Just reopened after punching/sanding etc. on 10/24/25. I played onthe 28th and starter was happy to tell me carts were a... » More

Just reopened after punching/sanding etc. on 10/24/25. I played onthe 28th and starter was happy to tell me carts were allowed on the fairways! Conditions really couldn't have been better! everything 5 star. This was a Tuesday at 11:06 am, $81 bucks and finished alongside another single that joined in under 4 hrs. I do not consider a course of this caliber to be $$$$ . This place is in a gated community and could be easily charging $ 381.00 per 18. I strongly advise taking advantage of this spectacular facility. Wish I could have played here a couple more days!Special thanx to Jay at the starter position followed by Derek and Jim in the Pro shop.
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Back out to LWV, this time to Course 3 (the shortest 9) at 3pm on Wednesday, 10/29/25. We managed to pick the hottest da... » More

Back out to LWV, this time to Course 3 (the shortest 9) at 3pm on Wednesday, 10/29/25. We managed to pick the hottest day of this week when mild Santa Ana conditions sent temperatures into the low 90s. As a result, many fewer players and we fell behind a quick twosome and were occasionally pushed by a single playing multiple balls (I think).

Course conditions remain similar to those described previously, but with the hot weather period making the fairways (and rough) thinner and drier. Traps remain a challenge with most having a very thin playing layer over a firm base. Greenside bunkers with high lips are especially challenging. Tees are fine. In the warm weather and hot breeze greens are firmer and faster – a lot of shots release over the back, and downhill putts are WHA??!!

Challenging mainly from the standpoint that my short game continues to be ghastly!
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Early morning 4.5 hour round walking the Creek/Oaks nines. The Creek nines was cart path only on most holes which slows... » More

Early morning 4.5 hour round walking the Creek/Oaks nines. The Creek nines was cart path only on most holes which slows the pace of play. They still have the Stone nine closed for fall maintenance. They just opened up the Creek nine and were in the process of mowing the wet long grass and were leaving piles of clippings everywhere. The tee boxes all have thick total coverage and a few broken tees already. The rough is once again long, damp and thick. Wayward shots are like an Easter egg hunt with little success. The first fairway is a little thin in sections but playable. The fairway turf is very thick and damp especially on the Creek nine. The traps are all full of great white sand but it does have small pebbles in it on some holes and was also very damp. The greens were nearly perfect. They have total coverage and very few ball marks. The too were a little wet and slower than usual but beautiful. The weekday walking rates are reasonable and these two nines are nearly flat. Recommended
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Played 10/29/25 10 am. First group out after frost clearing. They were in the process of closing for the winter. They e... » More

Played 10/29/25 10 am. First group out after frost clearing. They were in the process of closing for the winter. They expected 2 more weeks tops. They had punched and sanded the greens last week so they were pretty rough from holes and sand but looked to be in great shape other wise. They were in the process of punching fairways. The unpunched ones were in fantastic shape. Absolutely love this course in the fall with all the trees turning color. A little bummed that I was about two weeks too late to play, but still a fun day in a beautiful setting. If you're ever in the area highly recommend. Looking forward to next season.
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Got out yesterday morning for a warm and windy, but playable round at Sierra Lakes. I was a guest at a tournament with a... » More

Got out yesterday morning for a warm and windy, but playable round at Sierra Lakes. I was a guest at a tournament with a bunch of retired guys who were all great.

The course is in excellent shape after the recent punching of the greens. Everything has healed up and is ready for play. The greens were sneaky fast and rolled very true. My group played the white tees which was nice, except a lot of the tee boxes were all grouped together actually playing forward. Not sure why, maybe because of the high winds to keep a better pace. Tee boxes were in great shape. The fairways were also in really nice shape and tee shots hit low would run out a fair distance. There were some really tight lies around the green that made you think about using that putter from distance. The rough was cut low which made it much easier to play in the wind. There were a few bare spots in the rough, but all in all in good shape as well. I was only in one fairway bunker which was in good condition. I didn't really pay a lot of attention to the greenside bunkers, but they looked very playable to me. We did not see a beverage cart all day, but the service at SL is always good. The only minor complaint is that the kitchen was closed at 3pm and there were only junk food snacks available by the time we finished our round. All in all, it was a great day at windy Sierra Lakes. Looking forward to getting out there again soon.
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For a course that just spent a lot on $$ on pickleball you can understand why they don’t care as much about the course a... » More

For a course that just spent a lot on $$ on pickleball you can understand why they don’t care as much about the course anymore. Here on greenskeeper nothing stated about overseeding the rough and cart path only so it took 5 1/2 hours to play a round.
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This review a little late but short. Out on Friday 10/24 at 1:30, as a single joining an amiable threesome, all playing ... » More

This review a little late but short. Out on Friday 10/24 at 1:30, as a single joining an amiable threesome, all playing the silver tees. No issues with teeing grounds, fairways were generally fine, a little on the tight side and some thin patches that were scattered about. Rough is hard to grade because not far off the fairway it can be anything from a dirt patch, to cut down, straw-like grass, to varying degrees of thick green stuff. Bunker sand was slightly heavier grade but clean and in good shape. Green surrounds tended to be a little thicker while the lead-up fairway shots tight. Greens were quick and appropriately challenging. On some holes, even a light touch from above the hole would still leave a 6+ foot come back. Once dialed in, I really enjoyed them.

