"Great" ???? 7.51 rating ???? I fully admit, it's been quite a long time since I've played any muni golf - but "Great" ??? That is HARDLY an adjective I'd choose for Hansen Dam G.C. The fairways ... Continue »

"Great" ???? 7.51 rating ???? I fully admit, it's been quite a long time since I've played any muni golf - but "Great" ??? That is HARDLY an adjective I'd choose for Hansen Dam G.C. The fairways were "just O.K." (at best) - the greens are "recovering" from a recent punching (the putted balls were jumpin' and jivin' - and those in our group were wailin'!!) and were uncomfortably lumpy. The golf cart we were given was the equivalent of a 1973 AMC Gremlin - on it's last legs and pulled badly to the right - the "suspension" was shot and it died on us several times. There were bare-spots both in the fairway and in the rough. The rough itself was uneven. It was like groundskeepers would just haphazardly be mowing along...and then stop. Very spotty work. I have always tried to be fair when rating courses on Greenskeeper.org . If something deserves praise - I'll be the first one to post. If something needs to be fixed, I'll certainly mention it in a review. Most of the problems I had with the place are beyond anything the staff at Hansen Dam can take care of. The problem seems to be the players. Although there are ample trash cans throughout the course...I must have picked up 20 pieces of trach from various bunkers, fairways, tee-boxes, etc. I was in two bunkers all day...and while the quality of the sand was just fine (better than Goose Creek's!) - both times I had to hit out of a deep footprint. I don't think I've ever seen so many un-raked bunkers on one course in my 35-years of playing golf in Southern California!! Honestly, I fixed a minimum of FIVE deep ball marks on every one of the greens. A person could fix FIFTY if he wanted to...there'd be no problem finding that many.

You know, I guess it is what it is. Muni golf. I don't mean to sound snobbish...but "Great" is not a word I'd ever use to describe this track.

Good things?? Hmmm. Well...I guess the price for greens-fees was about right. And the bar has Stella Artois beer on tap...and it was cold.

I'd have to be awfully desperate to go back to Hansen Dam any time soon

Was heading over to Knollwood to meet a buddy to play,but got stuck in Los Tunas Canyon fire freeway stoppage and couldn't make the 3:20 tee time. When the traffic started filtering through about 1.25... Continue »

Was heading over to Knollwood to meet a buddy to play,but got stuck in Los Tunas Canyon fire freeway stoppage and couldn't make the 3:20 tee time. When the traffic started filtering through about 1.25 hours later, I headed over to Hansen Dam and walked right on as a single, paired with a couple of guys who were self-admittedly a little drunk, bad golfers, but not the worst company. They needed tees, and I offered/gave them some of mine, and they gave me a new sleeve of balls as a thank you.
Pace was a little slow, but even. I putted out the 18th with the moon up and just enough light to read an 8-foot putt for par (left it short). Fairways were thicker than the last time I played here. Last time they were firmer with a lot of roll, this time less roll but better lies. The greens looked like they may have been punched in the not-to-distant past. They were a touch slower and not as smooth as I recall, but they generally seemed to roll pretty true and the missed putts were mostly pilot errror. It's a good solid muni with a decent amount of variety to the holes at a good price. Generally easier than a lot of courses to get out on.

Great course. One of the most underated courses around! You can pretty much get out here & Woodley Lakes without a tee time. Even on weekends the wait isn't bad compared to many other local courses. U... Continue »

Great course. One of the most underated courses around! You can pretty much get out here & Woodley Lakes without a tee time. Even on weekends the wait isn't bad compared to many other local courses. Used to be a member of the Men's Club here. Don't bother joining here! Switched to Woodley's club. Much, much. much better. Far more organized. No constant b$tch ing & complaining in this club. Great lunch buffet at Hansen Dam though! Clubhouse/bar much better at Hansen Dam. Woodley's clubhouse/bar is a major RIP OFF!

