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There haven’t been a lot of walkable golf courses built in recent years. One exception is Rustic Canyon Golf Club in Moorpark. This gem, which opened in 2002, has something for everyone. It’s affordable. It lets you hit the driver. You get to use all the clubs in your bag. It’s challenging without beating your brains in. It makes you think about strategy on every shot. And, best of all, it’s walkable. Rustic Canyon is a hybrid of sorts that features elements of Scottish links courses with the natural rolling terrain found in the valley and the look of some courses found in Australia. The average golfer might mistake the “rustic” look of the course for lack of maintenance, but the reality is that they have successfully crafted a true links-style course. It’s one of those courses where you stand on the first tee and think you can tame the beast, but end up walking off the 18th green shaking your head. The course suffered some damage during heavy rains earlier this year, but has recovered nicely. Four holes had to be rebuilt and one other, the par 4 seventh, had to be slightly altered. The result is a 21st century golf course that owes a lot of its character and style to the classic designers. Course architect Gil Hanse has built a track that has a lot more in common with courses such as Riviera and Oakmont than it does with most of its post-2000 contemporaries. The course has a great blend of long and short holes. There are reachable par-4 and par-5 holes that require careful consideration before choosing a strategy. It’s vital to find the pin locations before playing the hole. There are several occasions where your ability to attack the flag is based on which side of the fairway you are playing from. One of the more attractive features will be large and accepting fairways. On the other hand, the bunkering can cause a lot of headaches due to the optical illusions they create. There are several places on the course where bunkers appear to be right on top of a green, but upon closer inspection are actually several yards from the putting surface. They can play havoc with those who struggle with depth perception. The greens are also subtle in their difficulty. Local knowledge is a must. Regulars say the art of reading these greens lies in repeated play. The course opens with a rather sedate par-5, but fires right back with a long par-4. At 312 yards, the third hole does not play as long as the yardage suggests. Short hitters can play a mid-iron to the left side, but the long hitters will want to go for the green. Bomb a tee ball over the bunkers and the ball can bound onto the green. Another of the memorable holes is the par-5, 13th hole. Playing up a canyon, players will have to weigh a variety of options as they play to a boom-a-rang green. The experience at Rustic Canyon is truly different from so many of the other golf course. It’s a great place to walk and delivers all the elements you look for in an enjoyable round. n |
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