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.

The GK Cup final was played this past Saturday at Goose Creek and no one could have picked a better spot that was in better shape. The Goose is always very consistently top notch, but on this particular day it was even better in just about every facet. Truly spectacular.

It helped of course to be playing on a picture perfect early winter day with temperatures in the high 70s, minimal wind if any, and absolutely clear skies. It simply doesn't get any better than this. And on top of that, the course itself was in prime shape.

Let's start with the fast-rolling greens - unbelievably consistent and inviting. The greens themselves are super challenging with many subtle breaks and levels but a good putt here is absolutely rewarded, but the speed must be dialed in, especially on the tricky downhill ones. They also held shots very well and were simply a joy to be play upon.

The fairways? Fantastic. Not a bad lie all day. Even the areas around the greens, while challenging, were super fair and consistent. Middle of fairways were absolutely carpet and it was so much fun to hit from good spots. The rough was definitely a challenge in some areas but it was never so deep as to make it impossible. Bunkers were in very good shape as well with fluffy, white sand and just the right depth to make necessary shots. Tee boxes were also just great (we played from the 'blue' IV tees).

POP was amazing as well at this properly-run facility. We finished in around four hours and fifteen minutes and never spent any crazy amounts of time waiting. We also had cart service come around at least 4-5 times during the day, so that was outstanding. And what about practice facilities? Top notch ... great putting and chipping areas and the range is great although they do have large mats but no one seemed to mind moving forward a bit to use the grass for driver swings.

What else can be said? Goose Creek is absolutely at the TOP of its game right now so if you want a quality golf experience at a tremendous value, this is the place to be. What a treat.

Snuck out for a solo round at De Bell in Burbank this weekend after finding a single time online the night before. I played from the blue tees and joined a threesome with a 12:00 tee time. If all went smoothly then finishing should have been no problem, but we had some very slow groups in front of us and essentially were the last group to finish with enough light - barely.

It was my first time back to De Bell in four years and of course I was quickly reminded why. The front nine is such a bizarre set of holes and when you're not simply perfect then it gets incredibly frustrating quickly. Luckily the back nine is a little more traditional and saves the round. It would also be more enjoyable despite the quirks if the conditions were great, but that's simply not the case.

The greens don't appear to have been rolled in quite some time so that led to lots of slow, bumpy putts and even some greens that had large cuts right through the middle of them. It's up to the player to adjust to some degree, but the degree of inconsistency from green to green is just deflating at best. Fairways were also in mediocre shape with many large dirt areas starting off each fairway, so any miscues were highly punished. Rough was okay in areas but mostly non-existent as there's OB on all sides here. Bunkers get top marks though as they were very fluffy and easy to play from - great job there. Tee boxes? Meh.

No cart service and no GPS on the carts, while the driving range is simple but more than adequate. The pro shop is well appointed and there's a very nice restaurant and snack shop on the upper level - no complaints about that aspect of the course at all.

But ultimately, I'm reminded again why I rarely come back to this course. I did at the very least enjoy my best-ever score here, but that's not saying much.

Snuck out with a buddy for a late afternoon round at Roosevelt last Friday and found the course to be in quite good condition comparatively. No, definitely not in peak shape, but it's very playable right now despite some setbacks that seem pretty customary at this little Griffith Park gem.

Greens are okay right now but still suffer from lots of bumps and ball marks as is customary here, but it wasn't as bad as past visits. Fairways have decent to good coverage overall but there are some thin areas for sure. Bunkers were just okay, and the tee boxes same.

It's usually a three-hour round at Roosevelt but this went much quicker and we actually even got some great weather just before the weekend turned a bit more dire. It's just a fun experience but don't think it's a cakewalk as there are probably four holes that are really challenging on this course.

Monthly golf group got together at Santa Anita this past Saturday and we played from our customary white tees with two groups starting with a 9:30am tee time. All pretty seamless at the start with range and practice putting time and an on-time start.

Course conditions are actually quite good right now if you're comparing to past visits. No, it's not perfect out there but if you've played Santa Anita enough times then you know how to appreciate solid fairway coverage, smooth and fast greens and functional bunkers. What you won't find right now though are great tee boxes as they're level well enough but very thin - at least from my set of tee boxes.

No cart service all day, functional not fancy carts and a decent driving range that could really use a bit of a revamp, especially with all the stray balls going over towards the left side of the 10th fairway. But overall pretty solid day under the mountains.

Made it out to Teal Bend this past week with two work colleagues and wanted to thank those who supplied me with some good tips before playing there. And yes, the road to Teal Bend is quite an adventure as you have to exit the highway at the airport and then navigate some roundabouts before getting there, but once you do, it's pretty nice.

The property itself is pretty great as there are no houses around the course whatsoever and absolutely every hole is framed by forest and colorful autumn nature. We experienced a myriad of weather patterns on the day so we saw the course at its best and worse from that standpoint. It's not what I would consider terribly narrow, but most every hole has lost ball potential if you go too far right or left. There's just no finding balls in that thicket.

But the layout is very fun and engaging and really a good but fair test of golf. Unfortunately the current conditions sort of let the rest of the scenery all down as it's not in optimum shape at the moment. The fairways are good, far from great, but have lots of thinner areas despite all the precipitation up there. The greens were mostly okay but many had piles of dirt core samples around them from a rather annoying apron punch that wasn't cleared. Often approach shots or chips would not reach the green thanks to this and that was frustrating.

