Los Angeles County Golf Course Reviews
Skylinks at Long Beach Review
Long Beach, CA
72.6 rating; 130 slope |
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Skylinks at Long Beach Overview: This municipal golf course features the typical back and forth holes, split by trees and / or water hazards. The greens are surprisingly fast and difficult to putt, and the two closing holes are really tough. Overall, it is a challenging design considering the low green fees and mundane surroundings that are not incredibly inspiring, although one can get their "tower buzzed" from time to time by low flying aircraft from the nearby Long Beach Airport. See below for a review of the best golf holes:
Skylinks Hole 3: This medium length par four features a wide landing area short of the lake but the golfer needs to avoid going right where there is a trio of sand traps. The approach shot will have to the fly the lake and the farther left the drive is, the more difficult the angle will be. The green is wide and shallow making the shot all the more difficult, especially when the pin is back-left where the plateau it sits on is tiny. |
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Skylinks Hole 4: With out of bounds all the way down the left, along with a couple of prominent bunkers, the usual miss on this hole is to the right, but that brings into play trees and thick bushes that will make par very difficult as well. The green is fairly shallow, but wide.
Skylinks Hole 5: There is nothing too tricky about this par three, but avoiding the sand trap the front left of the green is a really good idea as it is very deep.
Skylinks Hole 7: This strong dogleg left par four features large trees down the left and bunkers on the right off the tee. The green has a ridge running through it and given the angle, shots can bound over the green and down the small hill towards the bushes, if not properly controlled.
Skylinks Hole 15: The last par five of the day features a choice from the tee: play to the fairway to the right for a typical par five, or try to cut the row of trees on the left to attack the green that is way to the left in two.
Skylinks Hole 17 (left): With OB and a series of bunkers left on the drive, the no-brainer is to hit the drive in the fairway or in the right rough, which also sets up for the best angle to the green, even if the second shot will be a little longer on this slight dog leg left. The green is multi-tiered so accuracy on the approach is a must.
Skylinks Hole 18 (below): The last golf hole of the day is brutal. As with #17, most of the trouble of the tee is left, so going right is the best option for a mistake. The approach, however, is over a lake that sits front left of the green. At 450 yards, hitting an approach with a long iron over the lake from the rough is not very appetizing. The green is kidney shaped and tough to putt.
Skylinks Hole 18 (below): The last golf hole of the day is brutal. As with #17, most of the trouble of the tee is left, so going right is the best option for a mistake. The approach, however, is over a lake that sits front left of the green. At 450 yards, hitting an approach with a long iron over the lake from the rough is not very appetizing. The green is kidney shaped and tough to putt.
