Played my hometown course today in a tournament with my traveling golf club. Grew up and learned to play here as a teen—and still live down the street—but haven’t played it much the last decade or so,... Continue »

Played my hometown course today in a tournament with my traveling golf club. Grew up and learned to play here as a teen—and still live down the street—but haven’t played it much the last decade or so, due to my golf activity being intermittent, and playing other courses during the periods when I was playing. It’s changed ownership/management over the years, and I’ve witnessed conditions significantly deteriorate from what they were when I was growing up.

BUT I’m glad to say that it’s getting back into prime shape. It’s not quite there yet, as there are some bare/thin spots in the rough, the sand in the bunkers is pretty low quality (hard, thin, and very granular), and some of the tee boxes are (still) not completely level. But the fairways are lush, and the putting surfaces are in great shape. The greens are definitely the strongest area of the course (which goes a long way). They are smooth, have few pre-existing ball marks, hold shots well, and putt very true. They are still as diabolical as ever if you are above the hole, so shot location matters.

It’s not a long course, so it must rely on its greens, doglegs, and narrowness to present a challenge, in addition to hazards (barrancas, hillside). It does this very well, as I know many golfers of all abilities who are very frustrated by this course. Long hitters have little to no advantage here; it’s all about accuracy. But if that is a part of your game that you want to improve, then spend a few dozen rounds here, and I’d say you’re bound to improve.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that they do have construction actively taking place on the course. At the time of this posting, the only impact I know of is on the 11th and 17th holes. They are doing irrigation work on #17 DURING THE WEEK ONLY, which has resulted in #17 (a par 3) being completely closed, and #11 (a par 5) being split into a short par 4 and short par 3, with the par 4 having a temporary green cut into the fairway (which isn’t any good; I played it on Friday), and the par 3 playing to the normal 11th green. I’ve also observed evidence of a temporary green on the #13 fairway (also a par 5), so it’s possible they are alternating 11 and 13, when 17 is closed. Again, this is Monday thru Friday only (as of now). I know they have other construction projects planned for the next couple years, but I also know that they will try to have it impact play as little as possible. Construction is always unfortunate in the short term, but most of us know that it’s part of the longevity of any course, and makes for a better course in the long term.

Played here Saturday, 5/14 at 11:20. Found an amazing TeeOff.com "Deal" time that enticed me back for a rematch after my first time here about six weeks ago. Check in was smooth but they weren't annou... Continue »

Played here Saturday, 5/14 at 11:20. Found an amazing TeeOff.com "Deal" time that enticed me back for a rematch after my first time here about six weeks ago. Check in was smooth but they weren't announcing groups to the tee, so it was pretty much incumbent upon players to figure out what group was which and when to start. Found my playing partners and we started about 10 minutes late. Despite some minor waiting, front nine POP was good at about 2:10. Back nine slowed down considerably and total was around 4:45.

Conditions are good. Greens are completely healed, rolling smooth, accept full shots well, and are quite fast. In some spots they are crazy fast – on both 11 and 15, downhill putts didn't stop until they were off the front of the green. Fairways were decent with mostly good coverage. I think I did notice the spots where they're doing the irrigation project, but it didn't affect how any holes played. Rough had less consistent coverage and a good chance you'd have an uneven stance and/or find your ball on dirt. Blue tee boxes were a little beat up but you can find a decent place to tee it up. Bunkers are terrible. Many have water in them and others are just rock hard.

I fared no better against this tiny beast my second go-round. For the lack of length, this course has teeth and is not at all easy to score. It's also very pretty in spots with beautiful mountain backdrops.

Once again I was slow to commit to any tee times and found myself scrambling to find something for this weekend. Sometime on Friday morning a single "Deal" time for here at 11:50 Saturday popped up on... Continue »

Once again I was slow to commit to any tee times and found myself scrambling to find something for this weekend. Sometime on Friday morning a single "Deal" time for here at 11:50 Saturday popped up on TeeOff.com for a great price, so having never played it, I jumped on it. After a 20% off promo code, it was around $34 with cart. Check-in was super smooth and got paired with a threesome of nice guys. They were announcing each tee time over the loudspeaker and we started right on time. POP was slow from the get-go, but not agonizingly so. Just consistent waits all day and we finished in about 4:50. The sun tried to burst through the cloudy skies around the 6th hole, but the clouds prevailed and remained cool all day.

