Played in the spectator group for the GK Cup Final today at a great discounted price. We had an awesome time!

I hadn't been to this course in a very long time so it was fun to finally come back. Th... Continue »

Played in the spectator group for the GK Cup Final today at a great discounted price. We had an awesome time!

I hadn't been to this course in a very long time so it was fun to finally come back. The course is difficult but fair (I played the same ball the entire round) and the facility is first rate. After playing several rounds at the dried out conditions at Robinson Ranch this summer, it was fun to actually be able to hit off grass in the fairway and rough. The course has a wonderful practice facility with a couple of huge practice greens. The golf cars have really nice GPS systems which really helped our group understand where the trouble was. The system also automatically lets you know how far you hit your drives.

The only issue (mine, not the course's) I have with this course, and the reason it is no longer in my rotation, is that the rack rates got jacked up when the new clubhouse was built and it's now way out of my price range. Also, for someone used to paying $3.00 for a small bucket of range balls, $7.00 for the same size bucket seemed a tad high, especially when hitting off of mats.

Great venue for the GK Cup final. It's been a while since I played it, but the fairways have matured in the past few years and while still firm, gave great lies and quite a bit of run. Tee boxes were ... Continue »

Great venue for the GK Cup final. It's been a while since I played it, but the fairways have matured in the past few years and while still firm, gave great lies and quite a bit of run. Tee boxes were also very good with just a bit of divot damage. Rough was great. Fairways had nicely cut fluffy bermuda and the greenside rough looked great as well. Bunkers were a hair on the thin side, but still very playable. Greens were running slower, but true with just some old divots to deal with. The course plays like a course right out of Palm Springs so it's tough to get them running fast in the summer without doing damage to the grass. I thought they played very well.

Routing is excellent and you very much have to keep the ball in play or else you'll have a long day. Very impressed with the course and a big thanks to Dan for hosting for the GK Cup final.

Played 7/30 at 1:30, quite humid and got to listen to the thunder from the nearby storms in the hills to the North but they never got close enough to be a threat. First time here, first time at a Nic... Continue »

Played 7/30 at 1:30, quite humid and got to listen to the thunder from the nearby storms in the hills to the North but they never got close enough to be a threat. First time here, first time at a Nicklaus course, first time for anything nearby so this was a new experience in a lot of ways. Course is in very nice shape. Only a couple things would fall below an "8" or "9". A couple tee boxes were a little chewed up and a couple others the grass was inconsistent (thicker in some areas, not so much in others). Also, rough tee-to-green had some patchy spots, nothing major but noticeable when the rest of the course was so good. Greens rolled very true and consistent but a little slower than I'd prefer or am used to. Fairways are fast with good coverage - not lush or cushy but not too tight. Collars and short mowed areas around the green were well kept and allowed several shot options - miss it beyond that and it's pretty thick. Bunkers were nice, soft enough to not worry about getting stuck but not super fluffy. Good mix of holes and lengths - short and long par 3's, 4's and 5's requiring different shots and strategies. Not surprisingly for a Nicklaus course, if you can hit a power fade you're in good shape on almost every hole. Native areas play like a lateral hazard, 1 stroke and drop - wood chip areas are a free drop (never thought I'd like wood chips on a course! lol) Customer service was good, they give you a water bottle on the first tee and tell you to hang on to it - they have cold Sparklets dispensers in the restrooms where you can fill them as you progress. POP was decent at 4:20, could have been a little faster but not by much. Challenging but fair at a decent price for the area = recommended.

Teed it up at Angeles National Golf Club this morning at 6:30am and got around in 3 hours. It has been at least 8 years since playing it. I did attend a fellow GK’ers wedding at the clubhouse although... Continue »

Teed it up at Angeles National Golf Club this morning at 6:30am and got around in 3 hours. It has been at least 8 years since playing it. I did attend a fellow GK’ers wedding at the clubhouse although a few years back but never got to experience it as a golfer. It’s impressive and beautiful.

As for the course, it’s a very enjoyable golf experience as long as you don’t get too frustrated with your scorecard because this is one tough track. You've got be very accurate with every shot because if you miss the fairways and or badly miss the greens, you will likely find your ball in a challenging bunker or out of play in the ESA native areas. However if you play well and know your distances to the hazards this course can yield some good scores.

