Index: |
11 |
Average Score: |
85 |
Available to Play Golf: |
Weekdays & Weekends |
Cart Preference: |
Will Ride or Walk |
Temperament: |
Serious Golfer |
Smokes (while golfing): |
No |
Plays in Tournaments: |
Yes |
Golfer: |
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Golf Course: |
Pebble Beach |
Los Angeles County; Palm Springs Area; San Diego County; Ventura County; Santa Barbara County; San Francisco/North Bay Area; San Jose/South Bay Area; Oakland/East Bay Area; Sacramento Area; Fresno Area; Bakersfield Area; Monterey Bay Area; Santa Cruz Area; San Luis Obispo Area; Las Vegas Area
What's in Alex's Golf Bag
SIM2 Driver
SIM 3 wood
PXG Gen 6 irons
Pro V1x
Last Updated: October 31, 2023
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Cyclist turned golfer 5 years ago after playing Kapalua. I now ride just enough to stay in a size small golf shirt (they are always on sale). I have no problem playing the dirt cheap courses to get in some extra playing time and to offset the cost of nicer courses. I fully admit that I am a bit of a Golf Course snob, in that the further I drive, the nicer the course needs to be. Also, Dress for Success.
Alex's Latest Blog Entries
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Alex's Golf Course Reviews |
Likes: 4604 |
Played Pacific Grove GC on Wednesday afternoon with JusGas88 for his first round back after a ten month layoff due to injury. The course was in fairl... » MorePlayed Pacific Grove GC on Wednesday afternoon with JusGas88 for his first round back after a ten month layoff due to injury. The course was in fairly nice condition overall, though the greens were on the slow side. We tee’d off at 2:30 PM. Afternoons can get windy here as it’s right on the ocean as everyone knows. Wednesday was no exception, though the wind wasn’t too bad. Easily a 1 club wind and sometimes a full two club wind. Most of the greens are traditional back to front slope. They rolled on the slower side but did roll smooth. The odd thing was they were a tad firm and even good approach shots didn’t check up.
Fairways were in very nice condition. Lush throughout but still offerred good roll out. Front nine is tight, placing a premium on accuracy, while the back nine fairways widen up some, so you can grip and rip it. Back nine also has unobstructed views of the ocean which is right across the street. Rough wasn’t too penal, thick enough to stop your ball from rolling but manageable to hit from.
Tee boxes were all in decent shape. Level and good coverage throughout. Even the short Par 3’s had good enough coverage amongst the divots to get a clean area to place your ball on. I don’t remember being in any sand traps. POP was …. Well that’s a different topic but we had two slow groups in front of us. One was a foursome of younger guys (20’s) in which two were just learning (sharing clubs). Given their experience they weren’t too bad but yes they fell behind. Here’s the thing. They were out mid week late afternoon so it wasn’t like they were taking prime tee slots and holding people up. We were all beginners at one point so I guess the afternoon during mid week is the best time to get out on the course. Once we got around them at the turn we had about 3 holes of clear sailing. Then we caught up to the next slow player(s). It was an older gentleman who was out with his (high school aged) grandson. The guy had bad arthritis and could barely walk (it was painfully slow), but man he could swing a club!! Gotta be patient with the elderly. We will all be there someday (hopefully).
All in all it was an enjoyable walk in nice enough weather to keep the sweatshirt off until about the 16th hole. » Close DeepSea14 and I played out GK Cup match at Rancho Solano. This is a really nice course. Sure the weather was perfect when we played on Tuesday afte... » MoreDeepSea14 and I played out GK Cup match at Rancho Solano. This is a really nice course. Sure the weather was perfect when we played on Tuesday afternoon and with prime spring conditions, most courses are in good shape right now, but Rancho Solano seems to be in this nice condition every time we play here. Country Club conditions with Muni course prices? Yep, that about sums it up.
