfect today, which is something I don’t understand. The reason being is every other course I play it seems that the greens are in such poor condition because there are so many divots on the greens that go un-fixed. I’m not sure if it’s because people don’t care or because there’s been so many new golfers since Covid and they just don’t know how to properly fix a Divot. For a city course that gets so much play it was amazing to see these greens in perfect conditions with minimal divots. I’ve played at Wilson and Harding which are also city courses lately and majority of the greens are just filled with divots so it was weird to see this course where there were minimal divots on any of the greens. For those of you that have not played Rancho Park it is truly a gem right in the heart of LA. I know it’s extremely difficult to get a tee time but this course is truly special. FYI this course used to host the LA open for a number of years back in the day. Also on number 18 there’s a plaque that shows Arnold Palmer recorded a 12 on the 18th hole, yes a 12

First group out at 6:40 am on Saturday morning 12/19. The lady checking people in is always professional and courteous. With the limited c-19 era amenities, that was the limit of our interactions wi... Continue »

First group out at 6:40 am on Saturday morning 12/19. The lady checking people in is always professional and courteous. With the limited c-19 era amenities, that was the limit of our interactions with the course personnel. Pace of play was obviously not an issue. Four walkers, we played the front in 1.5 hours but hit back nine crowds on 15. It was standard slow from there but still managed to finish in 3.5 hours.

Not much change to the course conditions except the tee boxes seemed even more lacking in grass. That early, we were mainly standing in mud when teeing off. The fairways were probably a little more lush. We had decent roll out so they were fairly firm. Not much rough as it is cut down or winter sparse. The greens are still excellent. No complaints there.

I like the layout. It has a good mix of holes. Recommended .

Played at 6:30 am on Sunday. $50 to walk but I got a mask out of it because I forgot mine in the car. They send groups out every 10 minutes and the starter calls over the loudspeaker to let the grou... Continue »

Played at 6:30 am on Sunday. $50 to walk but I got a mask out of it because I forgot mine in the car. They send groups out every 10 minutes and the starter calls over the loudspeaker to let the group know to tee off. Probably a factor but POP was good, at 3:50. A little slower on the back but nothing to complain about. Nothing open at that hour but the range but the service I got was excellent.

The course is in pretty good shape. A little dry, a little toward winter thin, but overall not in bad shape. The tee boxes were the weakest part with some crowning and thin patches of chopped Kikuyu. The greens were the best part. The best they have been this year at the least, quick and rolling well. They looked bumpy but no evidence of it when rolling. One of our players almost putted off the green on the first hole on a downhill putt to the front pin position (15' putt with 20' comebacker) so the speed was there from the start.

Not in any sand and there were no complaints from those that were, although it was evident a greenside bunker on #6 had little cushion seeing a club bounce at the bottom of a swing. Some bare patches in the fairways and the rough was cut down so the course was playing shorter than usual. I generally had good hitting surfaces though.

All in all, a good time on a beautiful morning. I recommend the course and its good if not great conditions.

Our threesome plus a single got out on time for a 10:20 tee off Friday, 10/9 on an overcast, but surprisingly humid morning. Overall conditions were pretty good as far as general playability, but seve... Continue »

Our threesome plus a single got out on time for a 10:20 tee off Friday, 10/9 on an overcast, but surprisingly humid morning. Overall conditions were pretty good as far as general playability, but several commented that the course could be in better shape overall. A bit of the wear and tear one probably expects from a heavily trafficked muni, I had no serious issues with it. Teeing grounds were generally level with appropriate coverage. Fairways served well, some had their share of browned, drier patches more than others, but I don't recall having issues with my fairway lies. Rough varied and there were thinner and dirt areas in the mix which is not uncommon, but in the extensive areas where it was grown in, the rough was usually not overly punitive and offered decent lies. I never hit a bunker so I can't comment there. The areas surrounding the greens were probably the most notable for inconsistencies in conditioning — mostly fine for chipping, less often thatchy, and occasionally problematical to the point of dirt. The greens were good — pretty clean, soft and receptive, and rolling at a medium quick pace that was surprising, relative to the softness. This is the second time I've been to Rancho this year, the previous visit was the first time in well over 20 years. I think it is a pretty cool, tree-lined, classic course with a good amount of contour and visual interest to the layout. Having a congenial, easy going group certainly added to the experience. Consistently busy, and probably the most popular reservation in the city system, you have to be on top of your booking game to secure a tee time. That said, I got the benefit of a senior discount, and the current 10-minute spacing of tee times has done a world of good for the historically crappy pace here. We got around in about 4.25 hrs. It did not feel overcrowded out on the course. While a bit out of my way, I appreciate the course much more these days. Warts and all, it's a classic LA golf experience and I recommend it.

When I lived in Westchester, I played Rancho Park quite often, but since moving to Orange County, not so much. I agreed last week to meet a friend to play what I considered a "late" time, while my fr... Continue »

When I lived in Westchester, I played Rancho Park quite often, but since moving to Orange County, not so much. I agreed last week to meet a friend to play what I considered a "late" time, while my friend felt anything before 10am was "early". For someone who almost always plays at first light and pace of play is always well under three hours, it was very tough to fight traffic both directions, play in over 4 1/2 hours and roast under oven like temperatures. I could not have imagined it would be this hot when I agreed to play.

As to the course. I have always loved Rancho and think of it as the perfect barometer to measure a golfers game. Not too long, not to short, not narrow, but not open. Enough elevation change to provide interest, but easy to walk. I mean if you can shoot an XX score here, you are an XX player.

Greens were the best part of the course. Better than I expected and what I remember. Fairways generally were good, but some brown areas. Rough/tee boxes not great, but decent. Not in any bunkers, but looked like they had sand.

A long hot day, a long drive, but it was Rancho, and it brought back memories, so I guess now that I'm home and back in the A/C, I guess it was worth it !

Played Rancho yesterday, 9/27, with a 1030am tee time. I was able to use my loyalty points and got the round for free! We got out on time and we were on track to finish in under 4 hours until we hit a... Continue »

Played Rancho yesterday, 9/27, with a 1030am tee time. I was able to use my loyalty points and got the round for free! We got out on time and we were on track to finish in under 4 hours until we hit a bit of a wall on the par 3 11th. Even with waiting on a few holes coming in, we still finished under 4.5 hours.

The course is in decent shape with the greens for me the highlight of the track. They were in great shape and rolled true with a medium speed. The fairways had some browning throughout and the rough was hit or miss. I wasn't any in bunkers but they looked like they had some decent coverage. For how much play this course gets, i feel that the groundskeeper does a great job to keep the course in decent shape. I just wish tee times were easier to snag.