Got out Friday as a twosome paired with a twosome around 2:00pm. Hadn't been over to SA in a while and it is a bit worse for wear currently. The tee boxes are generally pretty level with coverage and ... Continue »

Got out Friday as a twosome paired with a twosome around 2:00pm. Hadn't been over to SA in a while and it is a bit worse for wear currently. The tee boxes are generally pretty level with coverage and where the coverage is thin — so what? — you're using a tee. The fairways had more dry, hard, dirt patches spread about than I recall ever seeing. The relative positives being that they were liberally outlined as GUR and the majority of non-GUR areas were decent grass lies. Additionally, most of the bunkers were outlined in white and marked as GUR. They didn't looked particularly bad (i.e. missing sand, etc.) but neither did I try to play out of any marked ones. There were a few unmarked green side bunkers, and they seemed OK. Rough was anything from hardpan to a little thick. Green side areas were inconsistent as to surface quality and made chipping unpredictable. The greens were serviceable at medium speed, but a bit unkempt as to surface quality. The other twosome was pleasant, pace was good at around 4.5 hrs, and we got it done with plenty of light to spare. While I've definitely seen worse in general, not this bad at SA in particular. I would be in no hurry to go back until we've had some rain and recovery time to grow back in. It's playable but not pretty — definitely stressed and dog eared. I can find other, equivalent courses with better conditions for now.

I played here today with a 7:53 tee time and got out right on time. That is about the only positive thing I can say about the course. Thee tee boxes are chopped up and thin. The fairways are more dirt... Continue »

I played here today with a 7:53 tee time and got out right on time. That is about the only positive thing I can say about the course. Thee tee boxes are chopped up and thin. The fairways are more dirt than grass. What grass there is is dry and thin. You had to get very lucky to have a decent lie to hit from. The rough is about the same The bunkers are mostly hard packed dirt. The greens were not punched last month and I was told there is no plan in place to do them because of the hot weather. They have lots of poorly repaired ball marks and very inconsistent speed. I will not be returning here any time soon.

One of my favorite L A County golf courses. Love the walk. Nice surroundings with the hills and the traditional style of the course is what I grew up playing. Having played here for years, I kind of k... Continue »

One of my favorite L A County golf courses. Love the walk. Nice surroundings with the hills and the traditional style of the course is what I grew up playing. Having played here for years, I kind of know what to expect. Conditions were about normal, but I thought the greens were better than I expected given the recent reviews. Fairways were mostly good, but there were bare areas. Both bunkers I found had playable sand.

I understand that Santa Anita can be a bit polarizing, because of all the undulations in the fairways, but I find that to be part of the charm, not something I encounter on a regular basis. It does present some unusual lies I must admit, which I am frequently ill equipped to handle correctly. Just a nice mix of holes and not just back & forth mundane 400+ yard par fours

Played 8/13 at 7:50am as a single paired with 3 other singles. Even in the middle of summer with a drought the course seemed to be in better shape than the last time i played it back in May. Noticeabl... Continue »

Played 8/13 at 7:50am as a single paired with 3 other singles. Even in the middle of summer with a drought the course seemed to be in better shape than the last time i played it back in May. Noticeably the greens were much nicer than I remembered with fewer divot marks and rolled a lot better, about medium speed. Still a couple of par 3 greens that have a bit of wear but overall they were a bright spot. Tee boxes were generally all in very good and level condition and the fairways were in decent shape as well. The undulating nature of some of the fairways leaves some areas with dried out dirt patches but nothing too terrible. Bunkers seemed to be in good shape, nicely raked and with enough sand that you could actually splash a shot out. POP was adequate at 4 hours 20 minutes. Pro shop staff super friendly. Not an exceedingly challenging track but enough length on the par 3s to keep it interesting. If you can keep shots on the fairway and avoid tree trouble it's a place you can go low.

Out at Santa Anita last Friday for afternoon round. Pro shop was well stocked and staff was pleasant. I spoke to Jeff who mans the carts and the bar said the bar probably won't be open until next ye... Continue »

Out at Santa Anita last Friday for afternoon round. Pro shop was well stocked and staff was pleasant. I spoke to Jeff who mans the carts and the bar said the bar probably won't be open until next year.