The course is hilly and has a handful of water hazards so you already know it has a big plus in my book. Fairways are fairly wide. Definitely room to get a little loose with a drive but there are plenty of trees lining the edges that you are doomed if you get wild. Fairways were in great shape and had the perfect blend of lushness with roll. The rough was thick and penal. Only about 2”-2.5” tall but the ball would often sit down and make it tough to get a quality shot.
As mentioned before, the greens are huge here and have several undulations. The rolled smooth at a great pace. Wicked fast downhill but otherwise manageable.
I don’t remember being in any of the bunkers (probably why I won the match). Tee boxes were level and lush. Overall, it’s a very enjoyable layout with good conditions. We stuck around and had a burger in the clubhouse afterwards. It’s nothing fancy, but has that locals feeling. Plenty of folks in there enjoying a meal/drink which is always good to see. » Close I played here yesterday and a couple weeks ago. Course is in almost identical condition as my last review. About the only thing I’d say was different... » MoreI played here yesterday and a couple weeks ago. Course is in almost identical condition as my last review. About the only thing I’d say was different was that the greens rolled a bit slower (medium) pace and the traps weren’t in as good of shape. Still a fun and challenging course that can reward you with some good birdie chances as well as put up a triple on the scorecard.
Being a weekend, yesterday’s round was about 4.5 hours which is still better than the mid week 5+ hour round at nearby Callippe Preserve. » Close I’m happy to report that conditions continue to remain steady at Laguna Seca. As I’ve mentioned before, I absolutely love this layout, but conditions... » MoreI’m happy to report that conditions continue to remain steady at Laguna Seca. As I’ve mentioned before, I absolutely love this layout, but conditions have always been so so (at best). Lately, the conditions have been very solid. Not Pebble Beach/Quail Lodge great but definitely on the acceptable level and overall much much better than usual here.
Yesterday I played in early afternoon on a glorious peninsula day. Sun was out and very little wind. Fairways continue to remain in good shape with ample lush coverage throughout. Fairways, weren’t quite as nice as reported in my last review but they were close to it. There weren’t any set/soggy areas so the course has drained well this winter.
Green rolled on the slower side (medium-slow pace) but rolled smooth. Tee boxes were fine. A couple of the shorter Par 3 boxes had a lot of divots but the rest were fine and all were level.
Sand traps were the weak areas. Several had either standing water or mud at the bottom from recent rain/puddles. It also appears that everyone has stopped raking the bunkers here. Not sure if it’s because of the wet sand or what but it was annoying.
There isn’t really any rough at Laguna Seca. There’s a small area of slightly longer grass adjacent to the fairway but nothing penal. After that it usually no man’s land.
Pop was right at about 4 hours. Conditions are now starting to catch up to the price tag putting this fun filled track on the recommendation list for peninsula courses. » Close I flipped a coin to decide between golf and a bike ride. Golf won out and I chose Crazy Horse since I hadn’t been there in probably 9-10 months. Th... » MoreI flipped a coin to decide between golf and a bike ride. Golf won out and I chose Crazy Horse since I hadn’t been there in probably 9-10 months. This place always has good conditions and great customer service. today was no exception. Greens are on the smaller side here. Not as small as Pacific Grove or Del Monte, but close. Greens are mainly single tier. they rolled smooth at a medium fast pace. Greens were a bit on the firm side.
Like most Nor Cal courses, the fairways were damp but decent enough. No complaints on the fairways. Once they dry out completely they will jump up from a 7 rating to an 8 or 9 with no problem. Tee boxes were a bit thin and damp but not too bad. Sand traps were excellent. Nice white fluffy sand. bunkers aren’t very deep do they are pretty easy to escape from given the nice quality sand. rough is about 3” tall and semi-thick but playable.
Carts were 90 degrees and pop was 3 hours which seemed slow being we zipped around the front 9 in just over an hour and then got backed up on hole 10.
Crazy Horse is a great option to play when in the Peninsula. » Close
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