Rode the golds this afternoon 12/22/25 at 12:10pm with my buddy Mark, his buddy Kyle and a nice single Ed out from the Midwest. Very little wind today under partly cloudy skies and cooler temps for Goleta around 60 degrees. Met by nice proshop and cartbarn staff. Used there putting green which mirrors speed on the course well. Our pop was 4 hrs 35 minutes finishing with about 1... » More

Rode the golds this afternoon 12/22/25 at 12:10pm with my buddy Mark, his buddy Kyle and a nice single Ed out from the Midwest. Very little wind today under partly cloudy skies and cooler temps for Goleta around 60 degrees. Met by nice proshop and cartbarn staff. Used there putting green which mirrors speed on the course well. Our pop was 4 hrs 35 minutes finishing with about 15 minutes to spare.

Greens were in great shape rolling very smoothly and were very firm above the hole. Greens held iron approaches so just a beautiful combination. Rated 8.5/10

Fairways were in good to great shape with only minor portions wet/muddy. About 95 percent of every Fairway was perfect. Rated 8.5/10

Tees very lush, some divot damage on par 3s and mostly all level. Rated 7/10

Rough just lining the Fairways in great shape. 9/10

Was only in one bunker right greenside on #14 that was nicely raked, contained just enough sand and had that wet brown look and texture that all the bunkers have here.

One of my favorite courses in socal. Highly recommended!!
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Out Friday 12/19 with a 12:20 start, joining a twosome and sharing a cart with another single. Something that has become more standard lately rather than issuing you a separate cart. One played the blues (and further) the rest of us the whites. Overall conditions were pretty decent all around for this time of year. Teeing grounds not usually an issue here, so no real complaints... » More

Out Friday 12/19 with a 12:20 start, joining a twosome and sharing a cart with another single. Something that has become more standard lately rather than issuing you a separate cart. One played the blues (and further) the rest of us the whites. Overall conditions were pretty decent all around for this time of year. Teeing grounds not usually an issue here, so no real complaints. Fairways had some occasional thin or wet patches but overall were well covered. Where there was grass, the rough was usually playable with little or no penalty to it. I was in two bunkers with one on the firm side and damp while the other one was dry but had a little extra depression at the bottom that created a problematic lie. Probably not the case in most of the other bunkers, but some issues in my limited experience. Green surrounds were playable enough, if occasionally on the tighter side. Greens themselves were tight, played firm but took deep pitch marks. Not a pristine surface but played cleaner than it looked. I had a much better than average putting day so they must have been true enough and I enjoyed them. I seemed to have the pace dialed in all day.

Pace of play was slower on the front but seemed better on the back. We probably got around in 4.5 hrs or so, finishing in the dusk but enough light that we were not the last group coming in. I enjoyed it. Recommended.
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Played in the GK final plays 12/20/2025. I found the course to be in immaculate shape. Deep green and lush everywhere. What a contrast to the SD courses at this time. All though I played from the rough more than the fairways. The fairways where perfect, with great lies. The rough was lush but manageable at around 2". The greens were firm and required really good ball striking f... » More

Played in the GK final plays 12/20/2025. I found the course to be in immaculate shape. Deep green and lush everywhere. What a contrast to the SD courses at this time. All though I played from the rough more than the fairways. The fairways where perfect, with great lies. The rough was lush but manageable at around 2". The greens were firm and required really good ball striking for any stopping power, but very consistent. They ran at a solid quick pace with very good roll. Many subtle breaks that you really need to look out for. I was in a couple of traps and they were in excellent shape. A few too many foot prints left behind !!! A couple of the tees had some unevenness to them, but not too bad. Cart girls were by a few times. Pace was good. Had to wait on a few shots, but over all not bad for our group. An absolute treat to play these courses this time of year. A nice mix of hole layouts and overall design. Highly recommend.
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Because of the overcast marine layer, it was not as cold as expected at 7am. Much appreciated. Prior review was spot on. Greens were brutal at times; in fact, I putted two balls off the green and the putts were not that far off from being really good. Need to keep the ball below the hole or you have a lot of stress. Overall, the course is in fine condition. No issues whatsoever... » More

Because of the overcast marine layer, it was not as cold as expected at 7am. Much appreciated. Prior review was spot on. Greens were brutal at times; in fact, I putted two balls off the green and the putts were not that far off from being really good. Need to keep the ball below the hole or you have a lot of stress. Overall, the course is in fine condition. No issues whatsoever. It will be interesting to see how the forecasted rains affect conditions.
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Joined Johnny and a familiar cast of characters to resurrect (hopefully) GK Plays outings at Mountain View on Saturday morning, 12/20/25, in perfect golf weather – warm, sunny, and almost no wind, playing on a course in wonderful condition. Tee times ranged from 9:30 to 10:30am and we went out on time with few groups in front of us and without anyone close enough behind the fin... » More

Joined Johnny and a familiar cast of characters to resurrect (hopefully) GK Plays outings at Mountain View on Saturday morning, 12/20/25, in perfect golf weather – warm, sunny, and almost no wind, playing on a course in wonderful condition. Tee times ranged from 9:30 to 10:30am and we went out on time with few groups in front of us and without anyone close enough behind the final group to cause any waiting.

Conditions were very good throughout the course, which presented as a shimmering green against the muted tones of the surrounding desert environment. Fairways had wall-to-wall coverage of firm turf that gave excellent lies. Coverage in the rough adjacent to fairways was 1-2 inches deep and somewhat wet at the start of the round, but was very playable; if you got too wide there were scraped dirt areas and scattered rock fields to navigate. I was not in any bunkers, but playing partners looked like they had good lies with sand having a fairly shallow playing layer of firm sand. Tees were well-marked and all level and provided good peg opportunities. I hit from the turf on the par-3s and had perfect lies available.

Greens were challenging from the standpoint of firmness and quickness. Most ballmarks were very small and full shots released significantly. Downhill putts had significant rollout and all greens have many subtle small breaks that surprised all of us through the day. Coverage on the greens was excellent and speeds were consistent throughout the day.

Saw the cart girl once on the front and several times on the back side. Restrooms are well-marked and clean and all have water/ice stations. Carts with good-quality GPS, comfortable with ice chest and ball/club washer. Staff was very helpful from bag drop to coordinating the start to receiving golfers after the round.

Great to see old friends again and meet new GKers. I’m hopeful that the GK Plays can take off and be well-received by the SoCal GK community. Playing fun, well-conditioned courses like Mountain View helps to enhance the experience and increase anticipation for future events. Thanks to Johnny for all he does.
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