I like to think the vast majority of my golf course reviews are more 'glass half full' than not, but the experience at Chester Washington this past Saturday is definitely putting that theory to the te... Continue »

I like to think the vast majority of my golf course reviews are more 'glass half full' than not, but the experience at Chester Washington this past Saturday is definitely putting that theory to the test. It was an astonishing array of ineptitude from start to finish and cannot go unchecked.

I'll start with the course conditions since that, despite their overall mediocrity at best, was not the worst part of the day by any means. Greens are a bit bumpy but rolled well and consistently while holding shots. By far the best part of the course. Tons of dry or thin areas in the fairways and rough, while the tee boxes are beat down and need work. Sand is good.

As for the rest of the day, well, let's just say it did not go smoothly. My foursome had a 10:12 tee time and when we arrived, all of the carts were gone. There was about a 35-40 minute delays as the crowds lined up at the first tee. Fine. I get that. But the POP was abysmal and it did not help that the group in front of us understood nothing of golf etiquette - no waving up, talking at the tee box while the group ahead of them was long gone, and one of their players even playing two balls. Super irritating.

Then, at around the 12th hole, our cart started to die. Called the front desk to ask them for a replacement and they said they'd get right on it. Yeah, that did not happen. Called again from the 15th hole tee box. Same story. Eventually the cart died in the fairway of the 15th so we ditched it and went on foot. It wasn't until the 17th hole that they finally brought another cart out. Great. Not much point from there.

But the overall damage? Once again, our tee time was at 10:12. Sunk the last putt on 18 at 4:30pm. Almost six and a half hours of my life I'll never get back. Didn't help to have also played my worst round there since 2014 due to all of the waiting on each and every hole. In summary, a total disaster.

But who cares, right? Clearly the tee sheet is beyond full so nothing will change there. Why should they? Change won't happen until they see that no one is showing up anymore, and that's not going to happen anytime soon with the dearth of decent courses in the So Bay area and surrounding communities. But I know I won't ever play CW again on a weekend.

Played a late twilight round at Chester Washington this past Friday and was immediately hit with a 20-30 minute delay and no more carts available despite the pre-booking online having a cart as part o... Continue »

Played a late twilight round at Chester Washington this past Friday and was immediately hit with a 20-30 minute delay and no more carts available despite the pre-booking online having a cart as part of the deal. Solid start.

Recent reviews described the course as being in some of its best shape, and that's generally pretty accurate. The Chester will never be mistaken for 'pristine' but there are levels of its mediocrity and it's currently at the higher end of that bar. Fairways have good spots of grass but also plenty of thin and GUR-worthy lies, while the rough is very easy to manage. Tee boxes are definitely beat up and need some work. Bunkers are in good, workable shape.

Greens are quite slow compared to most venues in the area, but the coverage is pretty good right now and they're playing at a medium speed that you can easily handle. They hold shots just fine, but are unfortunately a little bumpy and still too many ball marks. And yet everyone has seen them worse here, so they seem pretty good right now.

POP was pretty abysmal as we were one of the last groups to finish after well over five hours, and yet again no cart service to be found despite a full tee sheet. This would not be a big deal if the snack shop was located in a decent spot, but it's not. It's one of the more inconvenient snack areas in all of SoCal actually, so that's another issue.

So yeah, if you can just tune out from all of the other negatives around the course and just focus on the golf itself, you'll be okay right now. You won't be overwhelmed or go home counting the moments to get back to the first tee, but you'll survive and move on. I guess.

Having to drop a visitor off at LAX, it provided an excuse to get back to Western. ( I know it's Chester Washington, but it will always be Western to me) I used to play here quite often when I lived... Continue »

Having to drop a visitor off at LAX, it provided an excuse to get back to Western. ( I know it's Chester Washington, but it will always be Western to me) I used to play here quite often when I lived in Westchester, but since moving to Orange County, not so much any more, I have always enjoyed this course as it provides a decent challenge but allows for some good scores as well.
Agree with the recent review. Thought the course was in better than normal condition, particularly the greens. A few tee boxes need some attention, but generally nothing to severe. Fairways better than expected. Customer service was excellent, and to my surprise, pace of play wasn't too bad. (Around four hours ) One of my favorite holes is #10, which is such a joy to play, considering it's length. Can't be long, don't miss it left/right, and short makes for a tough up & down. This hole is proof that a great par three does not have to be 200 yards long with hazards

Played 12/31 new years eve 7am tee time. Writing this review because its been a little while since the last one. I play here regularly because it's the closest course to me. The conditions right now a... Continue »

Played 12/31 new years eve 7am tee time. Writing this review because its been a little while since the last one. I play here regularly because it's the closest course to me. The conditions right now are the best I've ever seen it. Tee boxes are ok, some unevenness but you can find a flat spot no problem. Kukuya fairways are above average. Excellent coverage and very green, almost no bare spots. Rough is a bit spotty, some bare ground, typical muni rough. All the traps have good amount of sand in it, some have a little too much sand in my opinion but I will take that over hardpan. The greens are awesome right now and pretty quick too. 9 to 9.5 on stimp I would guess. No bare spots to speak of, smooth for the most part except the many unrepaired ball marks. Definitely recommend playing right now. P.S. I would rate the course overall 6.8/10, eventhough my rating came out to 7.2

