Finally got to play the vaunted Pelican Hill North course this week and after building it up in my mind for the last decade, it's safe to say that it did not disappoint. My foursome caught a really wonderful afternoon in terms of weather and even got a discounted rate for the round since the North course recently did a micro-punch (similar to the one I experienced at Pebble Beach) that was nowhere near as off-putting (no pun intended?) as anticipated - more on that later.

We played from the blue tees and headed out with an 11:35am tee time. From the first hole until the last, this layout is exceptional, never mind the stunning ocean views throughout the day. There are a number of long carries from this tee box, and the elevations are truly surprising considering coastal proximity, but holy cow is it fun to play here. There are most certainly some rather 'blind' second shots thanks to those elevations, so experience here I can bet goes a long way. But just an absolutely delightful layout and background scenery.

As previously mentioned, the greens on the North course just got what they called 'the Porsche of punches' and they still rolled pretty darn nice despite the imperfections and some areas with sand. I can honestly say these punched greens are still better than 75% of muni greens around SoCal. The green complexes are really subtle and tricky, but not in any way gimmicky or crazy. Make a good stroke on a good line and you will be rewarded - easier said than done!

Fairways were very good but just shy of great. Found lots of lush areas that were very good to hit from, but it wasn't the pristine carpet at this time of year that you might find at a very high end private club, but they're still plenty good. The rough (and ample OB areas) are very daunting indeed, which is to say there's not a lot of rough and any wayward shots are either gone or in some thick bushes or fescue that make finding your ball a big adventure. Tee boxes were superb and the bunkers were mostly in very good shape (even had two sandy pars!), but I would not classify them as world class white fluffy at this moment.

We had cart service come around a few times on the front nine but be advised there is no turn here so you're on your own out there depending on how often that service is provided. I was actually a little surprised at a resort course of this caliber that there are no 'comfort' stations with snacks and/or beverages near the extreme edges of the course. It's not a deal breaker in any way, but just odd considering the normal price here.

Carts were very nice with great GPS and the POP was terrific on the front nine, then our group was caught up by a fast threesome whom we let pass us on the 12th hole. We got done in just around four hours even so that was great, but truth be told I was hoping to sneak in nine more holes at this tremendous facility.

I hope that I can knock out the South course this year as well.

A scheduling SNAFU this past week meant that I played Los Amigos twice in a three-day stretch, so if anyone has the goods on current conditions there, it's me!

Walked both days as it's an entirely walkable course, and that also helps to mitigate the invariable wait times, which ironically were better on Sunday than they were on Friday afternoon. Go figure. Either way, big backups up until around the fifth hole are the norm here so come to terms with it.

Greens are in pretty nice shape here right now following the work done a few weeks ago. I would say they're fully healed and rolling pretty nicely right now. They hold shots and their lines pretty darn well. Fairways also have decent coverage right now but be careful in the rough as there are a lot of thin areas and the random tree root you don't see until it's too late.

Bunkers were a conundrum as the first few I played were in really nice shape, and then I got to the greenside bunker on the 11th hole and it was hardpan and chunky. Just pick the right one I suppose if you must beach it. Tee boxes are in decent shape (played the blue tees both days).

Overall I would say that I wasn't too bummed out about playing The Friends twice because the conditions weren't all that terrible and I played so poorly on Friday that I wanted some redemption on Sunday - which I luckily got. Price is always right too for this course so that helps.

Played this past week at Rancho Park again in a men's club event. Not sure why I was put on the blue tees as my game has been pretty poor of late and it's showing in my handicap, but I don't make the rules. The show must go on.

Had a 12:10pm tee time on what turned out to be one gorgeous afternoon ... spring felt sprung. POP first and foremost was quite good for RP as we finished both nines in around 4:15 - can't get much better than that at this place.

Conditions very solid at the moment ... really good greens right now running very fast, very true and very tricky. Fairways are mostly good but there were some remnants of GUR from the recent rains. Rough was fun, tee boxes were decent and the bunkers appeared to be in serviceable to good shape.

