The Saticoy was again a Dream Boat! Unfortunately, my golf game was E.L. Dog Vomito… Thank goodness I had most excellent playing partners Johnny and Mark!


As with past reviews, I don’t have enough positive things to say about this incredible course, it is such a great course and a true test of golf, especially on this day with the rough grown juicy and iron play being back to expansionism status.


There are very few courses in Southern California I can think of as far as layout, conditions, and environment that would be better. The course played its yardage, and fairways offered limited roll out on drives and approaches. The course is very well maintained and in excellent condition. The course layout is rated a 5 out of 5, conditions are rated a 4.8 out of 5.


I note the following:

Tee Boxes: Level, and always green, no damage. Condition excellent.

Fairways: Green, lush, and defined from rough. Grabby with limited rollout. Condition excellent.

Greens: Green, fast in speed, on the medium to firm side, and very tricky to read at times. Speed about a 10.5 - 11. Condition excellent.

Sand: Maintained with excellent consistency. Condition excellent.

Rough: Maintained and defined, and juicy! About 3 – 6 inches. Condition excellent.

Waste Areas: Noted to be more overgrown than in the past with nature that offered little to no recovery potential. Balls were not found in these areas on this day. Conditions excellent.


Driving Range: The range was scenic, hitting off an artificial turf surface. The range places you on a mountain top hitting into a valley with various greens and markers that are situated in an area that is fully grassed, with markers from 100 - 225 yards. Range balls were quality Callaway golf balls. Range runout was about 275 yards.


Practice Area: I noted a very nice chipping area on a lower tier away from the driving range. Conditions excellent.


Practice Putting Greens: Two mid / large-size practice putting greens were noted, both in excellent condition. Speed of the practice putting greens were consistent with course.


POP: 4.8 hours – no wait was encountered on any hole.


Other: Noted a beautiful clubhouse, restaurant, and golf shop, all were top tier. Customer service was top level. And the food at the Snack Shop was lights out good again!


Thank you, Johnny, GreensKeeper.org for this Vivid / GM Outing! This Outing and The Saticoy are simply stated, First Class!

From 8/20

Rustic is looking good...

Another fine and blessed afternoon at Rustic! Again, an excellent golf course! It always is...


It was a sunny and nicely hot (94ish Fahrenheit) day with wind speeds around 8 - 14 mph. Pace of play was great around 4 hours. Heat must have scared off some golfers. I note the following conditions:


Tee Boxes: Level most of the time and green, no significant damage. Condition good.


Fairways: Green, lush, and defined from rough. Condition very nice.


Greens: Green, medium in speed, with softness. Speed about a 10.5ish in speed with challenging pin placements. Condition very nice.


Sand: well maintained, and firm. Condition good.


Rough: well maintained and defined, about 3 – 5 inches. Condition very nice.


Native Areas: Native areas were wild with no significant maintenance that offered little to no recovery potential. Condition good.

Practice Areas: great range, chipping area, and putting green. Hitting off grass at the driving Range which was great! Putting green was excellent.


Loved Rustic, again! Customer service received was also great at the pro shop and food was A+ at the restaurant, as we stayed for dinner, as we always do.

As previously reported, this is an excellent course that excels in consistency. An excellent public course in Ventura County! Again looking forward to the next opportunity to play here!

From 8/11


Wood Ranch solid once again!


Played WRGC on a beautiful Monday at the GM Event with Johnny, Ron, and Peter. It was an amazing time with wind speeds around 5 - 15 mph. Pace of play was around 5 hours. I note the following conditions:


Tee Boxes: Level and green, no damage. Condition excellent.


Fairways: Green, lush, and defined from rough. Condition excellent.


Greens: Green, medium-fast in speed, with softness. Speed about a 10.5 in speed but tricky with tough pin placements. Condition was good.


Sand: very well maintained, and heavy. Condition excellent.


Rough: very well maintained and defined, about 3 – 5 inches. Condition excellent.


Water Hazards: Very scenic on Holes 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, and 18. Condition excellent.


Waste Areas: Waste areas were maintained with manicured nature that offered little to no recovery potential. Condition excellent.


Loved the Wood Ranch experience once again! This is a top level golf course that is always a treat to play. One of the best courses in Ventura County and all of SoCal! Looking forward to the next opportunity to play here! A+ for this great course!