Course was in average shape. The greens were good, but not great running at 7/8. The rough was non-existent and patchy. Lots of bare lies and uneven tee boxes. Sand was decent shape. Pace of play was 4.15 hours. Packed tee sheet and reasonable rates and location make it a pleasant day out of the office.

Worth a visit if you are in the area and cannot get a tee time at Brookside.

Out early taking advantage of the senior rates, and the heat forecast for today. I respectfully have to disagree with the prior review as relates to the undulations in the fairways. They just add to t... Continue »

Out early taking advantage of the senior rates, and the heat forecast for today. I respectfully have to disagree with the prior review as relates to the undulations in the fairways. They just add to the distinctive nature of the course. The fairways do provide flat surfaces if you can the place the ball in the proper position. It is my understanding that these mounds are buried Red Cars, but I don't know this to be a fact. Conditions were about what I expected, although the greens were not as good as usual. Disappointing for sure. Tee boxes beat up in places but could always find a spot. Did not find a single bunker, but they appeared decent. This is just such a comfortable walking course with great surroundings. Very parklike. Just not a wholelot of these old-style courses around anymore, so I savor my opportunities to walk these old classic type courses. So long as you get out early, pace of play is not an issue and it will not be a good walk spoiled.

Played Santa Anita for the first time yesterday and … never again. I never regret playing and exploring a new course but this one is one of the worst I’ve played in a long time.

The greens are cra... Continue »

Played Santa Anita for the first time yesterday and … never again. I never regret playing and exploring a new course but this one is one of the worst I’ve played in a long time.

The greens are crap, the fairways are artificially undulated for no good reason with many high mounds placed in all the wrong places, and the wait time between shots was ridiculous. We waited 15 full minutes at one par-3 tee box. The 5 hours felt like we were on the Bataan Death March.

Also, how can the slope from the whites be 115 when you have par-4s of 401, 397, 427, and 419 yards, with high mounds in the middle of the fairways that prevent a free roll of the ball, and par-3s of 181, 200 and 178 yards? Really? 115 slope? That makes no sense at all.

The few short par-4s are not enough to bring the slope rating that low.

I’m sorry, I can’t think of anything positive to say about the round other than it was a beautiful sunny day and if you want to give the course credit for this that’s fine.

Played Friday 5/20 as single joining a two-some, teeing off a little after noon. The guys I played with were pleasant enough. I hadn't been out to SA in a while and I thought the course was in good sh... Continue »

Played Friday 5/20 as single joining a two-some, teeing off a little after noon. The guys I played with were pleasant enough. I hadn't been out to SA in a while and I thought the course was in good shape in terms of playability. Tee boxes here are pretty level on the whole with most having good coverage and a very few less so with some exposed dirt. The latter not an issue for me if it's level, I'm using a tee, and the thin conditions are exceptions to the general trend. The fairways mainly offered good, green lies with the rollout a little reduced by it being a little damp on the day. You could find the occasional brown hard patch if you looked around, but they were mostly random, small isolated spots and I don't recall dealing with a poor lie in the fairways. The rough was consistent and minimally punitive except where you caught the odd sandy or dirt area. Green side areas were good for short shots. I was in one bunker and it was on the firm side. Visually, the greens were less than pristine, but they actually rolled pretty true at a medium fast that is on the high side for this course and so seemed quicker. It was a heavy, grey day with little wind and a few moments of mist, but nothing that required donning more the polo shirt I was already wearing. The pace was a little sluggish on the front and the par-3 eighth was a choke point with a two-group backup. The back nine moved a little better and the round probably took something over 4.5 hours. I wasn't in a hurry to be anywhere else. Bottom line, I enjoyed the course, the company and my less than stellar round. Recommended.

Played last Friday at 12 pm. Have not played in over 1 year. Course was in generally good shape. Greens were bumpy and running at 8/9. Fairways had decent winter coverage and rough was not very pe... Continue »

Played last Friday at 12 pm. Have not played in over 1 year. Course was in generally good shape. Greens were bumpy and running at 8/9. Fairways had decent winter coverage and rough was not very penal. Traps had average sand and tee boxes were unlevel and bare. POP was 4.15 hours. Restaurant is still closed indoors. Outdoor patio available for post round libations and snacks. Customer service was fine. Still hard to get a tee time here, but easier than Brookside.