Golf Course Reviews
Golf Course Reviews: California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Florida, Hawaii!
Listing 13 to 24 of 69,394 Course Reviews
Page of 3
Finally got some free time to play a round of golf for the third time in as many months. Decided I would redeem a groupon certificate my wife bought me a few months ago for this course. Wasn't expecting too much in terms of conditions knowing this was about the time courses were reseeding amongst other maintenance in the area. For these reasons the north course was closed.
The pro shop was small, not an overabundance of equipment or supplies, but there did seem to be plenty of apparel with the country club logo for purchase. The snack shop was similar in that the menu wasn't too extensive, but sufficient.
Before hiting the course I spent a little time on the practice green and the range. The putting green was nearly identical to the greens on course. The range was irons only although there seemed to be plenty of area to accommodate driver practice. Range balls were included with green fees.
Played the blues today. Tee boxes were great, not an unlevel lie all day. Closely mown with no major divot damage, including the par 3 holes.
Fairways, like the tees, were closely mown with coverage throughout. Perhaps a little more tight than I'd prefer, but didn't come across even one hardpan area or GUR the entire round.
The rough wasn't too thick too often, although in some places you could easily lose your ball if you strayed too far off the fairway. I did land in one spot that could/should have been marked as GUR.
Bunkers were hit and miss. The first couple I landed in had nice fluffy sand that was easy to play out of. The few I landed in later in the round were a bit thin but playable.
The greens were very firm and small. Not only did I not create a divot to fix the entire round, but there were no others to fix. They also looked faster than they played, seemed to be around an 8, no more than a 9 on the stimp meter. Very smooth surface, putts held lines well, no severe contours or breaks.
Overall course was a bit dry, but very nice coverage throughout the course. The course was beautifully manicured, all edges trimmed, stakes precisely placed, with nothing seemingly out of place. The staff here are very polite and eager to assist. I had a great time and can't wait to return at a time when I'll get to see this course at peak conditions!
9 Likes.
Played here on a beautiful Memorial Day afternoon with a tee time of 12:56 with three other gentlemen, Brandon, Rick and Fabian that rounded out our foursome. Oak Valley usually does a great job spacing out tee times which ensures there are no pace of play issues, and this day was no different. In all the rounds I've played at this course, I've never once been frustrated by slow play. Not the easiest of courses, which I'm sure plays a factor in the volume of players.

Oak Valley has a nice driving range which is aesthetically pleasing to the eye in its design. All grass, no mats! Practice green seemed to reflect conditions of the greens on actual course accurately, which is kinda a pet peeve of mine, lol.

Greens were more receptive than I've experienced in the past, quite soft and holding shots very well. As the greens were softer and more receptive than normal, they were also slower than what I've known them to be in the past, I'd have to guess about a 9 on the stimp meter at most, which led to many putts from all in our foursome to be left short. Also contours in greens did not produce breaks we perceived were there, holding their lines longer and more often than expected. Took some adjusting, but conditions were very conducive to scoring opportunities, although I could not seem to capitalize on this day.

Fairways were great, what more can I say, lol. No brown, yellow or hardpan spots anywhere that I could see. Divots seemed to be a non issue here. I must also add that I am indeed a fan of the 90* rule that is applied here, wish more courses would implement this practice.

Rough was exactly that the further shots ventured from the fairway, but just off the fairway it was ideal in my opinion. Again, lush no brown, yellow or hardpan areas. Thick enough to force a club or two adjustment, but not too thick as to make it difficult to locate your ball.

Found myself in a couple bunkers and was pleased to be able to play the sand as it is intended to be played. Not exactly fluffy, but not wet and heavy, nor was it a thin layer on packed sand underneath. Had no problem whatsoever getting under the ball for very good greenside bunker shots. This is critical for third shots on par four holes when you would like to try and get it close to the pin out of a greenside bunker so you can 1putt for par.

