We were expecting a long Labor Day round this past Monday (9/4/17), but somehow snagged a foursome last minute at a reasonable time (9:52am), so perhaps all was not lost. Well, luckily the course was ... Continue »

We were expecting a long Labor Day round this past Monday (9/4/17), but somehow snagged a foursome last minute at a reasonable time (9:52am), so perhaps all was not lost. Well, luckily the course was in better shape than the POP, but it was still a good day with good friends on a nice course.

It was the first time back on Wilson in over a year as most times it’s always so crowded that it’s much easier to simply jump on Harding, but again, we got a tee time set so it was a nice change of pace. Pace is generous though as we did effectively wait to tee off on almost every single hole and ended up finishing in a little over five hours.

More importantly though, the golf and course conditions were pretty good. Some fairways were even quite lush, but the majority were good and very playable, while a few had some thin areas, GUR and no shortage of small gopher holes that seemed to have no business being there. But overall, not too shabby and far more good lies than bad ones.

The rough at the moment is playing very thick and difficult. One of my playing partners was none to happy about that. But I found it to be just the right amount of penal, yet workable. I was in two bunkers throughout the round and found the sand to be good, not great – pretty standard LA Muni conditions when it came to the bunkers. Tee boxes were a little shaggy but mostly level.

Greens are in good shape. Medium speed (faster as day progressed), good rolls and quite receptive to incoming approach shots. As seems to be the case a lot of late, too many ball marks from people who just don’t care about what happens behind them. It’s a badge of honor to fix that thing!

No cart service throughout a hot day, but a very good snack shop at the turn (which at Wilson happens to be after the 10th hole). The layout is long and borderline interesting – good, long par 3s (but none too tricky), a few doglegs and a monster par 5 that’s a lot of fun. Bit of a love/hate with the closing hole at Wilson, but it’s a challenge as the last hole should be.

Overall, really good, fun day and the course is in nice shape. I’ve seen it better for sure, but it’s more than playable right now until the next aeration.

I reviewed Wilson last April and would usually not submit another until several others had contributed their opinions, but after playing here last week, I discovered a couple significant changes that ... Continue »

I reviewed Wilson last April and would usually not submit another until several others had contributed their opinions, but after playing here last week, I discovered a couple significant changes that have altered and will continue to alter the front 9 for many years (decades) to come. They removed TWO mature sycamores, one each from hole #6 and #7. Each tree played major risk v. reward roles on how a player determined how to best navigate each hole. Maybe I'm over reacting about the losses/changes, but those trees had been a nemesis of mine since I began playing here. I'll miss the sense of accomplishment having hit that perfect high fade or baby draw drives that were required get to the best positions on their fairways...or get buried or blocked in the woods (more likely)...RIP sycamores.
Other than that, the greens are quick and true. Tee boxes are decent, and plenty of sand in the bunkers. But the rough was extremely penal, very thick and tall. Easy to lose balls if you don't pay attention to entries and difficult to play out of. I'm sure its from the over watering due to recent high temps. Still a fun round...but with a little less challenge/character.

Its been awhile since my last review of Wilson and while playing on this beautiful sunny Spring morning I found myself thinking how much the all around conditions have improved. I don't remember the ... Continue »

Its been awhile since my last review of Wilson and while playing on this beautiful sunny Spring morning I found myself thinking how much the all around conditions have improved. I don't remember the fairways being so full and lush. There were a few bare and spotty areas but nothing like usual. The greens were fast, smooth and true and held approaches well. Bunkers were a bit on the thin and wet side but very playable. Normally I don't mention the tee box conditions but most were noticeably full, trim and neat. All combined for an extremely enjoyable round. (once the 4some in front of us sped up) Plans to aerate the greens is coming soon, so play 18 then grab a schooner of Stella and a plate of the famous chicken wings. Wilson is Spring muni golf in L.A. at its finest.

Played today early with three other friends. As I was driving south on the 5 fwy at 6am I was
contemplating even playing. Once there my premonitions were confirmed. It was soggy and wet. Typical... Continue »

Played today early with three other friends. As I was driving south on the 5 fwy at 6am I was
contemplating even playing. Once there my premonitions were confirmed. It was soggy and wet. Typical wet conditions so we all decided to play lift clean and place in the fairway. As you would expect on a wet day, Wilson played even longer than normal. Tee boxes fair. Fairways
fair and greens a little faster than expected but slightly bumpy. All in all, soggy but still a fun
4 hour round. Hopefully, with all the rain we've had, if the money is in the budget for maintenance, the city courses could really be great in the coming months. There's always hope.

