Got to play in yet another GREAT GKer Event/Golf Course at a stellar course: CrossCreek Golf Club, Sat. 5/18.
Beautiful day - weather and wind cooperated nicely. Arrived early to enjoy the Best P... Continue »

Got to play in yet another GREAT GKer Event/Golf Course at a stellar course: CrossCreek Golf Club, Sat. 5/18.
Beautiful day - weather and wind cooperated nicely. Arrived early to enjoy the Best Part of these events....hanging out with GKers old and new. This course greets you with excitement as you crest the hill craning to see the several meadow holes laid out before you, then wind down into the quaint Clubhouse/parking area. Each hole is unique and beautifully laid out from the next (not one paralleling the other). Nice Pro Shop; Stellar Staff/Very friendly and eager to assist. Starter was very well versed in course nuances, providing guidance with regards to treating lost balls as lateral hazards due to rattlesnake/poison oak concerns in the deep rough areas. Course amenities were sufficiently maintained for comfort stops. We stocked up with refreshment needs from the clubhouse, but there was a Cart girl available as well. Practice facilities were nice consisting of practice greens and an average sized grass driving range area. Oh, Don't confuse 18th green with chipping area--not that I did that, but it is possible. ;) Tee boxes were in excellent condition, level, and lush with a couple on the back 9 feeling a little spongy/thicker and in need of a trim, but nothing major to complain about. Fairways were exceptional as well. Rolled out nicely, and divots were filled in as they should be. Bunkers were in good shape (ones I got stuck in), with adequate sand to hit out of and raked. Greens....THIS is where the major challenge of this course comes into play for me. Rolled true/med fast/fast (unless you were unfortunate enough to play after the sprinkler system kicked on :( -- I understand the necessity to water; but in the middle of an event? Greens were quite the challenge, some like putting on a whale's back. I planned my approach shots based off of front to green reading due to roll out/on/off of some holes. There were No major ball marks to speak of. Rough was a manageable length, and anything outside of it should be treated with respect (i.e. significant poison oak and rattlesnake possibilities). Notorious Wind of the Temecula Valley could certainly wreak havoc with an afternoon tee time; but not a major factor for us this event. Pace of Play was good; we only slowed down/waited a bit on a few holes.
Overall we thoroughly enjoyed this course (well ....except for the 18th for me/intimidating).
Only comments of note for concern/possible improvement:
- CARTS: No GPS which for a course with Zero cell phone reception, having GPS w/service call feature would be beneficial to report issues with carts; health concerns/snake encounters; and hole layout. (Note: Starter did provide yardage booklets). The Clubhouse is however set up with Wi-Fi.)
Upon arriving, carts were not quite ready; needed quick recharge (as a precaution) to support our event. Unfortunately looked like at least 3 carts didn't quite make it/left vacant on the course. Our cart's (#63) brake system could certainly use an overhaul (same issue with cart #43 we had several weeks earlier). Just difficult to brake/stop and unnerving grinding when they finally did come to a stop.

In summary (from this girl golfer's perspective), this course was interesting/fun to play with plenty of challenge and a breathtaking/serene layout. Friendly/caring staff and EXCEPTIONAL GKers. Will certainly be back for another round.

Bad Cell area. Don't expect to get signal even in clubhouse. They do have a free WiFi set up so that is a good thing.

Played last Saturday as a part of the GK Casual golf outing.

PACE of P... Continue »

Bad Cell area. Don't expect to get signal even in clubhouse. They do have a free WiFi set up so that is a good thing.

Played last Saturday as a part of the GK Casual golf outing.

PACE of PLAY for a Saturday was brisk for us. We were the last group of our event.
Aside from being hit into once and one of our members almost losing his head by that golf shot from one of the irate folks in the group behind us; we managed to push ahead of the groups behind us. We kept pace but front 9 played slower than back 9. Greens are hard with a pretty good amount release so lay up and roll/bounce it onto the green. Fairways lush. Rough and trouble is thick so stay out of it as best you can. Green complexes are in great condition. Puts rolled really true. No bounces here.

First time I have ever played this course and I was impressed. Course is in the middle of nowhere and the conditions are perhaps the best I have seen for any golf course for this time of the year.

