Golf Course Reviews
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Listing 13 to 24 of 69,392 Course Reviews
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I played Monarch Beach on Thursday afternoon, March 8. Service was impeccable, as usual. The starter let us tee off on #6 so we wouldn't be following a shotgun tournament, which led to a nice 4 hour round. Conditions were good for late winter on bermuda, with few bare spots. The bunkers had deep, nice sand, and the greens were terrific, with hardly any ball marks. The greens had been aerated with the tiny holes, which did not affect play. The club card is pretty good deal, especially if your playing partner joins, because you can play for the same rate without springing for the price of the card. A great day not only because the course was in great shape, but I tied my all time low round.
11 Likes.
I played with the GK Gurus this afternoon with Nick, Larry, and Kevin. I didn't play the early round because I didn't want to wake up before 5:00 to make the 2-hour drive. Friendly, professional staff, nice driving range (balls included), and a top notch clubhouse give the golfer a nice feeling before heading out to play. The weather was perfect: mid-70s with very little wind.

The fairways were idyllic, and as others have noted, the rough is generally dormant. Generally the rough was thick enough to slow wayward balls from rolling completely through and out of play. The downside of that is the rough was thick enough to hamper ball striking at times. The bunkers were a little uneven. Some were a little thin, leading to some wayward bunker shots from our group, but others that were fluffy and easy to judge how to hit. The tee boxes were in great shape, and the greens were immaculate, although the breaks were a little difficult for the first timer to judge. I tended to see more break than there really was, and never did figure them out. Speed was about medium and very consistent.

The layout was varied, with some wide open fairways, others that it is prudent to leave driver in the bag, and a good mix of long, medium, and short par 4s. Fortunately Nick was familiar with the course. Without his advice it could be frustrating for the first timer, as there are numerous holes where it is not obvious where to hit the ball and how far. POP wasn't a problem at all until the last few holes when it slowed down.

I'm not in a position to judge how good a deal the rack rate is because I haven't played many courses in the area, and because the Gurus get a nice discount. But the course was pretty crowded, an indication that it is priced competitively. Overall, a good day on the course. Many thanks to Johnny for setting this one up.
10 Likes.
I played the course yesterday for the first time in several years. I remembered it as being one of my favorite course in the OC, along with Monarch Beach (well, that I can afford to play). Fairways and tee boxes were in good conditions for the time of year, but not pristine as I remember. The greens were immaculate, and the bunkers that I was in were nice and fluffy, although wet in spots.

The snack cart and marshal came around regularly. POP was fine, with our threesome not having to wait as I recall. It has a nice driving range with a short game practice area and two very nice putting greens. We played midweek at prime time on a Costco coupon for $80, which I thought was a good deal. The rack rate of $135 is not crazy compared to other similar courses, but most GKers would probably look elsewhere. The senior rate (over 55) of $95 weekdays before 9:00 is actually not too bad, if you like playing early and are willing to fight traffic.
9 Likes.
I played here again today on the second day of a stay and play. Having played the course for the first time yesterday I found the course much more playable today. Knowing where to hit the tee shot made a huge difference. The greens are still too large, with the potential for 75-100 foot putts, but this time around we were better able to judge speed and read the break, so there were a lot fewer 3- and 4-putts.

As others have said, the service is top notch, and the course is very scenic and serene. The rough is too long, which slows down play. Even with the coupon it’s pricey. I can’t see myself ever paying the rack rate, And don’t think I’d play again without as good a deal as the UnderPar deal we got. If we use the bounce back coupon it’ll be during the summer when conditions should be better.
8 Likes.
I played here yesterday on a stay-and-play coupon. My wife stayed with me in the hotel for the night while my buddy and I played yesterday, and will be playing again today.