Tee boxes were not as nice as the other areas of the course. Coverage not as lush, but in my opinion this is a non issue considering I use a tee for any hole that's not a par three. While some weren't perfectly level, I didn't have too much of an issue finding spots to tee off from. A couple of the par three holes were a bit chewed up, which necessitated a tee.
Yet another great day of golf at Oak Valley Golf Club.
11 Likes.
Had a tee time for 9:50, staff was very pleasant during checkin including a staff member meeting customers in the parking lot with a cart to transport you and your clubs to pro shop. Facilities were immaculate with a fully stocked pro shop.
Thank you to Jeff and Darien for the invite to play at this beautiful course which provided complimentary yardage books, divots fixers and ball makers. Also included were towels and as many bottles of water you could drink in coolers throughout the course and in the cooler mounted on the cart.
Range balls included with green fee for a grass only range.
Tee boxes all level with virtually no divots with exceptions being the par three's, for obvious reasons. Even so, there were plenty spots to play from. All tee boxes were perfectly lush.
Fairways were just perfect, couldn't image them being any better than they were. Didn't even come close to landing in a divot and for the most part, patrons seemed to do well with filling them. The quality of the filter practically influenced you to take the chance to use it when you had the opportunity.
Rough was slightly penal, but not long enough to have any difficulty finding your ball. Again, very lush, not a dry, hardpan area on the course.
Greens were quite firm, held shots somewhat decently. Few divot marks, but again kudos to the patrons, didn't find one unrepaired divot the entire day. Not too fast, I'd have to guess about a 9.5 to 10 on the stimp meter with putts holding their lines very well.
Finally, this is one place where pace of play is not a problem thanks to a very active, no nonsense course marshall who went as far as bringing our food out to us on fairway number 10 to ensure we kept pace after our group placed an order at the turn.
Just an overall excellent and enjoyable day of golf at the classic club! Highly recommended!
12 Likes.
Played Shandin Hills golf club today at twilight for a fee of $20 to walk. Teed off about 2:15. Pace of play was about 4:15,which was very good. Easy to find a level spot on every tee box, even though a couple of the par three's were a bit chewed up. A few were lush, but majority were just decent coverage.
Fairways had more bare spots than I'd prefer, but considering what I paid, it was okay. Hitting the fairway would result anywhere from a great, lush spot to hit from to very thin.
Rough isn't overly penal, for the most part pretty easy to hit out of. The issue here is predominately the burrowing critters that the rules book gives you free relief from, which is a godsend, lol.
Bunkers not terrific, thin coverage but was able to get club under ball with ease. Played far better than the appearance would suggest.
Now for the best part of the course, the greens! Unquestionably they are in the best condition I've seen them in 10 years! Very smooth, as fast as I've ever seen, held shots great! For the first time I felt the ball rolled true without bouncing offline due to bumpiness.
The new management company/team is doing a fantastic job in every aspect. I really appreciate the direction they are taking this golf club. Shandin Hills is leaps and bounds above where it was just a year and a half ago!
13 Likes.
Was able to make it out to goose creek in the afternoon on Tuesday. Arrived at course just after noon. It was a beautiful day, sun shining bright, slight breeze approximately 80 degrees, so I decided to walk the course using my push cart. Twilight walking rate of $33.
Played the whites due to my unfamiliarity of the course, only played here once before, weekend rack rates about $20 outside my normal budget, or I would play here much more than I have.
Tee boxes were lush with no divot issues whatsoever.
Fairways nearly perfect, didn't encounter any hardpan areas.
Rough was as it should be, thick enough to shorten the length on shots, but short enough to easily find your ball.
The two greenside bunkers I found myself in were not perfect, but nice enough to get under ball and make a good play on the ball. The only fairway bunker I was in was rather firm, which was OK because I was about 180 yards out, made it easier to use my 5 iron to reach the green, lol.
Finally, the greens. Just beautiful. Every putt rolled true and held its line, don't remember even one putt jumping offline the entire round. A bit fast, but I adjusted pretty quickly. Very receptive to approach shots. Most importantly, the clientele that frequent this course do very well with fixing divots.
Ample water stations throughout course, which is rather important for the walking golfer, especially when it's a warm day.
Lastly, the cart girl was very diligent in making sure no one had to wait very long before seeing her again.
In summary, as many of you know, Goose Creek is a very well conditioned course, that is an absolute pleasure to play.
21 Likes.
Have been playing at Tukwet often of late, most recently 1/23 Saturday afternoon twosome on The Champions with my 9 year old daughter, best ball of course. The staff is exceptional as a whole, pro shop desk guys always eager to accommodate golfing related requests and preferences. When you purchase your range balls, you pass the attendant your receipt, he passes you a bucket of balls, no coins, no codes,no loud machine, just customer service.

