Played this Sunday in the Rancho Park Men's Club tournament of champions which is held yearly at the fabulous Ojai Valley Inn. When I played last year, my game was much sharper so I played the blue te... Continue »

Played this Sunday in the Rancho Park Men's Club tournament of champions which is held yearly at the fabulous Ojai Valley Inn. When I played last year, my game was much sharper so I played the blue tees, but the game's been pretty poor this year so I was in the flight playing from the white tees this time around. Not a problem - should be fun!

I always love this course for its unique and fun layout with some very target-oriented and memorable short holes to start, followed by some parkland style on the back nine and then a big finish with some truly memorable holes. Conditions always seem pretty prime here and this time around was no exception.

My group had a 10:00am tee time and you could not have asked for a more perfect early autumn afternoon. We rode in the very nice carts with a solid GPS system and hit the ground running. Speaking of running, the greens were running really nicely - and quite fast. They were in pretty great shape and I enjoyed them very much to the tune of a 29-putt afternoon. The tee boxes on some holes were a bit uneven, but for the most part they were fine. Fairways were in nice shape with the occasional thin spot but optically they looked quite nice all around. The rough was mostly playable and the bunkers varied a bit from hole to hole but none of them were unplayable. I wouldn't call them fluffy though, either.

One disappointment? On a very busy and warm Sunday afternoon there was never one hint of cart service for the entire day, and there's really no convenient snack shop at the turn. Apparently there is a market en route to the 10th tee box but you are also fighting for a quick in and out with every other guest at the resort - not ideal.

But despite that little annoyance, still had a wonderful day out at OVI and will always happily return for this event every year ... if I qualify!

Rode the blues today 3/3/25 teeing off around 12:10pm getting around in about 3 hrs 25 minutes catching a couple groups on 17 and 18. 1-2 club colder wind for Ojai area which is unique up here as the ... Continue »

Rode the blues today 3/3/25 teeing off around 12:10pm getting around in about 3 hrs 25 minutes catching a couple groups on 17 and 18. 1-2 club colder wind for Ojai area which is unique up here as the mountains usually guard the wind. I had played here 3 times from Dec 2021 to Dec 2022. First round out here in a little over 2 years. Driving into the Inn there are parts where you don't even feel like your in California. Just a beautiful setting for golf. I snapped a bunch of pics on IG which shows how beautiful the golf course is. Met by very professional and friendly staff in the pro shop and cart staging area. Driving range on mats today with their pitching/putting green below. Carts had newer padded seats and great GPS system. Layout on the front is substantially shorter, tighter and makes you work the ball a little more. Back nine is a bit more open in spots but requires a great long game with 3 longer tough par 3s. The layout has a great flow to it. The greens were in great shape. Quick, firm rolling a true 11.5 on the stimp. Very little to no ballmarks present. I do see they are punching later this month. Rated 8.5/10 Fairways were lush for the most part with some areas a little thin and sandy under some shady spots. Rated 7.5/10. I was in 3 greenside bunkers that contained thicker base layer with ample raked sand. Rated 8/10 Rough was in good shape around the greens and fairways. Not to penal and didn't see much kikuya grass. Rated 8/10. Tee boxes were decent mostly level with a few being thin. No big deal. Rated 7/10. I know conditions here will, only improve with upcoming March rains and upcoming maintenance. Would highly endorse and recommend OVI.

Last course we played on 9/25. This is a resort course with many amenities. Shuttle available to the pro shop from the main parking area as there are not many close to the shop.

Front 9 has a lo... Continue »

Last course we played on 9/25. This is a resort course with many amenities. Shuttle available to the pro shop from the main parking area as there are not many close to the shop.

Front 9 has a lot of ups and downs, dog legs and elevated tee boxes. It is mostly goes through the wooded area and can be punishing if hit out of bounds. The back 9 is a lot flatter and mostly parallels the resort. The greens are small, so landing them in the center is the best. Carts do have GPS so this helped out.