Also using just about every club in your bag here so it's a great test and nice conditions most certainly enhance the experience. I would give it a peppy thumbs-up right now at Rancho.

Played on Sunday in a Rancho Park Men's Club event at Brookside #1 and thankfully the weather played along for a very fun round in Pasadena. The rate was pre-paid for the tournament of course, but still had to pay an additional $18 for the cart and unfortunately the driving range is currently closed so don't do what I did and get there an hour early.

Right now the greens at Brookside are devilishly quick and running really nicely. That is far and away the best part of the course right now as the bunkers were definitely heavy after the recent rains, the tee boxes were good but not great, and the fairways had some good coverage in some spots, but very thin and beat up in others. Rough was nice and thick but playable.

POP was dreadfully slow though as my group was the very last one for the tournament so all complaints only directed to RPGC players who for whatever reason weren't moving quite as quickly as they always seem to do at Rancho Park. It was definitely tough to keep any rhythm going throughout the round but it was a beautiful day again finally so we managed it.

Brookside #1 is always a great layout and very tough in terms of length (even from the whites which I was assigned) and tricky trees everywhere that keep narrowing a decent number of the fairways. There are some wide open ones as well though to keep you honest.

While I have seen Brookside in fairer condition, I think it will look much better very soon and I would not hesitate playing here again and again.

Played last weekend at Meadowlark with a buddy and pre-paid on GolfNow far too much but was treated very well by the golf shop when one of our threesome couldn't make it last minute - appreciated that!

Still, even on a Saturday it's tough to justify an $89 rate here when we were walking anyway. I wish there was some way that GN reservations would be flexible when opting to walk and not take carts, but that's above my pay grade I suppose.

Course is in pretty decent shape right now as the greens are running pretty nicely with no major issues, while the fairways have good-decent coverage everywhere, however there are some big trouble spots middle of the fairways on the 9th and 10th holes - just big dirt areas after the rains that don't smell none too good at all.

Tee boxes (played from the blues) were okay with some TLC appreciated, but serviceable. The bunkers were not great but tough to judge fairly right after heavy rains when they're chunky and some still have water in them. It will get better once the sun comes out again for a few days.

POP was really great the first nine but then really came to a crawl on the back nine. The group in front of us let us past them at the turn but it really didn't do any good whatsoever in terms of the overall time, but you never really expect a super-fast round here anyway.

In summary, course is in pretty good condition right now overall but get a better deal than I did.

Sunday round with three friends and gorgeous views of the recently snowed-in mountains throughout the day - good times. We played from the blue tees and rode (don't think you're allowed to walk this hilly course?). Got an online rate of $78 per person and that was more than fair.

Conditions are pretty good across the board right now at Westridge (especially after the recent rains but having had enough time for them to dry out). The greens are most certainly the highlight as they're really nice right now. Green complexes are pretty tricky to be honest so you've got to get your lines and speed dialed in or it's going to be a rough day.

Fairway coverage is mostly good in the right areas but there are a good amount of dirt areas just before the fairways so it's imperative to have a strong tee game right now. Still found some thin spots here and there as well but overall not too bad. Rough varied from spot to spot and there are a lot of native areas where you can pick up and move. Bunkers were generally okay - not terrible, not great. Tee boxes were mostly good so no major complaints there.

No cart service all afternoon and POP wasn't fantastic but nothing overwhelmingly bad either. The carts are nice but do not have any GPS functionality so it's really important here to have a rangefinder with slope - lots and lots of elevations and strategic shots required. Some very narrow holes too - the first two shots on the uphill par 5 2nd hole are some of the tightest you will ever find.

Course layout is definitely fun and engaging and when it's in good condition it's worth the drive.

Super Bowl Sunday round at Roosevelt which is a nine-hole course but takes almost the same amount of time as an 18-hole course on busy weekends. I don't recall this course allowing fivesomes before but every group out there - including ours - turned out to be one. It was definitely slow going as the round took three hours, but it was a nice threesome that joined my buddy and me, and a beautiful day in picturesque surroundings, so we survived it. Barely.

