Got out on time yesterday at 1:07, 3-some and a single joined us. This was my first time out at Big Rec, and I have mixed feelings about it. It very much reminded me of La Mirada but with bigger green... Continue »

Got out on time yesterday at 1:07, 3-some and a single joined us. This was my first time out at Big Rec, and I have mixed feelings about it. It very much reminded me of La Mirada but with bigger greens and shorter par 3s.

Conditions were decent. The tee boxes had good coverage but were very firm in spots; hard to get a tee down in there. The fairways were a highlight, with very nice lies down the middle and thinning out a bit towards the edges. The rough was the typical muni mixed bag of shallow, deep, lush and bare lies. No comment on the sand, I did not visit the beach this time around. Lastly, the greens lacked consistency. Some still showed signs of aeration, some were smooth, some bumpy, some fast, some slow...you see where I'm going here. I'd rate the course much higher if the greens were uniform (or at least closer to it).

All in all it was a fun day and I enjoyed the layout. Probably won't go back for a while, but if someone called me up to play it I wouldn't say no.

6:30 am on Saturday, February 10. My group is a fivesome (3 riding, 2 walking). Group in front of us was a fivesome, all riding. We had to wait on every hole for them and so asked them to let us pl... Continue »

6:30 am on Saturday, February 10. My group is a fivesome (3 riding, 2 walking). Group in front of us was a fivesome, all riding. We had to wait on every hole for them and so asked them to let us play through on the par 3 5th hole. They obliged and we ended up playing our round in 3.5 hours.

The golf course is in good condition. Tee boxes are good. Fairways were cut low and were running fast. Greens were firm, fast and true. Rough is spotty but okay.

Played in 5 hours, not bad. What happened to the "rough"" ?? there is none now, all hardpan and dirt with a few patches of short grass around. They removed the most challenging part of the course !! ... Continue »

Played in 5 hours, not bad. What happened to the "rough"" ?? there is none now, all hardpan and dirt with a few patches of short grass around. They removed the most challenging part of the course !! There was a worker running the mowers in the rough??,
and dust and dirt was flying every where. Greens and traps were very good. No service cart out ! Looks like another American Golf Co. destruction of a good course.

Played 11/9, half the greens were plugged and had heavy sand on them. Did not get advanced notice from course, been a regular for over 30 years ! Pin placements were inconsistent, some well away from ... Continue »

Played 11/9, half the greens were plugged and had heavy sand on them. Did not get advanced notice from course, been a regular for over 30 years ! Pin placements were inconsistent, some well away from the sand and some right next to the sand, made putting terrible. This used to be the best kept up course of all Long Beach but something has changed and for the bad. Sand traps were terrible, fairways and rough had many bare and mud spots all around. The juniors and areas around the greens had many bare areas which made chipping unfair, especially for me because I don't hit many greens. The greens were filled with ball marks, counted 25 on one green and most every green had at least 10 !! The course was in the worst shape I have seen it in many,many, many years.
Don't know if they have a new greens-keeper, or new management ? but something should be changed. Played there over a month ago and it wasn't much better, but we gave it a month or so before playing again !! Will not play again until we get a good report.

I played Rec Park in the first round of the SCGA Senior Net Championship – 11am shotgun start on Monday, 10/30/17. I’m in the Super Senior flight, but didn’t play so super – LOL. This course doesn’t s... Continue »

I played Rec Park in the first round of the SCGA Senior Net Championship – 11am shotgun start on Monday, 10/30/17. I’m in the Super Senior flight, but didn’t play so super – LOL. This course doesn’t set up well for large shotgun tournaments due to limited parking and smallish practice facilities. For 100+ golfers there are only 16 hitting pads at the driving range, and while there are 2 putting greens one didn’t have any holes cut or flags placed. The course punched ½ of each green ~10/11, putting the pins on the unaffected area. So the affected greens had almost 3 weeks to heal. Conditions were generally pretty good on the affected portions – you could see where the small holes had been punched, and those areas were somewhat bumpier and slower than the unaffected portions. Fronts were firmer and rolled better – back areas were a little softer. Generally, greens had good coverage, accepted shots, and rolled at medium speeds. HOWEVER, the course punched the BACKS of every green, so when pins were placed for this tournament, almost every pin was a front (red) pin, so we spent the day with a lot of downhill quick putts on the front of those greens. [The fronts of the greens WERE scheduled to be punched today, 10/30. Fortunately, the SCGA insisted the course delay until after this tourney!] Fairways and rough were fairly short, and lies were tight or could sit down. There were scattered bare areas in fairways and rough on many holes. Sand I was in was groomed and adequate. Tees were OK, with the usual damage on par-3s, and there were no divot mix boxes out. Most tees, however, were pretty wet, and even just the golfers’ soft cleats were resulting in damaged areas. Simple GPS on the basic carts and there are some markings out on the course. Adequate water was available on this cool, cloudy day. Pace was typical for this type of tournament - >5 hours. To better level the field, tee positions on the 1- and 2-hcp holes (#6 and #10) were moved well forward. The SCGA provided dinner afterward, but the caterer ran out of food early. Fairly typical Recreation Park conditions – OK, but it’s not my favorite place. [See: kikuyu]