From 8/4


Loved playing Olivas once again!


It was a beautiful and sunny day with wind speeds around 5 - 8 mph. Pace of play was around 4.88 hours. I note the following conditions:


Tee Boxes: Level and green, no significant damage. Condition above average.


Fairways: Green, lush, and defined from rough. Condition above average.


Greens: Green, medium in speed, bumpy at times, with softness. Speed about a 10 in speed but tricky with tough pin placements. Condition average.


Sand: well maintained and firm in the two bunkers visited. Condition average.


Rough: well maintained and defined, about 3 – 5 inches. Condition above average.


Native Areas: Native areas were wild with no significant maintenance that offered little to no recovery potential. Condition average.


Practice Areas: great range, chipping area, and putting green.


Loved Olivas! Customer service received was also great... An excellent public course in Ventura County! Looking forward to the next opportunity to play here!

From 7/28

Rustic is sweet!

An excellent golf course! It always is... Rustic was so much fun to play with a lot of unique holes and different challenges.


It was a sunny fun time with wind speeds around 5 - 10 mph. Pace of play was not great around 5 hours. I note the following conditions:


Tee Boxes: Level most of the time and green, no significant damage. Condition average.


Fairways: Green, lush, and defined from rough. Condition above average.


Greens: Green, medium in speed, with softness. Speed about a 10.5ish in speed but tricky with tough pin placements. Condition above average.


Sand: well maintained, and firm. Condition above average.


Rough: well maintained and defined, about 3 – 5 inches. Condition above average.


Native Areas: Native areas were wild with no significant maintenance that offered little to no recovery potential. Condition average.

Practice Areas: great range, chipping area, and putting green.


Loved Rustic, again! Customer service received was also great at the pro shop and food was A+ at the restaurant, as we stayed for dinner..

This is an excellent course that excels in consistency. An excellent public course in Ventura County! Looking forward to the next opportunity to play here!

From 7/14

Back to Sandpiper!


Sandpiper was excellent, challenging, and testing! Played longer due 10-15 mph winds and the heavy marine layer. Pin placements were brutal at times. Apparently the Greenskeeper wanted to take it out on The Monday Golfers.


Tee Boxes: Level and green, no damage. Condition good with limited divot damage from the day.


Fairways: Green, lush, and defined from rough. Condition good with some limited areas being too wet or too dry.


Greens: Green, medium-fast in speed, with softness. Speed about an 11. Condition excellent.


Sand: flooded with water in several bunkers or rock hard. Below average condition due to flooding or dryness. Not sure what happened to the bunkers, no bueno!


Rough: very well maintained and defined, about 3 – 5 inches. Condition excellent. Very grabby.


Water Hazards: Very scenic on Hole 18.


Waste Areas: Waste areas were maintained lower than usual and cut down. Offered little to no recovery potential. Condition good.


Driving Range: one of the best grass ranges you can find in California. Condition excellent.


Practice Putting Green: excellent condition but speed much faster than the golf course. It runs at 12 to 12.5.


Sandpiper was again amazing, other than bunkers. This is such a great course and always a treat to play! Endorsed!

From 7/9


100 Degrees at Hansen D!


Got out onto Hansen D for a fun afternoon round.


I note the course was in reasonable to good condition for a high traffic muni. Pace of play was around 3.8 hours. I note the following conditions:


Tee Boxes: Good for an LA muni. Nice coverage and generally level.


Fairways: Green and defined from rough. Condition average for a an LA muni.


Greens: Green, medium in speed, with softness. Speed about a 9.5. Condition was good for an LA muni.


Sand: Bunkers were good with soft and heavy sand mix. Condition above average for an LA muni.


Rough: maintained and defined, about 3 – 5 inches. Condition average for an LA muni.


Again enjoyed this course. The design is flat but does offer a couple of elevation changes, and also features beautiful trees lining fairways. Service received in the pro shop and snack bar were very good.

This course is a go-to that I always seem to also enjoy. It's holding up well during this heat wave.

From 7/3


Soule Park was again solid! Love this course every time!


