So I played the Champions course at East Valley for the first time on Dec. 2 at 7:20am. First things first; the course looked beautiful from the road coming in...I absolutely couldn't wait. When we ... Continue »

So I played the Champions course at East Valley for the first time on Dec. 2 at 7:20am. First things first; the course looked beautiful from the road coming in...I absolutely couldn't wait. When we pulled into the bag drop the attendant there wished us a happy "good morning" and greeted us with a smile. After confirming our tee time he took the bags onto the cart and showed us where to park and where the pro shop was inside the clubhouse. After paying a very reasonable $46.75 (golfnow.com discount) we were off. When we drove to the starter, who was very conveniently located right next to the range, he greeted us and checked the cart to make sure that it was stocked with sand, water for the club/ball washer, and of course our scorecard. We had about 15 minutes til tee time so we hit some balls on the all grass driving range. The putting facility was spectacular and the speed of the practice green was very similar to the course. But the chipping facility was unbelievable! Featuring 2 bunkers (1 designed after a bunker on the Champions course and 1 for the Legends course) and ample room around the difficult green to chip to. The turf was excellent with no bald patches to be seen. When it was time for us to tee off the starter came to us kindly to inform us. We drove over to the tee for what would be one of the most memorable rounds of my life.

Me and my buddy approached the tee with all the confidence of being able to play from the Tournament tees. Playing 7377 yards with a 76.1 rating and 139 it would be a formidable challenge for anyone, let alone two 20 year old kids. But we felt that we had the distance in our game to compensate, and hopefully the quality of game necessary to not only have fun playing from back there, but to shoot good scores as well.

The course was utterly beautiful. Playing from the back tees we were able to fully enjoy the beauty and difficulty of the course. Each tee was perfectly level and manicured just right. The fairways were also beautiful. They were however quite difficult. They weren't necessarily narrow in the landing areas, but they were very undulating indeed. A flat lie was pretty much a reward for either a perfectly placed drive or a lucky "members" bounce. There was only one cut of rough and that would best be described as thick. The rough easily covered my shoes and very easily hid balls from view. A couple times I found that a very good drive that just misses the fairway took an extra couple looks just to find in the rough. Hitting a shot out of this rough was a completely different story. I found that taking either a very strong and aggressive swing, or an extra club was the only solution to getting the ball to go the correct distance. The bunkers were quite different from the rest of the course. I found almost all of the fairway bunkers to have a very hard pack to them while the green side bunkers were a little less scarce, having a few spots with some soft sand in it. There is one characteristic that all 106 bunkers share in common though, and that is rocks. Whether it be small little pebble or rocks the size of golf balls, without fail every single bunker contained them. I found it a bit funny that on the back of the scorecard it even states "Stones in Bunkers - Deemed to be movable obstructions (Rule 24-1 Applies)." So what I came to is that the course has just came to terms with the fact that their bunkers contain rocks so they just rule them out of the equation. In my opinion this is the one thing that I believe they could put some time, effort, and money into. Whether it be dragging the bunkers with a fine rake to pull all of the rocks to the edge, or invest on replacing the bunkers with a new type of sand that doesn't contain rocks I believe that either would be a novel choice. Lastly comes the greens. The greens are the same as every other difficult course I've played; receptive to high shots, not so much to the low shots or chip shots, very fast, and lastly very undulating. What I mean by this description is that the greens will take and hold an approach shot of about more than 30 yards; especially wedge shots with a lot of spin. Playing a Pro V1 I actually was able to stick a 3 wood from 260 out. But with the chip shots it was a completely different story. The greens were very fast, and by very I mean absolute lightning. Any chip shot that didn't have adequate spin on it flew right past the hole. There was 2 separate occasions where on a normal course my chip shot would have held and stopped right by the hole, but instead it just steamed by going right off the green and even once into the bunker. I was shocked to see that my friend actually had eight 3-putts for the round (though he still managed to shoot a 84!). All in all though I would definitely go on the record to say that the greens were amazing.

Overall I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who loves the game of golf. The course features 6 sets of tees and is accommodating to players of all skill levels. From the back set of tees I actually shot an 87 which for a 8 handicapper I felt was very good. The facility is more than worth the price of admission, and well worth the drive out there.

The course also has a $5 replay rate lasting until the end of February '09, you can actually play the other course on the same day! And for only $5 more! Its a fantastic deal, but be forewarned, playing 36 holes in the same day is very tough. My day consisted of 6 hours rest, waking up at 4:30, driving 1.25 hours, teeing off 30 minutes after sunrise, then playing 36 holes of championship golf which totaled 14,900 yards, and actually finishing the 18th of the Legends course at 20 minutes til sunset. It was an absolutely grueling day, but one that I would definitely repeat as many times as my body, mind, and wallet allow. So to the East Valley Golf Club "Home of the Southern California PGA", I tip my cap, and thank you for providing me with a very challenging and memorable golfing experience.