Course is in good shape right now relatively speaking but it will always have too much tree cover to ever be completely 'lush' in my opinion. But it's so unique and interesting for a nine-hole. Holes 2, 4, 6 and 8 can be real adventures if you're not at your best.

Right now the greens are probably the best part of the course. The fairways have good coverage in the main areas but things can get thin real quick on the fringes. Rough is nice and playable in most areas if it's grass and not mayhem. Tee boxes (played the blacks) are definitely in need of more grass or better-selected areas, while the bunkers looked just okay but I avoided them all day.

Nice little snack shop now at the start and the putting practice green is ample, but there's no range so keep that in mind before your round. And finally, at $23 for the round, it's a steal.

Finally made it back out to the Babe for the first time in six years and it was every bit as challenging as I remembered it. That Zaharias course at Industry Hills is a target golfer's paradise, but it's also got teeth in some areas made even more difficult by the current conditions.

There's not a short or mild par 3 on the course - you've either got crazy long or lots of trouble in the form of water and/or elevation to judge. The tee shots are very narrow on a great number of holes and being even slightly out of position leaves no shot for success. Hit good shots though and you'll be okay, except that right now the course is not in optimum shape.

The greens are fine - best part of the course. They're rolling nicely at medium-fast speeds, have lots of fun but tricky tiers to them, and require your best effort to keep the three-putts to a minimum. Fairways? They play much better than they look and it's the heart of winter so you can make excuses for them, but they're a pale, dead-looking green and there are also a fair bit of damaged or thin areas. The rough is not as thick as years past so it's quite playable.

The worst part? The bunkers. Simply terrible. No sand, hard-paneed and a little wet even. They were absolutely impossible to play proper sand shots from and weren't much better even when trying to chip out of there. I've never seen so many players hit hosel rockets out of the beach. Terrible. Tee boxes were also pretty beat up (played the blues) but acceptable.

We had cart service come around a few times which was great (they are card only though so keep that in mind), and the carts themselves are quite nice and have a good GPS system to help you judge this difficult track. No complaints there, and the staff all helpful and pleasant.

In top condition, this course is a true gem and a real test of shot accuracy, but right now it's a little less fun and more daunting than it should be based on some of the above-mentioned factors. I would still play it again though as the price ($89) was just fine for the golf experience. If I would have paid more then it would have been a lot more upsetting.

Played last Friday at El Dorado with two friends and a single that joined us. Booked online and I accept that if I choose to walk I am still bound to pay the riding fee from the Internet, but I don't have to love it. I don't love it. Three of us walked, one rode, playing the blue tees.

Course is in good shape all around. Nothing great, nothing awful. I thought the greens were in pretty nice shape with medium speeds and good lines. Fairways had mostly good-decent coverage all over, but a few thin areas could be found. Rough was no issue. Bunkers had some inconsistent but decent sand - make adjustments. Tee boxes were okay.

POP was pretty good finishing at around four hours and forty-five minutes, but it felt like longer out there on the par 3s where the backups were significant. Luckily we had some cart service come around but for some reason (it was CPO) even the cart girl can't drive to meet you in the fairway? Kind of odd but whatever.

I've seen El Do in better shape for sure, but also in much worse, so I'll take it.

Found a great time for Brookside #1 this past week on Friday late morning and realized just after hitting 'submit' that the Rose Bowl game was being played just two days before. I kicked myself but it was too late to cancel and figured my buddy and I would just bite the bullet.

Fortunately, it wasn't all that bad. Sure, there were a few dry areas and some dirt patches here and there, complimented by some GUR spots, but overall the course was quite playable and most of my initial fears failed to be realized. Very happy about that.

Greens were in really good shape actually - luckily they rope those (and the bunkers) off when there are games at the Rose Bowl and the course is used as one of its parking lots. They rolled really nice and quick and even held shots well. Fairways and rough, as previously stated, weren't too bad at all, but I have seen things more lush around here so I look forward to those days again. Bunkers were a bit on the thin side but not too terrible, while the tee boxes were mostly okay but a few of them didn't bother to use tee markers, so we kind of guessed and moved on our way (played the blue tees).

