Golfing Altadena Review

If you have traveled around a bit in your golfing life you will know that there are major differences between golfing on the East and the West coasts. Bentgrass vs. Poa Annua; lush green golf vs baked out fairways; etc. etc. Having played almost exclusively on the West Coast for the last 3 years I had gotten used to the course conditions out here until I ran into Altadena golf club and thought I was in Maine.

Sure, I don't think Maine has been this sunny in its entire life and has a lot less palm trees

but darnit if I didn't feel like I was back on the East Coast at a cheap but enjoyable 9 holer that I played with my dad. Growing up I wasn't exactly playing National Golf Links of America or Bethpage Black every weekend but courses like Cedar River, Rainbow Golf Club and Hillcrest.  

Altadena is very much in this East Coast vein. A little ragged on the edges sure but fun, fast and the right amount of challenging. When you have a course that has par 4's longer than its par 5, you know you are in for an interesting layout. 

Exhibit A are the par 3s; all uphill and all tough with a variety of shots to get you on the green.

Exhibit B are the wonderfully long par 4s that force you to shape shots and question your sanity on how the fairways slope when very well hit tee shots start running toward the trees.

The course even has some relaxing benches that remind me of certain East Coast tracks and were always well positioned to be the shade (a must for West Coast courses).

Are the greens slow and the fairways threadbare in places? You betcha. Are guys wearing jeans and weirdly starting on the 6th hole cutting in front of you? Sure why not! 

Since golf is so expensive even for "beater" courses, I made a resolution over the last year only to play the best that I could afford. That being said Altadena (and Roosevelt) are the exceptions to that rule, here I will pay some dough any time to play these tracks!

For more info on Altadena check out here: http://parks.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dpr/ThingsToDo/Golf/Altadena_Golf_Course

Golfing Fossil Creek Review

DFW or Dallas-Fort Worth. While Dallas and Fort Worth are close-ish together, they are miles apart in terms of topography and the types of golf courses that reside in each metroplex. Whereas Dallas is flat and residential, Fort Worth is much hillier with different style of courses.

One of the better courses in the FW area is Fossil Creek, which was designed by Arnold Palmer. I haven't played too many of Arnie's tracks so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. One neat thing about the clubhouse is that they have schematic drawings with the thought process behind each hole which you should definitely check out before or after the round.

The front side of the course is rather benign. It follows a creek but otherwise is not too remarkable although there are some forced carries.

That being said, I think the front side would be really good in the Summer when the fairways bake out and are cut a little more close (it was a bit shaggy the day I played).

The real reason to play this course is the backside, starting with a 190 yard par 3 with all of that distance over water.

It continues to crank up with multiple carries around water or taking water into consideration. My favorite hole of the course had to be number 12, which is a severe dogleg right around a lake with tee shots and approach shots crucial.

Hole 13 is just as challenging with a 170 yard carry over water. I played the hole to the left and then had an easy pitch on for a par. Its rare when you see a "sucker" green but this was it, bail out to the left, don't try and hold the green.

The rest of the back 9 has holes where you are shooting over creeks and quarries at various times, whether off the tee or right in front of the green.

The sand in the bunkers at Fossil Creek are top notch and the greens roll true so once you navigate the gullies and creeks and such, you definitely have a chance to score if you are near the green.

Overall the course is really challenging, especially on the backside which puts a premium on target golf and making sure you hit the ball over gullies. One other checkmark for this course are the hotdogs. Seriously, you won't have a better hot dog in the DFW area than at FC. I think I met the course on a slightly off period during the winter and my concerns about the shag in and around the fairways will probably be gone as the warmer temps get cranked up.

If you are in the FW of the DFW metroplex, definitely check this place out!

For more information on Fossil Creek, check it out here: http://www.thegolfclubatfossilcreek.com/

Golfing Alhambra

Los Angeles has a lot of courses in all varying sizes. Some are very short, no more than a pitching wedge required-type course. Some are regulation length and some even host major professional golf championships. There are a few courses in-between all of these, "I'm not a girl, not quite a woman" courses and I played a super enjoyable one the other day, Alhambra Golf Course.

The geography of the course is pretty impressive. No houses ring any fairways and there is a killer practice facility here. The course is also very engaging so much so that if I lived closer to Alhambra, this would be my go to golf destination most nights.

The course is short, no doubt about that. Many of the par 4's measure 280-300 yards in length but it is a well maintained course. They actually closed off portions of the fairways to allow them to recover to a higher playability standard. Even though it is short, it is entertaining and one of the most interesting features are the forced draws the course makes you hit.

For the most part, courses are designed with right handers who slice the ball in mind. I haven't seen a course in some time actually force you to go right-to-left like Alhambra does and it was a great challenge. Even if you do go right, there is enough room and trees are thinned enough to make recovery shots possible.

Apparently a lot of golfers use electric carts at the course which, given how short it is, was very perplexing although my playing partner said its because the backside is so hilly. And hilly it is!

While most could do these hills by walking them, I definitely got the point on why some regulars would want carts. Still the hills weren't that bad and added even more layers of challenge the course. Most executive-type courses basically require no more than a decent 3-5 wood and then some command of your wedges or shorter irons. Alhambra adds that but stretches all aspects of your game so I was cleaning a lot more clubs after the round than I was expecting.

