I can't believe it's been 6 months since I've played here. SJO is always a blast to play and the conditions never disappoint. The wind was up this afternoon making club selection a challenge on th... Continue »

I can't believe it's been 6 months since I've played here. SJO is always a blast to play and the conditions never disappoint. The wind was up this afternoon making club selection a challenge on the already difficult (but fun) back 9. Greens rolled true and as I've said before seem to be the perfect blend between manageable yet challenging. They were rolling a little slower than usual (especially the front 9). I only encountered one un-repaired pitch mark.

Fairways were near perfect An easy 9/10. Just a perfect dark green lush playing surface that always presented a great lie. There were a couple of small areas that the wild boars had dug up. This course runs into that every so often. The two fairways that had been hit by the pigs were already under repair. The only dry thin area I found on the entire course was a patch on the 18th fairway near the dogleg bend, and it was about the size of a dining room table.

Tee boxes were excellent as well. Most were super lush and all were level. A couple of the par 3's had some divots but still no issues finding a clean hitting surface.

I avoided sand traps all day so I can't really comment, but usually they are the weak link of the track. Service is always friendly. I walked up without a reservation and the gal at the pro shop told me if I didn't want to hit any range balls, I could quickly get out before a foursome was going to tee off in about 5 minutes. Talk about having your wits about you! It was nice to see that she was aware that the course was wide open and encouraged me to "rush" out to get in front of a foursome.

I had clear sailing with a wide open course until I ran into a twosome on the 16th.

With so many great courses only 20-30 minutes away SJO is easily overlooked, but absent views of the ocean, it is right up there with the best of them.

A quick update for San Juan Oaks. Played here last week before heading out of town for a So Cal golf trip. Course is still in great shape as noted in my previous rating. Booked an early AM tee time ... Continue »

A quick update for San Juan Oaks. Played here last week before heading out of town for a So Cal golf trip. Course is still in great shape as noted in my previous rating. Booked an early AM tee time to get a round in before getting some errands done for the trip. The course had a frost delay that was expected to last a couple hours. The pro shop was super accomondating and said just come back whenever I was done with my errands and they would slide into a slot somewhere. They were very happy to accomondate my schedule. SJO is in the top 4 for staff friendliness. I might even rank them as high as #2!

This is a great course all around (sans the traps). First I'll talk about the layout. The front 9 is on flat ground and offers several scoring opportunities. Don't confuse flat and scoring with bo... Continue »

This is a great course all around (sans the traps). First I'll talk about the layout. The front 9 is on flat ground and offers several scoring opportunities. Don't confuse flat and scoring with boring. Water borders the left side of the green on the par 5 Ninth making it risky to go for the green in 2 (but oh so sweet if you do and pull it off). In addition both Par 3's on the front play with your mind with water on the 8th hole and a narrow opening followed by an open meadow before the green on the 6th hole. Both play into the wind adding to the challenge.

After coming off the front 9 thinking your going to break your PR.... you head to the hills!!

Holes 12-18 are perched in the mountain. They offer some great views and plenty of challenge. 13-15 have gully's to cross, split fairways and play Loooong. Add in the wind and you'll be pleased to walk away with a bogey at any of these holes. Even the short Par 3 16th has a gully to carry. 17-18 play down hill but into the wind. When you get finished with your 18 you'll probably say "what a fun but tough course".

Now for the basics, Greens are the perfect challenge. Smooth, relatively fast and have a touch of undulation but not too much (a la Blackhorse/Bayonet). Fairways are lush and relatively divot free.

Outside of the fairway you enter brush land so finding your ball is a rarity. Also the backside has tons of Poison Oak so beware entering the brush. The main setback for San Juan Oaks is the poor quality sand traps. Most are hard dirt at best. Also the wind kicks up here so get out early and even that isn't a guarantee that you wont battle it.

Customer service is top notch and super accommodating.

This course gets packed on the weekends so my rating for pace of play is based on early weekday morning tee times.

There is a Golf moose deal right now that is great.

Another fun fact is the wild turkeys on the course. Usually around 40+ roaming around one of the holes.

San Juan Oaks is as good a reasonably priced public golf facility as you will find anywhere. Great practice areas (I've driven the hour each way just for extended range, chipping and putting work), c... Continue »

San Juan Oaks is as good a reasonably priced public golf facility as you will find anywhere. Great practice areas (I've driven the hour each way just for extended range, chipping and putting work), clubhouse golf shop, beautiful restaurant & bar, and always excellent staff.

We played mid-week during a heat wave and with a raging wild fire (smoke in the air, particularly late in the day) an hour to the south in Big Sur and we were the last tee time on the sheet at 10:30 a.m. I'm sure those two factors were responsible for the meager turnout on such a fine summer day.

Once again, the practice areas and course met my high expectations and experience here. Tees and fairways were lush, well maintained and fun. The rough was cut down a bit and not as penal as usual. The set up can be wicked if they let that wet thick stuff grow. The greens were in great shape and rolled true, fast and have enough movement to send you muttering to the next hole if you don't pay attention. Just a blast to play this course.

