ALERT: (Projected Aeration Alert)
Will be aerating the greens either 9/2 and 9/3 or 9/8 and 9/9. More information soon.
* Please note that although we put a great amount of effort into forecasting course maintenance, we still recommend you contact the golf course to confirm this information.
San Dimas Canyon Golf Course, an American Golf operated facility in the foothills north of the 210 freeway, boasts a beautiful setting absent of one of the distractions that so often infects modern-day public golf: aside from the ninth hole, there are no homes lining the course. Most immediately noticeable to me was the fact that despite several parallel fairways and all of the mature trees, San Dimas Canyon feels remarkably open. The design leaves plenty of space to allow you to truly enjoy the setting, and holes like the par 3 2nd and two-shot 14th do a great job of presenting a challenge without resorting to claustrophobia to challenge your mental game.
Interestingly, despite it's openness, the course does not lack visual intimidation and an appearance of tightness from the tee. On the contrary, there are several tee shots that really make you wonder if you've got a fighting chance of finding the short grass. As a relatively short layout, I found myself opting away from my Driver, and some of the longer hitters might find this frustrating by the end of the round. The back nine features two back to back par 4s where water restricts the landing area and demands a shot of less than 250 yards. While this design feature makes sense on the 15th hole (beware, the lake is NOT shown on the scorecard hole diagram, but trust me, you only need around 250 yards from the blue tees) the 14th hole forces a layup which leaves you at best with around 170 yards to an elevated green. Most will curse the inability to choose a more aggressive play (though one does exist should you decide to play down the adjacent fairway).
As a par 72 layout with 5 par 5s and 5 par 3s, with three (and arguably four) of the former being reachable in two, San Dimas Canyon presents plenty of birdie opportunities, and in that regard I found the course to be a good deal of fun, and a great site for a match among friends. If you enjoy a bit of quirk, then you'll be a fan of the 9th hole - a 90 degree dogleg-left par 5, the second half of which is dotted with a half dozen or so large trees in the fairway. Other holes at San Dimas feature obstacles like this, whether they are trees fronting a green or the electrical towers that bisect the front nine, but the 9th hole is the one instance where I actually liked their presence (and the reachability of the hole in two, coupled with one of the more interesting greens on the course certainly contributes to my opinion here)
The golf course is in excellent shape. The fairways, as you might guess, feature a good deal of kikuyu, but it's not by any means out of control to the point where it affects 90% of the play. The sloping greens roll truly and at an average speed. The rough was often excellent, though a bit soggy in places (a nod must be given to the rain earlier in the week, and I presume that these spots were a result of that rather than over-watering. The bunkers were outstanding. They could have used a morning rake from the grounds crew, but the sand was perfect. My only complaint in this regard is that there may be a bit too much sand in each bunker, but I would consider myself lucky to play from bunkers like these. All in all, I think the conditions were precisely what one has come to expect from American Golf's mid-range facilities, with the exception of the bunkers, which would exceed conditioning expectations even at the Pelican Hill's of the world.
In conclusion, I felt that San Dimas Canyon was an excellent public golf course - not overly difficult, fun, the requisite supply of quirks, and the handful of drawbacks that exist in nearly every layout. The facility itself does NOT have a driving range (only a large netted area that is better than a standard hitting cage in that it holds perhaps 12 mats and lets you watch the ball flight for 40 yards…and from the green buckets the pro shop handed out, I assume they still charge for these balls). Also notable is the fact that hey do NOT have a walking rate before mid-day on the weekends - rumor has it that pace of play can be slow, but my 7:30am round finished in a brisk 4:10. However, these are minor hiccups to what is an otherwise strong value that maintains good conditions in a beautiful setting that would be difficult not to enjoy.
