Moorpark Country Club- Reviewed

Simi Valley-Moorpark has a tremendous amount of well conditioned and interesting golf courses and one that I have always wanted to play is Moorpark Country Club. There are 27 holes that run across the tops of ridges in the rolling hills of Moorpark (although 18 are only playable at a given time as they rotate one of the 9's). 

Every course in this area has its own unique flavor and in Moorpark's case, its forced carries right by the greens.

 I can't remember the last time I have been force to hit over gulches as much as I was here at Moorpark CC. It certainly forces a bit of humility on a golfer; do you go for it on your second shot or lay up and then try to short-iron something on a narrow green? I tried both approaches both with limited success (more a reflection of the current state of my game than the course).

Moorpark really is striking on how it is threaded through the terrain. It is little islands of green amongst rolling swales of brown and certainly lives up to the names of the nines that I played- Ridgeline and Canyon Crest:

Even though Moorpark has many unique attributes, it also has the classic SoCal hole. No water on the rest of the course but water comes into play on its par 3's.

I have played a variation of this hole so many times now. On the one hand it is picturesque and challenging. On the other hand, I can't help but ruefully chuckle every time I play this hole on every course. It is a design choice that reinforces the aridness of the rest of the course and if you play too many of these courses, the holes blend together after awhile.

The course was in great shape although surely due to the temps the greens were kept slow (probably because the greenskeeper didn't want them to die). The course is also pretty penal. Being set on ridges if you are errant in your drives your ball will find hills and gullies from which it will not come back.

Overall this course didn't suite my eye tremendously as it falls more into the Terra Rojada/Champions Club Retreat categories than it does Rustic Canyon but it was a super enjoyable round on a beautiful course and if you get views like this, it definitely makes it worth it to check it out:

For more info on MCC, check it out here: http://moorparkgolf.com/