Played in the SCGA outing here today and just so happened to get paired with fellow GK'er kassper7 and his brother-in-law, so that made the day more enjoyable even if we all played crappy. 10:00 shotg... Continue »

Played in the SCGA outing here today and just so happened to get paired with fellow GK'er kassper7 and his brother-in-law, so that made the day more enjoyable even if we all played crappy. 10:00 shotgun start, and we began on the 8th hole of the Masters nine. Then, US Open was the other in the preferred rotation for this outing. Decent pace of around 4.5 hours. I was really happy that they then allowed me to complete the circuit by playing the Western nine afterward. Thanks to the very nice guy in the pro shop. I zipped around that nine by myself, playing through one threesome along the way.

The course was in good overall condition. Greened up because of all the rain, but also a bit soft/muddy in many of the low areas throughout. In fact, it was cart-path-only for us today. Tee boxes were nice. Fairways in general were very good and will get better once the excess water recedes. I will say the fairways were noticeably weaker on the Western nine, though still pretty good. The rough was very nice and lush throughout. Balls tended to settle in and definitely made you work just enough for a good recovery. I was in two bunkers and they both had nice soft (beachy) sand. The greens were the highlight, receptive and rolling very quick. Downhill putts were very tough to stop anywhere near the hole, and there are really no level putts on this entire course. Stay below the hole!

I enjoyed this course more than I expected to, though I can easily understand why many won't like it. It definitely fits my target golf preference and the setting is very pretty in the hills. From everything I've ever heard about Braemar, it wasn't quite as funky as I expected. That said, it is a challenging layout relative to the short overall length. And, it does have some quirks that may add or subtract from its character (depending on your personal preferences), but that's true of many of the older LA area clubs. There were too many uphill approach shots that are semi-blind (or sometimes completely blind) and tough to judge. A bit of a guessing game at times for a first-time player. Western nine is definitely the funkiest of the bunch and it is well detached from the clubhouse geographically, so it feels like its own world that's a bit more of an adventure. I enjoyed it and the price was very good for a private club outing, but it is not a course everyone will enjoy.