Finally got to play the vaunted Pelican Hill North course this week and after building it up in my mind for the last dec... » More

Finally got to play the vaunted Pelican Hill North course this week and after building it up in my mind for the last decade, it's safe to say that it did not disappoint. My foursome caught a really wonderful afternoon in terms of weather and even got a discounted rate for the round since the North course recently did a micro-punch (similar to the one I experienced at Pebble Beach) that was nowhere near as off-putting (no pun intended?) as anticipated - more on that later.

We played from the blue tees and headed out with an 11:35am tee time. From the first hole until the last, this layout is exceptional, never mind the stunning ocean views throughout the day. There are a number of long carries from this tee box, and the elevations are truly surprising considering coastal proximity, but holy cow is it fun to play here. There are most certainly some rather 'blind' second shots thanks to those elevations, so experience here I can bet goes a long way. But just an absolutely delightful layout and background scenery.

As previously mentioned, the greens on the North course just got what they called 'the Porsche of punches' and they still rolled pretty darn nice despite the imperfections and some areas with sand. I can honestly say these punched greens are still better than 75% of muni greens around SoCal. The green complexes are really subtle and tricky, but not in any way gimmicky or crazy. Make a good stroke on a good line and you will be rewarded - easier said than done!

Fairways were very good but just shy of great. Found lots of lush areas that were very good to hit from, but it wasn't the pristine carpet at this time of year that you might find at a very high end private club, but they're still plenty good. The rough (and ample OB areas) are very daunting indeed, which is to say there's not a lot of rough and any wayward shots are either gone or in some thick bushes or fescue that make finding your ball a big adventure. Tee boxes were superb and the bunkers were mostly in very good shape (even had two sandy pars!), but I would not classify them as world class white fluffy at this moment.

We had cart service come around a few times on the front nine but be advised there is no turn here so you're on your own out there depending on how often that service is provided. I was actually a little surprised at a resort course of this caliber that there are no 'comfort' stations with snacks and/or beverages near the extreme edges of the course. It's not a deal breaker in any way, but just odd considering the normal price here.

Carts were very nice with great GPS and the POP was terrific on the front nine, then our group was caught up by a fast threesome whom we let pass us on the 12th hole. We got done in just around four hours even so that was great, but truth be told I was hoping to sneak in nine more holes at this tremendous facility.

I hope that I can knock out the South course this year as well.
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Early morning four hour Friday round on a very open course. The staff is very informative and friendly each time here. ... » More

Early morning four hour Friday round on a very open course. The staff is very informative and friendly each time here. Still no range just hitting nets and a not so large practice green. The carts are comfortable and equipped with windshields but no GPS. They are still charging very reasonable rates with the redo still in progress. The tee box were all level but somewhat thin and shaggy. There were a couple boxes that were slightly firm making the tee placement difficult. The rough has grown since the last time here and made finding a ball like an Easter egg hunt. The maintenance crew was out mowing the entire course as we played through them at times. The grass clippings and long grass were discouraging. The fairways are filling in with noticeable Kikuyu grass on a few holes which seems to be the ticket. Many golfers neglecting to fill divots on the fairways which is disrespectful to others and hinders the progress of the grounds crew. The lies on the fairways did require a foot wedge at times to get a fair lie but generally the coverage gets better as you progress through the round. The sand traps for the most part had adequate sand which was damp at times. The edges of almost all traps are very shaggy and need attention. The greens had decent coverage with a few having thin/bare spots especially on the first few holes. The condition of the greens was good but the speed was very slow compared to the last round with much less break than you read. The water ponds have definitely filled up and added to the difficulty of play. The location is a little distant for some but definitely worth the drive for those wanting a challenge at a decent rate.
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Played on Wednesday the 2nd. The course was very busy, but the POP was just around 4.5 hours. The course was very gree... » More

Played on Wednesday the 2nd. The course was very busy, but the POP was just around 4.5 hours. The course was very green due to the past rains. Fairways were a little damp so the ball did not roll as much. Greens went through aerification about 3 weeks ago. They were still bumpy and still contained visible holes. Hopefully by the next week when they are rolled they will start to roll true.
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We played the Oaks Club this past Monday, and it was stunning! What a great experience, and an immaculate golf course. ... » More

