Woodland Hills

Introduction:

Woodland Hills is an interesting name for this course, which is built in a sort of flat valley between levees and has only very immature trees to provide some low obstacles. Still, this nine-hole course is well designed with a nice mix of short and longer holes. A few moderate elevation changes add interest and difficulty, as does the rock garden hazard that threatens to swallow up errant drives on holes 5 and 6.

Pros:

Excellent 12 foot cement tee boxes allow for a full run-up with perfect footing on all tee shots. Clean, attractive signage adds to the polished feel of the course.

Though the course plays fairly wide open, the varied hole designs and features like the rock hazard make for a complete and engaging (if fairly easy) round, requiring players to make a decent mix of shots. Nice views of the surrounding mountains throughout add beauty and further interest to the round.

Cons:

Though the city has planted quite a few trees in this new park, they are still very young and immature. Some day these trees might create real obstacles (and shade), forcing an even wider and more creative shot selection, but for now they are largely a non-factor.

The course is built in some low lying land between levees, which I seriously doubt would drain well. You might want to play somewhere else following any significant amount of rain.

Conclusion:

Woodland Hills is a good nine-hole course, better and more complete than its cross-town rival at McCowin Park. Its wide open feel and excellent tee boxes makes it a perfect spot for beginners and a great place for more advanced players to work on their accuracy and distance off the tee box. This course should only get better with age as its newly planted trees grow to the point where they make their presence felt on the course.