Whitney Oaks Golf Club

Pin placements were unfair for winter play. Greens were fast and slow. Mostly slow compared to the practice green. The fairways were completely brown. They have been for a few years now. They need help. Only good thing was it was 70 and the sun was out. I expect Whitney to be a tough course. It always has been. But, course condition is very poor.

For a Calofornia winter, it's in good shape. Hints of aeration here and there, but mostly in good shape. Runnimg in amd out of a subdivision of mini-mansions amd straight-up mansions, the fairways in some places are just a little too skinny for your average golfer. If you're struggling with a 20+ handicap, you'll just frustrate yourself, unless you catch a SUPER deal like I did, in which case you relax and enjoy the scenery and the company.

I have played this track dozens of times. Great challenge. Target golf. The winter rains have been punishing all throughout the valley. At Whitney, the course drains very well. Several wet spots in some of the fairways but for the most part, very acceptable.

The staff, especially for being on a weekend, was less than acceptable.

The Pro Shop:

Upon arriving, my group went to go check in. We waited until we saw someone, no one came. We moseyed around the shop, killing time. Never would I think that it was left unattended. But at this time, we were waiting for greater than 10 minutes. Other pairing came to check in, then another and there still wasn’t a soul around. I thought, maybe he is in the restroom (everyone has a right to take their breaks) but then I heard some laughter coming from the back room office. I walked down the hallway, firmly knocked on the walls, as to let them know that their attention was being asked for, and walked away. Moments later, a man emerges from the room, apologetic. I said, no worries, business comes first.

I WAS STUNNED at his response, laughing, he said, “no, that was anything but business related.”

The Starter:

I’m very aware that it takes a certain kind of personality (or lack there off) to be a starter. After the above fiasco, we went down to check in with the starter to let him know that we had an hour or so before our time out. We continued to do our thing, putt and hit a few balls then putt some more. All the while this guy, like we were the only humans that he had seen in the last year, followed us around on the green. Hole to hole. Chatting about how difficult the course was and how golf works. At first we were kind, nodding and agreeable with his remarks. Then it continues.. and continues. To the point that we were walking away and he still followed us. What in the world?

Lastly,

The Cart Girl:

I have played much golf in my young adult life. There are days that there is And isn’t a beverage cart out and that is understood. However. I haven’t come across many situations when the beverage cart was trying to get as many laps in around the course without stopping. We would waive her down, we would be on the tee box, and this individual didn’t wait, didn’t stop, and frankly, didn’t care. It was as if she intended to be avoided. She was t just doing this to my group, as we saw her about 9 times in our round. She had to be hauling around the course and not talking to anyone.

In short, the course was great, the staff was less than ideal. I will be back, because it is one of the most challenging courses in the area. Not because of the experience.

Greens and bunkers in great shape! Looks like new sand and much better shape than most bunkers in the area. Need to get the fairways back in shape. Should be good as we head into spring. Always like the challenging layout!

You should play this course,I believe Thunder valley casino has put money into course and it shows.I was surprised when I played there.Good value for price.

If you don’t play this course enough, you have no idea where to land the ball in fairways. Penalizing course with sloping fairways that rolls your ball into the junk. I have about 30-40 different golf buddies & we all agree WO is just an unfair course. We have a much better time at any Ssc valley course

Hadn’t played the course in a couple years, but was glad I came back. While this course can be challenging, it reminds me that playing the same few course does not make you a better golfer. The course was in good condition for December and demonstrated to me that I need to play this course more frequently.

On issue I encountered was the starter. I had a tee time at 11am, but did not tee off until 11:20 due to the starter. The course was not packed, as a matter of fact, no one teed off between 11 to 11:20. The starter was chatting with some friends are baseball. I had to go up to him and say something to get him to do his job.

The course was in good condition, although somewhat chunky, wet lies in the first cut of rough contrasted with the mostly tight fairway lies. I like this course but also find it very difficult to score well here. There are some quirky holes, tight fairways, and really well-guarded greens.

Playing city/county courses mostly so this course is a bit difficult for me but overall I like it. There are a couple of holes were poorly designed that you might get hit from behind due to the blind spots. I almost got hit twice and it wasn't a pleasant experience

First time here beautiful course. Bit over my head as a high handicapper. Greens are crazy hard to read. Need to get more golf balls