Bunkers were actually mostly in good shape with lots of fluffy sand on the holes that I encountered, but as it had rained the past days, a few of them were a bit on the grainy side and one or two even had some standing water left. The rough was hard to find as most of the holes had just fairway and wilderness, but where it was, it was good and playable. Tee boxes (we played the blue-white combo) were mostly all good. Would absolutely love to play this place again in perfect summer conditions.

POP was okay as we got out a bit early thanks to the starter after around twenty minutes on the quite nice (and grass) driving range, but the group in front of us was not exactly setting the world afire with their pace, but it wasn't enough to be too upset about. We played the round in about four and a half hours at the end of the day - perfectly okay.

With a greens fee of only $57 though, it was all well worth it. Again, would love to come back here when it's prime and really enjoy all it has to offer. It's a good day out if you get there, but hopefully they clear up those dirt core piles soon!

Found a late tee time for Mattias and I along with another buddy for Sunday this week at Alondra and booked it on Friday night. We had a 12:18 tee time so as long as things kept moving, we should have no problem finishing, right? (very subtle foreshadowing ...)

We warmed up on the fairly-well appointed driving range, got our cart and headed out on time with another single. That was the start of the disaster. The group in front of us were in no hurry whatsoever, taking all the time they wanted to chat and play multiple balls at times, and simply cost us finishing despite more than a few calls for them to hurry it up. At one point one of their group left his driver all the way back at the tee box and while he drove back, the others just chatted instead of getting their tee shots away. It was utterly maddening. Needless to say we only got through 16 holes before calling it a day for darkness.

Course conditions weren't helping the situation either. Greens were bumpy and inconsistent but did hold shots well. The fairways were either thin or dirt with a few green areas in between, and often the rough was a far better option. The tee boxes were beat up but level at least for the most part, while the bunkers varied from hole to hole. On one hole they were super thin and impossible to take sand, while on the next super fluffy to the point of plugged balls that landed in them. Just ridiculous.

And all that for a $69 greens fee. Wow.

We did have cart service from a lovely gal who was the highlight of the afternoon, but of course the overall POP of the round was just abysmal. We really, truly could have finished with no issues if weren't for the complete imbeciles playing ahead of us that ruined our afternoon. Very disappointing.

Unfortunately the member-guest tournament I was supposed to play in yesterday at Yorba Linda CC was canceled due to the high winds, but a group of six of us decided to brave the tempest and played a six-man scramble tournament instead since we'd all gone through the trouble of driving down there.

While the wind was definitely an ever-present factor all day, and we had some significant gusts that wreaked havoc with balls on the greens, it wasn't so bad that they should have canceled the tournament, but of course they were protecting their interests. It's fine. We had a great time anyway and even won the most skins.

The course itself is very fun with tight fairways being the rule rather than the exception, and a lot of significant but not overwhelming elevation shifts between the holes. Very few are simply flat so you always have to adjust shots, but with the high winds that was always going to be the case no matter what. There's only one par 5 on the front nine so it's a par 71, but it's a pretty nice and fun variety of par 4s throughout, while all the par 3s are long and dangerous, with the exception of the short, uphill 17th. But yeah, very fun layout.

Course conditions are quite good as one would expect. They recently re-seeded so the greens were running really great (when the wind wasn't acting up) but very challenging to keep shots on them without the right trajectory, especially with the elevated greens. Teeboxes were in perfect shape, while the bunkers were thin but mostly due to the winds taking off the top layers - they should be fine when things calm down again. Rough was very thick but mostly playable when not deep in autumn leaves. Did I mention there are trees everywhere lining just about every hole on the course?

We didn't get the full compliment of amenities as the course was for all intents and purposes 'closed' with only a handful of players out there ... having a great course all to yourselves is really the coolest experience regardless the conditions. But overall the staff was great, we had a nice time in the men's dining area afterwards with drinks and appetizers and I can't wait to play the course for real when the rescheduled event takes place in the near future.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy ... quite a day at C Dubs this past week when three friends and I booked a foursome with a 12:56 tee time on Friday. When we arrived, we were told that they were running about ten minutes late. No problem. While warming up we then saw chaos emerge as no carts were ready and empty tee boxes remained as our wait time then blew up to around 40 minutes. Now finishing was going to be in jeopardy.

At some point one group of Asian seniors took it upon themselves to 'jump the line' and it basically turned into the Kevin Hart scene in 'The 40 Year Old Virgin.' Yes, you know the one. Same vernacular and everything. It got ugly. It was uncomfortable. It was unprofessional, but also weirdly justified? Just an an all-around mess before we finally got going (although I have to say the poor girl in the pro shop dealing with all of this was fantastic!).

Once on the course, despite the delays, conditions were better than normal here, as highlighted in the last review. Greens were actually rolling pretty nicely and medium-fast, while also holding shots well and not being too bumpy. Fairways had decent to good coverage in most areas (with a few exceptions), while the bunkers had heavy but playable sand. Tee boxes were probably the most in-need areas on the course.

We did indeed barely finish as we came in on 18 with the last light of the day. There was no cart service throughout so make sure you give yourself a little time at the turn as the snack shop is wildly inconvenient and needs addressing as well. Carts are basic but fine, except for the fact that one of them in our group died on the 11th hole, so they brought out a replacement. Quite a day indeed.