Joined two buddies with a very early 6:50am tee time on Sunday at our local Alondra Park. We played from the white tees with two walkers and one riding. Luckily the weather cooperated most of the day ... Continue »

Joined two buddies with a very early 6:50am tee time on Sunday at our local Alondra Park. We played from the white tees with two walkers and one riding. Luckily the weather cooperated most of the day with just a few cold holes early and windy and cold the last three. In between everything was pretty darn good in terms of weather. On the course, it was nice to find Alondra in some of the best overall condition I've ever seen. No, it's not in any way, shape or form 'pristine' in any capacity, but just about everything is fair to good right now, which is saying a lot. The greens are very quick right now and while some still show some ball mark damage (like the 13th), they're generally rolling nicely, however they are not holding shots well at all as they are super hard and firm. The fairways have mostly good coverage with a few thin areas as one would expect, but it was surprising to find so many good lies throughout the day. There are definitely still some 'scorched earth' looking spots still begging for more precipitation, but overall you can see how much good the recent rains have done for the place. Unfortunately those same rains have done a number on the bunkers which are mostly pretty thin and gritty, but ultimately playable. Tee boxes were a little on the beat-up side and a few were uneven, but nothing too terrible in the big picture. Being just the third group out for the day, we cruised through our round as a threesome in just four hours which was great. Unfortunately there was no cart service at any point during the day, but there is a convenient snack shop along the path at the turn. The layout is of course nothing thrilling but it's solid enough to keep you honest due to its length and right now the tricky green approaches and sorting out distances and greens speed. I won't play this course too often each year but when I do get out there it's always a much better experience when the course is in its current condition.