Played 8/19 Sat mid morning. Their customer service is always top notch and consistent. It's always nice to be treated like a celebrity (well, almost) :)
However, I think the cource condition and P... Continue »

Played 8/19 Sat mid morning. Their customer service is always top notch and consistent. It's always nice to be treated like a celebrity (well, almost) :)
However, I think the cource condition and POP are on downward trend. The greens and rough are ok. Fairways have some thin to bare spots (kinda understandable in this bad drought, but given the very high green fee, it is disappointing). Especially, the greenside sands are very thin with hard, wet base. I was very disappointed. I was in 4 or five greenside bunkers and they were all similar - especially the one in #12.
Our POP was 5 hrs. The group in front of us was very slow and we had to wait every shot until marshall caught up to them on Hole #15. It was frustrating to keep having to see the lady in that group fluff and top every shot!
Yes, this course has one of the best view in So Cal and top notch customer service, but the condition and POP doesn't justify the high green fee of $239 rack rate. It will be awhile until I go back.

I don't have much to add from previous reviews.
Greens were just "good" rolling at medium speed but not holding shots all that well and a little rough around the edges where new turf has been put in.... Continue »

I don't have much to add from previous reviews.
Greens were just "good" rolling at medium speed but not holding shots all that well and a little rough around the edges where new turf has been put in. Tee boxes were okay and bunkers were playable and consistent once you figured out that the sand was pretty dense after a thin top layer. Fairways were bad. I realize that they are about to overseed, but these were borderline unplayable over large areas and unacceptable for the rack rate that is charged here. Rough was better to play from than the fairways as long as you didn't get too deep into the hillsides.

POP the first day I played was abysmal (5.5 hours) but it was an SCGA tournament so that's not the course's fault. Second day was a much better 4.5 and I'm just going to say it's because dconnally and I were in the first group to get things going!

Staff here might be the best in the business. Kudos to those guys running the cart barn and the snack shop/beverage carts.

Overall, I have a hard time believing the rack rate charged here and I'm not sure if I'd play for a quarter of that price with current conditions. Also, the "ocean front course" is overblown as you get a whopping one view of the Pacific the entire day. It's a lovely view from #3, but not worth $200+.

Played in the SCGA Affiliate Club Championship with GKer lotrgolfer48 on M-TU, 8/18-19/2014. Weather was sunny and warm, and pretty windy during the middle of the day that affected shots. Course condi... Continue »

Played in the SCGA Affiliate Club Championship with GKer lotrgolfer48 on M-TU, 8/18-19/2014. Weather was sunny and warm, and pretty windy during the middle of the day that affected shots. Course conditions were disappointing considering the high prime time rack rates here [weekdays $219, weekends $239]. Greens were of inconsistent firmness, although many have a lot of movement and repeated plays are necessary to know where to place approaches. Some greens had very thin/bare areas that affected playability (#3 esp.), but generally rolled well at medium speed. Fairways were thin and dry, and many areas were almost bare and gave poor lies. Rough could be thin and benign or lush and unplayable. Sand was generally good with OK coverage but thin top layer over damp packed base.

This course is not well-suited to host large tournament groups due to 1) lack of a driving range [4 netted bays only; early on, before the 8AM shotgun on Tuesday, the club put temporary yardage signs down the first fairway and let players bang away from forward of the tee boxes, but that's not a solution]; 2) small putting green can't accommodate many players; and 3) OMG the mandatory valet parking strangles getting in and getting ready!! POP the first day was horrific - 5.5+ hrs, improving on day 2 to 4.5+ when a semi-scramble format was used,

Staff was falling all over themselves to be helpful. VERY expensive cart girl items and dining room food [a breakfast burrito - $15 !!]. While playing here is pleasant, the course conditions certainly don't justify the price structure.

After reading the most recent review, did not have high expectations as to condition, and that review was spot on. The fairways are some of, if not the worst I have played anywhere this year! The gre... Continue »

After reading the most recent review, did not have high expectations as to condition, and that review was spot on. The fairways are some of, if not the worst I have played anywhere this year! The greens however were excellent! Greenside bunkers were hit or miss. Overall the course was in decent shape, but given the amount of $$ being charged, one would expect more. Staff was very pleasant and accomodating. First off so pace of play not an issue. Nice course, just not worth the $$

Played in a tournament today and this is the worst shape I have seen this course in for years. Many fairways are bare and they are working all over the course to try and replace sod. There was a t... Continue »

Played in a tournament today and this is the worst shape I have seen this course in for years. Many fairways are bare and they are working all over the course to try and replace sod. There was a ton of over saturated areas and the greens were very slow. Would never pay the rack rate for this course in this shape. On a positive note the staff is friendly and the box lunch that came with the tournament price of $100 was good.

