Played Saturday, 3/12, at 6:30 am. A little slow checking in at the temporary starter building or maybe it seemed that way because everyone had their clubs with them as it is on the way in. Starter wa... Continue »

Played Saturday, 3/12, at 6:30 am. A little slow checking in at the temporary starter building or maybe it seemed that way because everyone had their clubs with them as it is on the way in. Starter was pleasant and professional though so it was a good start to the day. That was the only interaction with the staff though as the snack stand at the 12th tee was closed when we went by. Pace of play was great. 3:35 all walking. We had to wait a few minutes on the first few holes and on 15 and 16, otherwise it was clear sailing.

The course was in pretty good shape. The rough was cut down and not much of a factor. The fairways were winter thin but consistent. If there were bare spots, I was not in any. I was in two bunkers which each had a fair amount of sand (I was plugged in one). The greens were good. They were on the fast side of medium with few bumps. There were a couple of strange spotty areas on the front of a few (including #1 as someone else mentioned and the right green on #16) but they were limited in area.

I enjoy the course layout and it is a pleasure to pay in the present conditions. Its busy but well worth it if a tee time can be obtained.

Played Saturday 2/12 in the first group of the morning (6:30). Great weather and great pace. Course is in decent shape overall. Fairways were a little hit and miss, but the greens were mostly very go... Continue »

Played Saturday 2/12 in the first group of the morning (6:30). Great weather and great pace. Course is in decent shape overall. Fairways were a little hit and miss, but the greens were mostly very good. I noticed the grass just in front of the green on hole #1 was pretty chewed up which is odd, but can't remember any other obviously bad spots.

I played Rancho Park for the first time today. A friend was able to get a 7am tee time. I was excited for the chance to play here despite the very, very cold temps that early. We planned to walk whic... Continue »

I played Rancho Park for the first time today. A friend was able to get a 7am tee time. I was excited for the chance to play here despite the very, very cold temps that early. We planned to walk which was a good thing as it appeared to be walking-only today. There were no riding carts anywhere. I think that may be the reason the course was not crowded and POP ended up exactly 4 hrs. I’ve heard it is frequently much long than that. I enjoyed the course a lot and played really well despite the course being very long for me. The forward tees, on many holes were only five or so yards in front of the whites. Having few bunkers and no water certainly helped. The layout was fun, with lots of elevation changes. There were a few blind shots but my playing partners had all been there before and were able to help guide me. Conditions were overall pretty good. The fairways were half lush and half thin with some soggy and muddy areas. The yellow tee boxes had good coverage but the majority of them were not level. The other boxes appeared to be good. The rough varied from deep enough to cover a ball to very thin even around some greens. The greens were really great- smooth, soft, and receptive. The only marks I found to fix were our own. That was so unusual but so nice! I loved seeing the plaque at the 18th tee showing the story of when Arnold Palmer took a 12 on that hole. Happily, I only shot a 6. What a fun way to finish the round and a great way to start the new year . Recommended.

Played here this morning with a 9:10 tee time. Saw a single time pop up on Friday night and grabbed it for $45.50. Paid $5 more for a push cart rental. The whole group was four singles and we started ... Continue »

Played here this morning with a 9:10 tee time. Saw a single time pop up on Friday night and grabbed it for $45.50. Paid $5 more for a push cart rental. The whole group was four singles and we started a few minutes late, but pace was fantastic for a weekend muni, and practically unheard of for a Rancho Park weekend. We finished in just about 4:10, even with minor waits to tee off on most holes. Two of us walked, and two others had single rider carts. The last time I played any LA City course, the practice putting greens were still closed due to Covid, but they were open today, which was great.

Conditions are mostly quite good. Greens were the highlight, mostly smooth, medium fast and medium firmness. Fairways had good coverage of light green/yellow/brown grass and provided mostly good lies. They look a little shabby but play good. Rough was a little deeper and less consistent, meaning you might get a tough lie or a fluffy lie or who knows what. Saw a few areas roped off as GUR. I was only in one bunker and it was a thin layer of loose sand over hard packed sand underneath; not great. Black tee boxes varied from hole to hole; some were good, some were thin, others seemed to be more clover than grass, etc.

Definitely recommended if you can get a tee time. One of the guys in my group was a walkup who had been on the waiting list and got out in just over an hour. BUT… he also told me he tried that a couple weeks ago, showed up super early and was the first one on the list and didn’t get out until after 1:00 p.m.!!!! Greens showed no signs of aeration at all, so I don’t know if they’ve already done it and healed or maybe aren’t doing anything this fall.

