Ventana Canyon - Canyon Course

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 (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 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 (6537/71.1/135) 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.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.3/137) a couple of times in the last week. POP pretty decent considering the course has been crowded lately.

Tees lush, level. Mowed tight with most divots properly repaired.

Fairways lush and usually excellent to play from.

Dormant Bermuda part of the rough is thick, clumpy and you can draw nasty lies. Overseeded closer to the fairways is basically like playing from lush, highly mowed fairways.

Greenside sand traps excellent here. Thick, soft sand and plenty of it. Fairway traps firm with some rocks.

Large greens putt smooth and medium fast speed. Barely any ball marks due to the firmness and you have to play for release here.

Regardless of tee choice many lateral lost ball native areas on this challenging Fazio design. Unless you move up there are many forced carries. No on course services, but a nice restaurant on site with a good selection @ reasonable golf course prices. Small snack shop available at the range, which is all grass and includes range balls. 2 putting greens and 2 practice chipping/sand shot greens make for an excellent practice area. Carts have good GPS. Rarely see walkers because of the spread out nature of the layout. Customer service excellent from everyone. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.1/133) in a little more than 4H multiple times in the last week+. POP usually more challenging on the Canyon layout because it is more spread out, but still averages around 4H, 20M.

Tees lush with few unfixed divots.

Fairways lush and very nice to play from.

Rough is either overseeded Rye close to the fairways or clumpy dormant Bermuda farther away from the fairways. Huge difference in the lie depending on where you ball ends up.

Sand is plentiful, thick and deep. Very well maintained.

Greens firm, smooth and putt medium fast. Very few ball marks and you have to play for runout here.

Very challenging Fazio layout that is up/down rolling hills. Difficult, but still fun to play. Friendly customer service on all levels. No on course services, but snack shop @ the turn with a nice restaurant onsite. Carts have upgraded GPS. Excellent all grass practice area that includes multiple chipping and putting greens. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.1/133) in 4H twilight with 3 nice members. 2 club wind from the south, which is not the usual direction made for much different shots than normal.

Tees immaculate with few unfixed divots.

Fairways lush and very nice to play from. My wife rode with me on the back 9 and commented that the grass almost does not look real it is so perfect.

Rough is either overseeded Rye or clumpy dormant Bermuda. Huge difference in the lie within a few yards is normal here. Can range from almost like playing from the fairway to you just have to get it back in play type lies.

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

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. 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. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.3/137) twilight. 70, breezy and clear with a 4H POP. Thoroughly enjoyable to be matched up with a former MLB player/manager, so got to talk baseball all afternoon in between shots as we waited.

Tees lush and level with most divots properly repaired.

Fairways lush, mowed tight and excellent to play from.

Overseeded part of the rough is basically like playing from lush, highly mowed fairways. Dormant Bermuda part of the rough is thick, clumpy and you can draw nasty lies.

Sand traps almost always excellent here. Fairway traps firm with some rocks but greenside is soft with lots of sand.

Large greens putt smooth and medium fast speed. Barely any ball marks due to the firmness and you have to play for release here.

Challenging Fazio design that unless you move up has many forced carries. Regardless of tee choice many lateral lost ball areas. Customer service excellent from everyone. No on course services, but a nice restaurant on site with a good selection @ reasonable golf course prices. Small snack shop available at the range, which is all grass and includes range balls. 2 putting greens and 2 practice chipping/sand shot greens make for an excellent practice area. Carts have good GPS. Rarely see walkers because of the spread out nature of the layout. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.3/137) mid morning. 65, calm and clear with a 3H, 45M POP excellent for a weekend. Always hit/miss when you get matched up, but struck gold today with Quan/Ann. Seniors who played quick, hit many fine golf shots and were just delightful to play 18 with.

Tees lush and level with most divots properly repaired.

Fairways lush and excellent to play from.

Overseeded part of the rough is basically like playing from lush, mowed high fairways. Dormant Bermuda part of the rough is thick and clumpy.

Sand traps are about as good as you are going to see on any course that allows the public to play every other day. Plenty of immaculately maintained soft white sand. Fairway bunkers firmer, both well maintained.

Large greens have barely any ball marks due to the firmness. They putt smooth and medium fast speed.

Carts have good GPS. Challenging layout that unless you move up has many forced carries. Regardless of tee choice many lateral lost ball areas. Customer service excellent from everyone. No on course services, but a nice restaurant on site with a good selection @ reasonable golf course prices. Small snack shop available at the range, which is all grass and includes range balls. Nice short game practice area. Recommended.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.3/137) early morning. Mid 40's when we teed off, 70ish by the time we finished. 3H, 40M POP. Was really nice to get matched up with 3 good to very good golfers.

Tees lush and level with most divots properly repaired.

Fairways lush, mowed tight and excellent to play from.

Overseeded part of the rough is basically like playing from lush, mowed high fairways. Dormant Bermuda part of the rough is thick and clumpy. Can be punitive even a few inches off a fairway or green.

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

Large greens are smooth, firm and putt medium fast speed. Barely any ball marks due to the firmness.

Due to how spread out the layout is, I almost never never seen a walker here. Carts have good GPS. Challenging layout that unless you move up has many forced carries. Regardless of tee choice many lateral lost ball areas. Customer service excellent from everyone. No on course services, but a nice restaurant on site with a good selection @ reasonable golf course prices. Small snack shop available at the range, which is all grass and includes range balls. Nice short game practice area. Recommended.