An absolute Sunday delight this past weekend getting to play the Rancho Park men's club Tournament of Champions at the fabulous Ojai Valley Inn course. I had only played here once before and my memori... Continue »

An absolute Sunday delight this past weekend getting to play the Rancho Park men's club Tournament of Champions at the fabulous Ojai Valley Inn course. I had only played here once before and my memories of it vastly under-appreciated the true quality of this amazing track. In terms of layout, setting and challenge, it's an A+ ... there's absolutely no mistaking this course's quality not just in terms of design and terrain, but also its strategic challenge and the fun factor. It's just a great time and a really tough but ultimately rewarding set of holes. It's not extremely long (I played from the blue tees) but it does require a ton of accuracy on the target holes and the ability to hit both fades and draws depending on the hole. But the setting is just outstanding so you're often lost in the beauty of it all. All that being said, unfortunately there were a few issues on this particular day that I got out there. The POP was an absolute nightmare, and of course I know that I was playing behind several groups from the RPMGC. How it got that bad I will never know or understand, but we finished the 'front' nine (we started on hole 10) in three hours and fifteen minutes. It was pretty agonizing but had good company and a terrific setting so it could have been worse. All in all we finished at around five hours and forty-five minutes - not ideal. Carts were fortunately very plush and responsive, we had cart service all day at various intervals and the GPS works well, but I definitely still recommend a range finder. Greens were absolutely flawless - super fast and there are some crazy false fronts and other tiers you'll have to navigate and be at your very best to do so. Fairways had mostly good coverage with a few thin spots here and there, while the bunkers appeared to have ample sand from what I saw all day. The rough was very thick in spots but very playable in others - just depends on the hole and the shade factor. What wasn't great? A lot of the tee boxes were very sandy/dirt and made it difficult, especially on the par 3s. Really need some work there. But yes, overall this is an absolute gem of a course and makes you really feel like this is what golf was always meant to be as you meander from hole to hole. It's a timeless classic that still holds up and you should never pass up an opportunity to play here.

Made it out to Ojai Valley Inn for the first time today. Tee time was at 7:20, rode as a single and had pretty much the entire course to myself, finished in under 3 hrs. I caught the twosome ahead of ... Continue »

Made it out to Ojai Valley Inn for the first time today. Tee time was at 7:20, rode as a single and had pretty much the entire course to myself, finished in under 3 hrs. I caught the twosome ahead of me on hole 16. This place is a really fun and exciting experience, and I cannot wait to go back. As of right now the course is healing from the rains and from the recently punched greens. I would say they are about 80% back to normal but still need some time to be perfect. The water caused some flooding and at times I was in the mud, particularly on hole 13. The rest of the course is in phenomenal shape, a few tee boxes were being worked on but not the ones I was playing from. Just about every hole I saw a maintenance worker, 1 month from now this place is going to absolutely perfect.

For those who have never played it. The Ojai Valley Inn GC is a true turn back in history. Built in 1923, this course and facility turned into an army training ground during WWII. It returned to golf after the war and ever since has attracted families and golfers alike who are looking for a special experience. Much like a meal at a classic old restaurant, this classic golf experience should be on everyones bucket list. It is a par 70, 6292 yard but feels much larger as you often don't see the other holes. The views are stunning at times, especially the "lost holes". There are some long par 3's and some short par 5's. The carts have GPS and are brand new. The practice facility is very nice and a large putting green with undulation and several holes. If I were staying here I would spend some serious time practicing on the range. Yes this course is a resort course, and it feels that way, as you really do struggle to find your way to the actual course.

Course was in good condition despite recent heavy rain. Pin position five I found somewhat difficult. At times greens seemed quite firm. I got a lot of bounce and ended up far away from pin. Pace of p... Continue »

Course was in good condition despite recent heavy rain. Pin position five I found somewhat difficult. At times greens seemed quite firm. I got a lot of bounce and ended up far away from pin. Pace of play was fantastic we felt like we had the whole course to ourselves. Nice to have a 3’15” round. Great course for a splurge round. Played Friday 2/16/24

Last round of 2022 had me riding the blues this morning 12/30/2022 at the historic Ojai Valley Inn teeing off around 10:10am. I played through 4 foursomes and 1 threesome for a 3 hr POP with a threate... Continue »