The range is all grass. Two very large putting green complexes, both multi level with not so subtle contours throughout. The chipping area is great, many different shots to practice through its design. Now on to the current conditions of the course Saturday afternoon...

Tee boxes are all fairly level, and because the box has seemingly become more narrow ,and moved more frequently, divots weren't excessive, even on par 3's. I would have to add that they are not as lush as I'd prefer, but not thin enough to complain about, in all honesty.

Fairways are lush in prime spots, perhaps a few spots throughout the course subjected to overwatering that should be GUR. One or two small yellowish/brown areas may dot a few fairways here and there, but no hardpan areas.

Rough is not nearly as penal as in years past, but if you go too far off line you will be taking penalty strokes. No parallel holes here. I would say the rough is 2-3 inches, sometimes a bit difficult to locate ball. Lush near the fairways and canyon terrain over the cart path and OB.

Bunkers can be a strategic mixed bag, most with plenty coverage, a couple hardpan fairway bunkers on a couple par 5's if I remember correctly. Pretty good condition for the rain we've had the previous week.

Unfortunately many patrons who frequent this place don't bother with fixing divots. But because Tukwet is so exceptional in so many facets, this becomes a minor inconvenience. The greens here are littered with unrepaired ball marks, despite the signs imploring golfers to do so, go figure. I fix mine, two other bad ones and move on.

Every time I play a round at Tukwet, it is an enjoyable overall experience, and for $55 its a bargain, IMO. The amenities this facility provides for practice along with the ambience and beauty of the clubhouse could very well supplant OQ as my favorite.
13 Likes.
Ok, I generally don't give negative reviews, I prefer to highlight positives and give praise when due. I will give a negative review when conditions are egregiously not up to the standard of what the green fee sets only to inform my fellow GKers in hopes that you all can avoid a bad experience, as many of you have saved me from businesses that don't appreciate our patronage and hard earned money.
Prior to today I would have told you this course was in my regular rotation, no longer! This course has come under new management recently, and because I did play here quite regularly, it was easy for me to notice and point out on course improvements and exactly where money was being spent. I would like to detail the course conditions, but I'm so disgusted I can't bring myself to bother. All in all, the course has never been great in the last 10 years, but was working itself up to good in the last few months.
This course has high number of fools that show up here just to screw around as if this place is an amusement park for buffoons! I witnessed today (and other days) a group drive their cart ACROSS THE GREEN! On more than one occasion! I witnessed two in this same group run thru a bunker after putting out on #16. I'm sure there was even more bad behavior I didn't witness, I was behind them for the final 3 holes, only because to two groups between us quit and left the course after telling me they couldn't take it anymore. They also said they had called the pro shop on them, but there is no Marshall. It took this offensive group 30 minutes to finish #17! 30 minutes!!!
Shandin Hills, I promise never to return until you guys employ a Marshall! There are those who respect the game, course, property and facilities, then there are those who don't care about any of these things and exhibit a total disregard for fellow golfers on top of all that! My question to Shandin Hills is whether or not they will address the issues of their faithful customers or continue to let these people drive us away and negate the hard work the grounds crew is putting in?

