Ventana Canyon - Mountain Course

Course continues to be in fine shape, albeit a notch below what it was maybe a month ago. No recent rain and warmer temps have the course dried out again.

The back 9 will be closing for 3+ months soon to redo the sprinkler system. Not sure if that is a factor or just what I wrote above. However, putts I was running 3-5' by the hole a few weeks ago are now coming up 2-3' short. They look nice, but they went from medium fast bordering on too fast for recreational golfers to medium slow in about 2 weeks.

Fairways lush and nice to play from, lots of rolls. Good POP rough, you can almost always spot your ball from 50 yards away. Tees very well kept up, lush with few divots and the sand is among the best around here.

Course completely unwalkable because it is so spread out. Nice restaurant, excellent driving range with multiple practice areas. Almost always excellent customer service. Highly recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.1/135) multiple afternoons this week twilight. Course is getting more packed everyday, so expect 4.5H rounds. Course currently very lush/green after overseeding completed.

Tees mostly lush and close to immaculate. Had plenty of time to fix divots a couple days playing as a 2some or 3some behind 4somes.

Fairways being watered heavily because of the recent overseeding and not yet firm. Plays LONG w/o the normal amount of roll out.

Rough is now thick, nicely maintained and becoming punitive even though maintained fairly low.

Sand here is plentiful, thick and deep around the greens. Hardpacked on the fairway traps. Almost always maintained every day by the staff.

Large Bermuda greens are firm and smooth. Beginning to roll quick again.

Fun to play Fazio layout that constantly goes up/down rolling hills. Nice restaurant on site with reasonable golf course prices and a good selection. Excellent all grass practice area which includes range balls and multiple chipping/putting greens. Carts have all the GPS features one would expect. Customer service always good at this facility. Usually no drink cart on weekdays, snack shop @ the turn is available. Because this course is so spread out, you rarely see walkers here. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.1/135) in around 4.5 H twilight with 2 nice vacationers. 85, clear and just a little breezy made for very comfortable playing conditions. The front 9 just reopened recently after being closed all summer to renovate the sprinkler system. currently very lush/green after overseeding completed.

Tees mostly lush and level with few unfixed divots.

Fairways firm. and lush. Not yet cut tight to produce lots of rolls.

Rough is now a good combination of overseed vertical grass mixed with horizonal Bermuda.

Sand very nicely maintained. Plentiful, thick and deep around the greens. Hardpacked on the fairway traps.

Large Bermuda greens are rolling smooth and quick again after the front 9 was closed all summer. Firm with few ball marks because of the firmness.

Nice restaurant on site with a good selection and reasonable golf course prices. Excellent all grass practice area which includes range balls. Carts have nice GPS. Customer service always good at this facility. Usually no drink cart on weekdays, snack shop @ the turn is available. Because this course is so spread out, you rarely see walkers here. Fun to play Fazio layout that constantly goes up/down rolling hills to get in 18 on this course. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.3/137) in less than 3H. 100, clear and calm. Fazio layout that is fun to play. Only a few holes with water but native hazard areas on both sides of most holes make this a penal course if you stray. Depending on tee selection, there can be almost no forced carries or forces carries on every hole on your tee shots. More holes play downhill than uphill. Numerous greens run away from the golfer, which creates challenges when they speed them up.

Tees mostly lush/level but are less maintained than normal. Scruffy is my adjective for the way they keep the tees this time of year.

Fairways are lush and play firm. They are cutting them down so that you can again roll down hills instead of stopping. Which is often more bad than good here.

Bermuda rough is lush, thick and often penal.

Greenside sand traps nicely maintained with plenty of thick, soft white sand. Fairway bunkers firmer and not as well maintained.

Large Bermuda greens are firm with few ball marks. Smooth and they have cut they down recently, speed back up to medium fast. Getting to where once the fringes are mowed tight again, aggressive putts toward the front may end up 20 yards down the hill off the green on numerous holes.

Nice GPS on the carts. Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Friendly customer service is always very good here. On course services only on weekends in high season, but snack shop @ the turn and a nice restaurant onsite. Recommended.

Rode the Greens on the back Canyon x 2 twilight in 3H. Sunny, high 90's with little breeze.

Tees mostly level/lush but are furry during the summer.

Fairways are lush and not cut as tight as they are in prime season. Still good to play from, just less roll.

Bermuda Rough is lush and can be penal. Can either be a perfect lie or a 1/2 shot penalty within a small area.

Sand is plentiful here and usually very well maintained. Greenside thick and deep, fairways more hardpan.

Greens firm, smooth but putt medium slow. Maintained higher because of the summer heat. Few ball marks because they are firm, so everything releases here.

