I'd say get out there before they aerate the greens! Places in super good shape there is still a few areas that are still waterlogged from the recent rains but negligible compared to what they were tw... Continue »

I'd say get out there before they aerate the greens! Places in super good shape there is still a few areas that are still waterlogged from the recent rains but negligible compared to what they were two weeks ago fairways tee boxes everything's nice get out there stretch your legs try out some new clubs, get some good practice in was a beautiful day today, winds in the afternoon were up and added a nice challenge. Go Play!!

Woodley Lakes - short and sweet. Played last Friday from the blues with a friend (walking) and it's probably about the best condition I've ever seen there. Good coverage in the fairways, not much diff... Continue »

Woodley Lakes - short and sweet. Played last Friday from the blues with a friend (walking) and it's probably about the best condition I've ever seen there. Good coverage in the fairways, not much differentiation from the rough, good tee boxes, average bunkers but absolutely the best I've ever seen the greens here. Played fast and true.

POP was great on the front nine but as the group of guys in front of us got more and more drunk, they slowed down to a crawl which was really frustrating. At one point they were a hole behind and while we were coming off the green on 15 they were still chatting and laughing with the cart girl on the 16th tee box. Unreal lack of class. Very frustrating.

All in all though it was a very good day where the weather held up until the temperature dropped like 20 degrees the last 2-3 holes. I think I read they'll be aerating the greens here soon which is a real shame because they really are as good as I've ever seen them here.

Out Friday 2/16 with a buddy, joined by a twosome for a 1:40 start. Two weeks since the previous report and conditions can change, so my report will be a little different than that one, but not questi... Continue »

Out Friday 2/16 with a buddy, joined by a twosome for a 1:40 start. Two weeks since the previous report and conditions can change, so my report will be a little different than that one, but not questioning his subjective observations. Playing the whites, I found the teeing grounds here very good. They are consistently broad, level and green with not overly abused coverage — functionally, pretty much all I could ask for. Fairways here are "Woodley" good. There are occasional patches approaching hardpan with 50/50 light grass and cracked earth visible in between, and more rarely there are actual hardpan spots. But the great majority is good coverage, although my definition of lush is a little more literal and you don't get rollout like this (good) on a truly lush fairway. Knowing how baked out it can get here, it's pretty good. The rough is pretty consistently covered, playable and mostly not punitive. I was in one bunker. The pattern of goose tracks aside didn't impact anything and it was OK — on the firm side with a looser top layer. The surrounds were pretty clean for short game while the greens themselves were in very good shape. They ran a quick medium and were firm and clean. They were resistant to giving up much in pitch marks so not a lot to repair. We never caught the group ahead and for most to the round they had at least a hole on us. The group behind was mostly in contact but our pace was good at right around 4:10. We managed to get 18 in with enough light as the group behind was the last to do it. Paid about $15 senior rate to walk a flat course and I thought it was a great deal. My buddy paid $27 with a cart and that's less than most places without one. They revamped the bar/dining area and patio a while back and it's a good place to hang out after the round and get a bite and beverage. A broad and forgiving course, we really enjoyed it for what it is.

Got out to Woodley for the first time in a few months this past weekend, man what a treat. So sad to know that this course will be gone in a few years. My friends and I have been coming here for the l... Continue »

Got out to Woodley for the first time in a few months this past weekend, man what a treat. So sad to know that this course will be gone in a few years. My friends and I have been coming here for the last 4 years, growing and learning as golfers along the way. Many memories here, many great holes, many fun tournaments with friends.

Fairways lush and cut, greens rolling nicely, roughs and fringes sculpted perfectly... I swear I have never seen this course look as good as it does right now. The tee boxes are still pretty terrible, but it's Woodley, so you know what you're getting. And for $27 at 1pm on a weekend, you can't do much better. If you're somehow lucky enough to find a tee time, make your way out to Van Nuys and play a round at Woodley. It's such a treat, and a great ego booster for any golfer looking to break 80.

Played Woodley at 7:10 on Saturday 10/21. Course conditions were decent, a little soggy and over-watered in some spots, but very playable. No signs of any aeration, so it seems that none of the city... Continue »

Played Woodley at 7:10 on Saturday 10/21. Course conditions were decent, a little soggy and over-watered in some spots, but very playable. No signs of any aeration, so it seems that none of the city courses are doing it this season. Greens were slow from moisture when the day started but very even and putts held their lines well. They sped up just a bit with some sunshine but not a whole lot. They do look beautiful -- like carpet. Fairways were bare and brown in some spots so we played winter rules. I was only in two bunkers and they were both full of nice fluffy sand. Tee times are even harder to find when we lose daylight in the early mornings, so I'd give Woodley a chance if you can snag a time right now.

Weekend round with a buddy at Woodley Lakes as we had a very specific time frame available and Woodley fit the bill. I rode, my friend walked and we were joined by another twosome. Cart was an absolut... Continue »

Weekend round with a buddy at Woodley Lakes as we had a very specific time frame available and Woodley fit the bill. I rode, my friend walked and we were joined by another twosome. Cart was an absolute shambles!

Course fairways were in pretty good shape still - a bit thinner than my last visit a few weeks back and more tricky, thin lies, but overall not too bad. The rough was nothing to write home about and often preferred. Tee boxes (played the blues) were in good enough shape, while many of the bunkers were thin and just about playable.

