In what's become a bit of a yearly birthday tradition, I played Rolling Hills CC again this past week and enjoyed my best-ever round there, so that was pretty fantastic. Walked from the Copper tees wi... Continue »

In what's become a bit of a yearly birthday tradition, I played Rolling Hills CC again this past week and enjoyed my best-ever round there, so that was pretty fantastic. Walked from the Copper tees with my foursome using their top-shelf push carts, but their real carts are also in great shape.

Fantastic practice area at RHCC to start the day, and the course itself in terms of layout is pretty great, but not without its few faults starting to expose themselves with more time out on the track. The second hole remains a mystery in terms of what the designer was thinking, and after now having been open for over a year, my buddy (the member) has deemed the course as 'great for the middle handicap golfer, but too easy for the low and too hard for the high.' Take that for what it's worth. You'll also slowly find more and more homes being built up in the lots that surround the course, so it's slowly starting to feel less open and free.

The recent rains wreaked some havoc on the fairways (which are never 'pristine' in the first place) which led to a lot of GUR areas, some big patches where it looked like sod was being laid down, and thin collection areas that are feeling the brunt of course design forcing every shot in their direction. The rough is in great shape though, as are the tee boxes. Bunkers were in pretty good shape but not the super fluffy variety.

What is absolutely epic about RHCC are the greens and their massive profiles and tricky breaks. They're huge, but also in pretty immaculate shape. They roll very quick and can be difficult to stop on the surface without well-struck, high-trajectory shots, or smart golf by running balls right up to the front and letting them roll on accordingly. But definitely some of the best greens and green complexes you'll find anywhere in Los Angeles.

Always a great time though with those friends playing this exclusive course that is not currently in its best shape, but more than enough good things out there to enjoy a super day hitting the sticks.

Played a fun midweek round today at Rolling Hills CC and was a little surprised to see that the recent rains have done far more damage than good. I'm not sure if it's because the course is still very ... Continue »

Played a fun midweek round today at Rolling Hills CC and was a little surprised to see that the recent rains have done far more damage than good. I'm not sure if it's because the course is still very young and maybe something to do with the seeding and/or drainage, but many of the fairways had some very dry and thin areas, while the collection areas on certain holes are also packed with dried out divots. There were also some areas where water was still collecting and created some bog areas. Far from its best shape.

Still a great track to play without a doubt based on the variety of holes and super-challenging green complexes, but the conditions definitely left a lot to be desired at the moment. The greens are actually in great shape, running slower than normal but still quite good overall, but besides the fairways, the tee boxes are very hard still just under tee level, while the bunkers were mostly good but some still had not drained. Rough was fine but you can find yourself in a lot of waste areas that you can still play out of right now.

And if you've never played here before, it's a links style course with massive green complexes that are hard to differentiate the actual green from the surrounding short grass. You'll be putting a lot from well off the greens and need to learn very quickly that it's very often far better to use the slopes than to go directly at pins. Those balls are often quickly gone.

It'll be great again soon - that I'm not worried about. But right now RHCC could use some time to heal up and get some needed TLC. But I wouldn't think twice if you get the chance to play here once as it's still a very unique course for the LA area.

Another Sunday afternoon at RHCC and the course did not disappoint.

Greens were incredible - fast as ever, perfectly manicured, tough to stop of balls of course, and incredibly tiered and sloped a... Continue »

Another Sunday afternoon at RHCC and the course did not disappoint.

Greens were incredible - fast as ever, perfectly manicured, tough to stop of balls of course, and incredibly tiered and sloped and difficult. Fairways are still growing in and are showing some signs of drying out but you're still always going to find a good lie. Rough is brutal. You can lose balls which you watch from start to finish and know exactly where they are. It's baffling and sometimes infuriating.

Sand in the bunkers is in good shape and the tee boxes are finally settling a bit better so you can actually get your tees into the ground on each hole. That's a nice improvement from the first few months at this newly re-designed course.

Fantastic new layout that really rewards fairway hits and absolutely crushes you if you're in the rough or native areas. Still waiting on the hole 2 redesign though as that one makes no sense, but the rest are pretty awesome.

Still getting to know this course with each visit and learning its quirks and angles. It's just so easy to blow up fast here so more progress is definitely needed. Will keep at it. And if you get a chance to play here, don't skip it.

