Played Monday 10/10/11 twilight. Greens have healed nicely after 9/20 aeration. Pretty much normal playing conditions. As mentioned in oter reviews, the kikuya transition is progressing well. Some fai... Continue »

Played Monday 10/10/11 twilight. Greens have healed nicely after 9/20 aeration. Pretty much normal playing conditions. As mentioned in oter reviews, the kikuya transition is progressing well. Some fairways look to be 50-60% kikuya. If maintained correctly, it could be a nice surface. (Played Newport Beach CC recently, where fairways are kikuya, and they were among the nicest I have ever played). Very good layout and always great customer service.

Played 9/3 and 9/5. I play here about 25-30 times a year, and consider this my home course. I like the course, layout, views, customer service, practice areas, however, am at times concerned about ove... Continue »

Played 9/3 and 9/5. I play here about 25-30 times a year, and consider this my home course. I like the course, layout, views, customer service, practice areas, however, am at times concerned about overall condition. For the most part, considering fairway changes, this course is in very good shape. Due to transition from rye to kikuyu, there are spots in fairways where new kikuyu has been planted and are GUR. Other areas where kikuyu has started to take over and you get a mix of rye. So, bottom line, during the transition phase, you can expect some different lies in the fairway. I think the transition is going pretty well, but will take some time. Greens are usually fast here, but were a little slower than usual. Noticed some bare spots on a couple of greens (4 and 15 come to mind), could be heat related, but need to keep an eye on that. Only played from a couple of bunkers, which were very good condition. A little firm, with just the right amount of sand. Customer service is always great. Pretty good food, and a great 19th hole, outdoor balcony overlooking the 18th. Still highly recommended.

greens great...sand traps inconsistant, very challenging...bring extra balls in case you can't hit em straight.....

greens great...sand traps inconsistant, very challenging...bring extra balls in case you can't hit em straight.....

Play here on Sunday morning August 21 with a Father's Day Voucher. The posted green fee is $115..... as we looked down the first fairway I made the comment, "This fairway looks like the quilt on my b... Continue »

Play here on Sunday morning August 21 with a Father's Day Voucher. The posted green fee is $115..... as we looked down the first fairway I made the comment, "This fairway looks like the quilt on my bed, patches everywhere." On the second hole my cart partner said to aim at the bunker on the right only to get there and realize it was not a bunker but a giant par of the fairway that was missing grass. On the same hole another buddy asked why they were trying to sod St.Augustine in the fairway. What golf course uses this weed for the fairways? Third hole we get a message on the GPS screen saying, "Due the the watering conditions please play lift, clean and place."..... in August? Southern California? On the same hole I got into the rough and sank about 4 inches as I addressed my ball. It was a little wet. Moving forward, my cart buddy hit a nice drive on 18 to the center of the fairway. It was one of those drives after you hit you just bend down and pick up the tee. We drive to the fairway to look for his ball and its nowhere to be seen. He finally found it... it was plugged in the fairway! This had to be one of the worst golf courses in terms of conditions I have ever played. Save your money and go elsewhere!

Played at 7:45am on Sunday August 14th. Course is in great shape. Yes, they are doing some turf work in spots on some of the fairways, but it in no way detracts from the course conditions or playabi... Continue »

Played at 7:45am on Sunday August 14th. Course is in great shape. Yes, they are doing some turf work in spots on some of the fairways, but it in no way detracts from the course conditions or playability. Everything from tee to greens was in tip-top shape, and the customer service was top-notch. Pace of play was fine (4:10mins) and the cart girls were by several times. Great views and tricky greens make this course standout in my mind. I've played here several times and I also look forward to going back again.

We took advantage of our OC Trail pass today (at) Black Gold. I had not played this course in many years and enjoyed the maturity to the course over the years. The customer service is top notch, start... Continue »

We took advantage of our OC Trail pass today (at) Black Gold. I had not played this course in many years and enjoyed the maturity to the course over the years. The customer service is top notch, starting with the pro shop; starter; marshals; beverage service. Currently the course is undergoing major turf change (see discussion from the pro under the course info) and that caused many of the fairways to be wet or GUR. So if you decide to go play, be aware that the ball is not getting much roll and you will be hitting longer shots than anticipated. The course starter will inform you of the wet/work conditions and suggest clean/drop but you may (we did) still have some balls plug in the fairways (yep that wet). The par 3's are not affected, nor are the greens (in great shape) but there are still many who not only cannot fix a ball mark but cannot even see it, to fix it (sad). The sand in the bunkers is great. The course was not crowded and we played in under 4 hours with no waiting on any holes. Even with a light crowd, the marshals were out and checking to see if all was OK. I feel that once the fairway renovation is completed, this course will be even better and will look forward to a return round. It is a great layout and player friendly and has one of the best practice facilities I have seen in the area.

Played on Sunday 7/24 in the afternoon. Challenging course with plenty of sand and rough. Environmental hazzards off the sides. Nice that the holes don't run close to each other. Nice views form t... Continue »

Played on Sunday 7/24 in the afternoon. Challenging course with plenty of sand and rough. Environmental hazzards off the sides. Nice that the holes don't run close to each other. Nice views form the elevated tees. Really difficult if you don't hit the fairway, lost quite a few golf balls that day. They are also doing some sort of soil reclamation project or something in many of the fairways. Made for some ground under repair, (not that I was in the fairway that much:) ), but also made for quite a few cart path only holes. Slowed down play. having to go from cart path across and up and down the hills to find the ball. didn't know that was going to happen until you got out on the course. People are friendly, but at the turn, they closed the snack shop below and had to go upstairs, and hard to find someone to help you right away (Small issue), the beverage cart did come around regularly around the course. The greens were a little inconsistent- some very quick, some merely very fast, some tricky breaks near the holes. Lots of 3 putts. Still overall an enjoyable day, will try to come back again to see if I can do better.

First time playing here. Not the longest course I've played. However, what it lacks in distance, it more than makes up in difficulty and character. You need to choose your shots carefully to stay out ... Continue »

First time playing here. Not the longest course I've played. However, what it lacks in distance, it more than makes up in difficulty and character. You need to choose your shots carefully to stay out of trouble or else. Although I did not play very well, I wasn't going to let that take away from experiencing a wonderful layout, fast (tricky) greens and a level of customer service that you expect from a course of this caliber. I'll definitely play here again.

The fairways were very thin, although in all fairness, they are working on them and have implemented a lift clean and place policy. Otherwise the course was in decent shape. The bunkers were soaked an... Continue »

The fairways were very thin, although in all fairness, they are working on them and have implemented a lift clean and place policy. Otherwise the course was in decent shape. The bunkers were soaked and the sand was "heavy". Tee'd off first, so did not have very many greens which were cut, so they were much slower than I'm sure they would have been.