The greens, if you found a good line to the pin, were okay. They ran medium-fast and were a bit inconsistent, but nothing too terrible. That is of course only if you landed in the right spot. If you were unfortunate enough to land in the wrong spot, then you were faced with a number of unrepaired (or poorly repaired) ball marks and an incredible amount of goose droppings on just about every green. Is there a goose conspiracy against golfers? I mean, they can poop anywhere, can't they? Why choose the greens so consistently?

POP was not too bad and I was told when I started there would be cart service around during the round but that never materialized. Luckily what looked like it would be a very hot day turned into just a nice, warm one as clouds all afternoon really kept the temperatures down and pleasant.

Woodley remains a solid confidence course that won't test you too much except for making good contact and getting the ball down the fairway. Not a lot of trouble and you can spray just about anywhere. If that's what you need to get going again, I recommend it for now.

In dire need of a confidence round, I found a single time at Woodley Lakes for Saturday morning and jumped on it. I was paired with two other singles with a 9:20am tee and opted for a cart seeing as t... Continue »

In dire need of a confidence round, I found a single time at Woodley Lakes for Saturday morning and jumped on it. I was paired with two other singles with a 9:20am tee and opted for a cart seeing as the temperatures would be soaring into triple digits by the back nine.

Mission accomplished as I played my best round (not saying much) since April, but more importantly is the fact that the course, despite the heat, played pretty darn well. The greens are rolling quite nicely and true, all while holding shots very well. The fairways have ample coverage albeit thin but playable in many spots. The rough is imminently playable and often preferred to the fairways. Bunkers a bit on the thin side but nothing too awful, while the tee boxes (played the whites) were in decent not great shape.

One of the more surprising features on the day was an actual cart service that came around - very much appreciated on a hot day and unusual for LA muni courses. The POP was also not as bad as it seemed while we were playing. Felt like it was going to be a five-hour round but was surprised to see we finished in around four hours and twenty minutes.

All in all it was a good day out at Woodley Lakes and it did the trick.

Friday 5/12, myself and another single were sent out at 2:50 as twosome in a sea of foursomes, but we were happy to get out and played the whites. Overall conditions are OK. I found these to be some o... Continue »

Friday 5/12, myself and another single were sent out at 2:50 as twosome in a sea of foursomes, but we were happy to get out and played the whites. Overall conditions are OK. I found these to be some of the better teeing grounds around as to being consistently level with coverage and room to move around. The fairways, a kaleidoscope of mixed grasses cut to a consistent height, generally offered 95% good lies and runout, with 5% or less exceptions where there might be small areas of thin or slightly depress lies that you might settle into — rare but possible. I was a little spoiled by the lush fairways I recently played at San Dimas and these paled in comparison, but they are OK — green, serviceable and not yet the baked out runways that they could become as the season heats up. Rough varied from minimal to thicker areas of clover that could swallow a ball. I'd say it impacted my recovery about 50% of the time. I was in a couple of fairway bunkers that had decent sand and grooming but missed any green-side to tell about. Short game areas around the green were in pretty good shape and I had a lot of success there. The greens still have the telltale markings from aeration but they performed fine. A touch on the quick side of medium they putt a little quicker than they looked, ran pretty true and I never saw bobble. I jarred a thirty footer for birdie at the last that was pleasure to watch track to the hole. I'd say the conditions alert can be upgrade from yellow to green. They were good and they will get even better. It was a mildly warm afternoon with an intermittent breeze and, being a flat course, I walked as per my usual preference. The course was full, pace sluggish but mostly steady for a round something under 4.5 hrs. A straight forward, open course with nothing tricked up about it, I come here seldom but I enjoyed the directness of it today.

Three o'clock start on Saturday 7/23 with my buddy and paired up with a couple of young guys who were good company. Woodley is what it is — long, wide open, pretty flat and good for walking, with most... Continue »

Three o'clock start on Saturday 7/23 with my buddy and paired up with a couple of young guys who were good company. Woodley is what it is — long, wide open, pretty flat and good for walking, with mostly forgiving rough. Teeing grounds were level and in good enough shape. Fairways are not the most aesthetic visually but the hitting surface is mostly good, usually firm with some run to it. Given the hot weather, I'd have expected worse and the conditions were more than decent. I missed the bunkers and have nothing for you there. Adjacent to the greens was usually green and in good shape for short game but a little further away and it could get tighter, dryer, and commensurately more challenging. Always important to the big picture, the greens were in very nice shape. Running at a consistent, medium pace, they were very clean with a minimum of ball marks. In a sense, the greens are one of the defenses of this open course if only because they are expansive. You can be on the green or immediately green side and still have a long way to judge, setting up potential three-putts or more. A consistent 1+ club breeze made a warm day more pleasant. We were not the quickest and lost touch with the group ahead while occasionally pausing the group behind. By the end, there was just about a one hole opening in front and behind us and we finished in 4.5 hrs on the mark. I played Woodley a few months back so playing it twice within a year is way more than I usually see it, but it was one of the few options available for 18 holes at a reasonable time in the city system when checking five days in advance. Currently going through one of those rare phases of hitting the ball well, it was an opportunity to exploit forgiving conditions and go low which I did. Huzzah. Basic but enjoyable, I'll take a good score any way i can find it.