Played 8/22 9:00AM, I am surprised this course does not get more reviews !! Best shape I have seen it in a year. Fairways, greens, tees were good shape. rough , was rough !! but stay out of it and y... Continue »

Played 8/22 9:00AM, I am surprised this course does not get more reviews !! Best shape I have seen it in a year. Fairways, greens, tees were good shape. rough , was rough !! but stay out of it and you will score at least 6 shots lower.Pace was at 4 1/2 hours. The ground crew needs a review there, but why is the snack bar closed ????? American Golf told me no one wants to work it ????
I recommend playing there before it goes bad again.

Chester is the kind of course where you think you should score well based on your initial look of the scorecard and the look of the course not having many hazards and OB. But don't let that fool you. ... Continue »

Chester is the kind of course where you think you should score well based on your initial look of the scorecard and the look of the course not having many hazards and OB. But don't let that fool you. The postage stamp size greens surrounded by nasty velcro like grass forces you to be accurate of the tee so that you can be precise with your approach. For over 30 years I have walked off this course many times thinking I could have played better while shooting the same mediocre score. The course today had great fairways. The greens were decent but a little too bumpy. On the back 9 you must take into account that putts tend to break towards El Segundo Blvd. I noticed some fairway bunkers have been added to the course. This has made the longer par 4's even tougher.

Snuck out with my wife's permission (Hey it was Father's Day after all!) Pace of play was fast. I was surprised that the course was not as busy as I thought it would be but was thankful. Weather co... Continue »

Snuck out with my wife's permission (Hey it was Father's Day after all!) Pace of play was fast. I was surprised that the course was not as busy as I thought it would be but was thankful. Weather cooperated and was a comfortable 70F even with it cooling towards the end of the round. I really don't understand why this course gets the occasional bad rep but currently was very impressed with conditions. Greens were receptive with well struck shots. The putts held their line and for the most part were only bumpy towards the end of the day (afternoon sun does that.) Fairways were lush with nice cushion underneath. Rough was thick, varying in depth from cut to the same height as the fairway to this thick deep thatch that would literally break wrists. Mileage will vary. Expect some hard-pan in the rough. Tee boxes were flat, lush and very playable. Bunkers had sand. They were very firm with wet compact sand. It was easy enough to get under the ball. Overall very happy with course conditions. They run a tight ship. Pace of play was brilliantly fast. Started around 3pm; finished around 6:30PM for a 3 1/2 hour round on a Sunday?!!!

My on again off again relationship with CW is back on. It's been a while since I played here due to problems with getting out on-time and course conditions. We printed out an old e-mail from nearly ... Continue »

My on again off again relationship with CW is back on. It's been a while since I played here due to problems with getting out on-time and course conditions. We printed out an old e-mail from nearly a year ago offering us a free foursome after 10am as an apology from the last time we got out 45 minutes late and played on mostly dead grass. Surprisingly, they honored it, even though our tee time was 9:30 AND said we could use it again for a twosome since we were only a twosome. I was beyond shocked. They sent us out early where we got around in under 4 hours.

I'm not sure if the conditions were they best they've ever been there - but I can't remember the course like this. They've been making small but smart changes to the layout, many of the holes have thoughtful mown areas around the green - not just green, fringe, rough.

Fairways and rough are in good shape. Everywhere is green. There seems to be a renewed pride in this course and I'm happy to see it. It's a good course with nearly half the holes being fairly easy and half being more of a challenge.

Two caveats to my glowing review. The greens are still a little bumpy from the aeration a while ago and the sand traps we were in were inconsistent.

Overall, I'm happy to have this course back in my rotation since it's not far away.

Decided late on Sunday morning to play a quick local round and Chester Dubs got the call again. Not much new to report since my last review three weeks ago other than the temporary green on hole 2 is ... Continue »

Decided late on Sunday morning to play a quick local round and Chester Dubs got the call again. Not much new to report since my last review three weeks ago other than the temporary green on hole 2 is now back to its normal state and playing very long.

Mixed bag of conditions throughout the course - just as easily find thin and dried out on the fairway as you will green and lush. A good bit of mud around as well with overwatered sections of the course. Greens were generally a bit fuzzy and could use a press. Rolls were inconsistent at best and medium speed. Tee boxes good enough while the bunkers are in good shape.

POP was pretty slow as we were behind a tournament but overall just under five hours. Definitely worth the $42 greens fee + cart for a late arriver. Not the greatest track by any means but still fun and I managed to somehow birdie the 490-yard par 4 17th fully into the wind so that made it well worth it as I'd never even parred that beast before.

Still plenty of room for Chester Washington to improve for sure, but it's also still worth playing right now if you get a good price and the POP doesn't add up to six hours.