Update on Rustic. Played in an event there on 9/18. What a difference a week makes. Although not listed on GK, most of the greens were punched and sanded and were very slow. Pure luck to make anything over 5 feet. Been hot and the rough around the edges is poor. Would not play here the next few weeks.

Went out and played Canyon Lake Country Club yesterday for the first time. I got an invite from my bother-in-law who lives in the Canyon Lake community. This course was fully private but recently became open to the public. The club house is outside of the guard shacks of the community so you do not have to worry about checking in with them to get to the course.

I expected this course to be a flat, tree lined course, winding through the Canyon Lake community. I didn't really expect it to be in great shape since they had to go public. To me, this meant they were not getting much play so the course conditions could be a little rough due to a lack of funds. I was completely wrong.

The course is very hilly. Besides a couple of par 3's, there is not a flat hole on this course. I had asked about walking this course (I enjoy walking) and there is no way I would walk this place. There are also a lot of dog leg holes. I was lucky to have my brother-in-law with me because I had no idea where we were going on some holes.

The course conditions were very good - far better than I was expecting. The fairways, tee boxes, and greens were all in excellent shape. I was in 3 bunkers and all 3 were perfect. They were some of the best bunkers I have ever played. Big thumbs up to the maintenance department here. Well done. Also, the course does have a grass driving range. It is relatively small but it does the job.

The downside to this course is that it is extremely narrow on some holes. Most holes are lined on both sides with houses and the other holes are lined on both sides with trees. If homes make you nervous, this may not be the course for you. If you hit the ball relatively straight, you will enjoy the layout.

I will say that is was obvious that we were not from the Canyon Lake community. Everyone that was playing had their own golf cart. We were the only ones that had a rented cart! We really stuck out.

If narrow courses do not scare you, go give this course a try. Each hole is unique and I never got the feeling like "didn't we just play this hole?" I would definitely recommend this course to anyone and I will be back.

I’m happy to say Eastlake is back in playable condition. The greens are looking vastly better and they were freshly cut when I played yesterday. I know this is a love / hate course for a lot of people but at least it’s back to a decent playable condition. Played Saturday morning on a busy day. They were running about 10 minutes late but still played in about 4:30, which isn’t bad for a Saturday.

Tee boxes were nice and lush with good coverage and level. Fairways are good with a little roll and not to many brown spots. Traps were nice with fresh new sand. Greens were good. They would hold shots and rolled fairly smooth and medium fast.

They have a new crew of Marshall’s rolling around. Didn’t see they talk to anyone but seemed to be moving things along. Saw the cart girl twice.

All in all I you can find a good deal you should give it a try.

Played Sat 8/18 teeing off a little before 1:30 and not much has changed since gary00's review. The de-thatching/verticutting of the fairways is still apparent but doesn't affect play much unless you end up in a small pile of thatch. Fairways should look better in a few weeks I would guess. Tee boxes (black) were differently hit and miss. Most of the larger teeing grounds were fine, but the smaller, tucked boxes (4 and 8 come to mind) had some significant lumps and bumps. Greens were surprisingly receptive but were riddled with unfixed or poorly fixed ballmarks. The sign at the pro shop claimed they were running 10 and that seemed accurate.

Guys in the pro shop were great and we saw the cart girl 4 or 5 times through the round. POP was on the slow side right around 5 hours. Afternoon pricing is quite good in the afternoon and the course is a beast so it's still a recommended visit even if it's a little scruffy in spots right now.

Played the mountain course on Friday 8/16. Course is in good shape. Decided to play mountain instead of Palm, since Palm has started over seeding prep.

It was crowded, and although on a few holes it felt like we were stacking up, we finished in just under 4 hours as a threesome.

Tee boxes and fairways had some divots but no thin or bare spots. Rough was thick and cut slightly higher than usual. Greens were in good shape, maybe a little fuzzy, but that’s nit picking. Couple of puts bounced weird.

It must be the new norm here. I knew the greens were being punched next week but they actually punched all the fairways this week. Some were fresher than others. The fairways they punched at the beginning of last week have grown in some so it wasn’t that bad. Newer fairways were a little dicey.

Greens were good. Firm and rolling out quite a bit. I thought the pace was a little faster than it looked. I seemed to run out my first putt a little more than I expected leaving quite a few comeback kneeknockers.

Rough is down and very playable. There were some wet areas where they hadn’t cut the grass and I did find one of there areas, that was fun.

I was in 2 green side bunkers and they were pretty soft. Seemed pretty consistent throughout the course.

All being said I’d probably hold off playing until after the maintenance. I have no idea how long this one will take to recover from. The maintenance done earlier this year seemed to take a lot longer to get back to normal which I hope isn’t the case this time around.

I had heard a bunch of great things about this course from different sources, so going into the course I had relatively high expectations for the course, and having played the course I can say that those expectations were met.

The layout is very compact, with holes being really close to one another, but it's a very interesting design, taking full advantage of the land that resort had to work with. There are a lot of elevation changes on the course due to the hilly terrain, and the course is also not that long, as I found myself using wedges on a lot of approach shots. The course really amazes with its closing stretch, holes 15-18, where the layout opens up.

Conditions wise, the course matches the price that's being charged. The fairways were lush and green with no bare spots in sight, the rough was really tame and not too difficult to hit out of, the sand levels in the bunkers were great, and the greens, although a little bit on the slower side, were rolling very smoothly.