It’s a beautiful setting and only on just a couple holes do you catch a glimpse and hear the noise from the 210 freeway. For the far majority of the time you are surrounded by mountain backdrops and natural terrain.

The conditions of the course right now are very good and had the greens been running faster I’d say great. Regarding the greens, the reason they are running slower is because they are keeping them as healthy as possible for the coming heat waves of summer. They are brushing greens before cutting so leaf stands up more. Basically the opposite of rolling the greens. But it’s a small price to pay or chance thin or burn out spots once the heat turns up. Overall they are running very smooth with exception to some ball marks. I did not think the ball marks were excessive and saw most them professionally fixed by their ground crew. Golfers need to do a better job fixing their marks although. Hard to hold it against the course for that. Fairways were firm and lush with just occasional thin spots. Rough greenside was lush at about 2 to 3 inches but adjacent to the fairways cut at just higher than fairway height. I wish it was kept a little longer because then some of my stray drives would have had a better chance to stay in play. The bunkers were all well-groomed and contained firm sand but certainly playable. They were on the damp side this morning. The tee boxes, I played the blues, were level and lush and cut tight.

As for service, pretty excellent. Starter was cheerful with lots of personality. Nice way to start the day. The marshal was present and informative. The proshop staff was professional and the snack bar attendant friendly and prompt. Not bad for an early weekday morning.
Fun course I will play again hopefully soon. Personally would like to walk it next time at its very level.

We played here on Monday 7/13/15 with a golf now rate of $60pp. First off I must say this is a very picturesque place to play and the service is always great. Today the greens were much slower than ot... Continue »

We played here on Monday 7/13/15 with a golf now rate of $60pp. First off I must say this is a very picturesque place to play and the service is always great. Today the greens were much slower than other times we've played here and we experience lots of ball marks. I know this is more of a fault of the golfers playing here than the crew but the tee boxes were not level, the sand was inconsistent, and the rates need to be adjusted for this or people will be playing elsewhere. I don't see many golfers out there paying rack rates and being happy. We teed up at 7am and finished by 11am without seeing many golfers at all. I think that is proof enough....

Played Angeles National 5/4/15 for $60pp on golf now. I really enjoy this course when we play it but I really don't see it being worth any more than the $60 we paid. We were going there more often whe... Continue »

Played Angeles National 5/4/15 for $60pp on golf now. I really enjoy this course when we play it but I really don't see it being worth any more than the $60 we paid. We were going there more often when they had some $50 tee times on there website. The greens and tee boxes were excellent. Some great risk reward holes and overall we all enjoyed ourselves. The senior rate is $65 which I think is way too high so look for deals before you book.

Played Angeles National on 4/19, came in with high expectations given the prestige of the course and did not leave disappointed. The course is in very good condition, not quite "excellent", but in l... Continue »

Played Angeles National on 4/19, came in with high expectations given the prestige of the course and did not leave disappointed. The course is in very good condition, not quite "excellent", but in line with what you expect given a $100 green fee. The staff was very courteous and the Marshall's kept the pace of play moving as we played in just under 4 1/2 hours on a Sunday morning.

The course is a typical Nicklaus signature course with big undulating greens, risk/reward drives, and effective use of the natural desert landscape. The course's biggest defense is it plays hard and fast and you'll end up with 20-30 extra yards off the tee from roll. This can be difficult as many of the holes have generous bail out areas, but get very tight the further down the fairway you go. The fairways are well maintained although the transition from fairway to rough is sometimes nondescript. The bunkers have very little sand, but are consistent throughout the course, so at least you know what you're getting.

The greens are in perfect condition. They are quite receptive and will hold a mid iron approach without a problem, and the speed is very comfortable, I'd say when I played they were running in the 9-10 range. Not ridiculous, but fast enough to think twice about that downhill 5 footer, which you will have lots of because the greens are massive and sloping, making long putts difficult to judge. A quick tip, the whole course slopes away from Mt. Gleason so be sure to locate the mountain on to get a general feel for the tilt of the green.

This is a very good course, one I would recommend to any golfer. It's not quite a Tier 1, "must play" SoCal golf course like Sandpiper or PGA West, but it's a very good Tier 2 course that will accommodate your foursome and give you plenty of chances to make either birdie or double on just about every hole.