It was the perfect day for Sandpiper. Sunny, warmish day with minimal wind that died down to nothing by the end of the round. Pace was slow at @4.75 hours but left the 17th green with the setting sun splitting the horizon. Finished 18 at dusk. I'm not here often and it was all I could reasonably ask for.
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Took advantage of an invite to play an early morning round at Rancho. Despite the early tee time, it took forever to dri... » More

Took advantage of an invite to play an early morning round at Rancho. Despite the early tee time, it took forever to drive there from south OC. I have always felt Rancho was a true barometer of what a golfer shoots. It is challenging but fair, and provides a stern test on enough holes to create scoring stress, but a few holes where birdie opportunities are still available.
Conditions were about what I expected based upon the most recent review, although the greens rolled even better than I anticipated. Still some issues with the fairways, but overall, decent shape.

The group I played with wanted to play the blue tees, which at one time was my norm, but as I approach 80, they are simply just too much for me now. Remembering holes I used to reach with middle irons, are now two woods at best. Despite that, enjoyed a great day at one of my favorite old style traditional golf courses. Wish we had some of these in Orange County.
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From last week to this week not a lot of changes in the course.

Greens have dried out but still seem soft and ... » More

From last week to this week not a lot of changes in the course.

Greens have dried out but still seem soft and very slow at present.

Tee boxes IMO did not come out of aeration very well. And they are all very wet. So from one source I heard that they are watering the place too much?

Fairways need cutting badly but they also are very wet and provide no roll and not very good lies.

But the new white sand in the bunkers (and they are not done with all of them) is fantastic. 110% improvement over the way they were before.

Always great customer service from Madison and Christian in the shop. And Rich who runs the cart portion of the course is just terrific.

Hopefully sunny weather, warm days will allow the maintenance crew to get a handle on things and bring the course around to better playing conditions.
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First group out at 7am, done at 10:35. Range was muddy as hell and they needed to move the range spots back so your not ... » More

First group out at 7am, done at 10:35. Range was muddy as hell and they needed to move the range spots back so your not hitting off of mug and whatever little grass was there was. A lot of tee boxes had high grass and needed to be cut but I guess that's better then no grass at all. The course over all was in good shape just just some areas where really wet and it's not even rain season yet. I was shocked at how many people where at the course and yet we went out at a 2sm with a single behind us. Over all it was a fun round.
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Back out to LWV after a month away from the clubs, playing Course 1 (the longest 9; 3 par 5s, 3 par-3s) at 1:15pm on Thu... » More

Back out to LWV after a month away from the clubs, playing Course 1 (the longest 9; 3 par 5s, 3 par-3s) at 1:15pm on Thursday, 10/23/25, on a pleasant sunny day with surprising afternoon breezes. This course usually beats me up with the combination of length, kikuyu turf, bunkers fronting greens, and my general lack of skill, especially the short game. The first tee was crowded ahead of us and we got off a few minutes late, but few groups behind us. These courses usually move play along fairly well, and POP today was just over 2 hours for 9 holes. We waited only occasionally for a few minutes on some tees and in fairways.

Fairways generally have decent coverage, although you might find a variety of grasses in close proximity. Rough is much more of a crapshoot, ranging from lush kikuyu, thick-stemmed kikuyu that’s been roughed up by equipment or chance evil, thinner/shorter grasses, or even bare spots. Especially in the kikuyus the ball can sit down or get into holes/slots within the grass, challenging recoveries. Many rough areas fronting greens can be thin-to bare, making for tough chip/pitch lies. Weirdly, rough beside/behind greens is mostly pretty lush. Tees are level and set wide, affording ample area to put your peg.

Overall, greens had good coverage and rolled consistently. In the afternoon breeze and bright sunshine, greens that were more exposed to sun/wind or on crowns were noticeably firmer and faster than other greens, especially on downhill putts! – our group was left with a number of 5-8 foot comebackers. Traps continue to be firm with only a shallow playing layer, OK in fairway traps but more difficult around the greens.

Overall still solid conditions, fairly low stress with few holes on property having OB in play and almost no marked penalty areas. Good for a relaxed play if you have access.
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Early Thursday morning round as a twosome in slightly over four hours. The booking process is frustrating as you get di... » More

Early Thursday morning round as a twosome in slightly over four hours. The booking process is frustrating as you get different stories each time you book as to whether you're able to book through the course or having to use their online site which shows up as the hated golf now on your credit card. The staff is friendly and do a good job. The carts are holding up but more and more lack GPS which is actually not very accurate. The tee boxes were all in good shape with plenty of turf and few broken tees. The rough really doesn't exist except on a few holes in sections where you shouldn't be. There are a few forced carries which adds to the difficulty. The fairways were in good condition with a few having sections of some sort of weed that grows on a few holes. Lies were good for the most part with adequate turf on all holes. The traps are in excellent shape with plenty of mostly white sand. The sand in a couple of holes was very damp and you will find the fairway bunkers in the worst condition of those on the course. The greens hand total coverage from first to last and rolled well. The greens were quick but slightly slower than usual. There were more ball marks in need of repair than usual but a divot tool took care of them. The rates are reasonable compared with other local courses and they do give seniors a weekday break. The course is one of the few in the valley without maintenance going on which is nice. Great views and easy to recommend.
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