All in all, it's a really fun, shorter course that's poses just enough challenge for being a resort course. We happened to get the twilight rate, which made this course a steal, but even for regular pricing, it's a course that anyone in the area should definitely play.

I played on Friday, teeing off (right on time) at 8:15. I really enjoy the layout here. There is plenty of room to hit driver on the longer holes, with trouble lurking for bad tee shots. There is enough bunkering off the tee and around the greens to get one's attention.The greens have accessible sections, along with some spots that are very difficult to attack.

Course conditions were very good for the middle of summer. Tee boxes had fine coverage. The fairways were very nice, and the rough was a consistent length that was not too punishing. If there was an area where some improvement might be needed, I would like to see a little more sand in the greenside bunkers. The greens were smooth, though the 110 degree days require the pace of the greens to be a little slower than they could be.

The pace of play was four hours, on the button. I also have to mention that the customer service was excellent from start to finish. I highly recommend this course for a fun round of golf.

Based on El Prado standards, course is just in so-so condition right now. Staff is always friendly. They have a grass driving range but where the hitting stalls were set up today seemed to be mostly crab grass. They also have two nice practice putting greens and a small chipping green.

Tee boxes were mostly thin with a few being very hard. At times it was also difficult to find a level spot. Fairways were in typical El Prado condition with them being mostly thin but there are a few nice spots throughout. Off the fairway there is lots of bare spots and areas with weeds and spots with very long grass. Sand traps were, like always, very thin and hard. Greens were the best part of the course. While they were a little slow, most putts rolled smoothly. Tee'd off at 6:15 a.m., so pace of play was good at just under 4 hours. The twosome in front of us was a few holes ahead and we felt no push from the group behind us.

There are very few golf options along the northern CA coast, but this was perfect for our purposes. The family got together to play some golf before a wedding in Mendocino. This is 5 minutes south of Mendocino and very convenient. We played Friday 8/9 in glorious weather conditions. This is a legit 9 hole golf course requiring quality shots through the bag. Interesting course with some elevation and ocean views. The first 9 are played from the blue tees with the repeated 9 played from the whites. Just enough of a difference to keep it interesting the second time around. The 7th/16th and the 9th/18th actually have separate greens which make those four holes unique.
The course was probably in the best condition possible due to location. The fairways were mottled with various grasses and the rough was untamed grasses at knee length. If you're not in the fairway, don't even bother looking. The greens were somewhat slow, but rolled true. Some putts were affected by the grain; all were affected by some slope. The bunkers were well maintained but not particularly fluffy.
The staff was very friendly and accommodating ... they let us go out in two fivesomes. In return, we played "best ball" to keep things moving. The family had a great time. Next time on the Mendocino coast, this is definitely worth playing!

Considering they just punched these greens on Tuesday, 8/13, (small tines) they rolled remarkably well and still maintained good speed. The remainder of the course is in nice condition, fairways were lush but still provide some roll out. Bunkers, tee boxes in good shape.

Very empty this morning, perhaps people fearing the greens would not be good? Works for me!

Played here Tuesday as the second leg of 36. I had tried to play here before a few years but was deterred due to fires. With the amazing quality of courses in Bend my expectations were high coming into this round. We go out at 4:00 twilight and had the course to ourselves.

As a Troon managed course. The service here could not be better. You are greeted upon arrival with a cart. Everything is loaded for you and the practice range, greens and amenities are amazing.

The course is a masterpiece. You can tell it is a Nicklaus but it is unlike any course of his I have ever played. While the fairways are massive, the unique aspect of this course are the rock, brush, dead tree outcropping. What these do is essentially cut the fairway into quadrants. A drive in the wrong side of the fairway will leave a blocked shot requiring a punch out. Every tee shot you have to decide whether to carry or lay up behind particular outcroppings. Being a Nicklaus the greens are all elevated and tiny. The challenge here are the firm lightning fast greens, with subtle breaks. Most greens are tortoise shelled so laying up short and leaving a chip in the right area is key here.

The other unique thing about this course are the optical illusions on the par 3s and par 4 13th especially. Somehow with the way the water or edge of the greens have an angle to them it greatly affects your depth perception. On several holes you actually want to drive away from the hole on the outside of bunkers (versus cutting the corner) and somehow those areas are closer to the hole then going at it. There is another fun tight short uphill par 4. That appears tight but above the pinch is a massive landing zone. Course knowledge is a must here. Me and my partner went from 92s with one birdie the first round. To an 81 with 2 birdies and an eagle. Playing conservative here is the key. The par 5s are the most difficult and should all be played as 3 shotters unless you catch the speed slope on the last one.

I'm rating this course. It isnt the type of course that will have vertifcut fairways like you see on your. But the turf here is immaculate. It is cut so thin and perfect the fairways here are jicer than most greens. As we learned the second round you are better off lutting off the green to avoid rolloffs into bunkers.

The tee boxes were the nicest I have ever seen. Immaculate, perfectly flat, and cut thin like a green.

Sand bunkers were a perfect soft natural sand. Great consistency.

It doesnt get any better than Pronghorn. It was so good we came back and played it twice. There was no point going elsewhere.

The size of the ballpark. No holes backing along each other. The sheer magnitude of this course is breathtaking. It has by far two of the most epic par 5s you will ever play.