- Beautiful course! Huge varieties of throws. NOT FLAT! Lots of elevation changes. Accuracy pays off dividends! Many opportunities for trouble (out of bounds) if you get greedy for birdies or aces.
Lots of trees and shrubs have recently been planted on the fairways of 8, 9, 17, and 18.
- All available space utilized in fantastic ways to created 18 fun and challenging holes.
- Mulch is brought in routinely to reduce weed growth and keep the dust down, (although the course has beautiful green grass right now!
The mulch piles give great terrain variety before they are spread.
- Most holes have 2-4 alternate pin placements, and there are more being planned.
- Many holes (#s 7, 9, 14, 16,) play surprisingly long!
- For the following descriptions, I'm assuming a clockwise rotation, (right handed backhand).
- Tee 1/10: It's easy to "saw" one off to the right and go out of bounds (OB) on or across the jogging trail. You would be wise to throw more to the right than you think you should. But be careful to no throw it right into the hill that rises to the right! The kiosk by tee 2/11 was strategically placed to intercept errant drives to long hole 10 and protect people waiting on tee 2/11.
- Tee 2/11: Be sure to make the mandatory to the right of the marked tree. The best shots I've seen are with big rimmed drivers (Boss, Firebird) with big skips. Local rule: missed mandy - play where you lie (unless OB on or over the jogging trail) and add a 1 stroke penalty.
- Tee 4/13: FUN, FUN, FUN! Short, steeply downhill shots. Just a bit long on hole 4 gets you an OB penalty, as the top of the slope down to the creek is marked OB. If it's a day of Santa Ana winds from the east, (rather than the trade wind, on-shore wind from the west), it's easy to flatten out a drive and go OB on or across the jogging trail.
When playing hole 4, the big rocks circling hole 13, form an OB area (Lake Conejo). Local rule: play where you lie (in Lake Conejo) and add 1 stroke penalty. With a solid putt, you can save a par! With an aggressive off-line putt, you can go OB in the creek!
When playing hole 13 the rocks form an island (Coney Island) that you must land on or you are OB. Local rule: play where you lie and add a 1 stroke penalty. Again, a nice putt can save your par!
Tee 5/14: Very uphill drives! Don't miss the mandy to the left of the marked pole! If you do, the local rule is to play where you lie and add a 1 stroke penalty. The short position of hole 5 is more challenging than it's longer position, as it is close to a steep embankment. If you're drive is short, you'll have tough footing to go along with your very uphill putt. If you're long, your comeback putt can wiz on by and go way downhill!
Hole 14 is an awesome shot steeply uphill, around a nice pepper tree, and back down a steeply sloped fairway. Short drives, (most are!), give a challenging downhill approach, or a dangerous putt. The long position of 14 is a HUGE drive! But I've seen Wally Moore park it with a broken in KC Roc!
Tee 6/15: Singnature holes! Trade winds from the west can turn over your drive (and long 6 is a pump!) and put you OB in the creek that runs along the right side of the entire fairway. Lots of work has been done to thin things out to make errant drives into the creek area easier to find! There is a very large bush (pyracantha) that is OB adding more challenge. This is a beautiful fairway, half-bowl shaped. Hole 6 is a long throw with OB to the right, in the fairway (pyracantha), and just past the hole! Hole 15 requires your drive to navigate between the creek and the pyracantha!
Tee 7/16: This tee is near the creek (very scenic!) and requires drives to go a long way, uphill, riding a hyzer. Recently added trees and mulch piles have added very nice touches to the fairways.
- Tee 8/17: Hole 8 is a fun "dinker" with 4 pin placements on and around a big dirt mound named The Anthill. Lots of new trees have made the hole much better. Putts are challenging.
Hole 17 is also much better now with many new trees. Hole 17 is placed close enough to the edge of a ridge, that if your drive is long, you may go a considerable way downhill, leaving a long uphill putt.
Tee 9/18: Hole is a long drive around and over trees.
Hole 18 "The Anthill 2" has 3 pin positions on and around a large mound. New trees, and elevated putt make this a cool hole. Beware of turning over your drive into the adjacent school yard!