Greens in good shape. Fairways very thin and tight.
This Nicklaus design is ludicrous. It's a perfect example of architecture dictated by the cost of water and "environmental protection" no walk are... Continue »

Greens in good shape. Fairways very thin and tight.
This Nicklaus design is ludicrous. It's a perfect example of architecture dictated by the cost of water and "environmental protection" no walk areas. The fairways run and run so driver isn't necessary on all holes. But they are so narrow that even ten yards off the make can result in a lost ball.
This is a wind course. If you play the odds are it will be at least a two club wind on several holes. But it comes and goes depending on where you are on the track.
This is a very beautiful setting surrounded by develiped and undeveloped hills and long wide open vistas. This course is un-walkable and not even sure if they allow it. The on cart gps was usually about five yards off from my laser.
The practice facilities are great. All grass and fair prices. Make sure to take advantage of the huge and undulating chipping green in the back of the range. The best by far in SoCal.
If you enjoy bloody Marys then you must try their homemade mix composed of grilled veggies. I always get a cup sans alcohol. Go with the burger not the dog. Order as you're going to 10 and ask them to ride it out to you on the course, a fine service I wish more high end courses offer. The chile is a pass.
All and all this is a course I play a few times a year. It's a challenge but you really have to be in the mood.

Played today. Only reason I even played this course was to get it off my list of unplayed courses & because they have a pretty good deal of $65 with free replays on Tuesdays. I got 45 holes in by my... Continue »

Played today. Only reason I even played this course was to get it off my list of unplayed courses & because they have a pretty good deal of $65 with free replays on Tuesdays. I got 45 holes in by myself starting at 9AM before the rain got to be too much.

Customer service here was outstanding. The starter lady was quite helpful and nice. She gave me some good tips & sent me out on two of my three rounds ahead of some larger groups by starting me on 11 or 12 instead of 10 (back 9 start the whole day). People in the pro shop were very nice as well.

Some minor annoyances: the green divot fill stuff they use on the greens. As if the poa annua wasn't polka dotty enough, now they have contrasting turquoise green sand stuff filling all the little divots (fortunately there weren't too many). Second, the carts with the weird announcements at just the wrong times & constant speed limit checks. Felt like big brother was watching me every time I got close to the wood chips: "DON'T DRIVE ON THE WOOD CHIPS!" would pop up.

Anyway, the course could be better. I pass by this place often on the freeway & it never looks great for what an amazing layout it is. The fairways and rough just look sad. They are on the cusp of turning yellow it seems, but are getting just enough water. All day long I kept getting penalized for hitting good shots because the fairways were hard and would run forever, and so were the greens. They were running a 12 on the stimp according to the pro shop folks, & they wanted them to run at 13 by the weekend! Are they crazy! I'm sorry, but as a high handicapper, I already play the white tees. I have long irons & woods into greens for most of my second shots. When the greens can't even hold a shot that lands 10 yards in front, the pin is in the back AND elevated, that's just getting ridiculous! Not to mention the brutal pin placements like on 18, front right. Maybe a 1 foot circle you can hit it in with a wedge and get close, that's it. Hit a perfect shot in there and rolled 40 feet away, almost off the green. Story of my day.

Greens of course ran fast, but I just had to deal with them. Not sure whether I blame the speed for taking the break out of all the putts since nothing broke all day or not. Splotchy poa annua rolled quite well, no bumps at all since divots are filled quickly.

Fairways were hardpan. Easy to bounce the club. No room for error. Had quite a few shots that rolled right into the ESAs, especially my first round ever there. Once I got the first round under my belt I finally got adjusted to the target golf course that was never designed for target golf.

Tees were the best part. Really lush, level & soft, perfect every single hole all day. Marshal frequently came by not just to check on me or speed up the pace of play, but also filled divots constantly.

Bunkers were not the best. Very inconsistent from one to another. Almost all had lots of rocks in them. Some had a thin but decent layer of sand & were ok to hit out of, others were the soft play sand, and still others were VERY grainy & rocky with no base.

Rough was nonexistent. Some clumps of grass here or there, but generally not much taller than the fairways. At least it covered everywhere.

In general, I like the layout, just wish it would be more playable. People in the pro shop asked me how it was out there, and just laughed & said "good" when I told them how brutal the course was. Like they want you to fail or something.