Finally, Alhambra knows they are a short course and asks you to play accordingly, meaning no round there should take more than 4 hours and I love that pace of play mantra! There are a lot of courses in LA that are on my bucket list and Alhambra was one of them and I am so glad I checked it off the list!

For more info on Alhambra: http://www.alhambragolf.com/

Golfing Redhawk Review

Nestled in a canyon with housing developments on either side, Redhawk welcomes golfers to try out its crazy greens in Temecula.

The course itself is in pretty good shape, green where it needs to be

and with strategically placed bunkers that challenges tee shots and approach shots alike.

However, what I want to talk about when you talk about Redhawk are the greens. Many greens are not so much greens but rolling hills and god forbid if you hit your approach shot on the wrong level! There was a tournament going on the day I played and I experienced true Sunday pin placements with most pins cut on the tightest part of the green. This makes chip shots supremely difficult as the greens were also cut relatively fast.

This isn't necessarily a slam against the greens there its just that you have to know what you are in for. The fairways and the set up is rather unremarkable but knowledge of the greens is paramount if you want to score on this course.

The other interesting feature were the par 3's. Each one brought its own unique challenges and were very picturesque. I think this one has to be my favorite (with an Augusta National-type bridge to boot!)

Overall, if I am being honest, Redhawk was not my favorite. I felt the greens and the pin positions were too punitive and the par 3's do not make up the entire 18 and given Temcula's distance from LA I am not going to be gasing up to go back anytime soon. That being said, the staff was very friendly and the course is in good shape so if you are in the area, roll the dice and try your luck on the greens.

For more info on Redhawk check out the following: http://redhawkgolfcourse.com/

Los Verdes Golf Review

If you wanted to play golf on the Pacific coast say near Los Angeles your options are the very expensive Trump course, the very expensive Pelican Hill, Monarch Beach or the very expensive (for non-locals) Torrey Pines. Where I am going with this of course is that there is another option for you. Specifically Los Verdes golf course which has a walking weekday rate of $29. $29!

Now, there is a downside to this insanely low rate, that everyone in SoCal knows about it and the course is often jammed resulting in horror stories of guys giving up finishing 18 holes after 6 (6!) hours on the course. I vowed that I would only play Los Verdes if I went there out at the crack of dawn and thus:

Glowballs! Glowballs for the first 2 holes to be precise as my 6:07am tee time slightly preceded daylight. It also rained on my head for about 4 holes so I don't really have any memories to offer for the first few holes other than the holes being short-ish and you were never out of it even with glowballs.

Eventually, the rain let up the sun poked through and I staggered my way around the front side in a daze. The front side is in good shape with the course  being well designed to whisk away rain and views here and there of the Pacific.

As with Sandpiper, this course really turns it on during the backside and is WELL worth your $29.

Downhill driveable (even for the average Joe) par 4 with views of the Pacific? Check.

Crazy long and crazy fun dogleg left that ends in the Pacific? Check.

Cliffside par 5 (don't go left!)? Triple check!

Coupled with some pretty fun par 3's, the backside packs a punch is well worth the early ups and the kinda surly regulars playing behind you. Pace of play was sub 4 hours on our part BTW.

Downsides for the course? The backside, while fun and pretty, was a bit waterlogged but also threadbare in parts of the fairway and I saw the greens bounce a few putts (in fairness, the course is SO heavily played the fact that the greens did not resemble the craters of the moon was a minor miracle). The staff was great, the course was in surprisingly good shape overall and the pace of play didn't have me slam my head against the wall.

Overall I was so glad I played this course, although now I need a nap.

For more information about Los Verdes, check out the link here: http://www.losverdesgc.com/

Golfing Sandpiper- Review

When you think of the top golf courses in California what comes to mind? Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, Olympic Club, Torrey Pines. All of these courses are classic and all have something in common, views of the ocean. What if I were to tell you that you can have the same experience at those courses at a fraction of the price compared to the others and without the exclusivity hassles?

Well my friends, let me introduce you to Sandpiper in Sant Barbara. While not cheap (Twilight rates start at $80), this course is well worth every penny. You wouldn't necessarily think that this course is all that and a bag of chips with the first few holes being rather straightforward affairs.

The course really kicks into gear on the fifth hole with a severe uphill tee shot and a horizon as blue as the far as the eye can see.

You end up on the top of the bluffs surveying the course and you start to get a sense on how special this place is.

The course dips back towards the clubhouse but don't worry, you will get plenty of action on the backside.

The fun all starts on 10 with an outrageous dogleg left with crazy cliffs on the left.

with a well placed shot you have a great shot to the green but try not to be distracted by the scenery.

I just so happen to hit the 7 iron of a lifetime which resulted in another great view from the green.

With still another 8 holes to go on the backside you better buckle-up for the downhill 190 yard par 3 11th

which has to be the best view from a green not named Cypress Point.

Next hole up, hole 12 which is a huge uphill par 4 with an almost blind second shot and looking back makes you almost blind with the wonderful views.

The course continues with a killer par 5 over 2 ravines with the Pacific always on the right.

The course winds up heading back to the clubhouse and in one more watery twist, the course ends on a par 3 over water.

The course isn't perfect. The fairways are a bit threadbare (probably due to California's ongoing drought) and the pace of play was great but can get a bit stacked up on the wowza holes. However, on a whole, if you like ocean-infused golf courses, this is probably the best one you can play in SoCal.

If you want more Sandpiper info, please check out the link here! https://www.sandpipergolf.com/