I know that just about all of the reviews of this course are good, but I was disappointed with the course. The course was in overall decent shape, but the rough was so long that it was difficult to find your ball, which slows down play. The greens are humongous and lots of undulations. It would take numerous rounds to learn the subtleties of the greens, but who can afford to play this course more than occasionally? The ball might land on the left side of the green and roll all the way to the other side. Or trickle by the whole and roll another 25 feet. Very frustrating. We’ll see if having one round under my belt helps for today’s round.
5 Likes.
I played here again this week. The conditions were about the same as my last review a few weeks ago, with a few exceptions. First, I was in a bunch of bunkers, and the experience was uneven. Some had deep sand while others were thin, which let to a few fliers that overshot the green, which was disappointing. Some were damp and some were dry, so it was hard to judge how to hit it. Second, the greens were not lumpy like last time. They were a little slow, but rolled true.

Other than that, it was the usual top notch service and enjoyable round.
5 Likes.
I played with Guru's Lee, Gary, and Vince yesterday. This is the second time I've played here, the first being more than 10 years ago. The reason I did not return was that the course was a little rough around the edges. Since I live about 10 minutes away and the reviews from a Guru visit in August were favorable, I thought I'd find out for myself.

The differences between now and my last visit are notable. The service was about average. The pro shop was professional, but there was no starter or marshal, although as Gary says POP was not a problem, and the snack cart came around regularly. They could use a few signs directing you to the range and to holes #1 and #10. Afterward, Mulligan's (the restaurant) was closed, but the bar was open. Not much atmosphere in the bar, with acoustics equivalent to an echo chamber, but the patio was quiet and peaceful and the beer was cold and reasonably priced.

Now to the course. The practice area was above average, with a grass range, a sizable putting green, and a short game area with a bunker. For those of us who don't want to wear ourselves out prior to playing, or are just plain cheap, they sell range balls at 20 for $2.00, which is just about the right number for me to get warmed up.

The two things most important to me in a golf course are the setting, and the conditions. The setting is well above average, in my book, with no other buildings for at least a mile or two, and appeared to be on a road with only golf course traffic. Mature palms and eucalyptus are plentiful, but are not placed inconveniently, like between my ball and the green (well, most of the time). That made for a very peaceful setting.

The greens and bunkers were in particularly good shape, both among the best I've played this year. The fairways had generally good coverage, but did have a few bare spots. Since it's normally dry this time of year, the fact that the fairways were damp suggests that management is working to improve the fairways. The fairways did seem to have multiple types of grass in spots, and getting it down to one variety of grass would be a plus.

The layout was pretty traditional, with only one kinda quirky hole that I can think of. The course seemed fair, and played long. Not much roll in the fairway, but you didn't want to hit it too high because there was a fair amount of wind. That put a premium on club selection and the ability to hit various types of shots, an ability I do not possess. The several elevated tee boxes were enjoyable. Interestingly, our group managed to play the course without any of us losing a ball. I attribute that to the fact that the other three golfers in my group hit it straight, and I didn't generally hit it far enough to get into much trouble. Or it might be the generous amount of space between the fairways and the big trouble spots on most holes.

The place is a bargain, particularly if you like to walk, because carts are priced separately. There are a few hills, but for the most part is very walkable, with no long stretches between holes.

All in all, an enjoyable day and course. I expect this will become a part of my regular rotation.
10 Likes.
This was the 4th and final stop on our central CA golf trip. We got a rate of $59 on GolfNow, which I thought was a terrific deal for a Friday morning. We teed off at 8:40, which in my book is early (Weber is usually done by that time), so we could drive home afterward.

Like Bayonet, its sister course, the rough was kept long for a tournament. But we were in luck, sorta, because the rough was being cut down to normal length. We didn't see the freshly cut grass until the back nine, but my game improved significantly with the shorter grass. Like Bayonet, conditions were very good, and these greens were even trickier than Bayonet's. Bunkers, fairways, and tee boxes were all in great shape, and POP was fine, although we had to wait from time to time.