Interesting course. Got some up & downs, both wide and narrow fairways. Played for about 4.5 hours on a weekday morning, which is alright. The only complain that I would have is that they water the... Continue »

Interesting course. Got some up & downs, both wide and narrow fairways. Played for about 4.5 hours on a weekday morning, which is alright. The only complain that I would have is that they water the fairway during our playing time. Almost every hole has some sprinklers on, and some of them just happen to be in the middle of the fairway so that it is really inconvenient if the ball landed in the sprinkled area. Not even mentioning some spots are really muddy because of the water. But over all the course is not bad for $22 walking price. Would certainly go there again.

Played sunday 5/20/07. Started at 7:47 a.m. and finished 4.5 hours later. Course in great condition tees to greens.
This is a fun course to play. Each hole has its own identity.

Played sunday 5/20/07. Started at 7:47 a.m. and finished 4.5 hours later. Course in great condition tees to greens.
This is a fun course to play. Each hole has its own identity.

Played on Sunday 5/20 at 7:40 a.m. Course is in excellent condition. Kudos to the superintendint and maintenance crew!!

Greens are in fantastic shape. Best Muni greens in LA County. Rolled true... Continue »

Played on Sunday 5/20 at 7:40 a.m. Course is in excellent condition. Kudos to the superintendint and maintenance crew!!

Greens are in fantastic shape. Best Muni greens in LA County. Rolled true, fast, minimal ball mark damage. It was a very damo morning, but the greens showed no signs of running slow or bumpy.

Fairways are in remarkably good shape. You would hardly notice that the course is located next to a DAM, and in a flood basin. A tad soggy in the morning, but hardly any bare areas, consistant coverage with consistant grass.

Rough was good. It could have been more challanging, but otherwise in good condition.

Traps played very true. Sand was consistant throughout the course. Drained very well.

Tee Boxes in great condition. Lush, level, even.

Truly an enjoyable round. I played well, shot 1 under my index, but I can't remember having a more enjoyable round. Fun layout, not too long, but not too short, lots of elevation changes, especially on the back 9. Staff is very friendly, from the starter, to the guy in the proshop, to the waitress and cook in the resteraunt, to the women running the snack shack.

Hansen gets overlooked because Rancho and the Griffifth park courses get more play, and its not in the greatest neighborhood. But the conditions were outstanding for a municipal course. Well worth the value at $28.50 Greens fee, and $5 for a "Bag Boy" hand cart. Very nice course to walk.

This is my home course and I can be fussy.
The tees are generally level and in good shape. The 4th tee is smallish and therefore has much divot damage as does the 15th, both par threes.
Overall, f... Continue »

This is my home course and I can be fussy.
The tees are generally level and in good shape. The 4th tee is smallish and therefore has much divot damage as does the 15th, both par threes.
Overall, fairways are good but due to a poor irrigation system (promised to be replaced for many years and finally may happen this year) there are wet spots and severly dry and barren areas. If you are accurate, though, you can work this to your advantage.
Greens have recently been punched and are in second- third week of growth. Due to overwatering they are soft and bumpy and slowly or poorly struck putts will wander.
I must give the maintainance crew and super, a high 5 for the effort they have put into the course making it playable even though they have had the worst conditions of any city course to work under (irrigation).
My hope is that the crew will continue to work hard and return the greens to the firm, fast and smooth condition they were in before the airation.
The part of the course that really gets my goat is the bunkers. The crew doesn't rake them in the morning and when they finally do they don't smooth them, they just rough up the surface (by hand rake) leaving all of the previous days unraked footprints and divots to be traversed by the next poor sap who happens to find that part of the moon.
All in all, even with the airation of the greens Hansen Dam is a fun and challanging muny at a easy price.

Fantastic conditions for city owned courses. Greens are the best in L.A. (muni).

Fantastic conditions for city owned courses. Greens are the best in L.A. (muni).

Played on 4/1/07, and course was in good shape. Smooth greens and lush fairways. Hansen Dam is a fair test of golf, especially for a City course. Good mix of short, long holes. Not terribly diffic... Continue »

Played on 4/1/07, and course was in good shape. Smooth greens and lush fairways. Hansen Dam is a fair test of golf, especially for a City course. Good mix of short, long holes. Not terribly difficult - there is enough room off the tee and the bunkers are shallow. However, when the greens are smooth as they were today, it can be tricky to read the subtle breaks and judge the effect of the nearby dam. Good value!