Conditions are pretty good, just ahead of aeration and the irrigation project mentioned in the Spring Aeration thread. Greens were smooth, medium-fast and accepted full shots well. Fairways have good coverage but inconsistent quality with some clumpiness and divots, and maybe sporadic bare spots. Rough was about 3 inches deep, not too penal. Blue tee boxes no complaints. I was only in one bunker (short right of the first green) and it had a big puddle in it. I had to take relief from the puddle and the rest of the bunker was a bit muddy.

As I mentioned above, this was my first time here. Located in a very natural area in the foothills, it's a gorgeous setting for a course and I really like the prevalent elevation changes. Seems like it would be really beautiful on a nice day. On the other hand, the layout is very quirky and almost feels like a course that is past its time. If I want to get snarky, I'd say "If the Babe isn't tricked-up enough for you and Shorecliffs is too wide, play DeBell." It's actually the type of course that would feel really good to play well because it requires patience and/or really good ball-striking to navigate the narrow corridors.

Grabbed a 1:10 start as a single joining a twosome on Sunday, 1/16. We were sent out little early to an open fairway. Conditions overall were good for Winter. No real issues with the tee boxes — leve... Continue »

Grabbed a 1:10 start as a single joining a twosome on Sunday, 1/16. We were sent out little early to an open fairway. Conditions overall were good for Winter. No real issues with the tee boxes — level with enough coverage, sometimes tighter than others. One historically bad tee is #2, but it was a pleasant discovery to find it had been refurbished with sod and was as good or better than most. Fairways had overall decent coverage, mostly on the tight and sometimes a little moist side. The rough proper here was playable without much penalty but a little further off and you are into the adventure that is DeBell — undergrowth, barrancas, steep hills and drop-offs. Saw some bunkers moist with a little standing water, but most were drier if not particularly fluffy. I actually had good results playing out of three of them, including an up-and-down for par, so there's that. Green side areas generally offered good lies for short game and the greens themselves were very clean, reasonably quick and ran true with slopes and contours to keep it interesting. It was nice day to be out, warm for this time of year, a bit overcast through the middle holes, but golden light through sundown for the last few. Overall pace was good for a weekend, coming in under 4.5 hours. Saw the cart girl a few times. Shout out to the guys I was paired up, Alex and TJ, who were excellent company and I hope followed up on their threat to check out GK and are reading this. I've been reasonably consistent with my game lately but arrived too late to warm up and never really had my swing with me today. So, as usual, DeBell abused my scorecard and my self esteem. That said, I had little at stake and no big expectations, so I had a good time. Recommended.

Feeling better and having some time on my hands while still down here in LA, I found us a tee time at GK supporter DeBell. I’ve only played this course a couple of times (a few years back) and have b... Continue »

Feeling better and having some time on my hands while still down here in LA, I found us a tee time at GK supporter DeBell. I’ve only played this course a couple of times (a few years back) and have been wanting to get back out to this quirky but fun track.

Greens were in really good shape. Easily holding well stuck approach shots and rolled smooth at a medium fast pace. Greens are on the small size. Some are really small. Most of the greens have a moderate but predictable amount of slope. However, there are a few greens with some wicket undulations.

Fairways were in pretty decent shape. Dry for the most part and good coverage throughout.
Tee boxes were a mixed bag. Some had brand new sod while others were in need of leveling. Still, they all had lush coverage. Just some were unlevel.

A couple of sand traps were in bad shape due to the recent rain.

Pace of play was on the slow side but probably normal for Southern California is my guess. It took a little over 4 hours for us to get around the course.

Not the best day score wise, but still an enjoyable day hanging out in the Southern California sun with a good friend.

Played 10-6-21. Got an afternoon tee time on TeeOff for $18 including cart, joined a twosome and finished in a little over 4 1/2 hours waiting on every hole. They were letting a lot of the tee boxes g... Continue »

Played 10-6-21. Got an afternoon tee time on TeeOff for $18 including cart, joined a twosome and finished in a little over 4 1/2 hours waiting on every hole. They were letting a lot of the tee boxes grow out so markers were moved up to the front of the boxes, making them pretty chewed up on a lot of the holes. Fairways were in pretty good shape with some brown and thin spots, but they had good roll out and nice lies for the most part. Rough was in decent shape, 1-2 inches with some thin areas. Was in two greenside bunkers that were very thin and firm with a lot of small rocks in them. Greens were just okay rolling medium pace and a little bumpy at times.