Played another round at Rolling Hills Country Club on Saturday after previous plans fell through - not a bad way to recover! I was allowed to bring a friend so I invited Kassper7 and away we went on a... Continue »

Played another round at Rolling Hills Country Club on Saturday after previous plans fell through - not a bad way to recover! I was allowed to bring a friend so I invited Kassper7 and away we went on a gorgeous and hot fall day. Price for the weekend was a bit steep at $145 with cart, but it's worth it as it's not that often you get to play courses like this. We played from the Copper tees (blue equivalent) with a 1:15pm tee time. Course is still coming into its own and needs much more time to really get back to that lush, green grass that used to grace RHCC before the massive redesign. And this time of year, it's especially pronounced as the fairways are very light green and appear thinner than they play, but good lies to be found all day. The rough got tricky at times but there are also lots of thin fescue areas where you can still save a wayward shot if you can find the ball. Tee boxes continue to be very difficult to get your tees into and I'm not sure exactly why, but this was a theme throughout the day. Again, everything here is less than a year old so it may just be that it will take a little more time for what lies underneath to settle in. Wish I knew more on the subject. Bunkers were generally in good shape - fluffier near the greens, thinner near the fairways. Interesting fact - ALL the bunkers at RHCC now are considered waste bunkers. Every single one. So you can take practice swings, ground your club, etc. Greens were pretty crazy fast and more or less perfect. Putting at the new RHCC is a wild adventure with the massive bowl-shaped greens and very difficult and dramatic undulations and shelves/tiers that adorn so many of them. Getting through 18 holes here with a sub 2.0 putting average is quite a feat for sure. They're very tricky indeed and were probably rolling around a 12.5 to 13 just a week ahead of the club championship. I do really enjoy the layout here and can't wait to see it in a few years when it's all grown in properly and at its immaculate best. Going to be something to see. But for now, it's still a great track to come play every once in a while and pick up more little tips each time to get better with every visit. Worth the visit if you can get a spot.

Got to play the new Rolling Hills Country Club again for the second time yesterday and really enjoyed playing my best-ever round there - past or present. I'm sure that result had a lot to do with the ... Continue »

Got to play the new Rolling Hills Country Club again for the second time yesterday and really enjoyed playing my best-ever round there - past or present. I'm sure that result had a lot to do with the fact that the greens were a lot slower than my first visit to the newly redesigned course, but I also hit plenty of fairways and greens so that really helped a lot. In terms of conditions, once again RHCC is very raw still and will require a few years before it's in optimal shape, but of course the layout and terrain itself is top shelf. It's a true challenge to even the best golfer, but it's incredibly fun and fair. Only one rather 'bad' hole, and that's the par 4 2nd as it actually makes little sense to attack its primary fairway when you can use the same one from the 1st hole and risk less by using that angle. But apparently the members have also spoken and they're already planning a redesign for it. As previously mentioned, the greens were much slower than my first visit, but that doesn't make the size of them, the undulations and the difficulty of reading putts any less severe. I was happy to get out of there with 34 putts this time around. This also meant that they held shots very well, but you have to play a lot of crazy angles at RHCC to find those greens and get close to the pins. Fairway coverage is very good, but again, still very immature. It's green for sure, especially the rough, but it's not yet in its most pristine state. The bunkers, which are many, are in really nice shape though and that sand is easy to hit from. The worst part of the course? The tee boxes are generally hard as rock underneath still (why is that?), so it's very tough and sometimes impossible to place a longer driver tee in the ground, but they're fine for short tees if not using driver. But they're flat and well-spaced around the course. Lots of fine amenities of course. The carts are brand new and fantastic with plush leather seats and a charging USB port for your cell phone. The GPS system has also been added to the carts and it’s simple but effective. I'm not sure what brand/type it is, but it's unlike any I've ever seen before. I'm not sure if the guest rate that I got is the same for every member, but of course it's over $100 for this top-notch track. And of course it's worth every penny. Had a great time and was thrilled to not only finally break 100 at this always challenging track that's always tormented me, but even broke 90 in the process, so that was awesome.