It's a shame Shandin Hills is letting these occasional (I can't call them golfers, they don't even call themselves "golfers") drive away regular customers!
4 Likes.
Arrived at the course approximately 10:30 or so Super Bowl Sunday with a $25 deal caddy voucher. Clubhouse is small but does not lack the essentials; plenty golf accessories and kitchen resembling a small diner. I wish I could comment on the food, but rarely do I show up to a course hungry, lol. I immediately notice that there are 3 foursomes lined up at first tee, ugh! Starter/cashier/attendant tells me no openings till about 11:30 or so,ugh! So I buy a small bucket of balls and head to the grass only range, no stalls, just pick a nice spot. Kind of an old school feel to the place, which I can appreciate.
Now to the course. Tee boxes were level although a bit thin on a few holes. Not much of an issue, really.
Fairways were fairly lush for winter conditions. I did see a few divots, but never landed in any(you have to hit fairways for that to happen,lol). The rough wasn't overly penal, just thick and tall enough, about an inch and a half, balls easily found and shots significantly shortened. I did on one or two occasions hit off hardpan amongst the trees, areas I shouldn't have been in anyway, which enlightened me to the precise allocation of water on the course. Kudos to the grounds crew!
Hazards: hallelujah! I escaped a round without having to hit out of one. Bunkers for me are like "the elephant in the room", I ignore them and act as if they don't exist until they rise up and confront me and I have no choice in the matter,lol. So, sorry no assessment.
Greens were firm, held shots well. A bit fast, probably a 10 I'd guess, but very smooth, maybe seen two putts in my threesome that didn't hold their line due to bumpiness. Very few level putting opportunities on this course, plenty of undulation. Size and shaping of greens lend to the versatility of pin placement, which combined with undulations make approach shots critical.
Teed off as single behind stacked up foursomes, relaxed, played slow accepting my lot in this situation without getting frustrated until the ninth hole when Ravi and Andy caught me and we finished together. After all that, I still managed to finish right about 4 1/2 hours!
The rack rate for this course is $47, which IMO is more than fair. What I like most about this course is the idea that the conditions are always above average with a greens fee of less than 50 bucks. Go play!
5 Likes.
Booked this round through a very popular online site for $65 on a Sunday morning at 7:20. My playing partner Gus, coming from Hemet, got a bit lost on his way there and nearly went to Oak Valley, lol! The starter, his name escapes me, did a great job coordinating the tee sheet upstairs and the reality on first tee. The starter worked us in and surprisingly to me sent us out as a two-some! Initially I was quite concerned because we were following a three some. We pressed the group ahead for about 5 holes or so, then some how their pace increased dramatically. We waited on several shots, but never for too long and it showed with a 4 hour 15 min round, approximately. The new carts equipped with the very gps systems probably aided in that. Stay away from restricted areas, and no you won't know exactly where they begin until your already in it.
The white tee boxes were decent, all fairly level. Between the markers there was the full Saturday traffic, while all throughout the rest of the tee areas, from red to black, it was noticeably lush. 7.5 of 10
The fairways were equally as lush, great lies all day, when I did manage to hit the fairway! Gus nor I had to hit out of a divot the entire round. When the fairways are good there isn't much to report on them, lol. 8.25 of 10
The rough (deep breath) was exactly that early on in the round. I'd have to guess about 4 inches deep wispy and wet. As the day warmed up and the water evaporated, the rough became significantly less penal. I would quickly realize that I needed to stay out of that stuff. 8.5 of 10, I guess
The bunkers were not the greatest, but that is due to the massive amount of watering this course gets. I was able to get my sand wedge under the ball, barely. None were hard pan, just thick, wet, and heavy. This didn't bother me much, it's a hazard, I put myself there and I just get out the best I can. 4.5
The greens were about as fast as they can get them here. Most greens are multi-tiered without an extreme amount of undulation, which I can appreciate. Knowing which direction the grain is running will impact your score by 1 or 2 strokes at some point in the round in a ball coming up just short of the cup or a ball just barely creeping in. Firm, cold and wet, the greens weren't as receptive at 8:00 as they were at 11:00. 7.75 of 10
Overall, I was very pleased with the condition of the course from tee to green. My value and price balance was achieved. The new carts with gps really do it for me! I will be back very soon, more than likely this coming weekend!
3 Likes.
Tee time 10:52
Rate $54
White tees
Tee boxes- not too thin not overly lush; all level
Fairways- lush, in last 4 rounds no dead pan lies,very few divots(how is it so green this time of year!?)
Greens- smooth, lightning fast, quite firm. Few divot marks. Lots of undulation, every put outside of 3 or 4 feet will have a break or two in it. The putts pile up here!



