Played Laguna Seca yesterday afternoon on what was naturally and expected a busy holiday weekend round. Conditions have declined slightly but still overall not bad and much better than years past whe... Continue »

Played Laguna Seca yesterday afternoon on what was naturally and expected a busy holiday weekend round. Conditions have declined slightly but still overall not bad and much better than years past when everything was hit and miss. Greens actually rolled fairly smooth. Given it was an afternoon round finishing up at 6:30 PM the greens held up well (3 birdies on the day helps with the ratings). Greens rolled at a medium pace that I suspect wasn’t as slow as they seemed. But after playing Spyglass twice last week everything feels slow. Greens were a bit firm but held well struck approach shots.

Fairways remain consistent. Think of a typical average (but decent) muni course and that’s what the fairways are here. In fact the entire course could be considered your average muni course. Most of the fairways had decent lush coverage. Only a few thin spots here and there.

Rough seems to be growing in, as in narrowing the fairways. Not sure if it’s my imagination or if they are getting ready for a tournament. Anyway, the rough isn’t too bad. Only about 1-1.5 inches thick and the ball sits up pretty well. Only real downside is lack of roll out if you hit the rough.

Sand boxes were decent enough. In fact I played Spanish Bay last weekend and the bunkers at Laguna Seca were in better shape. Main issue was players not raking them. I was in three or four bunkers and all had multiple footprints. There are plenty of rakes for each bunker so please start using them folks.

The main downside to the course is the kikuyu grass surrounding the greens. It’s hard to be consistent with your short game trying to navigate this stuff. POP was just over 4.5 hours which actually isn’t bad for a holiday weekend. I walked and this is a stern walk for sure. Doable for anyone in shape but definitely a no go for those with knee problems, etc.

Laguna Seca has always been one of my favorite layouts and with the new owners the conditions match the price point.