I would definitely play this one again on my next trip, along with Bayonet.
11 Likes.
This was stop #3 on the central CA golf trip. We played on a Golf Moose coupon for $80, which seemed like a pretty good deal. I'd never played here before so I was at a severe disadvantage. Finally, we get a course where the rough is manageable, but we still had a lot of wind to deal with. Very professional service, with warm up balls included. Immaculate practice area. In fact, the conditions were like that of an upscale private course, with hardly a blade of grass out of place.

We played the back nine first, and as other reviewers say, it's totally different from the front nine. Hilly like a roller coaster, with numerous elevated tees, almost to the point of going a little overboard. The front nine is a more typical parkland course: generally flat with more houses lining the course. The flyover video on the cart is a nice touch, but totally worthless. It would say something like be sure to use enough club on the uphill approach shot, and would neglect to say it had OB on the left and a hidden hazard lining the right side.

Don't let the yardage fool you. It's pretty short, so we played the back tees (I think they have only three sets), but I corrected that mistake by moving up to the middle tees around the 8th hole. Many of the holes are fairly narrow, and with so much wind I again made little use of my driver. Greens were fast and difficult to read, but toward the end I started getting the hang of it.

I'm neutral on whether I'd play it again on my next trip to Monterey. A little quirky, particularly on the back nine, but now that I know the course I think I'd have a fair chance to have a decent round.
8 Likes.
This was stop #2 on the central CA golf trip. This is about the fourth time I've played it, but the first time in 6-7 years, so the first time with the redesign. Like stop #1 (La Purisima) the rough was long and punishing. Apparently it was set up for a mini-tour stop, or something like that, and they let the rough grow long to make it more challenging. Add in the constant wind, the fact that I hardly knew the course, and boy, did it play tough. Again I used driver sparingly because it was too penalizing to miss the fairway.

I never saw a marshal, but POP was fine, especially considering the amount of time needed to look for balls in the rough. The greens were in good shape but tricky. It took 10 holes or so to figure on the speed and break, so I did not score well at all. Fairways and tee boxes were in good shape too, and I don't recall seeing any bare spots.

I would certainly play it again when I'm in the area, along with Black Horse, its companion course, but it would be more playable for this 13 handicapper if the rough was cut down a bit. Very professional service at a first class outfit.
10 Likes.
This was the first stop on my birthday golf trip to central CA. We played on the GK coupon, but didn't stick around for a replay because, well, the next stop was Monterey. I've played La Purisima 5-6 times over the past 10 years and always liked it. This time, not so much. It had rained over an inch a day before we arrived for our morning round on Sept. 12, so the rough was long and punishing, the grounds wet in spots, and many of the bunkers had standing water.

The course was in decent shape otherwise, although not as good as I remember it. In particular, the edges of the bunkers had not been trimmed in awhile, and grass was growing into them. The cart ran out of juice on the 14th hole and we had to summon a new one. Apparently the carts are old and it's not uncommon to die on the course. I realize the course is out in the middle of nowhere and probably has a tough time remaining solvent, so I chalk up the conditions to economic reality.

Course layout is generally pretty good, but there are a few quirky holes. The course played much different than a typical SoCal course because the rough was much thicker than the drought-tolerant courses I'm used to playing. I had a heck of a time hitting out of it, and used my driver sparingly because the penalty for missing the fairway was too high.

For the low handicapper this is a good challenge, but for me, well, it was just too difficult.
9 Likes.
I played Maderas on July 31 because if I'd waited any longer our coupon would have expired. Temperatures were in the high 80s to about 90, but it was comfortable. The course is in generally good condition, and the parts that were dry or needed attention were getting addressed. Greens were in excellent condition, fairways were generally in good condition, as were the bunkers (so my playing partner tells me).

POP was fine for our morning round, but slowed a little for the afternoon round, but we were a twosome so couldn't really complain Great service, particularly from the starter. Maderas is pricey, but the play all day coupon for about $100 per player is a good deal.
12 Likes.
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