I came back to California to play my first round since I broke my kneecap playing basketball. I chose El Prado because I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a round I might not finish. El Prado is a very popular venue for cheapskates (like me).
In short, Chino Creek is a fine layout that will never be in great condition. Tee boxes are pretty large, so they're in decent shape. Fairways are in mostly playable shape. The rough varies dramatically ... sparse in some areas ... ankle deep in other spots. I wasn't in any bunkers, but they appear to have hard, dirt-like "sand". The greens were pretty lush, but hadn't completely recovered from recent maintenance.
They do have a nice, grass driving range. The service in the pro shop was great. Pace of play was pretty bad (about 4:40), due to the aforementioned octogenarian penny pinchers. Don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed.

As a California native, moving to Oklahoma has exposed me to the entirely different experience of winter golf in the midwest. The weather is chilly. It's usually windy. The fairways and "greens" are deciduous (brown). And the green fees are much cheaper.
Page Belcher has two courses. Stone Creek and Olde Page. Today, I played Stone Creek, teeing off at about 8:45.

I think the layout of this course is very good, with mature trees and many doglegs, which require solid, accurate tee shots. Conditions from tee to green are rough, but playable. The tee boxes are large, with decent coverage. Fairways and rough are brown and very firm. The bunkers are powdery dirt, not sand. The greens are hard, so they rarely have any ball marks. I find the greens to be tricky, but fair.

We played as a threesome, finishing in about three hours and forty minutes without waiting. Customer service was friendly and efficient. Page Belcher wouldn't be my first choice to bring an out-of-town guest, but it's a pretty good muni. We'll see how it looks come springtime.

I played in the second group of the gk guru outing with Gary, Keith, and Marv. The weather was overcast with little or no wind, which was nice. I found the conditions to be very good. Tee boxes were lush. Good coverage in the fairways and rough. I only was in one fairway bunker and the sand was unbelievably high quality. The greens were very puttable (not bumpy or bare). Pace of play was under 4 1/2 hours, and the service was perfect in all areas.

The best part was when teaching pro John Hakim demonstrated the proper technique for hitting a flop shot. I will be working on what he showed me.

I had the unique experience of playing golf with the other gkers on a day that was as hot as any day in the recorded history of Las Vegas ... but, it was a dry heat. I had never played the Sun Mountain course and I was really looking forward to the experience. Overall, the course held up VERY well, despite the stifling heat.

The tee boxes, fairways, and rough had pretty consistent coverage, though some spots were soggy due to the amount of water they had to dump on the course to keep it alive. The sand was well-maintained and deep enough to give players a fighting chance.

The greens were amazingly good. They were fast and pretty smooth, except for the one or two spots where golfers had not fixed their ball marks properly. The layout features a variety of interesting and challenging holes. I was able to enjoy the day a lot on a great course with a lot of rugged, fun-loving gkers.

I played Shadow Hills (South Course) on Saturday, teeing off at about 6:45. I had never even heard of this course (it's in the Sun City retirement community), and I really wasn't expecting too much. I was very pleasantly surprised.

The condition of the course was consistently solid. Tee boxes had good coverage, as did the fairways and rough, for the most part. The bunkers had plenty of sand and were well maintained (rakes present). The greens were consistently smooth and pretty lush.

I really enjoyed the layout. There was plenty of room to drive the ball. Many water hazards loomed to collect bad shots, but decent shots stayed dry. There were some long holes and a few birdie holes. Customer service was excellent everywhere on the property. Pace of play was under four hours, with marshals keeping an eye out for problems. I'd play this course, anytime.

I had the pleasure of playing Desert Dunes in the gk guru event. Our group teed off at about 7:40 on a cool, windy morning. I played with Brian, Ron, and Peter ... three of the swellest guys with whom you'd ever have the pleasure of playing.

The course was in good shape. The tee boxes and fairways were very good. The rough was a little ragged, but I shouldn't have hit it there ... so often. The sand was playable. The greens were pretty good, but who can really tell when the wind is blowing so hard. I liked the layout. Many of the holes had a unique personality which demanded a lot of thought.

This is the kind of course you should play when you think your game is at it's peak. If you can shoot a good score here ... on a windy day ... you ARE playing very well.

