Golf Top 18 Recent Courses Blog - Golf Top 18

A Sterling Start to 2017

2/5/2017

2017 got off to a great golfing start with me playing a weekend round in perfect weather with my son. He's only 8 and this is about his 5th 18 hole round; and it was his best with him scoring his lowest ever. I set him up with a course length around 3,000 yards and he does a great job learning and getting better.

For me, after laying off golf for about 5 weeks, it took a few golf holes to get my swing back but I played lights out for the middle 10 holes of the round and then ran out of gas, but limped in with a good score. I'm also happy to update my Sterling Hills review with a few more pictures and updated review. it's still one of the more enjoyable courses to play in Ventura County.

Ventura Golf Course Review Picture

Trip Down Memory Lane

5/6/2014

Ojai Golf Picture

I took a trip with my two friends pictured here and we had a three-round weekend, which led to an improved review of Moorpark Country Club where I ended up with a strong finish on the Ridgeline nine that had previously kicked my butt.

I was able to re-vamp my reviews on Ojai Valley and La Purisima, two great golf courses where I have strong memories of my early golfing life. The former was the first time I watched the pros (senior tour) and I remember walking around with my dad and the latter is where I played in my first scramble tournament with my dad and we won 4th place (not particularly noteworthy, but funny to even get a 4th place trophy). This time around I didn't play so great at either place but I really enjoyed the day at both places and had fun times with unusual wagers, drinking and otherwise being foolish.

La Purisima Golf Picture

A Sterling Round

3/23/2014

I just got a chance to head out and play some weekend golf at one of my favorite, reasonably priced public courses in Ventura County: Sterling Hills (see updated review). Growing up nearby, the day was reminiscent of so many afternoon rounds played in my youth with a sky of half clouds and half sun, mild temperatures and a steady 1-2 club breeze coming from the ocean. I played really well and felt this was my first solid round of 2014.

Bad Birthday Blues

10/17/2013

I don't want to pretend this is a sob story, because it is not. However, on paper, my birthday weekend this year seemed pretty good, but did not live up to expectations.

First, I was able to search the web and find a good "free golf on your birthday week" type deal at Elkins Ranch Golf Course, where I had not played since 1997 (see picture below). The deal was honored, but I also picked the first day this year where the dreaded Santa Ana winds blew strong: and they blew very strong. The course is located in an agricultural area and has mature trees as well, so let's just say that there was a crazy amount of debris on the greens and dust in the air, making for a long day of golf. The course itself was actually pretty solid, but my timing couldn't have been worse.

Elkins Ranch Hole #3 Picture

Then, on my actual birthday, I went out with my buddy and played the Desert Spring Palm Course in Palm Desert. After a torrid start where we were a combined 3 under after two holes, we ran into a wall of humanity and our scores began to suffer. I called the starter who told us the best course of action was to just start over after nine as the front was now "wide open". This could not have been farther from the truth. After playing 1 through 5 again (waiting for a group a head of us) we hit the same wall again with different people. So, we skipped ahead to #10 and then played a terribly slow back nine, skipping another hole along the way just to finish before our dinner reservation. I actually quite like the course, so it was too bad that the management doesn't have better control over the flow of traffic out there.

Anyway, if this was an isolated incident, i wouldn't have written the post, but over the last 4 years, i've played 6 rounds during my birthday week, and 5 of the six have yielded bad scores with strong winds on half of them and me even getting injured once. I'm beginning to wonder if I should spend my birthday weeks indoors!!

Pretty Don't Matter None

5/27/2013

ojai golf Picture, ventura golf picture, ojai golf review photo, santa barbara golf review photo

First, let me say congratulations to Boo Weekley on winning at Colonial this week and let me say that I love his down to earth style. So, the title of this blog is something I thought of when my wife took this picture, but something I think Boo might have also told me after witnessing my tee shot above (red circle shows where the ball was). The picture below is me posing for what a golf swing finish "should" look like, but, i'm not sure it would have ended up better as, believe it or not, the ugly swing above went about 265 with a high fade over the trees exactly as I had hoped it would, minus the ridiculous looking finish.

ojai golf Picture, ventura golf picture, ojai golf review photo, santa barbara golf review photo

Secondly, for those of you wondering, this awesome golf hole is #18 at Ojai Valley Inn, the review of which I've updated. This time I played on a perfect day and they let me bring along my wife, kids and mother (paid for a second cart). I want to reiterate how great the course is and, although we've never stayed at the resort because my mom lives so close when we visit this area, it looks awesome for a nice golf/spa weekend getaway from Los Angeles or a longer vacation from elsewhere, especially in spring or fall when the weather is ideal.