One problem cart died on the 18th hole. Aside from the items mentioned above, yes I would like to play here again. Conditions here are great! Also check out my photos on Instagram @ringworld

Impressed. It was my first time playing the course and organizing an outing at CrossCreek and I enjoyed it. Course was in great shape on beautiful day. Greens were rolling mostly smooth, some ball ma... Continue »

Impressed. It was my first time playing the course and organizing an outing at CrossCreek and I enjoyed it. Course was in great shape on beautiful day. Greens were rolling mostly smooth, some ball mark damage but not an issue and held shots well. I thought the front nine greens were a little faster than the back nine. Like most others reviews, I did not appreciate maintenance watering greens “during” our event. As for the fairways, lush and beautiful. Regarding the rough, lush as well with some patching areas on the far perimeters. Tee boxes had only minor expected divot damage and played well. Bunker had good quality sand and well raked. What impressed me the most was the layout. Granted there are a few quirky holes IMO on back the nine I was not a fan of (13, 16 and 18) but none the less a stellar layout set into the surrounding hills. Beautiful views and with out-in-nature secluded feel. (so secluded I had no service on my mobile phone – although they have free wifi in the clubhouse). From an organizers point of view, the staff works hard and I don’t fault them for the golf cart battery issues. Its my understanding new carts will be leased by the end of the year. It is something to be aware of although as previous reviews mention. Personally I liked the small clubhouse with good grub and affordable prices. I thought they have a very nice range and practice putting green. In general I liked the staging area for a tournament being able to see the range and practice putting. The only thing I would have done different is set up the check-in table down at the range because its closer to the first tee (next time – because there will be a next time at this course). Pace of play for an event was just under 5 hours…well done. Overall super place to play and have an event at. Thanks again to everyone that came and to everyone posting reviews. BTW - check out the photos I snapped. CrossCreek Golf Club Review Temecula California Golf Course Reviews

Played early afternoon on Saturday 5/18/13 in the GK Event. I saw a lot of GK ‘regulars’ for these events and others I knew – it’s always great to say hello and see how they are doing. Thanks to my pl... Continue »

Played early afternoon on Saturday 5/18/13 in the GK Event. I saw a lot of GK ‘regulars’ for these events and others I knew – it’s always great to say hello and see how they are doing. Thanks to my playing partners sbarajasjr, jpeairs85, and Molebio for making this a very enjoyable day – this was the first time I had met them. I also met other new GKers who were looking for a good day on the links with like-minded golfers.

I had only played Cross Creek once, several years ago, and had bad memories of my impressions of the course from that time. However, Saturday I found the course very open and playable and in very good condition. The greens are fairly large, but without any severe undulation – they were firm, held most shots, and rolled well at medium-fast speed, especially down the canyon to the SW. The many plateau greens were esp. firm with the wind – i.e. #s 2,4,5,6,7,10,11,13. Fairway lies were good.

Rough – the ball tended to sit down and was more difficult to control and judge distance, especially around greens where the rough was lush and 1-2 inches deep. Some areas were dry/clumpy so lies were chancy.

I was not in the sand. Some tee boxes were torn up, esp. par 3s. Wind was a factor on almost every shot, and there are lots of ESA/hazards lurking to swallow balls. The design includes many restricted sightlines that are visually intimidating by restricting the apparent ‘safe’ line to one side only, or presenting the hazard plainly to push you away from it. Repeated plays are required to get the nuances of the course, esp. #s 1,4,5,10,13,16,18.

Good food in grill (stayed open late for the GK Event). No GPS, but a yardage book is available, and many sprinkler heads are marked; also 100/150/200 plates in most fairways. Saw the cart girl only once between 1:30 and 2PM.

Comments:

The course will need more water available in the hot summer months. The exit from #9 takes you directly into the bomb zone to the right of the driving range(!!). Sprinklers were running on the greens during play in the middle of the round (~3PM)?!!? It was not hot enough and greens weren’t dried out – all were moist when we repaired ball marks, etc.

Recommended. I wish this course was more convenient to south Orange County. Instead, we get Shorecliffs!!!

Played here on 5/18 in a GK tournament (thanks Johnny!!) The course is in great shape. Fairways were in really great shape. Had one problem with a greenside bunker that seemed to contain more peb... Continue »

Played here on 5/18 in a GK tournament (thanks Johnny!!) The course is in great shape. Fairways were in really great shape. Had one problem with a greenside bunker that seemed to contain more pebbles than sand. It was on the first part 5 (can't remember the hole number, sorry). Other traps that I encountered were nice and fluffy. The greens were hard as a rock and a lot of times the ball would roll close to or through the back of the green even when hitting the front. In hindsight, I probably should've changed to a softer ball and perhaps that would've helped. Having course knowledge is definitely needed here. Especially on hole 18. Looking forward to playing this course again.

