I had the pleasure of participating in a contractor tournament this past Monday, and I was excited to return to this course for the second time. It truly is a gem, nestled in a beautiful setting. While I wouldn’t drive two hours just to play here, as an Orange County native, I find the course well worth the visit whenever the opportunity presents itself. With its three distinct... » More

I had the pleasure of participating in a contractor tournament this past Monday, and I was excited to return to this course for the second time. It truly is a gem, nestled in a beautiful setting. While I wouldn’t drive two hours just to play here, as an Orange County native, I find the course well worth the visit whenever the opportunity presents itself. With its three distinct nine-hole layouts, each round offers enough variety to keep golfers engaged and entertained.

Considering the scorching temperatures we've experienced lately, hovering between 90 and 100 degrees, the course conditions were surprisingly good for late summer. The tee boxes and fairways were well-maintained, providing a solid foundation for each shot. I did notice some minor issues with divots on the tees—possibly due to lack of upkeep over the busy weekend—but nothing too distracting. The sand bunkers were a standout feature, gleaming white and well-groomed, making it a pleasant surprise for any golfer caught in a tricky lie. Meanwhile, the greens were smooth, exhibiting a medium pace that challenged us just enough, with a nice firmness that kept the ball rolling true.

The golf carts were a great addition, equipped with GPS to help navigate the course effortlessly. While we didn't have a beverage cart roaming the fairways during this charity event, there was an abundance of libations at each hole, ensuring we stayed refreshed. I must commend the staff, who were friendly and incredibly efficient, skillfully managing the flow of 144 players. After the round, we gathered in the main ballroom, where the food was fantastic, providing the perfect conclusion to a wonderful day of golf.
» Close

Played Arrowood on 08/26. After the greens fiasco, can we return Arrowood to the regular rotation? YES! Of course, finishing with 4 pars on the Quandary will make any reviewer happy and positive.

Greens are not back to where they were, and probably won't be for months. But they are playable. There are some bad patches, but I never had any of them in my line of play.... » More

Played Arrowood on 08/26. After the greens fiasco, can we return Arrowood to the regular rotation? YES! Of course, finishing with 4 pars on the Quandary will make any reviewer happy and positive.

Greens are not back to where they were, and probably won't be for months. But they are playable. There are some bad patches, but I never had any of them in my line of play. They keep the pins away from the really bad spots. Greens are a bit slow as they are letting the grass get healthy first. But they rolled much better than they look.

I would even say the bigger problem with the greens now is unfixed ball marks. A crazy amount of unfixed ball marks this morning. I had one 10 foot putt, and I had to fix 7-8 ball marks on my line. Half were poorly repaired, and half were not reparied at all.

The rest of the course is fine, even better than most for late August conditions.

Starter said that aeration is coming up (no date set yet), and after that the greens should take another leap forward.
» Close

Catching up on a review from last week. Teed it up with sparky14, itslikeimsayin and briano1985 at Dove Canyon Golf Club 8/17. This was my 100th event. What started with me running the events solo in July 2021, not sure what to expect, became 99 rounds later filled with good times and lots great golf experiences for my fellow golfers. Dove Canyon Golf Club was one of the first ... » More

Catching up on a review from last week. Teed it up with sparky14, itslikeimsayin and briano1985 at Dove Canyon Golf Club 8/17. This was my 100th event. What started with me running the events solo in July 2021, not sure what to expect, became 99 rounds later filled with good times and lots great golf experiences for my fellow golfers. Dove Canyon Golf Club was one of the first to welcome our group, in fact last Monday was our 11th event there. Despite the 20+ clubs I’ve had these events at, the 4-5 hour round trip drive it takes me (from Thousand Oaks – traffic sucks) and the punishing difficult layout, it’s in my Top-5 host clubs we play. It’s a phenomenal Jack Nicklaus Signature Course layout that is a blast to play. Jack’s Den at the turn is my favorite place to grab a bite. The food is delicious and affordable + plus that give out free big delicious muffins. The clubhouse is magnificent. The service is top-notch. I love this place.

While the playing conditions on 8/17 were not up to Dove Canyon GC’s typical lush, beautiful standards, the course did not disappoint. With cooler temps and overseeding around the corner, Dove Canyon GC will be bouncing back soon.

I’m already looking into booking a 2027 Spring event. Don’t miss it.
» Close

Despite being a San Diego resident for 45 years, I finally played Oceanside GC for the first time on Saturday. Overall, I was impressed with what the golf course has to offer, not only from a conditioning perspective but also with regard to the subtle demands it places upon one’s game, despite being relatively short at 6400+ yards from the ‘Tips’.