Golf with Friends

3/24/2013

As I begin to emerge from the perennially rough part of my working year, I look forward to more days like the one I had this weekend. I had the chance to play 36 holes at Sterling Hills Golf Club with my good buddies. Although the first round was a little rough (nobody played particularly well), the second round showed some improvement and it was just great to get out in the warm California sun and enjoy some spirited competition and camaraderie.

Is this the face of a golf snob?

2/10/2013

This is one of the earliest pictures of me holding a golf club. My formative golfing years were spent at Saticoy Country Club, which is a great golf course, but I never felt like a snobby golfer or person, especially since there were plenty of those to go around at the course and my father as an oilfield worker was far from one of those. When my father eventually sold his membership, I started finally playing lots and lots of other golf courses, hence this website.

Now, as GolfTop18 approaches 200 golf courses I have reviewed officially, I think I'm becoming more and more of a golf snob. Let me be clear, I'm far from snooty when it comes to interactions with most golfers, clothes (i don't specifically buy golf clothes), clubs (i buy them rarely), a golfer's skill or anything like that. However, a recent round at a less than savory golf course where I actually walked off in the middle, let me to come to the conclusion that I can no longer stomach playing golf courses that are mundane, poorly manicured or otherwise just bad. I'd rather spend more money or drive farther to find a course that inspires me, and there are many of those. They say the first step to address a problem is admission, and I'm there. However, I don't really feel like I want a cure.

Late October Lament

10/19/2012

This time of year, I try to take advantage of at least one late afternoon golf round before the dastardly time change renders all hope of such ventures mute. This year, I jumped out to Rustic Canyon one afternoon after work. There was one other single golfer that I flew by on my way to a 1 hour, 40 minute round and my lowest score of the year. With only three weeks to go before the inevitable happens, the question is whether or not I'll have the good fortune to get out again under similar circumstances. Here's to hope.

Am I a bad person?

6/24/2012

I played the Vineyard Course at River Ridge in Oxnard this weekend and did something, although unintentional, that made me feel like a bad person...and then was rewarded for it.

After a bad drive on the long 14th hole (the 13 hole is pictured above) I had 255 yards to the green. In front of me was a father with two children between 6 and 9 by my guess). After waiting for 5 minutes for those children to stop running around the fairway and finally get to the green, I prepared to hit my 3-wood, which I figured would, if I hit it solid, end up just short of the green or large bunker to its right.

I proceeded to blister it on the fly onto the front of the green and it two hopped between the children before coming to rest on the back of the green about 270 yards away. Of course, being a father, I watched in horror and felt sick to my stomach even though nobody was hurt. Of course, I then drain the 35 foot putt for birdie and catch fire, going on to par out the rest of the round, which made me feel less bad. :)

Single Greatest Athletic Achievement

4/17/2012

I recently played Olivas Links, which conjured up a lot of memories. This golf course was completely redesigned a few years ago, leaving nothing from the prior Olivas Park Golf course. Although the new golf course is better, the bulldozing of the old took a lot of my youth history with it as OPGC was the site of my first ever 18 hole golf round, and my single greatest athletic achievement.

My first full round was played when I was 9 years old and my father made me count every shot on my way to a 72-72, 144 total score. Fifteen years later I invited my father to play the same course (on the same calendar day). We talked jokingly about how it would be great if I could shoot a 36-36, for 72 to exactly halve my first round. A slow start and 39 on the front killed my chances for that, but I got red hot on the back nine and came into the tough 17th par 3 into a strong wind. I hit a five iron to two feet and all of a sudden was 3 under on the back, only needing to par the easy par 5 18th to shoot 72, record my lowest 9 hole score ever, and complete a memorable day.

After a loose approach shot put me on the right fringe of the 18th green, I smoked my 30 foot putt a good 8 feet by the hole and I was so nervous standing over the next putt my hands were sweating and I had to back away twice. To this day, I can't remember ever feeling more pressure over any sporting moment in my life. Long story short, my putt curled into the corner of the cup and I felt like I had won the Masters. Looking up and seeing the pride in my father's eyes was very special and I felt like I had accomplished something for both of us.

Due to various reasons, my father and I only played a handful of golf rounds after that, and with my father recently deceased, this will always go down as a favorite sporting memory for me, now made more mysterious as it was done on a course that no longer exists in that form.