I played Skylinks for the first time, recently, and they are taking the pandemic very seriously. Nobody is allowed in the pro shop (you pay at a table outside). Masks must be worn everywhere on the property, including the driving range and the golf course. The marshals enforce the mask policy.

I had a 9:30 tee time on a Thursday, and we teed off about ten minutes late. Amazingly, we finished before 1:30, sot it was a sub four hour round. The tee boxes were overseeded and lush. From tee to green, the grass was dormant and firm. No rough to speak of. The bunker were in pretty good hape, though unraked due to covid. The greens were in fine shape, though it seemed they rolled slower than they looked.

Overall, a fun day. An easy course to walk. A relatively forgiving layout with challenging greens.

I played with the gk gurus on a Thursday; teeing off at about 8:30. The weather was near-perfect, with only a small amount of wind. Course conditions were good , considering the brutal heat the desert experienced this year. Tees were good, fairways had mostly good coverage, and the bunkers had really good sand (they put rakes in the carts to allow players to clean up their mess, too).
The greens were slow, but tricky, probably because the players in our group haven't played on Bermuda greens too often. I really like the layout here. The course is not easy, but very playable from the white tees. Lots of water in play off the tee. This course would be very tough from the back tees on a windy afternoon.
Thanks to Johnny for setting it up. I had a great time!

I made the trek from the upscale surroundings of Lake Las Vegas to the friendly confines of Laughlin. It was a real treat to play with Alex, Johnny, and Ron. Three of the nicest fellows with whom you'd ever want to play a round.

The layout of Mojave resort is very fun. Not too difficult, but there are enough demading shots to make you think. The tee boxes were under reconstruction, so some tees were unavailable. The fairways were in good summer shape. The rough was ridiculously long in places (not sure why). Bunkers were not well maintained, but Covid is much to blame for that. The greens had fine coverage, but were as slow as any I have played in recent memory.

I also want to address the rumor that two members of our group got their carts stuck in some soft sand ... but, I won't. All in all, another great day playing golf with a bunch of golf buddies I met through gk. Thanks, Johnny!

This was my first time to Reflection Bay and I was very impressed with every aspect of the experience. From check in through the after-round lunch, the facility was top notch.

The location of the course is beautiful. It is surrounded by Lake Las Vegas, which is much larger than I thought it would be. There was a lot of recreational activity going on in the lake, and it was fun to watch people goofing off while I hacked away.

The course was a lot of fun. The tee shots weren't too tight, but there were lots of water type penalty areas scattered around to keep you honest. The fairways were very nice, with plenty of coverage. The rough was a fair length; playable, but long enough to affect shots. The sand was Covid impacted, but I have no problem with moving my ball to a representative spot in the sand. The greens were very nice for summer, and that's the most important element, to me.

Many thanks to Johnny for setting up another great outing. Reflection Bay is one of many courses I probably would never have played without his tireless efforts.

I teed off at about 11:30 on Wednesday, the first day the course has been open since closing due to the pandemic. Only players with tee times allowed on the property. No practice facilities open. Masks required only in the clubhouse area. No food or beverage. Walking only. Flag sticks on greens. Restrooms on course are open.

The course was in GREAT shape. Lush and green all over. They had obviously maintained the course while it was closed. The fairways were a little long, but the rough was cut to a fair length. The bunkers were ok, considering. The greens were not as quick as usual, but I think they might have put a little extra water on them, thinking it was going to be hotter.

This is a great course to play after a layoff, as there is lots of room off the tee. Pace of play was around five hours, but that's pretty standard when you tee off late morning.

I teed off Sunday at 9:10am. When I checked in, the starter told me that that the rough was still very long, and that there were lots of grass cuttings in the long rough that had been partially mowed. For that reason, the green fees were reduced to half price ($22). Walking only after 7am on the Butterfield Stage course. Practice areas closed. Restrooms locked.

Course conditions, tee to green, were as expected. The fairways were pretty good. The rough was ridiculous. Balls five feet off the fairway were very difficult to find. And if you found the ball, you'd have an inch or two of grass between the ball and the club face. I think I lost four balls. The sand is always thin and hard here, but today many of the bunkers were invaded by grass.

The greens were slow and bumpy. It appeared that they had been punched within the last two weeks. On the good side, very few ball marks and good coverage.

The layout is pretty good, so my advice would be to wait a little bit and give them a call before booking a tee time. Stay safe!