I played CA Oaks yesterday for the first time in about 10 years. I remember enjoying it back then but I haven’t read much favorable about it since. I drove by it last week to take a look. What I could... Continue »

I played CA Oaks yesterday for the first time in about 10 years. I remember enjoying it back then but I haven’t read much favorable about it since. I drove by it last week to take a look. What I could see from the road seemed ok so I took a chance and booked a 7:50 am tee time. Other than masks in the pro shop and foam in the cups, there were no Covid-19 precautions in place. Players were riding 2 per cart, rakes were in the bunkers and ball washers were available on the course.

The fairways varied from nice to completely bare. The better ones are in the area closer to the road. Maybe it’s because they get more sun than the holes that are back in the narrow woodsy part of the course. The rough was very deep, hiding the extremely bumpy, uneven ground. A twisted ankle was a real risk. The greens were slow but in good shape other than unfixed ball marks. Tee boxes were uneven and in need of mowing. The bunkers had a playable amount of sand.

Even with all the negatives, I have to say I enjoyed the round. It’s target golf and there are some really fun holes. POP was good at 3.5 hours. If they can make some big improvements in the conditions, I would play there again.