Played mid-morning 11-15-08. I play here regularly, and have been coming here since the course opened (when there was no home development), so I know this course and facility well. I have to tip my ... Continue »

Played mid-morning 11-15-08. I play here regularly, and have been coming here since the course opened (when there was no home development), so I know this course and facility well. I have to tip my cap to the new owner and superintendent. On this particular day, the course was in absolutely beautiful shape. Every aspect of the course was top notch - I have never seen this course in better condition. Never. Perhaps this is because 1st stage of PGA qualifying was held here (I think). Whatever the reason, the Champions AND Legends course (which I played thru 10 holes in the afternoon for $5) were pristine. Typically, most players here complain about the bunkers; they lack sand, they're hardpan, they're full of rocks, etc. Not today. Every bunker looked as if it had been dragged - they were fair and playable. I noticed a few other changes. There was complimentary coffee right next to the check-in desk - a nice touch on cold mornings. Additionally, they parked a food cart stocked with breakfast burritos, etc., in the cart staging area. Smart move. Instead of golfers having to wait for the dining staff to show up in the morning, you could simply go to your cart and purchase something off the food cart - very efficient. The starter, Keith, is the one of the nicest, friendliest and knowledgeable starters I've ever met. I think the new owner is making the right moves so far - I sure hope he keeps it up!

played 11/7 at9:30 and had a blast. greens and fairways were immaculate.starter was very accommodating and everyone was pretty cool.nicest course I have played in my 5 month golf career.the 5$ replay ... Continue »

played 11/7 at9:30 and had a blast. greens and fairways were immaculate.starter was very accommodating and everyone was pretty cool.nicest course I have played in my 5 month golf career.the 5$ replay was awesome. of course I played 36.the occasional winds just added to the challenge.played 36 holes for 56$ pretty cool.Beaumont is an hour away,but will definitely be back.

This was my first time playing the Champions course and loved it. I guess we played the day after the PGA Q-School was there because the golf course was in perfect condition. The staff was really fr... Continue »

This was my first time playing the Champions course and loved it. I guess we played the day after the PGA Q-School was there because the golf course was in perfect condition. The staff was really friendly and the food was great. I have not putt on greens this fast for a long time. It was a perfect day. I recommend this course for all to play at least once so you can see for your self.

Played in the GK outing here. Pace of play was slower because there were two tournaments going on. We had a great time! We love this course- play here regularly. The customer service at East Valley is... Continue »

Played in the GK outing here. Pace of play was slower because there were two tournaments going on. We had a great time! We love this course- play here regularly. The customer service at East Valley is superb!! Everything was in beautiful condition getting ready for Q School. Our only complaint was the sand. Worst I've ever experienced at this course. (and I experienced it frequently on this outing!) It was wet and hard packed under about an inch of loose fluffy sand. Don't know what happened but it certainly not the norm for the traps at this course! Still - this is an excellent facility whether you play Legends, Champions, or both- more than worth the visit!

Played in the PLGA-Greenskeeper Tournament on 10/18/08. The greens were deceptively fast and ate my lunch, the ball rolled an extra few feet when you thought it was stopping. Nice layout overall, DEFI... Continue »

Played in the PLGA-Greenskeeper Tournament on 10/18/08. The greens were deceptively fast and ate my lunch, the ball rolled an extra few feet when you thought it was stopping. Nice layout overall, DEFINITELY a few shots where some previous course knowledge would have been helpful. Tees, fairways and rough were set up for upcoming PGa tour qualifying, enough said. The only negative was the sand traps, mostly wet, compacted and hardpan just under the surface made explosion style shots an adventure. Customer Service was a ++, our group was treated very well from check-in to a nice buffet dinner afterward. Thanks to the Easdt Valley staff for a well run tournament & facility!

I played on Saturday, October 18, 2008 at 11:30 in the GK outing. I was very much impressed by the service received by the members of our group and that of the Korean group also on the course. The g... Continue »

I played on Saturday, October 18, 2008 at 11:30 in the GK outing. I was very much impressed by the service received by the members of our group and that of the Korean group also on the course. The golf course itself was in near immaculate condition, the greens were fast but rolled true with almost no ball damage, fairways and teeboxes in great shape, and the only MINOR flaw was a lack of sand in the greenside bunkers.

I am already planning to return and play the course in the near future! The PLGA folks who scored our outing were TOP NOTCH!

The East Valley staff made the day for many of us — I have not experienced the level of service provided at any other facility I have visited. GOOD JOB!

I would recommend playing this course to anyone who would like to enjoy a most pleasurable golfing experience. Thank you East Valley Golf Club for a memorable day!

Audac1ty

Played in the GK tourney on 10/18. The course was in great shape. Perfect lies in the fairways, decent roll from the fairways. Tee boxes were in great shape(level). The rough was not long but was thic... Continue »

Played in the GK tourney on 10/18. The course was in great shape. Perfect lies in the fairways, decent roll from the fairways. Tee boxes were in great shape(level). The rough was not long but was thick in most spots. Anything lower than say a 6 iron and you were taking your chances. The greens were perfect, I mean perfect. No ball marks and probably running around a 12. The greens were receptive on iron shots and were quick when chipping. I was in one sand trap and it was hard packed brownish sand. The back nine was challenging. Personally I felt that #11 and #15 were challenging holes from the blacks. Keep it on the fairway here and below the pins and bring your A+ putting game.

The staff at East Valley were very nice(cart barn, staff inside the pro-shop and inside the restuarant). The Q-schoolers are in for a great treat...I would recommend this course and would like to come back to play the Legends.

PLayed Champions in the gk tournamnet...practice facility was excellent. Overall a great course, service and worth the price .. Loved the greens and course layout, will be back to play the Legends and... Continue »

PLayed Champions in the gk tournamnet...practice facility was excellent. Overall a great course, service and worth the price .. Loved the greens and course layout, will be back to play the Legends and Champions again. I recommend staying the weekend and playing 2 or 3 rounds...Staff was very helpful and we were treated very well from start to finish. Wouldn't mind playing all of our tournaments here..thanks Johnny