Played both days this weekend in a tournament. It had been awhile since I played all 18 at the Goat so I was really looking forward to it.

Having played this course so much I definitely feel that i... Continue »

Played both days this weekend in a tournament. It had been awhile since I played all 18 at the Goat so I was really looking forward to it.

Having played this course so much I definitely feel that it's at it's best this time of year. The course plays a bit firmer and faster and the greens are just exceptional.

All the improvements have taken and filled in and the course was so much fun and in great shape. You still get some funky stuff on the fringes but when you hit from where you should the lies were great all around.

Right now the greens are just perfect. Firm, rolling at about 10.5 and really smooth. They were cut and double rolled for our round Sunday which sent the scores soaring from the first day. With the size, shape and undulations of the greens at Goat Hill, those kinds of conditions can be brutal...or super fun if you're into that kind of thing :)

Tee boxes were really good for the most part. There are a couple places that don't get as much sun this time of year so stayed a little damp, especially with the amount of fog we've had recently, but never an issue finding a flat lie.

I'm not sure when the next project is going to kick off here as it seems it's been non-stop improvements and renovations, but the current conditions definitely warrant a visit.

When you are struggling with your golf game, do not try to bring it to Goat Hill Park. This course will expose all your shortcomings. First out on a pleasant Monday morning, so pace of play not an is... Continue »

When you are struggling with your golf game, do not try to bring it to Goat Hill Park. This course will expose all your shortcomings. First out on a pleasant Monday morning, so pace of play not an issue, finishing in just a hair under two hours.

Greens were very good, but slower than when I played here a couple months ago. (Good thing because I found myself short sided a lot ) Most of the fairways had good coverage, with just a few areas needing attention. Not in any bunkers, but they appeared OK. Several tee boxes were beat up, but that's to be expected on those holes.

It's remarkable just how much this course has improved condition wise, since the first time I played here. Gone are all the muddy slopes, the scruffy areas have all been cleaned up and you can see the pride that the staff has in this wonderful little course. I strongly recommend this course to anyone who wants to be humiliated by a 4400 yard track

Back out to Goat Hill in hopes to extract some revenge from my last visit. ( Din not happen ) Every time I return I am more & more impressed with the course. I think back about how the course was th... Continue »

Back out to Goat Hill in hopes to extract some revenge from my last visit. ( Din not happen ) Every time I return I am more & more impressed with the course. I think back about how the course was the first time I played here. What a difference ! If you can get past the course beating your brains out, what a pleasure to play !

Greens were possibly the best I've seen them. I only had a few which had been mowed, so they were a bit too slow for my taste. As tough as these greens are to putt, maybe uncut greens are a good thing ? I thought the fairways were better last month, but still OK. I was disappointed that #12 is still a temporary hole. Tee box still closed, green open. Did not find a single bunker, so didn't notice the condition of the sand.

Recommend this course to anyone who does not mind being humbled

Always look forward to playing the Goat, even though there are times when the course does not treat me very well. It's been a while since I was last here, and I can not believe just how much the enti... Continue »

Always look forward to playing the Goat, even though there are times when the course does not treat me very well. It's been a while since I was last here, and I can not believe just how much the entire course has improved. Andrew does an excellent job detailing the improvements, so I will not duplicate his efforts.

When the Goat was in questionable condition years ago, I enjoyed the course, but now it is just so much better. The entire ambiance has changed. All I can suggest is that anyone who has not yet played here, you are missing a wonderful golf experience. While I would not wish to make this an every day course, it is just a joy to get beat up on this wonderful little track.

Played Sunday 8/1, teeing off at 10:15 and finishing in a little under 4 hours.

All of the recent renovations have taken hold and the course is 100% open in it's normal spots. #5 and #14 new tees a... Continue »

Played Sunday 8/1, teeing off at 10:15 and finishing in a little under 4 hours.

All of the recent renovations have taken hold and the course is 100% open in it's normal spots. #5 and #14 new tees are open and awesome. Really lush, flat, bermuda tees. So great to see all the new teeing areas. The kikuyu portions of the fairways are almost too lush as is kinda normal this time of year in coastal Socal, but I never had a bad lie. There's a ton of new bermuda turf around the course that makes a HUGE difference in playability.

The greens out here are really healthy, holding shots well but just a little slower than usual. I actually think it makes the course MUCH easier because shots don't roll out (and off) the greens as much when they get firmer and the ball starts moving around. Still solid surfaces to putt on.

All in all it's good to see the improvements open and ready to enjoy. The amount of work put into this course in the last 6-12 months is really impressive.

Played a few times over the last week (Saturday-Tuesday) for various tournaments and events for US Open week.

The course still has a few construction projects going, but it's easy to get around. Ne... Continue »

Played a few times over the last week (Saturday-Tuesday) for various tournaments and events for US Open week.

