Index: |
9 |
Average Score: |
84 |
Available to Play Golf: |
Weekends Only |
Cart Preference: |
Will Ride or Walk |
Temperament: |
Serious Golfer |
Smokes (while golfing): |
No |
Plays in Tournaments: |
No |
Golfer: |
Jon Rahm |
Golf Course: |
DragonRidge CC |
Los Angeles County; San Bernardino County; Riverside County; Palm Springs Area; Orange County; San Diego County; Ventura County; Monterey Bay Area; Las Vegas Area; Phoenix Area
What's in Mark's Golf Bag
Itslikeimsayin did not answer.
Last Updated: March 23, 2022
|
100+ golf course photo albums on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/24952137@N00/collections/72157657181789776/
Mark's Latest Blog Entries
There are no blog entries posted by this user.
Mark's Golf Course Reviews |
Likes: 5081 |
Played here today (Friday, 4/19) with my friends Michael and Todd (@th_golf_photography on IG) who got access through a friend of his. The course was ... » MorePlayed here today (Friday, 4/19) with my friends Michael and Todd (@th_golf_photography on IG) who got access through a friend of his. The course was quite busy but pace was no issue. At one point we offered to let the members behind us play through but they said 'twas all good. Total POP probably around 4:00. Front nine was very hot temperatures that cooled considerably thanks to a nice breeze for most of the second nine. The course has some nice amenities, like chilled fruit and water bottles available in the staging area, and then each nine has a drink station with typical water/ice AND also lemonade and iced tea. Nice touch. I had an amazingly delicious chicken quesadilla from the restaurant before we started. Very friendly and helpful staff throughout.
Conditions are outstanding! Visually, some greens showed tiny remnants of a 95% healed aeration, but it didn't seem to affect the roll at all. They were medium to medium-fast speed, very smooth, and accepted full shots well. The only minor critique is that they might be more fun and more challenging if they were a little faster. Fairways, rough, and tee boxes (all the grass, basically) was exceptionally lush and well maintained. Fairways were great to hit from and so was the rough, actually. It was maybe 2-3 inches deep but not very penal. Blue tee boxes were great. I was in a couple bunkers and they could've used a bit more care and/or sand.
This was my first time here. I really liked it a lot. It's got quite a few water hazards, some interesting desertscapes that come into play, it's extremely playable with wide fairways, and it's very beautiful in many spots. Definitely lives up to its name with great views on many holes of the nearby mountains, although it never gets close to the mountains like a SilverRock or La Quinta Resort does. The par-5 7th was a standout hole, almost a reverse question-mark shape leading to the green with an attractive desert area if your approach comes up short. The 18th is also very scenic with water all around the green and tons of flowers between the green and the clubhouse. Todd and I captured lots of photos and video, so look for them on IG in the coming days if you're interested.
Great course that flies under the radar a bit. Highly recommended if you ever get an invite. » Close Played here today with a 2:15 start time, thanks to an invitation from my friend Todd (@th_golf_photography on IG). Course very was busy but we starte... » MorePlayed here today with a 2:15 start time, thanks to an invitation from my friend Todd (@th_golf_photography on IG). Course very was busy but we started right on time and pace was good, finishing in a little under 4 hours, despite minor waits on most tees. We were a foursome behind a twosome.
Conditions are quite good. Greens seem like they were aerated maybe 3-4 weeks ago, still impacting putts a little bit with wobbles and a very thin sanding on top. Another week or two and they should be all healed. Despite the aeration, they got pretty fast on downhillers and I think we all ran putts significantly past the hole a few times. I loved these fairways; they're in very nice shape with plenty of cushion underneath the ball and providing great lies. The rough was maybe 2-3 inches deep, in good condition, and not too penal. White tee boxes were all really nice. For the bunkers, some holes have tan sand and some have what looks like brand new bright white sand. Both are well maintained but not quite as soft and fluffy as they look – an inch or two of sand on top of a firmer base.