Carts have upgraded GPS. Friendly customer service on all levels. No on course services, but snack shop @ the turn with a nice restaurant onsite. Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Challenging Fazio layout that is up/down rolling hills and fun to play. Almost every hole has lateral hazard native areas, so accuracy is a premium on this layout. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.3/137) playing behind a H.S. golf match who were walking. 105 and clear made it nice to find shade while I watched the H.S. kids play. Playing multiple balls made the wait okay and watching the kids play brought back great memories.

Fazio layout that is fun to play. Depending on tee choice, many forced carries. More holes play downhill than uphill and some greens run away from the golfer. Only a few holes with water but native hazard areas on both sides of most holes make this a penal layout if not straight.

Tees lush/level but are furry. Less maintained than normal.

Fairways are lush and maintained longer than usual, decreasing the roll.

Bermuda rough is thick and can be penal.

Greenside sand traps nicely maintained with plenty of thick, soft white sand. Fairway bunkers firmer and not as well maintained.

Large Bermuda greens are firm with few ball marks. Letting them grow longer in the summer makes them bumpier and definitely slower.

Nice GPS on the carts. Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Friendly customer service is always very good here. On course services only on weekends in high season, but snack shop @ the turn and a nice restaurant onsite. Recommended.

Rode the Greens on the Canyon back Canyon twilight. Overcast, mid 90's with little breeze made for decent golfing conditions.

First time playing here in 6 weeks and all I can say is WOW... and it's not a good wow either. While many courses would be very pleased with these conditions, this is about as bad as I have ever seen Ventana.

Tees mostly level/lush and furry from not being cut down recently.

Fairways lush and furry, so not playing as firm and fast as they normally do. Still good to play from.

Rough is often thick Bermuda and can either be a perfect lie or a 1/2 shot penalty. Within a small area, your ball could be sitting up like on a tee or you practically need to be on top of it to see it.

Sand is plentiful here and nicely maintained. Greenside thick and deep, fairways more hardpan.

Greens firm, smooth and putt medium slow. Few ball marks because they are firm, so everything releases here. But you had to whack putts to get them by the hole.

Carts have upgraded GPS. Friendly customer service on all levels. No on course services, but snack shop @ the turn with a nice restaurant onsite. Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Recommended only if you got a good deal on the price until they start mowing more often.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.3/137) in around 3.5H. 108, breezy and partly cloudy. It was still HOT!

Fazio layout that is fun to play. Only a few holes with water but native hazard areas on both sides of most holes make this a penal course if not straight. Depending on tee choice, many forced carries. More holes play downhill than uphill and some greens run away from the golfer.

Tees mostly lush/level but are less maintained than normal.

Fairways are getting many brown spots. Firm with lots of roll. Still okay to play from, but do not look emerald green like normal in low season.

Bermuda rough mostly mowed down and not overly penal.

Greenside sand traps nicely maintained with plenty of thick, soft white sand. Fairway bunkers firmer and not as well maintained.

Large Bermuda greens are firm with few ball marks. Recently top dressed. Smooth and medium speed, they are what I would call "Summer slow".

Nice GPS on the carts. Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Friendly customer service is always very good here. On course services only on weekends in high season, but snack shop @ the turn and a nice restaurant onsite. Recommended.

Rode the Greens on the back Canyon/front Mountain midday in 4.5H with John/Chris. Sunny, low 90's with little breeze made for nice golfing conditions.

Very challenging Fazio layout that is up/down rolling hills and fun to play. Almost every hole has lateral hazard native areas, so accuracy is a premium on this layout.

Tees mostly level/lush but with too many unfixed divots.

Fairways drying out and have some brown patches. But cut tight and still good to play from.

Rough is clumpy Bermuda and can either be a perfect lie or a 1/2 shot penalty within a small area.

Sand is plentiful here and immaculately maintained. Greenside thick and deep, fairways more hardpan.

Greens firm, smooth and putt medium fast. Few ball marks because they are firm, so everything releases here.

Carts have upgraded GPS. Friendly customer service on all levels. No on course services, but snack shop @ the turn with a nice restaurant onsite. Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.3/137) in less than 4H. 90, breezy and partly cloudy made the weather comfortable.

Tees mostly lush/level but have a lot more divots than normal.

Fairways are getting many brown spots. Firm with lots of roll. Still good to play from, but do not look emerald green like normal.

Bermuda rough mostly mowed down.

Greenside sand traps nicely maintained with plenty of thick, soft white sand. Fairway bunkers firmer and not as well maintained.

Large Bermuda greens are firm and getting better by the day. Smooth and medium fast.

Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Nice GPS on the carts. Very friendly customer service is always top notch here. On course services only on weekends in high season, but snack shop @ the turn and a nice restaurant onsite. Fazio layout that is fun to play. Only a few holes with water but native hazard areas on both sides of more holes than not. Depending on tee choice, many forced carries. More holes play downhill than uphill and some greens run away from the golfer. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.1/135) in less than 3H twilight. 95 and calm made for surprisingly pleasant playing conditions.

Tees lush and level with few unfixed divots.

Fairways firm with lots of roll. Mostly lush, cut tight bit beginning to get some brown spots from the heat.

Rough is mostly clumpy Bermuda coming out of dormancy.

Sand nicely maintained. Plentiful, thick and deep around the greens. Hardpacked on the fairway traps.

Large Bermuda greens are at least 2 weeks away from being smooth again after spring pucnhing. Firm but have slowed to medium speed with the warmer weather. Few ball marks because of the firmness.

Challenging, fun to play Fazio layout that constantly goes up/down rolling hills. Excellent all grass practice area which includes range balls. Carts have nice GPS. Customer service always top notch at this facility. Usually no drink cart on weekdays, snack shop @ the turn is available. Nice restaurant on site with a good selection and reasonable golf course prices. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.3/137) in less than 4H. Weather has been great, 90ish with low humidity most days.

Tees very lush/level with few divots.

Fairways are excellent to play from. Lush and firm with lots of roll.

Roughly mostly Bermuda still mixed with winter Rye. Thick and can be punitive even a few inches off many fairways and greens.

Greenside sand traps nicely maintained with plenty of thick, soft white sand. Fairway bunkers firmer.

Large Bermuda greens are firm and still recovering from spring maintenance. Probably 2 more weeks until they are smooth and roll well again.

Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Nice GPS on the carts. Fun Fazio layout that features native hazard areas on both sides of more holes than not. Depending on tee choice, forced carries as well. More holes play downhill than uphill and some greens run away from you. Very friendly customer service is always top notch here. On course services only on weekends in high season, but snack shop @ the turn and a nice restaurant onsite. Recommended.

Front 9 currently closed for aerification. So rode the back 9 Green tees twice to get in 18 holes. nice challenge, because that is the toughest 9 @ Ventana of the four. Weather has been warm but still nice. Mostly in the 90's with little wind. POP rarely an issue, they usually have Player Assistants out patrolling. My front 9 as a 3some was slightly over 3H, the back 9 as a single in barely over an H with no one out late in the day.

Tees lush/level with few divots.

Fairways excellent to play from. Lush and firm with lots of roll.

Bermuda rough growing in nicely with the warm temps. Ball can easily sit down as it grows out more.

Greenside sand traps well maintained with plenty of thick, soft white sand. Fairway bunkers firmer.

Large Bermuda greens are firm and smooth with few ball marks. Down to medium speed with the warmer weather.

Fun Fazio layout that features native hazard areas on both sides of nearly every hole. Depending on tee choice, forced carries on many holes and more holes play downhill than uphill. Friendly customer service is always very good. Usually no on course services. Snack shop @ the turn and a nice restaurant onsite. Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Nice GPS on the carts. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.1/135) in less than 3H twilight. With temps consistently in the 90's recently, the course is drying out and the Bermuda taking over everywhere again.

Tees lush and level. Really nice to play from with few unfixed divots.

Fairways firm with lots of roll. Mostly lush and excellent to play from.

Rough is mostly clumpy Bermuda coming out of dormancy.

Sand nicely maintained. Plentiful, thick and deep around the greens. Hardpacked on the fairway traps.

Large Bermuda greens smooth, firm but have slowed to medium speed with the warmer weather. Few ball marks because of the firmness.

Fun, challenging Fazio layout that is up/down rolling hills. Customer service always excellent at this facility. Usually no drink cart on weekdays, snack shop @ the turn is available. Nice restaurant on site with a good selection and reasonable golf course prices. Excellent all grass practice area which includes range balls. Carts have nice GPS. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.1/135) five times since my last review. POP usually around 4H, 15M on this course.

There was a very rare sighting @ Ventana this week.

Was it a bird? No, it wasn't a bird. Was it a plane? No, not a plane either. Was it Superman? Nope. What was it? Something even more rare... It was actual, verified 1Plus1 sightings for 7 consecutive days on an actual golf course. Even more gratifying was to witness Jeff getting his game back into shape after a long layoff by going 75-74 his last 2 rounds on a tough course. Not bad for a skinny old guy!

Tees lush and level. Excellent to play from with few unfixed divots. With the warm weather, incredible how quickly properly repaired divots are completely gone and look lush again.

Fairways firm with lots of roll. Lush and excellent to play from.

Rough is either clumpy Bermuda coming out of dormancy or what is left of thick, overseeded Rye.