We played the Oaks Club this past Monday, and it was stunning! What a great experience, and an immaculate golf course. We were there for Johnny's Event, which featured a VERY fun skills challenge, that engaged everyone at the event. The greens were amazing, fast and firm. The rough was thick. lush and PUNISHING, putting added value on being in the fairway. Everyone was super nice and Johnny is such a dedicated and passionate host. Everyone should try and come to one of his events, they're always epic.
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Great day out at The Oaks Club at Valencia for our 65th Private Course event in collaboration with Vivid Golf and Golf M... » More

Great day out at The Oaks Club at Valencia for our 65th Private Course event in collaboration with Vivid Golf and Golf Moose. It was our first event with the pre-round Skills Challenge. This event featured a delicate pitch on the 6 ft / 3ft circle. I couldn’t resist utilizing the courses beautiful practice facilities Thanks GKers rgm2525, GDR23 and Barkydog1 for the assistance.

What started as a chilly morning following a light shower, turned into a beautiful, partly cloudy day. The course was in excellent very challenging playing condition. The rough was thick, 2 to 3 inches primary / 4 to 8 inches of secondary. Balls off the fairway commonly required extra searching and at times some luck to find. According to the course staff, the rough is in the process of being cut down but will take a series of cuts to be at the playable height the club is accustomed to. The greens were smooth, mostly firm and medium/fast. The fairways were lush, full coverage and looked beautiful. The sand traps I experienced were groomed containing high quality sand. The tee boxes were level, lush and groomed.

The Oaks Club at Valencia, once TPC Valencia, is a very challenging, hilly, course winding through oak trees. The Oaks Club has many scenic views but also blind shots that can frustrate players. The golf carts do not have GPS so make sure to pack your own or a range finder. In addition, if you’re serious about trying to score well there, unless you know the course very well, study a course map because ball placement on most holes is more important than distance. On the holes I know how to play, I enjoy them very much The holes I don’t, not so much.

If you’re a group play organizer, as mentioned above, the course layout presents some challenges for first time groups. However, your group will appreciate the great turf conditions, excellent service, food, views, clubhouse and facilities. Overall, it should still be a very satisfying experience I recommend.

Thanks everyone that comes out to these events!
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Played last week green still not in good conditions Aeration effectively on tee boxes and greens.

Played last Monday (3/24/25). This course is hard to figure out, it has very nice greens and bunkers, but the fairways a... » More

Played last Monday (3/24/25). This course is hard to figure out, it has very nice greens and bunkers, but the fairways are junk. On 99% of the holes there is awash on the right side and fairway slopes that way. Paid $30.00 to walk and that's about it's worth. The staff is great, and the club house is nice, but I don't think I will be back.
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Played my first round of the year yesterday morning at Bellevue (3/30/25) and had a really good time, even though the co... » More

Played my first round of the year yesterday morning at Bellevue (3/30/25) and had a really good time, even though the course is in slightly rough shape. Weather here in western Washington was really quite cold this winter (I had a great ski season) and Bellevue's showing the effects of that. The 4th green's been closed for some time my friends told me, and the 12th green just opened for the first time since late November. Overall greens were very inconsistent speed wise, and very bumpy. The ones like 12 that haven't had any play, or get lots of sun, were pretty nice, and definitely faster and smoother than the others. Fairways and rough were all pretty good here (like always) and I can't comment on the bunkers as I was fortunate enough to not find any of them. Usually they are pretty good. Tee boxes were pretty rough, they probably hadn't been cut in some time and many of them were in pretty bad shape. A few just get no sun whatsoever, and the par 3s aren't very long on this course so those get beat up pretty bad. Our 3 some teed off about 7:15 or 7:20, a few minutes early, and we walked the course in about 3:20 for an awesome pace. Service in the shop and the bar afterward was friendly and excellent as always.
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Played in the Golfmoose/Vivid golf GK outing this morning 3/31/25 joined by buddies Matt and Ron and a pleasure to meet ... » More

Played in the Golfmoose/Vivid golf GK outing this morning 3/31/25 joined by buddies Matt and Ron and a pleasure to meet and be joined by Anthony. We had a great time today with lots of good shots under cooler low 60s degree weather with up to a 2 club wind. Our POP was around 4 hrs 45 minutes which flowed well for this outing. Enjoyed the massive chipping/bunker area, huge massive putting green which mirrored the speed of the greens well. They have a massive downhill driving range which were on mats this morning.