Recreation Park 18 Recreation Park 18 isn’t a layout that scares the golfer, there are no water or wasteland carries, there is very little out of bounds, unless you hit it over the fence to the high... Continue »

Recreation Park 18 Recreation Park 18 isn’t a layout that scares the golfer, there are no water or wasteland carries, there is very little out of bounds, unless you hit it over the fence to the highways that boarder the course. Rather the course is comprised of long holes featuring wide fairways bordered by mature trees, moderate rough, fairway and greenside bunkers. Many holes feature elevation changes and doglegs, but nothing hidden. The course is fun, fair, affordable, and friendly. Played Tuesday with my best friend on a Golf Now Hot Deal. Two players with cart for $66 1:22pm tee time. The course was virtually empty and we were able to get out more than 45 minutes early. The round took just over 3:15 minutes. The starter was friendly and got us out early. The temperature was a very pleasant 84 degrees at 12:40 when we tee’d off light 5 knot wind providing comfort and some challenges. We were chasing a single that was playing behind a twosome. We wouldn’t have anyone behind us until after the turn. Carts feature GPS, and provided very good yardages from most locations. Tee boxes were lush with some divot damage, minor soft and unleveled areas. Overall footing was good, and a number of tee’s had divot mix boxes available. We played the whites. Most tee locations were honest and did not set the golfer up for a bad angle or make use of visual tricks. The fairways have a mix of grasses, color of turf, but all areas I was in were in very good condition with lush coverage. The recent dry conditions provided for some truly remarkable rollout on downhill drives. I did not have a bad fairway lie the entire round. Rough – Fairway rough was a mix of length almost as if it had not been mown in the last week. This presented some significant issues, as much of the rough is found under the mature trees, with a mix of pine needles to add to the complexity of the shot and stance. The fairway rough ranged from spidery weed at two inches to tall grass of five to six inches. Rough around the greens were immaculately groomed, with the second cut less than two inches to three inches. Bunkers are in excellent condition with most being reasonable. Sand is generous and well settled. Greens were fast to medium fast, with excellent coverage, with an unfortunate number of unrepaired pitch marks, and damage from prior pitch mark repair. On this day there was an overabundance of forward pin placements three to six paces on. The barbeque was going at the turn for a good hot dog or burger just feet from the tee box. The course features a more than adequate number of relief stations. Each hole had working ball washers, and trash cans. During the round we say an ambassador observing play on almost every hole. We wouldn’t run into traffic until the fourteenth hole where we joined the single that had joined with another single after the twosome between them dropped out. Couldn’t have been much better. This is my second time playing “Big Rec” and as with the first time I found it completely enjoyable, in better condition than my last round, and well worth the price.

Played Big Rec last week. Pretty disappointing conditions.
Tees were in decent shape but there were some that were pretty crappy.
Fairways had quite a few bare spots.
Rough was hit and miss big tim... Continue »

Played Big Rec last week. Pretty disappointing conditions.
Tees were in decent shape but there were some that were pretty crappy.
Fairways had quite a few bare spots.
Rough was hit and miss big time. Lush in some spots but bare and dry in many others.
Greens were very slow and littered with many ball marks and troubled areas.
Still a fun track but it can be in much better condition.