Ok, first I would like to comment on the pace of play here. It is always wide open it seems, I'm thinking because it is such a difficult course. This course will humble you. It's the greens that make this course a challenge. The layout isn't at all intimidating, it's just that your approach shots need to land in the right places in order to stick the green and stay. If you're on the green in regulation within 20ft you got a good chance for par, but it is very easy to 3 putt on these greens even if you are a great putter.
Fairways are great, I'm honestly impressed with the upkeep of this course. Very lush, very few divots, I'm thinking its because of the low volume of players here. No deadpan areas anywhere! Also, 90* cart rule, which I believe helps in maintaining fairways(no driving down the middle of fairways all day everyday).
Not only are the fairways lush, but the rough where it is intended to be, can be very penalizing. On this course if you want to have a chance, keep it in the fairway.
Now for the negative: the bunkers are not the best around. Most are quite hard but green side bunkers are much better collectively than fairway bunkers, which lets me know they are aware but are prioritizing correctly.
Btw, I can't end this review without acknowledging the thoughtful and helpful staff. A young gentleman course marshal even took out time to help me locate my ball(shot along tree line ricocheted off branch, didn't see where it landed,lol) that landed in the rough. I was prepared to take a drop near the tree, but didn't have to thanks to the marshal(wish I had gotten his name), saved me a stroke!
All in all, this is a great course that is very challenging and well kept with very helpful staff. Oak valley is slowing but surely overtaking Oak Quarry as my favorite place to play, partly because it is more reasonably priced(cheaper just doesn't sound right,lol), but mostly because it is just simply in better shape tee to green. Go play it!
9 Likes.
Well, from the moment I arrived I was treated as if they truly appreciated me being there. The hospitality was top notch, which is a bit important to me. Had a casual chat with the starter while waiting to tee off that was informative and helpful. Karts equipped with ice chest on one side with cooler full of ice water on the other side! Now to the course!
Tee boxes were fantastic, played from the whites, didnt want to bite off more than I could chew,lol! Hardly any divots on my set off tees all day, and not many at all on the other sets of tees either. I did notice that divots did increase on holes where water played a big factor(stress induced flubs I assumed), I know I had two or three swings of the club that produced a bigger divot than I wanted due to self applied pressure.
Fairways were very lush, although I only hit 3 the entire round(major prob for me today, 3 penalty strokes for going OB and two triple bogies, OUCH!), which is why I shot a freaking 94! If you manage to stay in the fairway, there are no bad lies it seems.
But if you dont stay in the fairway like myself today, youll be in the rough. The rough was about 3 to 5 inches on average with some areas thicker than others. The density more than the length at times was the bigger issue. I had more than one instance where a full swing was needed to get the ball up, but hoping to have it travel no more than 25 yards, dicy proposition, usually came up short, went too long on one occasion.
If you dont hit the fairway or the rough, then you will no doubt be in one of the many, many bunkers here. Each hole averages 4.5 traps(yes I counted them all in the yardage book) and one hole doesnt have one at all(#6) and its not alcatraz, yes alcatraz has a small bunker as if you didnt have enough to worry about right? As for the sand in the bunkers, not at all fluffy, but never hard packed either.
The greens were far and away the best part of the course in my estimation. This is extremely important to me, because I believe putting is the strongest part of my game. Every putt rolled true! It was nice to see a ball roll so smoothly along the line you anticipated and not go off line due to bounciness or an uneven cut. Too many times Ive missed a putt due to a quarter inch jump to the left or right some three or more feet after striking the ball. It really showed in my play today, 7 single putts today! I did have two 3 putts today which isnt like me, both resulted in bogies which means I did have have opportunity for birdie on those holes. Medium fast, not very lush. Firm, low cut.
All in all, this was a great round, especially for the money. I paid $75 dollars on golfnow, what a bargain in my estimation. Cant wait to go back, Im sure Ill play better next time now that I have a little course knowledge.
4 Likes.
Well, I set out this morning to play as a single. Went to course website to get pricing perhaps book tee time, pricing not posted, directed to booking site that doesnt allow for single booking, frustrating. Next I call pro shop, put on hold for 5 long minutes immediately after I requested rates for present time( really,for a two word answer!?) She gets on phone and just after I explain why I couldnt book online she tells me to go online, really!? She struggles with finding rate, weird in my opinion, tells me its $35. I get to course 30 minutes later(11am)and am told its $42 dollars!? whatever, I dont say a word and just pay, just want to play a round of golf. That being said, that was the worse part of the day, which really was a minor irritant.