The course still has a few construction projects going, but it's easy to get around. New gigantic tee on #5 being built, right sides of 4 and 15 getting sodded early next week (free drop so fine), 14 Tee getting rebuilt and bunker in front of the 15 green is getting turned into a big pot bunker which is going to be really cool.

All the finished projects like new tees on 1, 2, 3 and 16 look amazing. Just crazy how different it makes the holes. New fairway and turf on #1, 3 and 16 are all grown in and it makes a big difference.

Greens finally got back up to speed over the weekend with them being cut and rolled for the Member Member, but when I played Tuesday they rolled great and held shots, just a tad slower.

It's amazing to me the speed at which the course improvements get done here. For someone who plays here a lot there's always something new happening. Pretty cool to see.

Most recent update:

Played Monday late afternoon. We played the back nine in the weekly Pirate League. If you're local I highly recommend this next year.

The Goat continues to invest heavily in ... Continue »

Most recent update:

Played Monday late afternoon. We played the back nine in the weekly Pirate League. If you're local I highly recommend this next year.

The Goat continues to invest heavily in improvements. The third hole tee is open and it's gorgeous. Crazy how different it feels. The completely re-did the #1 tee box and it's about 4 times the size, flat and pure grass. If the markers are on the left hand side it's almost a straight shot to the green. Crazy!

There is new sod (and no ice plant) all down the left side of #3 so that helps. That also works into the left side of #16 so again, makes everything much better. Right side of #4 and #15 also getting new turf. Gone will be the dirt, dirt cart path and crazy clumps of crab grass. New will be pure bermuda fairway.

#5 tee is now under construction. Will be WAY bigger and you can tip that thing out around 175 yards I think, which scares the heck out of me. But the entire thing is being raised a couple feet so that's cool.

What isn't under construction is in some of the best shape I've seen it. The fairways are really really good right now. Great coverage and consistent. This is the best time of year for kikuyu (fairways at least) and it shows. Never a bad lie out there the entire day.

Tees were freshly mown, flat and great surfaces to hit from. Most of the dollars are going into the teeing ground and for a short course this is pretty important. When I asked the owners plainly said "you can never have too much teeing ground".

The greens are rolling really smooth but aren't as fast as I'm used to. They hold great, roll great, just feel a little "sticky". Again, I think it's the combo of the time of year (weather) and having to keep them just a tad longer due to the play and the beating they take.

If you haven't played here in more than a month I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at what the place looks like these days. There's always a construction project going on, but it's so nice to see the fruits of that labor and dedication. Definitely worth a play.

5/5 800 tee off out a little early as no other golfers around and the range was closed for mowing and divot repair. POP 330 walking($24 senior rate) the blues so some time spent looking for the waywa... Continue »

5/5 800 tee off out a little early as no other golfers around and the range was closed for mowing and divot repair. POP 330 walking($24 senior rate) the blues so some time spent looking for the wayward shot. Nice day to walk mostly overcast light breeze. Course was busy with disc golfers preparing for an epic tourney this coming weekend. They were courteous and friendly but there were some places where they converged notably on the par 5 where is seemed like we were teeing off over a school playground at recess. Additionally the course continues its relentless reno with laying sod planting grading and hauling so with this also going on today was not an escape to serenity with all the activity. There were several areas of new sod roped off with instructions to move ball to the fairway. Currently much more grass area with more to come. Still some dirt/hardpan on the extreme outward areas. Had not been here for over a year so the progress really stood out. Fairways were rather dry thin and firm with mostly tight lies but playable overall. Rough varied from thin and dry to a lot thicker closer to the greens. Tees were spotty some very hard others with extra grass and soft some on the uneven side so had to locate a spot for ok footing. Some of the 3s were well worn. Never found a bunker but by observation appeared recently groomed. Greens are small firm and became progressively faster as the day warmed. Tricky and required full attention and commitment. Friendly staff, quirky but interesting layout with some partially blind landing areas and overall where straight is a necessary asset.

Played 3/18 teeing off at 2:40 and finishing a four ball in about 3 hrs and 15 minutes. Love this POP!

Update: The range project is done and it's open. They have 5 Foresight stalls which are kind o... Continue »

Played 3/18 teeing off at 2:40 and finishing a four ball in about 3 hrs and 15 minutes. Love this POP!

Update: The range project is done and it's open. They have 5 Foresight stalls which are kind of fun. The range is on grass for the first half of the week and then mats on the weekends.

The tees on #2 and #3 are getting completely re-done (always something getting done here) so #2 is off a mat about 155-160 yards and #3 becomes a par three from 176 yards.

Greens are absolutely great right now. Highlight of the course. The tees have come back nicely and never had a problem finding a place to hit from (#5 is a bit chewed but I think that will change soon). Fairways were pretty good too. Lots of green coming in as the weather warms up and we had some rain. I kind of like when you get a little more rough here to mitigate some of the bounces.

All in all, the conditions of the course are pretty solid right now. This course continues to get more and more popular so expect a round at least 4 hours on weekends. Weekdays tend to be better. Definitely a unique course but a fun place to hang out.