Again had the pleasure of playing SP! It was an awesome day! Great weather and conditions all around today with a bit of 10 mph wind late on the back nine. I note the following:


Tee Boxes: Level and green, no damage. Condition very good.


Fairways: Green, lush, and defined from rough. Grabby with limited rollout. Condition very good.


Greens: Green, medium-fast in speed, on the medium to firm side, and tricky to read at times. Speed about a 11. Condition very good.


Sand: Maintained with heavy consistency. Condition very good.


Rough: Maintained and defined, about 3 – 5 inches. Condition very good.


Waste Areas: Maintained with overgrown nature that offered little to no recovery potential. Condition very good.


Driving Range: Very nice driving range! You are hitting off matts into an incredible mountain backdrop. This range was as good as it gets for the location and ran out at over 300 yards. I noted classic yellow range balls that flew well and were in good condition. Love the Driving Range experience here!


Practice Areas: Chipping area present was nice but compact. Conditions was above average. Practice putting green was ample and consistent in speed with the course's greens. Conditions was also above average.


POP: 5 hours – wait was encountered on 6 holes on the front nine and on one hole on the back nine. It was a busy day.


Other: Noted a nice golf shop, high grade. Service received was excellent!


Restaurant: Zaidi's Restaurant was epic! This is one of the best golf course restaurants you can ever eat at! The food here is top of the line and a must to enjoy when playing SP! A post round meal here makes for the perfect day!


This is a great golf course without a doubt, that requires a solid golf game to score. I loved this track and hope to be able to play it again in the future. Again Fully Endorsed!

From 7/1


Played Encino again, she is the old reliable call!


Got to Encino Golf Course for a fun T-Tuesday afternoon round of golf.


The course was in reasonable to good condition for a high traffic muni. However, it was showing some signs from the recent heat wave, as fairway grass in some areas was yellowing and becoming inconsistent. Pace of play was around 4.25 hours. I note the following conditions:


Tee Boxes: Not too good but not brutal. Could use more leveling in some tees.


Fairways: Green and defined from rough. Condition average for a Muni.


Greens: Green, slow to medium in speed, with softness. Speed about a 9ish. Condition average for a Muni.


Sand: Bunkers were OK in some areas, and other in other areas were not maintained and hard packed. Condition average for a Muni.


Rough: maintained and defined, about 3 – 5 inches. Condition average for a Muni.


Again enjoyed this course! The design is flat but strong if playing from the tips. This course is a another go-to that I always enjoy playing. Food was again good at their restaurant!

From 6/30

Aviara was so beautiful! Hands down a joy to play in this amazing botanical garden of a golf course!


Played a very fun round of golf at this amazing course. This a great course layout designed by Arnie with strategic challenges and scenic views. The layout is fun and challenging. The layout and design are an A+. This is a great course for an advanced golfer, yet playable for mid-level golfers.


Aviara is a fun Player's Course that is a reasonable test of golf with wind speeds that exceeded 10 mph in the afternoon. Aviara is well-designed into the natural areas surrounding and places premium on accuracy off the tee and into greens. The course features clear definition between its mid-sized fairways and rough areas, well placed bunkering on fairways and proximate to greens, along with strategic water hazards on a couple of holes, with medium-fast greens.


The course layout is rated a 4.7 out of 5, conditions are rated a 4.5 out of 5. I note the following:


Tee Boxes: Lush and in very nice condition.


Fairways: Lush and in very nice condition.


Greens: Well maintained and medium in speed, about a 10.5. Lush and in very nice condition.


Sand: Maintained and soft. Lush and in very nice condition.


Rough: Defined from the fairway and green collared but not too overgrown, about 2 – 4 inches. Very grabby at times. Lush and in very nice condition.


Waste Areas: - Waste areas on various holes did not offer the opportunity of recovery due to their overgrown nature. Lush and in very nice condition.


Driving Range: Very nice driving range with white rangers. Hitting off turf.


Practice Putting Green: multiple greens noted on site, condition above average. Lush and in very nice condition with speed consistent with golf course.


POP: 4.5 hours


The facility included a vey nice restaurant, and pro shop. Service received at both was very good.


Really enjoyed this layout and course. It is now my go to course in SD County! I absolutely loved it! Can't wait for my next opportunity to play Aviara!

