Main event of the day was a chance to play the once private (now I guess you'd say "semi-private") Rio Bravo just east of town. I noticed recently they started offering some regular afternoon times th... Continue »

Main event of the day was a chance to play the once private (now I guess you'd say "semi-private") Rio Bravo just east of town. I noticed recently they started offering some regular afternoon times through GN and decided it was enough of an excuse to head back to the Bakersfield area for a productive day of golf. We had a 1:35 tee time. The price a tad steep at $65, but this course is definitely a cut above most other courses in the area and I can understand a little extra cost. It seemed we had the place to ourselves when we teed off, but soon caught a twosome and played behind them all round. They moved quickly enough we didn't need to push too much and finished in around 3 hours on a warm afternoon. Though far from pristine, the course was in pretty good summer condition. The tee boxes were good. The fairways had some spotty areas and lies were inconsistent at times, but I'd say much more good than bad. Same with the rough. The further you get off the fairway, the more likely you'll just be in bare dirt, though. I was in a couple bunkers and they were crunchy on top, but decent sand under the surface. The greens were soft and receptive, but much, much faster than what we experienced earlier in the day. They were pretty slick, but I'd say rolling at perfect speeds for a regular play day. They were a bit bumpy at times as there were a lot of old pock marks not well repaired. Approach shots would make some pretty deep ball marks, so they probably don't heal as quickly. I enjoyed this layout a lot and it's in a nice setting. Surrounded by some houses and fairly hilly terrain (more so on the back nine than the front, which is a little flatter) with a good mix of trees in play. Lots of big doglegs. There are some really long holes like the monstrous par-5 11th (616 from blues, 596 from whites), which plays uphill all the way with a fairway that slopes pretty severely from left to right to prevent much forward roll-out. It's a very straightforward hole, but is a three-shotter for even the long boys and a four-shotter for some of us mere mortals. That is followed by a fun, short, downhill risk/reward par-4 that is all about hitting your targets, so it's a really fun mix of holes overall to test all parts of your game. The minimal staff was very friendly and the members didn't seem to mind us outsiders much. Would I drive 2+ hours to play again? Probably not. But if I lived closer, it would be one I'd likely return to, especially at other times of year when it's probably in more peak condition. Definitely one of the best Kern County has to offer along with Riverlakes Ranch, if you ask me.