Sand immaculately maintained. Plentiful, thick and deep around the greens. Hardpacked on the fairway traps.

Large Bermuda greens smooth, firm and medium fast. Few ball marks, these greens roll nicely.

Customer service excellent at this facility. Usually no drink cart on weekdays, snack shop @ the turn is available. Nice restaurant on site with a good selection and reasonable golf course prices. Excellent all grass practice area which includes range balls. Carts have nice GPS. Fun, challenging Fazio layout that is up/down rolling hills. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.3/137) twice in the last week. Weather has been fantastic, in the 80's with little wind. POP rarely an issue, they usually have Player Assistants out patrolling. Usually slightly over 4H on this course.

Tees very lush/level with few divots.

Fairways are excellent to play from. Lush and firm with lots of roll.

Bermuda rough coming out of dormancy still mixed with winter Rye. Thick and can be punitive even a few inches off many fairways and greens.

Greenside sand traps excellent with plenty of thick, soft white sand. Fairway bunkers firmer, both are well maintained.

Large Bermuda greens are firm, smooth and few ball marks. Great trifecta, they roll really nice.

Very friendly customer service is always top notch here. On course services only on weekends in high season, but snack shop @ the turn and a nice restaurant onsite. Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Nice GPS on the carts. Fun Fazio layout that features native hazard areas on both sides of nearly every hole. Depending on tee choice, forced carries as well and more holes play downhill than uphill. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.1/135) several times in the last few days. POP slightly over 4H on average here.

Tees lush and level with few unfixed divots.

Fairways lush and excellent to play from. Firm, lots of roll.

Rough is either clumpy Bermuda coming out of dormancy or what is left of thick, overseeded Rye.

Sand immaculately maintained. Plentiful, thick and deep around the greens. Hardpacked on fairway traps.

Large Bermuda greens smooth, firm and medium fast. Few ball marks, these greens roll nice.

Customer service excellent at this facility. No Drink cart on weekdays, snack shop @ the turn is available. Nice restaurant on site with good selection, reasonable golf course prices. Excellent all grass practice area which includes range balls. Carts have nice GPS. Fun Fazio layout that features native hazard areas on both sides of nearly every hole. Depending on tee choice, forced carries as well. Many more holes play downhill than uphill. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.3/137) early morning with a very nice Sr. couple. 80ish, clear and calm. Easy 4H POP, never rushed.

Tees lush/level with few divots other than par 3's and they regularly repair them.

Fairways lush, play firm and are excellent to play from.

Bermuda rough coming out of dormancy still mixed with winter Rye. Thick and can be punitive even a few inches off many fairways and greens.

Greenside sand traps excellent with plenty of soft white sand. Fairway bunkers firmer, both are well maintained.

Large Bermuda greens roll nice. Firm, smooth and they have them downright fast for the upcoming Member-Guest Tournament. Part of my challenge was I kept missing where I had down hill putts. But I never remember a round where I had so many 15' putts coming back?

Fun, challenging Fazio layout that is up/down rolling hills. Very friendly customer service is always top notch. On course services only on weekends in high season, but snack shop @ the turn and a nice restaurant onsite. Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Nice GPS on the carts. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.3/137) twilight with a very nice Sr. couple. 70ish, clear and calm. 4H POP.

Fun Fazio layout that features native hazard areas on both sides of nearly every hole. Depending on tee choice, forced carries as well. Many more holes play downhill than uphill. .

Tees lush/level with most divots repaired.

Fairways lush and excellent to play from.

Overseeded rough is thick and can be punitive even a few inches off a fairway or green. Secondary rough is dormant Bermuda.

Greenside sand traps excellent with plenty of soft white sand. Fairway bunkers firmer, both are well maintained.

Large Bermuda greens roll nice. Firm, smooth and medium fast speed.

Excellent all grass practice area which includes range balls but it is a long way from the pro shop and 1st tee. Customer service excellent at this facility. No Drink cart on weekdays, snack shop @ the turn is available. Nice restaurant on site with good selection/reasonable golf course prices. Carts have nice GPS. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.1/135) a couple of times in the last week. POP usually slightly over 4H.

Tees level and lush with few unfixed divots.

Fairways lush and excellent to play from.

Rough is either overseeded Rye or clumpy dormant Bermuda. Huge difference in the lies depending on where your ball ends up even a few feet apart.

Sand immaculately maintained, Plentiful, thick and deep.

Large greens smooth, firm and medium fast. Few ball marks, they roll really nicely!

Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Nice GPS on the carts. Fun, challenging Fazio layout that is up/down rolling hills. Very friendly customer service is top notch. Rarely on course services, but snack shop @ the turn and a nice restaurant onsite. Recommended.