From 6/23

Enjoyed an excellent Outing at Big V! A top level experience!

I can best describe Big V as a legit and fun Players Course. This course really kept you in check, but was never unreasonable. The layout was excellent! Reminded me of Riviera CC at times. I can see why the PGA Tour played here once upon a time.

Big V is a very well-designed course that places premium on accuracy off the tee and into greens. The course features clear definition between its mid-sized fairways and rough areas, well placed bunkering on fairways and proximate to greens, along with some strategic water hazards, with medium sized and reasonably fast greens.

The course is mostly flat, at times undulating, and sometimes with mild elevation changes from fairway to green, and offers some attractive views of localized mountains.

You will need to work the ball in both directions at times. Wind speeds were 10 -15 mph. The course seemed to play it's yardage for the most part. The course was very well manicured and in excellent condition. The course layout is rated a 4.5 out of 5, conditions are rated a 4.5 out of 5. I note the following:

Tee Boxes: Level and lush, no damage. Above average condition.

Fairways: Green at times tight. Excellent condition.

Greens: Green, medium-fast in speed, with medium softness. No damage observed. Speed about a 11. Excellent condition.

Sand: Well maintained, heavy, and firm. Above average condition.

Rough: well defined from the fairway with green collars but not too overgrown, about 2 – 5 inches. Above average condition.

Waste Areas: Waste areas on various holes did not offer much opportunity of recovery due to their overgrown nature. Above average.

Driving Range: The range is excellent, hitting from artificial turf. You see markers at 100, 150, 200, 225, and 250 yards. Range ran out at about 300ish. Range balls were your typical rangers, but in very good condition.

Chipping Area: Compact in size and included a practice bunker. Condition and features were excellent.

Practice Putting Green: Ample in size and very well maintained. Practice greens seemed consistent with the speed of the course greens. Excellent condition.

POP: 5 hours

Big V included a snack bar / restaurant, and a very nicely stocked pro shop. Service received was excellent. If looking to join a quality golf club with the emphasis on golf this is a really good one. Really enjoyed this course and certainly wish I could play it more often. If I lived closer, this would be one I would consider joining.

I endorse playing this track if given the opportunity. Looking forward to my next visit here.

Thank you Johnny, GK, GM, Vivid, and the staff at Big V! What a treat this was!

From 6/17

Fun industry event at Coyote Hills!

Really enjoyed the game performance and not dealing with muni AHs!


Enjoyed another fun day of golf on hot sunny day. CHGC is a fun course with a lot of elevation changes which requires precision off the tee and on approach shots if you want to be in the game. CHGC is a very well-designed course that places premium on accuracy and not length. The course features clear definition between its mid-sized undulating fairways and rough areas, well placed bunkering on fairways and proximate to greens, along with strategic hazards on holes. This is a hybrid mountain / parkland style layout that offers variety and many fun challenges.

The course seemed to play it's yardage. The course was in above average overall condition. The course layout is rated a 4.33 out of 5, conditions are rated a 3.8 out of 5. I note the following:


Tee Boxes: Level, no significant damage. Conditions were average for a better than muni course.


Fairways: Green at times tight. Conditions were average for a better than muni course.


Greens: Slow in speed and medium to firm. No damage observed. Speed about a 9.5. Conditions were average for a better than muni course.


Sand: Well maintained and firm. Conditions were average for a better than muni course.


Rough: rough was well defined from the fairway and green collars but not too overgrown, about 3 – 5 inches. Grabby at times. Conditions were average for a better than muni course.

Waste Areas: - Waste areas on various holes did not offer the opportunity of recovery due to their overgrown nature. Conditions were average for a better than muni course.


Driving Range: The range is excellent. You are hitting off mats into a residential backdrop with markers at 100, 150, 200, 225, and 250 yards. Range ran out at about 300ish. Range balls were your typical white rangers and in good condition. Great driving range! Conditions were above average for a better than muni course.

Practice Putting Greens: well maintained. Seemed consistent with the speed of the course greens on this day. Conditions were average for a better than muni course.

POP: 4.75 hours.


CHGC features good food, along with a very well stocked pro shop. The customer service received at this facility was very good. This course is recommended if you are looking to play a fun mountain style course that is playable but provides a reasonable challenge. Endorsed!