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Frank Sekulic

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Victoria Club
« on: May 05, 2017, 12:15:35 PM »
I recently joined Boxgroove and one of the clubs listed is the Victoria Club in Riverside. I was wondering if anyone here has played it before and if so, what should I expect/look forward to were I to head out and play it.


I noticed that it is listed among the Next Fifty on the site, which leads me to believe there must be some architectural merit to the course.


Also, I was curious to know if anyone here has joined Boxgroove and if so, what do they think of it.


Thanks

Pete Lavallee

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Victoria Club
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2017, 12:25:10 PM »
Frank,

Victoria is a fabulous golf course with one of the most  unique par 3, par 4 and par 5 holes I've ever played. Definitely worth a play, just to check out the Max Behr features. They occasionally have an outing with SCGA Members Days but haven't in the past couple of years. I have been a Boxgroove member for several years but never used it as most of their offerings are from back east.
"...one inoculated with the virus must swing a golf-club or perish."  Robert Hunter

Bill Seitz

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Victoria Club
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2017, 03:13:55 PM »
Vic the home course for my college club team back before we went D1 and got a real golf team.  Pretty short, very tight, and good greens with a fair amount of internal countour.  A couple of unique par fives on the back.  Probably the only course you'll ever play where you don't see a par four after the 12th hole.  A little over treed but being such a short course, requiring a player to hit to a particular point on the fairway isn't too much to ask.  You'll hit iron off a handful of tees.


I last played it in 1995, so it would be interesting to see how technology has changed the way you play it.  They used to have problems with flooding on the driving range in heavy rains (the whole course sits in a little valley), but the course itself used to do OK, and it looks like the shored up the banks in recent years.  There's a small dam that sits a little higher than the course, and between Vic and Canyon Crest Country Club (which isn't that great).  It used plug up and leave most of the back nine at Canyon Crest under water, somewhat saving Vic from the deluge.


Favorite holes:


The sixth is a short par three with a wide green, but sits at a weird angle, so you have to think a bit to get lined up properly.


The seventh is a medium length par four where you play your tee shot over the street.  There's a big drop about 240 yards from the tee.  You either lay back on top and leave about 150 yards in from a side hill lie, or try to carry it.  Problem is there's rough all down the back side of the hill, so if you don't get all the way down, you're stuck on the hillside with a very uncomfortable lie. 


The 15th is a good par five with the creek down the left side.  With a good drive you can go for it in two, but to lay up you need to go left over the creek before going back right over the creek to the green, so the green is on the same side of the creek as your tee shot.  Problem is there are some large mounds and trees between where your drive lands and the green, so going at the green in two is risky.


The 18th also plays over the street off the tee.  Long, straight par five with the creek in play down the left side before it cuts across the fairway right in front of the green.  Front pin positions can be a little tricky if you try to get too cute. 

Robert Mercer Deruntz

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Victoria Club
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2017, 08:53:27 PM »
I have played Victoria since around 1970 and have seen it evolve over the years. It became heavily treed in the 1960's and sloppy mowing has hurt the green complexes.  This is a top of the line Max Behr design with great features that need restoring.  The greens have exceptionally good contour for SoCal.  I think the 15th could considered as one of the best par 5's around
 %5BURL=http://s37.photobucket.com/user/rsfpar/media/Victoria%20Club/121.jpg.html%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/rsfpar/Victoria%20Club/121.jpg%5B/IMG%5D%5B/URL%5D
%5BURL=http://s37.photobucket.com/user/rsfpar/media/Victoria%20Club/123.jpg.html%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/rsfpar/Victoria%20Club/123.jpg%5B/IMG%5D%5B/URL%5D
%5BURL=http://s37.photobucket.com/user/rsfpar/media/Victoria%20Club/125.jpg.html%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/rsfpar/Victoria%20Club/125.jpg%5B/IMG%5D%5B/URL%5D
%5BURL=http://s37.photobucket.com/user/rsfpar/media/Victoria%20Club/126.jpg.html%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/rsfpar/Victoria%20Club/126.jpg%5B/IMG%5D%5B/URL%5D
%5BURL=http://s37.photobucket.com/user/rsfpar/media/Victoria%20Club/127.jpg.html%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/rsfpar/Victoria%20Club/127.jpg%5B/IMG%5D%5B/URL%5D
%5BURL=http://s37.photobucket.com/user/rsfpar/media/Victoria%20Club/129.jpg.html%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/rsfpar/Victoria%20Club/129.jpg%5B/IMG%5D%5B/URL%5D

Robert Mercer Deruntz

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Victoria Club
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2017, 08:54:40 PM »
Somehow the Iphone 7 does not work very well at sharing Photobucket to Golf Club Atlas.  Here is another attempt at showing the par 5 15th
 





« Last Edit: May 07, 2017, 09:03:48 PM by Robert Mercer Deruntz »

Robert Mercer Deruntz

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Victoria Club
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2017, 11:24:03 PM »
An interesting part of the course is that there are two carries over a busy street.  This is the par 4 7th, which plays around 400 yards with a fairway very similar to the 7th at Riviera.
And the tee shot on the 18th, a really solid 550 yard par 5.  This hole could use some serious tree management!
The creek runs down the left until just before the green, where it cuts in front of the green and then along the right side.




Mark Kiely

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Victoria Club
« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2017, 02:16:19 PM »
A good friend of mine just played it in an SCGA outing on Monday. He shares some thoughts and photos in the most recent post on his blog here:
http://bogeysacrossamerica.com/
My golf course photo albums on Flickr: https://goo.gl/dWPF9z

Evan Fleisher

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Victoria Club
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2017, 11:38:15 AM »
I too have played the course (back in 2008)...I'm sure things have changed since then (on course) but I found it to be a pretty enjoyable round of golf.
Born Rochester, MN. Grew up Miami, FL. Live Cleveland, OH. Handicap 13.2. Have 26 & 23 year old girls and wife of 29 years. I'm a Senior Supply Chain Business Analyst for Vitamix. Diehard walker, but tolerate cart riders! Love to travel, always have my sticks with me. Mollydooker for life!