Tee boxes were pretty much all level, not an exorbinate amount of divots(five sets of tees probably a factor), and plenty lush. 8/10

Faiways were nice, not many thin spots, they seem to water this course plenty! 8.5/10

The greens were smooth but very firm. Not many divots but a few dead spots. Speed would vary from hole to hole depending on level of saturation from watering, but most fairly quick. Lots of undulation, not very many easy reads. 7/10

Bunkers!? Oh boy, again they water this course plenty! Not so good for sand traps, similar to hitting off a sidewalk,lol. 3/10

Btw, no more gps in karts(disappointment), but all in all I enjoyed my round and thought for the money it was worth it and will be back often.
2 Likes.
Listing 13 to 24 of 69,394 Course Reviews
Page of 3


Filter Reviews
None
Region
Member
Month of
Date Range
to



Greenskeeper.org Assistance
Vivid Golf 50% Off
Thank You ~ JohnnyGK



Our GK Community
Greenskeeper.org
Golf Course Supporters

* Super Supporters:

* Corica Park, Alameda, CA
* Classic Club, Palm Springs, CA
* Desert Willow Golf Resort, Palm Springs, CA
* Goat Hill Park Golf Course, Oceanside, CA
* Goose Creek Golf Club, Mira Loma, CA
* Indian Wells Golf Resort, Palm Springs, CA
* Mt. Woodson Golf Club, San Diego, CA
* Mojave Resort Golf Club, Laughlin, NV
* Oak Creek Golf Club, Irvine, CA
* Oak Quarry Golf Club, Riverside, CA
* Quail Lodge Golf Club, Carmel, CA
* Riverwalk Golf Club, San Diego, CA
* Sandpiper Golf Club, Santa Barbara, CA
* Sterling Hills Golf Club, Camarillo, CA
* Sun City West Golf, Phoenix, AZ

Golf Moose / GK Private Course Outing Hosts:

Bakersfield CC, Bakersfield, CA
Bear Creek Golf Club, Murrieta, CA
Bella Collina CC, San Clemente, CA
Canyon Crest CC, Riverside, CA
Canyon Gate CC, Nevada, NV
Dove Canyon Golf Club, Dove Canyon, CA
Las Posas CC, Camarillo, CA
Kings CC, Hanford, CA
Los Coyotes CC, Buena Park, CA
Palm Valley CC, Palm Desert, CA
San Diego CC, Chula Vista, CA
Spanish Hills CC, Camarillo, CA
Sunset Hills CC, Thousand Oaks, CA
The Huntington Club, Huntington Beach, CA
The Oaks at Valencia, Valencia, CA
The Saticoy Club, Somis, CA
Western Hills CC, Chino Hills, CA
Valencia CC, Valencia, CA
Wood Ranch Golf Club, Simi Valley, CA







-->