played this afternoon on my day off. course is in very good condition, they just reseeded and everything is coming back nicely, service was all right, valet when you pull up to the bag drop, check i... Continue »

played this afternoon on my day off. course is in very good condition, they just reseeded and everything is coming back nicely, service was all right, valet when you pull up to the bag drop, check in unremarkable, but took a while to find a starter. they definitely consider themselves a destination course, $18 for a ball marker. yeesh. tees and divot tools at the starter stand. tee boxes were all in good condition, greens were a bit slow and very receptive, easy to stop balls. not a lot of ball marks. course is green, fairways are just a bit thin but they are almost there. i like the layout of the course, lots of challenging holes with lots of doglegs, strategically placed water. only one hole is actually on the ocean though. overall had a very nice time and the course is worth a play if you can find a good rate.

Course is in great shape, just hope the players help to keep it that way. Please fix those divots and ball marks!
Ever since OB Sports took over management, this course has really improved.
Keep up... Continue »

Course is in great shape, just hope the players help to keep it that way. Please fix those divots and ball marks!
Ever since OB Sports took over management, this course has really improved.
Keep up the great work.

Got an incredible rate as a single on EZLinks today for 2:10. When I arrived, the starter deftly informed me they were running 20 minutes late. Then he maneuvered to get me out with a different group ... Continue »

Got an incredible rate as a single on EZLinks today for 2:10. When I arrived, the starter deftly informed me they were running 20 minutes late. Then he maneuvered to get me out with a different group and I ended up teeing off almost on time. Finished in just over 4.5 hrs, and with only a few minutes of light remaining. (Glad I got out a couple groups early or I may not have finished.)

Course conditions: The alert at the top of the page (as of 9/27/13) is spot-on. The fairways are mostly brown, very wet and some seem to be verticut. That said, they are pretty playable. They're not lush by any means, but the ball sits up okay and it didn't really bother me much. I wouldn't pay the rack (currently reduced during overseeding) rate of $125, but if you can get a good deal, it's worth it. The greens were pretty good but started to get a bit wobbly toward the end of the round. The greens here are quite firm. Tee boxes were fine. Rough was dried out like the fairways but mostly playable. Sand traps were nice.

I had never played here before and where this course really shines is in the customer service. From the complimentary valet parking, to the friendly staff in the shop (gave me a free yardage book when I said it was first time here), to the free candy, lemonade and fresh-cut pineapple near the first tee, to the hot, scented towels at the cart return, the employees did their best to make me feel pampered and taken care of all afternoon long. The starter was also friendly and informative.

First time playing Monarch Beach and the best thing about this course is the quality of the sand in the bunkers. First off, there is fluffy sand in there that you can work the ball with around the gr... Continue »

First time playing Monarch Beach and the best thing about this course is the quality of the sand in the bunkers. First off, there is fluffy sand in there that you can work the ball with around the greens. The greens were in very good shape with putts breaking toward the Pacific, defying gravity in some instances. Fairways and tee boxes also well maintained, except for 12th fairway in some spots and 16 looks like they are adding a large bunker in front of the green. Pace of play was 5 hours on the weekend. Played on a friends Crown Card. From the gold tees, not a long golf course but enjoyable. Hole #7 is the best test with downwind conditions helping shorten the hole.

Played here on Sunday with an 8:30 tee time and a 1:50 replay. With the Crown Card the price was $99 for the morning round an $25 for the replay. Overall the course was in good shape considering the... Continue »

Played here on Sunday with an 8:30 tee time and a 1:50 replay. With the Crown Card the price was $99 for the morning round an $25 for the replay. Overall the course was in good shape considering the foot traffic it has been experiencing. The pins were tucked away in difficult locations (back left on numbers 3 and 6), and the black tees were playing slightly up on some of the holes, most noticeably 7 and 8. The greens were rolling at a nice pace, the rough around the greens was thick and lush, and the bunkers were full of soft sand. The fairways had some thin spots, with some sections under repair on holes 6 and 12. There was a light drizzle in the morning as well, so some of the holes were cartpath only. Pace of play was reasonable, running about 4:15 in the morning and 4:45 in the afternoon. The tee times are spaced 10 minutes apart here, which tends to keep things moving. The weather was fantastic, with a nice marine layer to keep everything cool throughout the day. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful as usual. The weather in Dana Point makes this course a nice alternative to some of the others in the area during the hot summer days, though the tight layout can feel a bit cramped. If you play the black tees, you can definitely use the driver a bit more, but from the gold tees it is more of a target course. The smartphone app makes it a breeze to book tee times, and if you have a Crown Card or another OB Sports card, I think this course is worth the fee.

I've played this course a couple of time recently and loved every minute of it. First and foremost I never waited on the tee box or in the fairway. I could give a good review just based on that, but... Continue »

I've played this course a couple of time recently and loved every minute of it. First and foremost I never waited on the tee box or in the fairway. I could give a good review just based on that, but I also have to say that the course was in great condition. I hear there's a new management/ownership group in place and you can tell they're trying to take this course to another level. Fairways were in great shape, sand traps were perfect and the greens were really nice. Add this to the great views on the front nine, the very friendly staff and challenging play of the course and you've got a beautiful round of golf to look forward to.

I'd have to say this was in the top 3 overall golf experiences. The course was in phenomenal shape, great layout but the service and staff made it exceptional. The hot towels and lemonade at the finis... Continue »

I'd have to say this was in the top 3 overall golf experiences. The course was in phenomenal shape, great layout but the service and staff made it exceptional. The hot towels and lemonade at the finish and the attentive staff really made this a top 3 golf experience. This was the highlight of my 4 day Dana point visit.

8:40am round yesterday 5/4/2013 with GK member doctor_swiz. Thanks to him for the hookup on the round of golf!

Played the Black Tee's.

Staff is always great, Valet is an added bonus.

Remembe... Continue »

8:40am round yesterday 5/4/2013 with GK member doctor_swiz. Thanks to him for the hookup on the round of golf!

Played the Black Tee's.

Staff is always great, Valet is an added bonus.

Remember, if this is your first time playing here...NO driving range, you just hit into nets. However there is a putting/chipping green.

Tee Boxes were in fairly good shape, only a couple par 3's were a bit uneven.

Fairways were mostly good. Still a lot of thin bare spots, but a vast improvement over the last time I played here recently.

Bunkers - TERRIBLE! I was in quite a few of them and they were all like concrete. No fluffy sand like last few times. Hard as a rock. This has to be fixed. I even heard others around the course cursing at the bunkers.

Greens - They are in good shape, rolled a bit on the slower side, but ran true.

On the 18th hole, no more coot crap problems.

Drove 2 hours to play this course for the 1st time with my husband. Shot much higher than normal but I made too many mistakes on shot selection. Local knowledge is definitely a plus here.

I can... Continue »

Drove 2 hours to play this course for the 1st time with my husband. Shot much higher than normal but I made too many mistakes on shot selection. Local knowledge is definitely a plus here.

I can't say enough about the staff but I was disappointed in the course condition. At this price, I would not expect to find mushy tee boxes, numerous dry patches in the fairways and bumpy greens. I not saying that the entire course was this way but enough to be noticeable.

If you're in the area and can find a deal, the back nine has wonderful views. I wouldn't drive 2 hours to pay $200+ to play this course.