Got a singles reservation for 9:10 on a fairly crowded Super Bowl Sunday, teeing off about @15 minutes late with a husband / wife couple and another single — a pleasant group. On a cool, grey day, it ... Continue »

Got a singles reservation for 9:10 on a fairly crowded Super Bowl Sunday, teeing off about @15 minutes late with a husband / wife couple and another single — a pleasant group. On a cool, grey day, it must have been akin to conditions in the home country. I enjoy golf in these conditions as a change of pace to the more common SoCal fair or warm weather. Essentially I'd describe the conditions as wintery. Tee boxes were generally pretty level with a few minor exceptions, but covered with an equal distribution of tight short grass and dirt. It looked like the aftermath of some kind of aeration, but as teeing grounds, they worked just fine. The fairways generally had decent coverage, but it was winter coverage: frequently a bit on the tight side, sometimes a bit clumpy, with a light residual dampness and moist soil from the previous day's rain that also applied to the rough. The rough could be punitive, but more often offered recovery — call it a half shot penalty on average. I was in two bunkers and they were dry and playable with decent sand. I thought the greens were surprisingly quick, with a reasonably clean surface despite all the traffic, and contours that often made it more difficult for being above the hole — overall, challenging in a good way. While I hoped for a better pace, I couldn't be too surprised with a 5.5 hr round on a Sunday there — the longest round I've played in a long time. The worst backup was on the first three holes. After that it was slow, but acceptably consistent and, my preference to have finished earlier notwithstanding, I was OK with it as something I don't have to experience regularly. With the understand that it's that time of year for conditions, I'd recommend it, particularly after a few days to dry out.

Played today, 1/16 with a tee time around 9 am. POP around 5 hours to play 18. We had to wait on every hole to hit. It was very busy today being a holiday. But 5 hours to play 18 is about average ... Continue »

Played today, 1/16 with a tee time around 9 am. POP around 5 hours to play 18. We had to wait on every hole to hit. It was very busy today being a holiday. But 5 hours to play 18 is about average POP for Wilson.

Course conditions today was the worse that I have ever seen. I would say course conditions are no more than a 4. You can still play here. It's winter conditions on the golf course here. Granted this is a city golf course and not a private golf course, so this course does take a beating.

I played the yellow tees today and the teeing area was ok. Tee boxes for the yellow had good coverage. I saw most groups were playing from the blues. Can't comment about the blues teeing area up close but it looked like coverage was ok.

Fairways had ok coverage from tee to green. Tho' there were lots of bare dirt patches (and mounds of dirt) on almost every fairway and mud trails from carts driving through the mud on the fairways. A lot of fairway lies were thin but I saw a lot of new growth from the recent rains we had. There were lots of areas roped off to steer you away from these mud patches on the fairways. You can still play and hit from the fairways. Fairways were very bumpy. Rough was deep in spots, muddy in other spots. It was very bumpy driving over the rough. Sand was just so so. I never did like the sand here.

Greens were in good condition. Balls were rolling about average. Not too fast and not too slow. Saw a lot of un-repaired ball marks but that's not the course's fault. I did notice that balls did bounce a little bit on the greens.

Don't care too much for the driving range. It's in bad condition but you're mostly here just to warm up here anyways on the driving range. Food is decent in the clubhouse. I like playing here once in a while. Will probably hold off playing here again until the spring.

Guys, Greenskeeper.org audience, I don't normally like to mention a number rating for any of the courses I play, but Griffith Park's Wilson course deserves no better than a 3.5 at best.

No, this is... Continue »

Guys, Greenskeeper.org audience, I don't normally like to mention a number rating for any of the courses I play, but Griffith Park's Wilson course deserves no better than a 3.5 at best.

No, this is not a rant- this I mean is just a very- very poorly maintained golf course to say the least. Going through each details from tee to green will be a waste of time for both you and me. This, I can confidently say without holding back, let this course be worked on and heal.

It really is very sad to see a good laid out golf course in such a pitiful condition. I'm just all sad about this all together- it's terrible.

Course is in lousy shape right now. Some holes are in quite good condition, but lots of others are chewed up with dead patches everywhere and big mounds of dirt in the middle of the fairways. Few area... Continue »

Course is in lousy shape right now. Some holes are in quite good condition, but lots of others are chewed up with dead patches everywhere and big mounds of dirt in the middle of the fairways. Few areas marked ground under repair, would've taken many liberties had I not been playing a tournament today. Lots of thin, wet lies make chipping around the greens very tricky. The greens are actually in pretty good shape, rolling fast and mostly true, but some of the pins are just in comical locations. Very few opportunities to be aggressive with putts, just a tedious defensive situation on nearly every hole.

Range is poor. Breakfast burrito is pretty good. Deer spotted every time I play, which is cool. Won't be playing here again anytime soon.

Getting caught up on reviews after playing twice in three days over the weekend. Sunday morning I headed over to Griffith Park a little before 9:00 as a single to see what the possibilities were. I wa... Continue »

Getting caught up on reviews after playing twice in three days over the weekend. Sunday morning I headed over to Griffith Park a little before 9:00 as a single to see what the possibilities were. I was truly surprised to be sent out immediately to join a three-some on the first tee at Wilson. On top of that, the flow of played moved along pretty well all day. This was not the weekend Wilson I'm familiar with, but I wasn't complaining. The course is in nice shape. Level, green, teeing grounds, generally green and more often lush fairways, and mostly green and playable rough. Bunkers here are not fluffy, but they are decent and reasonably well maintained. The greens are in nice shape, reasonably clean and true, and running at a medium quick pace that seemed consistent. It's a muni, not a resort, but as such, one of the classic ones and in solid shape.