One of the best old courses in LA. The tee time system is rough because of the dense population and all the people trying to play here. If you get lucky and land a tee time you will not be disappoin... Continue »

One of the best old courses in LA. The tee time system is rough because of the dense population and all the people trying to play here. If you get lucky and land a tee time you will not be disappointed. Reminds me of a private club. In the middle of the city but feels like your away. Course is in great shape & greens are awesome. If you can play to the correct side of the fairway, you can score well here. All about angles in because of the large trees. Pace of play was awesome...4 hours flat. Tee times spaced 10 minutes apart so the course moves well.
Great staff, however very under staffed. The only disappointment is that the restaurant is closed, the pro shop is closed, no breakfast, drinks and the dont start serving food or anything until 10am. Talk about losing a ton of revenue from the early morning crowd. Other than that, the place is great, Eat before and bring whatever you need because you cannot purchase anything except range balls and a cart. Lot of good history here. Cool brewery restaurant (Stalking horse) a few spots west on PIco on the north side of the street for the 19th hole. Good beer & food.

Late review: I love playing Rancho, just hate the drive from the OC. However once I'm out on this old style traditional layout, almost makes the long drive worth it. Robert's review was spot on. O... Continue »

Late review: I love playing Rancho, just hate the drive from the OC. However once I'm out on this old style traditional layout, almost makes the long drive worth it. Robert's review was spot on. Overall the course is in pretty good condition, Greens rolled well, receptive. Most of the fairways had good coverage. Rough was inconsistent. Same with some of the tee boxes, but you could always find a decent spot to hit from.

Always felt that Rancho was a perfect barometer of a golfers still. A fair test of golf which is fair, not overly penal, but provides enough challenge to keep ones interest. Just wish it did not take so long to drive too.

Twilight round back at Rancho Park this week and found the course to be in good overall condition. I was with three buddies with two walking and two in a cart, playing from the blue tees. If you want ... Continue »

Twilight round back at Rancho Park this week and found the course to be in good overall condition. I was with three buddies with two walking and two in a cart, playing from the blue tees. If you want to ride solo, it's extortion - $32 for a cart. That's just nuts.

Everything else is pretty darn good though. The fairways are in good shape with green grass pretty much everywhere, but you are going to find some thin areas along the way and a bit too much divot damage for my liking, but still quite playable. Rough is cut to a playable length. The tee boxes are a little ragged but nothing too awful, while the bunkers I avoided all day seemed to have decent sand in them and heard no complaints from playing partners.

Greens were both good and bad. Good in the sense that they are nicely cut for a medium-fast speed, hold shots well and roll mostly true, but bad in the sense of too many ball marks untended and some areas of disrepair. But overall they're good in terms of how much traffic this classic LA course gets on a daily basis.

We had a very slow group in front of us that hindered our POP, but around the 11th hole they skipped a hole after some colorful comments from our tee box on a few holes, so that was good. In the end the round took just about five hours which is a bit longer than I'm used to here the last few visits, but miles ahead of the normal six hour rounds of a few years back. There was also no cart service to be seen, but the snack shop at the 12th tee box is great.

Had a really fun time getting back to this challenging local test of golf. It's a very solid layout with mature trees lining each hole and some real bombers that require length and precision. I actually scored better than I thought I played so that was nice as well. I always look forward to playing 18 here and this visit only helped to reinforce that feeling.

I played Rancho on Sat morning, 8*10 Tee off. A rare weekend tee time here & 2 weeks ago on Wilson tells me the crush for reservations is lessening...

Rancho is still a great course in my opinion. ... Continue »

I played Rancho on Sat morning, 8*10 Tee off. A rare weekend tee time here & 2 weeks ago on Wilson tells me the crush for reservations is lessening...

Rancho is still a great course in my opinion. Less tree's & trouble than 20 years ago, but the heart is still there.

The Greens; Unbelievable for the amount of play. Soft enough to receive most shots. Med speed, but great condition.

Fairways; Really good, occasional thin areas, but overall good.

Rough; mixed bag of slightly thicker than fairway to very thick. Some bare areas, with weeds.

Tee boxes are mostly level & in good condition.

Bunkers; Very nice, good sand coverage with rakes.

POP; Still 10 min tee times, so POP was great at 4*20.

I just wish I could get early tee times more often, cool weather (compared to my home in SFV.)

Restaurant closed, they had a food truck & full bar set up outside. 2 levels of driving range.
The staff is pleasant & efficient. Carts have "The Shark" GPS & Blue tooth speakers.

Very much recommended. Overall really great day of Golf.

Rancho has always held a warm place in my heart as it was one of the first golf courses I played when I moved to California in 1970. Not much has changed here, except that now I no longer play from t... Continue »

Rancho has always held a warm place in my heart as it was one of the first golf courses I played when I moved to California in 1970. Not much has changed here, except that now I no longer play from the back tees. Just such a classic old traditional track. Timeless !

Conditions were about what I expected based upon the most recent review. Greens rolled better than they looked. Decent speed, but certainly not quick. Most of the fairways had good coverage. Not in any bunkers, but they appeared OK.

I sure miss playing here, but it's a long haul in traffic from south Orange County, and unless you get out early, it still can be a long day. Out early today, so traffic was decent and pace of play acceptable. Hard not to enjoy a day playing Rancho !