Played on 12/22, which was a Saturday but still had a very nice pace (4:15). Came as a single and was paired up with another. The course is quite nice, the features I appreciated the most were how remote it felt (despite being in the center of Irvine) and how varied the course is. Nearly every hole here is unique and offers a challenge as to the correct path to par. Some holes require layups (if you're not able to carry a 230y shot and stop it on a dime), and the elevation changes and well placed bunkers require accurate tee shots.

As for the conditions of the course, on that day they were in very good shape. The sand was a little hard in places, and there was some spots under repair, but neither was an issue. I appreciate a course that's willing to challenge you, as its that more satisfying to score well. The staff is top notch, very friendly and helpful. Rack rate is a bit high, but there's always discounts available (Costco has one now in fact), which can quickly turn the rate into a bargain. Run by the same people that own Pelican Hill, and they don't treat this course as a red-headed step child, but as almost an equal (but then again, I've never actually played Pelican Hill before, perhaps they do treat them a bit better).

Played on 12/21, 10am tee time. I've played both courses here several times a year, and the Babe is in the BEST shape I've ever played it! They added GPS to the carts recently, the kind that are able to control where and how fast you drive. They've made them very controlling (on cart path only holes, you get 1 yard off the path the cart stops, and don't even think about getting within 50 yards of a green!). And its likely worked in helping the conditions get so good. The fairways had that cross-cut look that you only see on the PGA. The greens were PERFECT. Nothing more to say than simply I love playing at a course like this! I hope they keep it up!

I may be a bit unfair to the course, as its my favorite in Long Beach (I won't even play the others), and has impressed me in the past with its good maintenance on a city-owned/American Golf managed budget. However, I've noticed that the last few weeks the conditions there have deteriorated dramatically. I originally thought that the rain put it in bad shape and its been slow to recover, but now am thinking/realizing that they're basically putting ZERO effort into the maintenance of the course - it seems they're spending all their money on the never-to-be-completed maintenance building, and the endless trimming (and even complete removal) of trees. But let's get specific:

This course always has issues w/ the rain. They love to say that the water drains well there, but really it does not. When the rain came back in December, it showed how thin the fairways were as the entire course was completely muddy. Since they don't ever give 'cart-path-only' rules, all the cart traffic on the mud just made it all the worse. And the course has NEVER recovered from it. Hole 2, for example, is a mess about 200 yards off the tee just past the first fairway bunker on the left. The mud tracks from the carts has dried into a large patch of dirt.

The fairway grass around the entire course is hardly green, mostly brown. And the number of divots in the fairways is absolutely ridiculous!

Finally, what's up with all the tree cutting? While I can understand pruning or trimming the trees, I see several are being completely removed. I really hope this isn't part of some effort to make the course easier, as the course already borders between easy and moderate. I've noticed that most of the time the blue tees are at the white stones and the white tees nearly at the red stones, and has been like that for most of the year, thus I've always been suspicious that the course attempts to make itself easier for the lessor players that insist on playing further back than they should. (Does the course even own the black tee markers?)

Don't get me wrong, I love, love, LOVE skylinks. I'm a member of the men's club, and frequent visitor (range, putting green, course, 19th hole; 3-6 times a week). In the past the place has been quite green and well taken care of. But I'd say when the greens were punched last September (or October?), the course maintenance has gone downhill. I kept expecting the course conditions to improve after that but they haven't. I played twice last week, and finally got myself riled up and am hoping that someone from Skylinks reads this or gets the message elsewhere. Hopefully more people have made comments directly to them. The advice isn't much: BUY FERTILIZER, WATER THE COURSE MORE!

Good luck! Cause as it is now, when my weekly itch to play comes, I'll be looking elsewhere this time, until I notice the conditions improve.

Skylinks Golf Course Review
Long Beach California Golf Course Reviews