This was my first time ever playing here. The front nine is pretty basic and straightforward, then some character starts to shine through on the back nine. Five par 3s and five par 5s. I loved the downhill par-3 14th, protected on the right side by a small lake/pond. The par-4 13th was also fun with a significant drop from the tee box to the fairway. Course looked great in the afternoon sunlight. I was stoked to finally get a chance to play here! » Close I did something stupid last week. I was browsing "Deal" times on TeeOff.com and spotted a great $43 rate on a Hidden Valley single for today. Hidden V... » MoreI did something stupid last week. I was browsing "Deal" times on TeeOff.com and spotted a great $43 rate on a Hidden Valley single for today. Hidden Valley rarely offers "Deal" times for singles, typically restricting them to 2-4 players. I hadn't played there for a long time, and I had $30 in GolfNow rewards expiring soon, so I quickly booked the time. Then as soon as I booked it, it hit me – "Oh no, I didn't check GK!"
Sure enough, they had just aerated a day or two earlier. D'oh! At least it would be about 10 days after the aeration. I considered canceling, but I wasn't sure if I'd get my rewards back, so I just rolled with it. (And ironically, I putted great with only 28 putts. Maybe I should start using GK to find recently aerated courses to play. ;-))
Anyway, onto today. Tee time was 12:30 but for some reason the starter had me down for 12:40. Paired with two nice singles and one guy's wife rode with him but didn't play. Beautiful day but sorta hazy. POP was decent at just a few minutes more than 4:30.
Conditions-wise, things are quite good other than the greens. Driving in, the course looked gorgeous. Fairways and rough are very green and lush, although once you get on top of things, there are some problem spots here and there. To the course's credit, they've done a good job of marking areas as GUR. The greens were slow and bumpy but like I said earlier, they didn't give me many problems. They still need a couple weeks before getting partway back to normal. (The greens on the course were thankfully much better than the practice green, where putts practically had rooster tails of sand flying up.) Many bunkers look all dried out but the one I was in was acceptable. Blue tee boxes were fine.
I hadn't played here since 2016 and I have no idea why I've waited so long. It's such a fun, exciting layout and almost every hole is beautiful and interesting. I can't recommend it right now but give the greens a couple more weeks to heal, and then it's highly recommended.
(FYI for ratings purposes, I gave the greens a 5.) » Close Played here today in group 1B of the 11:00 Golf Moose + GK outing. Absolutely gorgeous day! It didn't feel like we waited all that much but POP was al... » MorePlayed here today in group 1B of the 11:00 Golf Moose + GK outing. Absolutely gorgeous day! It didn't feel like we waited all that much but POP was almost 5 hours, but understandable because the entire front nine was CPO as well as one hole on the back.
Conditions are quite good. Greens are mostly smooth, fast, and more firm than soft, although full shots still stopped quickly. The collars look like dirt from afar but they were actually mostly dormant bermuda that rolled very fast and firm. Fairways were green and in good condition, providing nice lies all day. The rough was also in good condition and wasn't too deep except for behind the 18th green. Green tee boxes were good. I think the only bunkers I was in were fairway bunkers and they were nice with not too soft or deep of sand. Some areas were still a bit wet/muddy from all the recent rains, causing the CPO.
This was my first time here. This course keeps you engaged with lots of elevation changes. Very few parallel holes, and OB/penalty areas come into play on many holes. It reminded me most of Coyote Hills but also had shades of Pelican Hill on some of the holes with wider fairways. (The back-to-back par 5s on the back nine come to mind.) Very nice clubhouse with stellar views of the surrounding rolling hills, and a few holes offer views all the way out to the ocean. Very fun course and a great day! » Close Played here today in the GK/Golf Moose outing in group 1A with Mark, Marc, and Gary. (Easiest playing partner names to remember ever for Gary today – ... » MorePlayed here today in the GK/Golf Moose outing in group 1A with Mark, Marc, and Gary. (Easiest playing partner names to remember ever for Gary today – three Marks!) Pace was good and despite some rain on the last few holes, it was just a bit over 4.5 hours.
Conditions are pretty good for a course that doesn't overseed in winter, but not quite as nice as last July's outing. Greens are very nice, smooth, medium-fast, and quite firm, although full shots and chips with lots of spin would still bite. Fairways are dormant bermuda with green colorant, providing mostly good lies for full shots but tight lies for chips short of the greens. Rough is dormant bermuda a couple inches deep, not too penal and sometimes almost preferred to the tight lies of the fairways. Blue tee boxes were all nice. Bunkers were fantastic and I had my best bunker playing round in years using Johnny's demo set of Vivid wedges. (Gotta get me one of those 56s.)
Dreary skies never really let the course come to life visually today, but we still had a good time. Thanks Johnny and Golf Moose for these awesome opportunities to play some very nice courses! » Close
|