Last round of 2022 had me riding the blues this morning 12/30/2022 at the historic Ojai Valley Inn teeing off around 10:10am. I played through 4 foursomes and 1 threesome for a 3 hr POP with a threatening rain chance that never materialized and cloudy skies and no wind. Very comfortable 58 degree day. Thx to Dave and his staff for having me out. OVI has a grass range, seperate chipping/putting area below the range Greens were terrific in the 8/10 range holding shots very softly and rolling beautifully. Fairways were mostly padded mostly lush surfaces with a winter yellow hue that were damp from overnight rains but very playable. Rated 7/10 Tees mostly level, lush and in good shape. It's a shame 18 is not where it usually is. They have the tips[blue tees] playing as a 300 yd par 4 up the hill. Rough was wet and in good shape. Most of the fringes and chipping area just off the greens were soggy more than usual. Rated 6.5/10 Was in greenside bunker on 1 and 7 which had a nice layer base of raked sand . Rated 7/10. Love this place! So many greats have played here. Highly recommended!

Played here today with a friend. We had a 12:50 TeeOff.com "Deal" time for about $78 pp after 20% off promo code. Checked in around 12:10 and were told we could start right away if we wanted to, so we... Continue »

Played here today with a friend. We had a 12:50 TeeOff.com "Deal" time for about $78 pp after 20% off promo code. Checked in around 12:10 and were told we could start right away if we wanted to, so we did. This led to crazy weird "tale of two nines" POP. We played the front nine in about 80-90 minutes, but then at the 10th tee, several groups were stacked up. We invited the twosome behind us to join us, which they did, and then the entire back nine was backed up. Overall time on course was still decent at around 4:00 hours, but the back took probably at least an hour longer than the front. Gorgeous day in Ojai with blue skies, big puffy clouds, a slight breeze and temps in the low 70s.

Conditions are very nice. Greens are smooth, medium-fast, and various firmness. Some full shots stopped very quickly while others took a bounce before stopping. Fairways are excellent with great coverage, providing nice lies that really sat up on top of the kikuyu. Rough was a little spottier but mostly nice, maybe 2-3 inches deep and could be somewhat penal because it's thick kikuyu. Blue tee boxes were mostly good; a couple were not. I was in two bunkers and they were both good.

Second time playing here. The setting is hard to beat and the course is fantastic. I love the first seven holes, then 8 through 14 are a little more pedestrian, then 14-18 are great again. The short par-3 8th is really weird with a different type of grass on the green than the rest of the course, rolling completely differently, too. Luckily we didn't have to play the neutered version of 18; the tees were at the actual 402-yard tee box. Definitely recommended at the rate I got.

NOTE: Aeration begins in a couple days.

Rode the blues today 2/5/2022 at 12 noon on a glorious weather day for golf. 70 degrees no wind and a POP of 4 hrs 30 minutes. Both the Inn and golf course was thriving today. Such a great setting to ... Continue »

Rode the blues today 2/5/2022 at 12 noon on a glorious weather day for golf. 70 degrees no wind and a POP of 4 hrs 30 minutes. Both the Inn and golf course was thriving today. Such a great setting to play golf. I was joined by a nice single and a nice twosome all riding. All grass range and putting/chipping green down below the range. Conditions were similar to my round here just before the holidays 6 weeks ago. Greens were in great shape! True quick greens that rolled pure. Only hole 6 and 8 were a little shaggy but the other 16 greens were in the 8.5 to 9 out of 10 range. Highlight of the course. Fairways were a mix color wise between green and yellow and had a nice padded base to hit from. Rated 6.5/10 Tees were all level and in good shape. Some of the par 3s on the front had a top dressing of sand which did not effect play. Rated 7/10 Was in 2 greenside bunkers that had darker sand and just enough sand in them. Rated 7/10 Rough was mowed down and in decent shape and playable. Most of the kikuya around the greens that used to be penal looked more manageable. Rated 6.5/10. Love playing here. Highly recommended. Thanks to Ojai Valley Inn for having me out.