The downside is the bunker situation. It appears they are letting them get hard (to hard-pan) without much upkeep, or weeding. We speculated that maybe a major overhaul is coming? I didn't check the website for info on that - maybe it's there. Cleats from my spikeless shoes didn't even make a mark and raking wasn't necessary other than the scuff mark made by the club. After a card crushing disaster I finally figured out how to not meet with said disaster and actually holed a "sand" shot (thanks to a stout flag stick, dead aim and some luck). But there is clearly an issue here. It is universal throughout this great course. I should have asked somebody about it. It did not detract (much) from the entire experience, but left us with questions and more than the usual sand trap head-scratching.

When we finished the bar was open and a bluesy rock band was playing in the main room; but no food service at all was to be had other than a fixed price menu of $32. The menu looked great, but we were looking more for a Sportsman's cocktail (check) and a burger than a chef's menu. It was late when we finished (5pm-ish) so they probably could merchandise the big menu better than the usual golfer grub. Went to the nearby bbq/burger joint and gave them our money instead. Seemed to be an odd business decision. All in all my favorite daily fee golf course in NorCal and the green parts of this place are, as always, top notch.

Had the great pleasure to play San Juan Oaks this morning as the first off by myself around 6:15. Staff very helpful and happy to help me get out quickly. Only bummer was the weather early as skies we... Continue »

Had the great pleasure to play San Juan Oaks this morning as the first off by myself around 6:15. Staff very helpful and happy to help me get out quickly. Only bummer was the weather early as skies were gloomy and it was misty off and on throughout the round. The course was in very nice condition. The tee boxes were good, but were extra mushy and sometimes I would sink into the ground a little at address. Fairways lush and a bit shaggy in some places (I think because I played a handful of holes before they were able to mow them), but I always had great fluffy lies to hit from. Primary rough also lush with pretty consistent coverage. Cut down and not penal. The outer "native area" rough was left long and knee-high in some areas and cut down in others, so you are at the mercy of the golf gods if you spray your ball into that stuff. Greens soft, but rolling smooth at medium speeds. The pro shop guy warned me that the bunkers were not that great right now, but there are plans to renovate them soon. The bunkers here are large, deep and tricky, so it makes things extra tough when the sand is pretty hard-packed. Otherwise, this is a fantastic course in a beautiful setting. It is extremely secluded with nothing around other than golden hillsides and many old oak trees. I saw some wild turkey and a couple of deer, too. I guess you'd call this a "heathland" style course with some links elements mixed with a more modern design--it's a Fred Couple signature layout. The front nine is flat and fairly forgiving, though there are a number of water hazards and bunkers in play. If you avoid trouble, the front nine is a good warm-up for the much more dramatic and demanding back nine. It goes up into the hills and offers several very tricky holes. Some might say the 14th and 18th specifically are too "quirky." I'd definitely like to play several holes on the back nine multiple times to figure out the right strategy for me. Still, I had a lot of fun. I really loved the course overall and the setting is hard to beat.

Despite the long drive (1hr 45min) from SF this was an epic course. We had our monthly men's tournament here in May. This is quite the complex with a beautiful club house and the food was fantastic.... Continue »

Despite the long drive (1hr 45min) from SF this was an epic course. We had our monthly men's tournament here in May. This is quite the complex with a beautiful club house and the food was fantastic. Now for the golr, the course was in great condition in early May. The greens were fast with a lot of break. I would suggest getting a layout or map of each hole since many of the holes have some blind approaches and some very narrow landing strips, especially on back 9. The afternoon wind could also be a factor.

Played 12/23/11. Course is in very good condition. Fun & fair course. Good mix of some interesting & challenging holes and some easy holes. Greens rolled quick & true, but were a little bumpy from the... Continue »

Played 12/23/11. Course is in very good condition. Fun & fair course. Good mix of some interesting & challenging holes and some easy holes. Greens rolled quick & true, but were a little bumpy from the heavy foot traffic of the day. It was not windy the day we played, but I could tell it would not take much wind to make it challenging place to play. Would enjoy playing here again.

San Juan Oaks Golf Club Course Review
San Juan Capistrano California Golf Course Reviews

We played this course the week of the US Open at Pebble. It is a really nice course. It is not very difficult, but has a lot of fun holes with interesting layouts. It was in very good condition. ... Continue »

We played this course the week of the US Open at Pebble. It is a really nice course. It is not very difficult, but has a lot of fun holes with interesting layouts. It was in very good condition. Decent greens. Good value for the price. Will definitely repeat.

Played here on Tuesday 2/2, I was concerned due to the recent high amount of rain we had been getting. Found that the course was very playable. The back 9 are very hilly and don't drain as well as ... Continue »

Played here on Tuesday 2/2, I was concerned due to the recent high amount of rain we had been getting. Found that the course was very playable. The back 9 are very hilly and don't drain as well as the front and therefore where a bit softer. The course played pretty long as the ball was not rolling in the fairways at all, there no plugs but just no roll. If you got of the fairway by just a little the second cut was about 4" and very lush so fliers where the rule. Beyond the second cut "forget it" it was like hitting out of a bowl of spaggetti. All in all it is a very good course with very playable conditions.

P.S. It would be nice to hear more from Nor Cal golfers with regard to ratings and reviews.