Played in the GK outing as well. Ditto all who reviewed before me with regard to conditions, carts and tee selections. Exceptionally run event, thanks to Johnny and GK volunteers for making this a gre... Continue »

Played in the GK outing as well. Ditto all who reviewed before me with regard to conditions, carts and tee selections. Exceptionally run event, thanks to Johnny and GK volunteers for making this a great day. The course itself was a great challenge, loved the layout and being a first timer, i can see how this place would grow on you given the chance to play multiple times. No two holes the same and a variety of challenges. You get the feeling that the course does not fit any particular player and makes everyone feel uncomfortable at some point during the round. I say that as a compliment to the layout.

Played at the GK Event just like the last 5 or 6 reviews on here. Everyone has done a great job of explaining both the amazing course conditions and the great job Johnny did in organizing another grea... Continue »

Played at the GK Event just like the last 5 or 6 reviews on here. Everyone has done a great job of explaining both the amazing course conditions and the great job Johnny did in organizing another great outing. I'll instead try and focus on what I felt could have been done either differently or better. This isn't so much a critique as it is constructive criticism to try and make everything as great as possible.

1. Carts: I know they tried hard to make sure every cart was charged and ready to go and for the most part I think they were able to accomplish this. However by the time we made the turn our cart was starting to go and I saw at least 3 other carts peppered around the property that clearly ran out of juice. The reason this is more a problem at this course is that there is no reception out there, so its' not like you can just call the clubhouse so they send you another one. This mixed in with the terrain would make for a very sticky situation.

2. Course maintenance: I'm not a greenskeeper nor do I claim to be one, however everyone in my playing group certainly felt like watering the greens right before we got on them was not a real smart move. Not that we had figured out how they were rolling at any point, but getting to a green only to find it completely soaked was a little disappointing. I understand the poor guy was under orders (I'm sure) so it's hard to blame him but maybe they could have given us a heads up.

3. Facilities (restroom): I was glad to hear the starter point out where the restrooms were around the facility however it was sad to go in and see the paper towel rolls hadn't been changed. This isn't a huge deal but it would be nice to dry your hands without getting the roll soaked.

Other than these minor things, I think that everything was well maintained and service was great. The course was obviously in peak shape and the layout is impressive and challenging. Great times had by all!

Played the 5/18/13 GK Event. Course was in great shape and everything I was hoping for my first time playing. Luckily Sixpez in my group had played there before and his course knowledge went a long wa... Continue »

Played the 5/18/13 GK Event. Course was in great shape and everything I was hoping for my first time playing. Luckily Sixpez in my group had played there before and his course knowledge went a long way. Yardage books by the course was a nice touch considering no GPS. Tee boxes were shaggy but mostly level, Fairways great, Rough was lush in most areas but a little rough around the edges where your not supposed to be anyways, Sand was great, I was in plenty of them and Greens were in pretty good shape rolling nice and quick and smooth on the front and slowed way down with maintenance hitting the sprinklers in front of us on every hole on the back. The back nine greens hopped around a little as well. I rarely had a level lie all day with the hills and mounds, I definitely know what I really need to work on now though. I really want to get back out there soon now that I know the course a little because I would definitely play a few holes differently. Thanks to Johnny for making check in and tee off a breeze and another great GK Event.

Had a blast at the GK Event yesterday with a large and great group of GKers in attendance. Thanks to Johnny and the folks at CrossCreek. Other than some carts running out of juice, it seemed things we... Continue »

Had a blast at the GK Event yesterday with a large and great group of GKers in attendance. Thanks to Johnny and the folks at CrossCreek. Other than some carts running out of juice, it seemed things went relatively smoothly. Not much to add to the condition reviews already posted, but I thought the course was in great shape. The real greens definitely ran faster than the practice green, which was jarring early on. And as sr129 noted, they watered all the back nine greens right in front of our group, which was annoying after we had finally gotten used to speeds on putts and chips!

Otherwise, this is and will remain to be one of my absolute favorite courses in SoCal. I love the secluded setting and scenery. The course is challenging and there are a few tricky holes I know some people dislike, but I appreciate that every hole here is completely different and presents a unique set of challenges. The fact there were so many skins won shows to me that almost every hole can result in a birdie if played well or a double-bogey (or worse) if even one shot is just slightly off the mark. There's a thin line between success and failure here and I personally like that in a course. Local knowledge does help here and I do wish they had GPS in the carts. I believe they did at one point way back in the day, but that would be very helpful because the yardage books are a little light on details and don't really show all the hills, trees and undulations that can really affect your shots and strategies.

If there is a future event here, I'd recommend the blue/gold combo tees rather than the gold which were too much for some players in the group. Also, I would recommend using 9 and/or 11 for one of the long drive holes rather than 5, which isn't really a traditional "grip it and rip it" par-5 design.