POP was quite good and the older twosome we were paired with allowed us to move ahead on the 14th hole because they thought they were slowing us down (despite our protests). I don't recall seeing any cart service and the snack/beverage shop near the pro shop isn't the most convenient, but it gets the job done.

Overally a nice day out and very happy it wasn't as disastrous as my imagination conjured it up to be when I booked.

Started the new year with a bang heading all the way out to Norco to play Hidden Valley again for the second time with Mattias and another friend of ours. We had an 11:20 tee time on a gorgeous day and opted to play from the blue tees.

No walking this course since it's about as hilly and unwalkable as can be, so luckily the carts are nice, but I must say that we finally found a governor as awful as Newsom - you will see more 'Slow Down' and 'Drive Cautiously' alerts on the screen than actual golf-related GPS information, and the number of areas where the carts almost come to a crawl is embarrassingly high. Quite frustrating and unnecessary.

In terms of course conditions, well, they're honestly not great, but for some reason it still is an incredible course to play with an amazing layout, challenging shots on every hole and some very picturesque views around every corner. But alas, you're not going to find this place up there with the best in terms of the actual quality of the course. If it ever did get that part together, I have no doubt it could be regarded as one of SoCal's best.

So what's in poor shape here? Again, kind of everything. The greens are very shaggy and look to have not been rolled since prohibition. They're slow, a little bit bumpy and really an adventure on every green - which is not what we're going for. Sure, they hold shots well because they're spongy, but that's about the only upside.

The fairways do have some nice areas and from a distance it all looks good, but I was surprised at how many thin shots out of the fairways I had to hit. I also found a ton of GUR flags and a number of times perfectly placed shots ended up in some unrepaired divots. Not ideal, but the fairways are probably still the best part of the course. Tee boxes were very thin and many unlevel so that makes for poor ball striking if you're not one to use tees in the box. And the bunkers had a very thin layer of sand that made sand shots quite challenging and anxious.

I'm sure that weather conditions play a big part in the course maintenance here so I understand why it's not exactly in the same shape as its glamorous neighbor Goose Creek, but there are certainly some things (like rolling the greens) that could be improved for a better overall golfing experience. But no matter the poor rating this course will likely receive after I hit 'submit' due to course conditions, it's still a very fun and challenging day out at one of SoCal's most unique tracks. Don't let the poor numbers dissuade you completely from trying this place out if you haven't before. It's memorable no matter what.

Spent Sunday afternoon at Brookside #2 playing with a buddy from the blue tees and riding. Greens fee was a shrugging $78 with cart so not too bad but some question marks regarding conditions. We had a noon tee time and were paired with two cool young cats so it made for a fun day despite playing rather horribly.

The first hole remains a disaster with a massive chunk of the fairway turned into the world's largest waste area thanks to the Cruel World concert all the way back in May. Where the main stage was remains a wasteland that just happens to be in range of anyone decent's driving range. But once you get past that, it's alright.

Greens were actually running very fast and were the best part of the course. They're very tricky indeed as a defense for this generally short course that has no par 5s on the front nine. Holding greens can be tricky as well and the greenskeeper was in a devilish mood with some rough pin placements. But really good overall in that area.

The rest drops off significantly with lots of thin and dry areas around the course to detract from the good-decent sections. The rough is playable and not too scary. The bunkers were a little on the thin side but playable, while many of the tee boxes were beat up and lacking the proper coverage for anyone who doesn't opt for a tee on every hole. The overall conditions make good shots quite difficult.

Carts were in good shape and had a rudimentary but effective GPS system, while cart service was seen often and that was a good thing. POP was actually quite good surprisingly for Brookside on a Sunday as we finished in around four hours and twenty minutes.

Brookside #2 remains the inferior of the two courses at the Rose Bowl but with some TLC and a little more attention to detail it could be fun still.