Very impressed with the conditions this morning. Most Fairways were very lush with maybe some dry spots on a couple of the front nine holes but for sure Fairways on average were in the 8/10 range.

The rough was very green, very lush , healthy and a club grabber just off the fairways. Beautiful shape 9/10

Greens were the highlight of the show. I love quick and pure greens and these were that. Downhillers a 12 on the stimp, regular flat putts an 11. Very firm greens that rewarded irons with spin and punished shots with no spin. Some of the better greens I have putted on this year. Rated 9/10

Tees mainly level, lush and uniform and in good shape. Rated 8/10.

Was in one greenside bunker and 2 Fairway bunkers that were in great shape. Rated 8.5/10

Very fun and challenging layout that a member here could play everyday and not get tired of a boring layout. Not tight but crooked approach shots to the green can be penal. Very ample scoring holes, doglegs, mature trees, some water features on the front nine.

Very much recommended if looking to join.

Thx Oaks at Valencia and GK for a great day.
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A scheduling SNAFU this past week meant that I played Los Amigos twice in a three-day stretch, so if anyone has the good... » More

A scheduling SNAFU this past week meant that I played Los Amigos twice in a three-day stretch, so if anyone has the goods on current conditions there, it's me!

Walked both days as it's an entirely walkable course, and that also helps to mitigate the invariable wait times, which ironically were better on Sunday than they were on Friday afternoon. Go figure. Either way, big backups up until around the fifth hole are the norm here so come to terms with it.

Greens are in pretty nice shape here right now following the work done a few weeks ago. I would say they're fully healed and rolling pretty nicely right now. They hold shots and their lines pretty darn well. Fairways also have decent coverage right now but be careful in the rough as there are a lot of thin areas and the random tree root you don't see until it's too late.

Bunkers were a conundrum as the first few I played were in really nice shape, and then I got to the greenside bunker on the 11th hole and it was hardpan and chunky. Just pick the right one I suppose if you must beach it. Tee boxes are in decent shape (played the blue tees both days).

Overall I would say that I wasn't too bummed out about playing The Friends twice because the conditions weren't all that terrible and I played so poorly on Friday that I wanted some redemption on Sunday - which I luckily got. Price is always right too for this course so that helps.
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Teed it up Monday at Sunset Hills CC 3/24 with rgm2525, abbacat and TPROVJ. What a fun day!

This was my 8th Pr... » More

Teed it up Monday at Sunset Hills CC 3/24 with rgm2525, abbacat and TPROVJ. What a fun day!

This was my 8th Private Course Outing at Sunset Hills CC since 2022. Our group really enjoys the experience here. The golf course, was, as always, in excellent condition. Sunset Hills CC had again, a full friendly staff on hand for F & B before, during and after play. Bag drop services were solid and organized. The facility does lack a full-size driving range instead having a short game area with nets for full swings plus a few 150 yards limit driving range stalls. There are two areas to practice putting and chipping. Besides the limited practice facilities, it’s got all the other other amenities and services. I see a lot of families memebers here.

Thank you, Molly Dunn, Membership Director, for the surprise welcome of coffee and donuts! See photo. It made a great impression with our group!

Greenskeeper.org very much appreciates Sunset Hills CC having us out in collaboration with Vivid Golf for these events.

Be on the look out for them. We got more coming here in 2025!
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Played Sat 3/29, 12pm tee time; 5 1/2 hr round. cool and windy day, wind started mild 1 club wind, but increased up to ... » More

Played Sat 3/29, 12pm tee time; 5 1/2 hr round. cool and windy day, wind started mild 1 club wind, but increased up to a 3 club wind as day went on. Lots of waiting in this slow round. Never been here, and came in preparation for an ncga 2 man event. Course in poor muni shape. Fairways unkept, with dandelions littering the fairway, lots of unfilled divots, and bare spots. Greens are the best maintained feature, firm and fast, grainy, running a fast 11 downgrain, slow 10 upgrain. Tee boxes thin and uneven. Rough thick and patchy. Sand sandy. A fun layout, links style, mounds, hazards, big greens. right by the oakland airport, and apparentlly under the runway approach, and small jets are non stop landing. Fun, but not well kept, and slow on this sat afternoon. For the $100 rack rate, I'd rather go to Corica Park on the other side of the airport. If they took better care of it, I'd give it a recommend.
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