Played here today (9/18) as part of the annual SCGA visit. This was my first visit here and I must say, this place was really nice. The clubhouse and some of the aesthetics were a little dated, but th... Continue »

Played here today (9/18) as part of the annual SCGA visit. This was my first visit here and I must say, this place was really nice. The clubhouse and some of the aesthetics were a little dated, but the real highlight here was the course. A great mix of holes; water in play, perfectly placed sand traps, doglegs galore, and those greens, my god those greens. This place has all trademarks of a private club as well; great attentive service, gated entry with guard, and right in the middle of one the priciest zip codes in So. Cal. The event was run very well by Brenda, my group was funny, easy-going (for the most part), and we finished in a shade over 4 hours, which anyone will tell you is a blessing. On to the review:

Tee boxes: Great shape. The maintenance staff was busy at work this morning watering the boxes. Lots of tee options, so no one box took a beating. Level land to tee off from.

Fairways: Excellent. Green, cut tight, allowed a fair amount of roll, and never once ended up in a bad lie. Love the fact the carts had true mix feed to fix divots. The fairways looked like carpet.

Rough: Penal, though the OB on the course is really what kills you. There is a mix of rough areas; traditional thick stuff, desert-like areas, and million dollar properties all around the course. The good thing is many holes have other holes running parallel that allow for a chance at redemption on errant shots.

Bunkers: Good to great. Some had sand that was a tad more coarse, though no bunker was in bad shape. Was only in one today, but it played from about 25 feet below the hole. Ample bunkers and nice to see them raked consistently.

Greens: Near perfect. The roll on them was like putting on glass. The speed varied from fast to insane. I saw one putt tapped from 3 feet and roll to 5 feet past. The breaks on some of the greens didn't look bad, but played rather difficult. Some divots but none affected the roll.

ETC: Staff was very friendly (as you'd expect). Food was rather bland in the snack shop (cash only). Carts had no GPS and really could use it with the amount of blind shots. Water available on a handful of holes. Ample restroom facilities. Ample parking. Not the cheapest option but call it a once in a lifetime chance to play a wonderful private course and one from the "56" collection in San Diego.