Ventura County Golf Course Reviews
Lost Canyons, Sky Golf Course Review
Simi Valley, CA
75.6 rating; 147 slope |
Lost Canyons, Sky Golf Course Overview: This golf course is built on land that only Pete Dye could have
worked with. There are many good golf holes that provide a stiff challenge, and even a few breather holes. However, even Pete
couldn't escape creating a handful of golf holes that are not plagued by very hilly shots. Visually stunning on most of the
holes, the pure golf value of some shots is lost due to the penal nature of what happens when the golfer goes off line a little or hits a blind shot thought to be good that ends up in trouble, but fortunately, most of the holes are fair. The golf holes that best avoid these pitfalls and have strong merit are reviewed below:
Lost Canyons, Sky Course Hole 2: This marvelous par 3 is visually daunting as the green seems perched upon a cliff. Of course, this is true. Anything left will find the obvious manufactured slope and deep bunkers 15 feet below the green and anything long is long gone. Hitting the green or bailing out right (but not on the hillside is a must. |
Similar Golf Course Reviews:
- Moorpark Country Club - Rustic Canyon Golf Course - The deceased Lost Canyons Shadow Course |
Lost Canyons, Sky Course Hole 3: This short par four doesn't seem short from the tee as the drive must carry 240 yards over the junk (it is a little downhill) to the fairway. This means that basically it is nearly impossible to have a second shot longer than a wedge to the uphill green (unless the player doesn't clear the creek and has to drop back, but that's not ideal).
Lost Canyons, Sky Course Hole 4: This par five has an interesting tee shot that actually should fly the right half of the tree on the left (assuming the golfer has the distance), but not go left of it. The other alternative is to lay up short of the bunker on the right. The green is tucked behind a second hill up on the right, so any golfer going for the green in two will have to take it on faith. The layup to the left will provide a better angle to the green.
Lost Canyons, Sky Course Hole 9: The only lake on the golf course is prominently featured on the elevated drive at the ninth. A solid shot should easily avoid it, but the tempting play is to cut off a large chunk of the bunker on the right to leave a shorter approach, which brings the lake more into play. The green, like most at the Sky course, has subtle tiers.
Lost Canyons, Sky Course Hole 11: From the back two sets of tees, this drive is long, uphill and nasty with hillside on the right. From the shorter tees, it is a simple dogleg right par four. The green has a large bunker right protecting it and a hillside left.
Lost Canyons, Sky Course Hole 12: Downhill all the way, this par five requires accuracy off the drive to avoid the trouble left and right. The green is tucked slightly behind a little hill, where there is more room to the right than obvious from the fairway. Left on the second shot provides the best view, but too far left will earn a penalty stroke.
Lost Canyons, Sky Course Hole 14: This par five is designed up against the hills and seems to flow well along them. The drive has to avoid the large bunkers, hill on the right and junk left. The green is then slightly right and tucked behind a hill. At over 600 yards from the tips, only two very solid shots from a super hero can reach this green in two, so setting up a good approach shot is recommended to the slightly uphill green, complete with a tier.
Lost Canyons, Sky Course Hole 15: This short par four is all about target golf. With a dry creek right of the fairway that is then crossed on the second shot, two accurate plays must be made to avoid penalty strokes.
Lost Canyons, Sky Course Hole 17: Similar to number 2, this par three golf hole is on the edge of a cliff. The difference is that this one is shorter, but the golfer is much higher up so the disaster waiting an errant shot is more evident. Also, there aren’t the “forgiving” bunkers left of this two-tiered green. The front pin placement is docile enough, but the back pin placement, in a single word, is terrifying.