Recreation Park 18 (Big Rec) Played Big Rec Thursday afternoon 3:04 pm tee time on a Golf Now Hot Deal at $25 with cart. My buddy and I were matched with a twosome and sent out approximate 2:40 pm. Co... Continue »

Recreation Park 18 (Big Rec) Played Big Rec Thursday afternoon 3:04 pm tee time on a Golf Now Hot Deal at $25 with cart. My buddy and I were matched with a twosome and sent out approximate 2:40 pm. Course was full, men’s club was out. We played behind a five some, and threesome that moved along very well, and a twosome behind us that was only an issue once when one of the guys pure’d a drive into the par four thirteenth splitting the hole and my buddy who was trying to sink his birdie. (They did call four). The staff in the pro-shop was cordial if not overworked at the moment. The snack cart made an appearance on the 7th hole. The clubhouse, snack bar/restaurant are old school, and very nice. The driving range is split into two sections and small, but the targets are nicely laid out. The practice green is a bit of a walk from the first tee, but also nice, good size. For me this course plays very long. As I get acclimated to my new clubs, especially the 3 & 4 hybrid, I am not using my driver or my fairway woods. This was not a great disadvantage as I carry a driver 198, with 208 / 220 being normal after roll out. My 3 wood is close to the same, and my 5 wood is around 180. Even if I had used these clubs, my second shot on many holes would approach 160/200+ yards. The course features only two par threes, both over 130 yards. There are two par fives, one at 522 yards, the other 511 yards. Par fours range between 295 yards and 460 yards with plenty of elevation change on every hole. This course reinforced the contention of the recent community conversation on the importance of the GIR statistic. In eighteen holes I have two three putts, and two one puts. Overall my putting was very good, on moderately slow, slightly shaggy greens. One of my playing partners had a colorful description but it was somewhat X rated. I managed only one par, on a par four hole. The carts feature basic GPS. The GPS gives the distance from the cart to the front, center and back of the green, as well as an advertisement for the snack bar on the way in from the ninth hole. The tee boxes were lush, level, and overall in very good shape, especially given the volume of players on the course, and the late hour we tee’d off. This course uses doglegs, tree lines, and blind greens to challenge the golfer. The fairways are in excellent condition, overall lush, with careful attention, even using hoses and manually placed sprinklers to assure first class coverage. I found good lies in the fairway regardless of whether it was on the top of a mound, down in a valley or a side hill lie. Rough wasn’t really penal. There was a first cut along most fairways and around the greens and bunkers cut an inch or so, but very well kept. The collars around the green and in the rough along the fairway near the greens seemed a little deeper but more than fair. Trees, this course makes use of trees as a defense, and to shape shots. Tall tree’s prevent cutting corners, and low hanging branches make hitting out from underneath or from behind difficult for a tall golfer such as myself. Bunkers looked very good, deep, steep faces on those around the green. Those in my party that visited the beach got up and down cleanly, none complained of the conditions. I was fortunate enough not to test the quality of the sand or base. Greens were variety of sizes, most flat, uniformly cut (a little shaggy) and in excellent condition, with only the two par three’s showing damage from ball marks. The greens were receptive to shots airmailed in, but would allow a run shot to roll through. Generous collars around the greens prevented minor miscues from becoming blow up holes. This created the paradox. For someone hitting a 3 hybrid 190 yards, second shots on many of these fourteen par fours required a hybrid or long iron to reach the green, rather than a wedge. Given my length off the tee, or lack thereof, I was unable to reach very many of these greens in regulation, and managed one par on a par four. I really enjoyed the layout of Recreation Park 18, this was the first time I have played it, and absolutely enjoyed myself because of the length of the course. At $25 it was a steal. This course is also a part of the American Golf Players Club circuit, and as such I should be able to get deals through my membership. Look forward to playing this course again soon. Parking at peak hours is a little tight.

$25.50 to ride Sunday. Course in pretty good shape overall.

Greens rolled predictably with med/fast speed and very consistent. Pick a line and stick with it and reap the rewards. Bunkers well st... Continue »

$25.50 to ride Sunday. Course in pretty good shape overall.

Greens rolled predictably with med/fast speed and very consistent. Pick a line and stick with it and reap the rewards. Bunkers well stocked with sand. Fairways had good coverage. Rough was thick. Balls would sit down in rough so you really had to be on top of the ball to see it. Very difficult if you were not predictably straight on your drives. Anything in the junk and you would spend a while looking for your ball. Tee boxes were flat and well maintained.

Overall decent bang for your buck. Saw a bunch of carts abandoned along the course. Figure it was due to power issues. They were running short handed so when I arrived at the starter the store was locked and had to wait for the starter to reappear. He did after around 5 minutes. For Father's day I thought they would have been staffed a little better but it was acceptable given the situation.

No beverage carts. Bathrooms are shut after 8PM so be sure to do your business beforehand.

Pace of Play was a little over 4 hours.