I was lucky enough yesterday to finally play the newly re-designed Rolling Hills Country Club, and it was quite a treat indeed. This completely renovated gem is the brainchild of David McLay Kidd of B... Continue »

I was lucky enough yesterday to finally play the newly re-designed Rolling Hills Country Club, and it was quite a treat indeed. This completely renovated gem is the brainchild of David McLay Kidd of Bandon Dunes fame. It's a links style course that rolls up and down the hills, has immense bunker systems of the most aesthetic variety, generous fairways but immensely difficult and enormous green complexes and minimal forced carries so that the average golfer can still play the course and not get too depressed. Of course, even if you're good, managing those greens and playing all of the crazy angles required to get close to the pin, you're in for a superior challenge. I have no doubt that once the course 'matures,' it will be one of the top 25 or better in the state of California. Yes, it's that good, and more importantly, unique. It's simply unlike any other course I've played here before, and I've played quite a few. Is it perfect right now though? No, not quite. The course is only six months old so you can tell that it's going to need a few years to be in optimum condition. The tee boxes are still very hard and it's often quite difficult to get your tee in the ground, and of course the grass itself is just a bit on the light side, if that's the best description I can come up with. The trees around the course (and there are not many - it's a very open design to maximize light for healthy fairways and greens) are still very young and barely play any role at all, but they will more and more as time goes by. The other factor that will likely bring this place down a few points in the future is the fact that there's a ton of unsold real estate on the property. Right now it's wide open, but within the coming years there will be more and more homes to take away from that beauty. But hey, that's the price you have to pay to create a brand new piece of Heaven. As for the course itself, what a challenge! There are so few flat lies to be had that you have to work incredibly hard to get the ball on line, and then you have to deal with sloping mounds surrounding the already insane green complexes that birdie opportunities are really hard to come by. And there are also plenty of elevations to contend with all day. If you ever played the old design, there are very few areas of the course that will remind you of it. It's just an entirely new experience. Fun fact: The green on 18 is so big that the sprinklers couldn't reach the center, so they put a bunker in the middle of it instead! On that note, huge greens that are so difficult. You will not get out of this place without a three-putt or two unless you're the world's best putter. They are fast, glassy, and hold lines if you can ever settle on one. There are some crazy ones too, including the green on the par 5 10th hole that pretty much looks like a skate park in the middle of it. But yeah, you get the point - it's nuts. That's the course's main defense again as the fairways are pretty generous and good fun. Fairway coverage was definitely very good, but again, you can tell it's 'new.' The rough is in great shape for sure, but there are any number of trouble areas off the fairways where you'll be in a real scrap to find your ball amongst the fescue. Off-target shots are real trouble here, but that's also why you get plenty of room to get it right. Bunkers are incredible in design, and playability is also very good right now, but again - needs some time to figure itself out. Most were great, but a few had some thin spots to them still. In terms of facilities, the new club house is ridiculously ornate and cool. It's got all the amenities and is a great place to hang out after a round. The practice facilities are also top-notch. You start at the driving range which actually has a laser finder in each station! From there you flow down to the chipping area, which then funnels down to the awesome practice green it shares, and from there you're right at the first tee. It's got great flow for sure. In terms of the course itself, it's a par 72 but there are only three par 3s and three par 5s, but all of them are very fun and challenging (except maybe the par 5 15th which I actually overshot in two). The signature hole is the par 4 16th which has a generous fairway but the green to the right side is guarded by a beautiful lake that's still 200+ yards out even if you bomb the drive pretty well (I was delighted to make par here). But in truth, there seem to be about 5-6 signature holes here, and they're only going to look better within a year or two. In short, the new Rolling Hills Country Club is destination golf pure. It's easily now one of the top courses in LA County that I believe will soon be rivaling the LACCs and Rivieras of the world in terms of reputation. I just can't wait to play it again soon and many more times in the coming years as it's close to home and I have a few friends who happen to be members - too rich for my blood! I also took pictures of EVERY hole so you can get an idea of how awesome the new facility and course is. Enjoy them. And if you get the chance, yeah, I don't need to tell you. And its' only going to get better.

Played 2-23-15 with Sixpez, Philip, an Al at an SCGA outing. The course is in really good shape. Tee boxes were close to perfect. Fairways very well manicured with excellent lies. Rough was very lush ... Continue »

Played 2-23-15 with Sixpez, Philip, an Al at an SCGA outing. The course is in really good shape. Tee boxes were close to perfect. Fairways very well manicured with excellent lies. Rough was very lush with some balls sitting down enough to get your attention. Sand traps were a little firm but manly do to the rain the night before. Greens were very smooth without a blemish and rolling medium/fast. Very short course that has a premium on moving the ball both ways.