Got a 12:00 start as a single joining a twosome and another single on Wednesday, 4/7. One of the conspicuous improvements is the repaving of the driving range with a concrete pad. There is still some ... Continue »

Got a 12:00 start as a single joining a twosome and another single on Wednesday, 4/7. One of the conspicuous improvements is the repaving of the driving range with a concrete pad. There is still some tilt to the place but it's better. It is a much overdue improvement and looks much sharper. Once again, I hadn't checked GK and walked on to course that had punched the greens a little over a week before, but I was OK with that. The greens ran a faster and truer than they looked liked they should — about medium fast — but I would suggest giving them another week to 10 days. At that point, even if there is still the ghost of a pattern, they should perform quite well. The rest of the course is in pretty good shape as far as generally green and decent lies. For example, I notice the second tee box was considerably more greened up from the slab of dirt it has been in the past. Fairways had some runout, but with the angles around this course control is everything, so that is not always a plus. Otherwise the coverage was good, without some of the thinner hardpan and chewed up areas I've seen in the past. The rough was not long on average, but grabby as to impeding a ball on the roll. I missed the bunkers and can't address the conditions there. Not being in them, I just didn't notice. Green-side areas were in good shape for chipping. It was a nice day for golf with the weather warm but not oppressive and light winds. I wanted to get over here to support DeBell since they support GK, as well as get my semi-annual butt kicking from this course. The front nine was the exercise in abuse I expected, but I actually was four over on the back, so maybe there is hope. DeBell is not to everyone's liking, but if it meets your criteria for challenge and/or enjoyment, it's in pretty good shape and I recommend it. Just give it a little more time to heal. If you've never been here, you should play it. The clubhouse is nice and the upstairs dining and deck are one of the nicer post-round facilities to hang out. The course is not your typical experience and it's a worth a go to see if you might love it, hate it, or both.

Played DeBell on Sat. It was an unofficial tourney...Lol. Burbank won't allow tourneys yet, so no CTP or LD markers. Sidepots were in the parking lot.

8*30 Tee off, POP about 4:20. Tee boxes are ... Continue »

Played DeBell on Sat. It was an unofficial tourney...Lol. Burbank won't allow tourneys yet, so no CTP or LD markers. Sidepots were in the parking lot.

8*30 Tee off, POP about 4:20. Tee boxes are kinda crooked on some, but I didn't have a problem. Coverage fine. Fairways are ok, some of the layup spots kinda chewed up. No divot mix on carts yet.
Bunkers pretty much hard dirt/sand. But, we were coming off a few days of rain.
Greens as usual were very nice. Rain had slowed them down a bit, but still challenging.
Usual Covid precautions. Pins have the plastic deal that you use your putter to flip the ball out, works well. Allowed double riders without any questions about same household OR single if requested.
The crew in the office & cart shack had everything down pat. Good Job!
Very good outside patio dining. Pick up at the snack shop near 10th tee after ordering on the 8th tee also smooth.

Overall for the play this short muni course gets, it was pretty good & I really enjoyed my 1st time out in a while (back issues.)
Muni Golf, lots of Dog legs around the mountain. But fun! Recommended.

Played Debell on Tuesday morning with a 8:50 tee time. Nice relief from the extreme temperatures we experienced over the weekend, with temps in the low 70's and overcast. I haven't played this course ... Continue »

Played Debell on Tuesday morning with a 8:50 tee time. Nice relief from the extreme temperatures we experienced over the weekend, with temps in the low 70's and overcast. I haven't played this course for a couple of years. I remember why now. I don't care for the layout. The front 9 nine is pretty narrow and chopped up. Couldn't use my driver until the 8th hole. The back nine is a little more open, but still has some very quirky holes. The overall condition of the course is just fair. Tee boxes are terrible. We played the blue tees. Many bare areas and hard pan. One tee box only had an area about 2' x 3' where there was grass. The fairways are a mix. There are quite a few areas that are thin and bare, even in the middle of the fairway. There are some good lies to be had as well. I would rate the fairways at 5/10. The rough along the fairways is impossible to hit out of in many areas and not too bad in others. There are a lot of spots where the rough is from 4 to 8 inches deep. With narrow fairways, this makes it difficult to have a shot into the green from a good lie. I had numerous lies just a foot off the fairway where I could only hack it out of 5 inches of heavy rough. The bunkers are a mess. Many of them are hard pack and full of lines and troughs. I was able to get out of the two bunkers I was in, but you had to be careful. The greens were medium speed. They were soft and held shots fairly well. The were mostly smooth with some bumpiness. I did not enjoy my round here today. The course is in only fair shape, but playable. For the $15 senior walking rate, it was fine. But I wouldn't pay anything more.