Since the last time I played there, they have taken some measures to “soften” the course a little bit for the public players coming to visit. The course features a great collection of par-3s, as well. The 1st, 2nd, 6th, 11th, 12th, 16th and 17th would all fall under that description if you ask me. Many holes would be categorized as “risk/reward” designs. ![]() Also, they are known for being pretty firm and fast, so they can be hard to hold on approaches, so that makes things even tougher. Most of the greens are elevated and well-protected, so you have to be bold and accurate to have any sort of chance at birdie. This is a Nicklaus course, so you can expect tough greens. Most of them are pretty wide, but very shallow front to back, and they feature some crazy undulation. That’s because the greens are very hard to get at. So much of this course is about positioning off the tee. For longer hitters playing the blue or white tees, the driver may stay in the bag more often than not. The fairways are mostly narrow and feature plenty of slope, so precise tee shots are generally required. There are severe uphill and downhill shots required and forced carries over ravines. It’s a visually stunning and impressive layout in the canyon. There are some incredible views a lot of memorable holes at Champions Club. Also, I’m please to note that the staff was much friendlier than on my previous visit. Still, the early morning pace was fantastic and we finished in about 3 hours, 45 minutes. I ended up playing with a twosome that went off at 6:50 and we were the third group out behind a couple of foursomes. I knew it was a slightly reduced rate because they just aerated the greens earlier in the week. I booked a 7:00 tee time through GolfNow for $45. In that, it’s far from “pristine,” but generally plenty playable. To be fair to the course, though, it does seem prices have come down in the past few years to reflect what is now a less-than-high-end product when it comes to the course conditioning.ĭon’t get me wrong, the conditions are decent enough most of the time and fall right in the range with its competitors along the I-15 Corridor. I see enough GK reviews to know that’s never the case anymore. On their website, the description says how Champions Club is known for its pristine conditioning. However, conditioning is also an ongoing issue here. The big clubhouse is very nice and the facilities are great overall, so the place gives off a higher-end feel than similarly priced courses in the area. For the record, I did play the whites that day and it was probably a good idea as a first-time visitor. He may be right and he may have just been trying to be helpful, but I didn’t like the tone of it and it set things off on the wrong foot. When I replied “no,” he grumbled “well, you better play from the white tees then.” He said it in a very confrontational way. The very first thing the pro shop guy said to me (before any kind of “Hello” or a “How can I help you?”) was “Are you a scratch golfer?” I remember the first (and only other) time I played there a few years ago. They’ve been public for several years now, but there’s still an air of “snootiness” that some may like and others may not. As part of a nice residential community (The Retreat, of course), the club used to be strictly private. On another level, there’s an aspect of service. On the other hand, there are some very unusual and tricky hole designs that aren’t for the faint of heart, and I can certainly understand why some people despise the actual layout. It’s a visually stunning course running up and down through a rugged canyon setting and it’s a true “target” golf design that puts a bigger premium on accuracy than distance. ![]() There are aspects of Champions Club that appeal greatly to me and the style of game I like to play. It’s the place that people love to hate, yet I know a handful who do really like what it offers. After all, for my warm-up round I made a return visit to the course with perhaps the most drama of them all… Champions Club at The Retreat įrom my experience, this is easily the most polarizing course design in all of Southern California. If you clicked on a link just to read about that course, you’ll want to scroll down because my first review is a bit lengthy. The afternoon match was set at Hidden Valley Golf Club. Adding to the drama was the afternoon round was my second match of this year’s GK Cup () tournament. ![]() Saturday found me playing a double-dip on two of the Inland Empire’s more “dramatic” designs.
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