PLayed last week. Course in great shape from tees to greens. Had a great time nice and long par threes and some drivable par 4's for the long hitter's.
First time playing here and would play ... Continue »

PLayed last week. Course in great shape from tees to greens. Had a great time nice and long par threes and some drivable par 4's for the long hitter's.
First time playing here and would play again.

Played on 7/27/14. The staff at MB is top shelf I wish I could say the same for the condition of the course. From tee boxes to fairways to the putting surfaces this course is in poor condition. Being... Continue »

Played on 7/27/14. The staff at MB is top shelf I wish I could say the same for the condition of the course. From tee boxes to fairways to the putting surfaces this course is in poor condition. Being $$$$$ course it was truly disappointing.

The tee boxes looked like that they had not moved the markers for several days and no one was filling their divots. The fairways were thin and dead in many places on each hole with many un-repaired divots. The bunkers were very hard and uneven and had thin layer of sand covering muddy sand which made it very hard to hit good shot.

The putting greens were inconsistent and rolling about 3-5 there were dead spots on them and many of them had sod recently replaced. I left the course feeling that a great track has been mistreated and abused.

Played Memorial Day at noon. Booked on the internet with the Crown Club rate of $85 (great deal - check it out on the web site). Upon check-in they wanted to charge the holiday rate of $109 but acce... Continue »

Played Memorial Day at noon. Booked on the internet with the Crown Club rate of $85 (great deal - check it out on the web site). Upon check-in they wanted to charge the holiday rate of $109 but accepted the internet rate of $85 - apparently a posting error; it defaulted to the normal Monday rate. I appreciated that they honored the rate without discussion. Post card day, could not ask for better weather. Light tee times for the holiday so we breezed through in less than 4 hours. The two ocean holes were spectacular this day. The course was in great condition. I have played this course intermittently for over 30 years and still enjoy the track. The beverage cart showed up several times during the round. Valet parking and a great restaurant. Pro shop is well stocked as well. Great customer service. The only thing missing here is a driving range. There is a hiting area with nets. With the Crown Card this course is a bargain. Without it, I would be tempted to play Pelican instead. Can't go wrong with either course.

Played for the first time in a Sunday afternoon tournament. Great customer service from the time I parked my car until I left. The layout of the golf course appears to award the patient golfer that ... Continue »

Played for the first time in a Sunday afternoon tournament. Great customer service from the time I parked my car until I left. The layout of the golf course appears to award the patient golfer that stays away from risks. Cutting the corners on doglegs doesn't appear to gain you much advantage, but can really get you in trouble. If you don't mind keeping your driver in your bag on some holes and hitting fairway woods instead, and hitting your approach shot from 130 yards instead of 100 yards, the course appears to award that style of play. Loved the par-4 3rd hole, where I saw big waves crashing in from the Pacific. Lots of non-golfers walking on the paths of the golf course, either guests of the St. Regis walking down to the beach, or locals taking their dogs out on walks. The greens were a medium speed. A man in the pro shop told me it was running 10.5 on the stimp meter, but it felt more like an 8 or a 9 in the afternoon. And the greens were definitely getting bumpy by the late afternoon on the back nine. The one thing I could never figure out on the course was the sand in the bunkers, especially the greenside bunkers. It was some dense, clay-like sand, and my sand wedge just did not want to cut into that stuff on greenside explosion shots. My sand wedge would instead bounce off the sand, and I would watch in horror as I caught the ball square and saw it sail over the other side of the green. In general, the rough wasn't too bad, but there is some thick stuff that separates the 6th and 7th holes from the elevated, parallel 8th and 9th holes, and we lost a few balls in it. The pin locations seemed to be in challenging spots all day. I don't think I saw a pin that was more than 7 yards from one edge of the green. Never saw a beverage cart on the course, but there was a snack shop that you roll past after the 5th and 9th holes. I played the front nine well, but my shots got loose in the back and I ended up losing almost two sleeves of balls. Would love to get another crack at this course and see if I can play station-to-station and put up a better score.