Tee boxes were in go... » More

Despite being a San Diego resident for 45 years, I finally played Oceanside GC for the first time on Saturday. Overall, I was impressed with what the golf course has to offer, not only from a conditioning perspective but also with regard to the subtle demands it places upon one’s game, despite being relatively short at 6400+ yards from the ‘Tips’.

Tee boxes were in good shape, despite a few uneven lies, while the Par-3 holes, naturally, showed a bit more wear and tear. Didn’t amount to much of a bother though so no complaints there.

Fairways, however, were a different story. While some were uniform in their growth, coverage, and turf consistency, others were a mix of different types of grasses. When it came to those holes, lies were quite thin with nothing more than a ‘veneer’ of grass covering the base underneath. You could be looking at three or four different strains of turf within a ten-foot circle.

As a result, ball striking had to be precise from those spots in order to ensure solid compression. I did find it necessary to ‘bump’ the ball out of a few bare depressions in order to give myself a fair chance at doing so…and this was especially true when it came to short irons/wedges.

I suppose it’s just the nature of the soil, turf, etc. but the difference between the fairway grass on, say, #1 and #15, were like night and day. Still…I gathered enough positives from my total experience that the turf issue isn’t going to discourage me from returning.

The real highlight was the greens. They were in great shape: soft and receptive to approach shots where you were literally throwing darts out there yet medium-quick on speed with consistent, true rolls on every green. Putts from above the hole may have been a bit quicker but nothing outrageous.

Also want to mention that although the putting surfaces were soft, I saw very few unattended ball marks. If repaired promptly, as should be the case, these greens can remain fairly pristine from sunrise to sunset.

Rough isn’t much of a factor as most perimeter areas are characterized by hard-packed sand/crushed granite. It gives the course somewhat of a desert-like appearance but sure does help with reducing maintenance costs while also keeping play moving…although we still had to endure a five-hour round.

Bunker sand was good but played a bit ‘heavier’ than I anticipated. I was in just one trap so I can’t comment on their consistency but they did appear uniform in that regard.

While the course is considered ‘short’ by today’s standard, it does demand precise shotmaking in order to score well. The closing stretch is solid…and even more so when the wind is up…and the size of the greens provides another option to stretch the yardage further than the card.

Whenever we encountered a ‘back’ flag position, it was ALL the way back! There were more than a couple of greens that measured some 40-50 yards from back to front. I really like golf courses that have this type of ‘interchangeability’; you may play one hole and approach the pin with an 8-iron one day…and 5-iron the next from the exact same spot in the fairway due to the flag’s location.

Course is flat until you hit the steep, uphill Par-4 12th (be aware of the severe ‘false front’)…which is followed by the dramatic downhill Par-3 13th…but there are enough twists and turns where it’s never monotonous and being able to shape the ball both ways off the tee is an asset.

Staff were friendly and accommodating, facilities and grounds spotless, and the vibe casual and relaxed. $55.00 to walk ‘Prime Time’ on the weekend with an additional $15.00 cart fee has value written all over it when you add everything up. And that’s amplified just a bit more if you happen to play during the week and walk.

While it’s an hour’s drive for me, I anticipate playing here a bit more in the future. Love the layout and if the greens continue to be maintained at their present level, it’s an absolute no-brainer for this kid.
» Close

Rode the blues this morning 8/24/26 as part of the Vivid/GK Golfmoose event under hot conditions for Somis almost 90 degrees. Pop was 4 hrs 40. Joined by buddies John, Ron and Matt.

Great run event with smooth check in and a nice warm up area with two practice greens and an elevated range on mats.

Greens were in great shape. I have seen them quicker around us op... » More

Rode the blues this morning 8/24/26 as part of the Vivid/GK Golfmoose event under hot conditions for Somis almost 90 degrees. Pop was 4 hrs 40. Joined by buddies John, Ron and Matt.

Great run event with smooth check in and a nice warm up area with two practice greens and an elevated range on mats.

Greens were in great shape. I have seen them quicker around us open qualifying time here but they were still pretty quick with pure rolls. Due to the heat there were a couple sections of real dry patches creeping in like the middle of 17 green. Rated 8.5/10

Fairways just in great shape perfect lies. Rated 9/10.

Nasty rough today probably the thickest I have seen out here. Balls would nestle way down just off the fairways and would catch barely off struck drives like a catchers mitt. Very long but in very good shape. Rated 8.5/10

Tees were in very good shape with no issues. Rated 8.5/10

Was in greenside bunker on 1 and fairway bunker on 16. High quality raked perfect sand here. Rated 8.5/10

Love this golf course. You have to golf your ball well here to score well here. Plenty of bunkers, red and white penalty areas and rough to challenge the best of players. Members are blessed here! If you have a chance to play here jump on the opportunity to!
» Close