this is a surprisingly difficult little course. by looking at the yardage one would dismiss it as a beginners course, but i am a 3 handicap and i usually shoot 2-3 over par here and the same goes for ... Continue »

this is a surprisingly difficult little course. by looking at the yardage one would dismiss it as a beginners course, but i am a 3 handicap and i usually shoot 2-3 over par here and the same goes for many other good players.

the greens are small and many are shaped like a turtle's shell, so even with a wedge in hand they can be difficult to hold, especially later in the day when they harden up. the greens roll true and fast by muni course standards, especially considering the amount of play they receive.

the overall condition of the fairways and rough are acceptable for a muni. there are some bad spots but most of the time you will get a good lie.

what is most impressive is how this short, seemingly easy course can defend itself and keep people from going too low. there are 3 par fours under 250 yards (yes par 4s) but 2 have water surrounding the greens which force you to tee off with a mid iron and one is dead into the prevailing wind off the ocean just a mile away. 2 other par 4s are defended each by a huge tree in front of the green. its 2 par 5s are both under 500 yards but are both into the wind and only reachable by fairly long hitters. also the par 3s are as tough as they come... all are over 160 and 3 of 4 are into the wind and 2 have greens like an upside down cereal bowl...

give this tricky little course a try.

I played this course because our regular course is being renovated. I wouldn't play here again, by choice. William Bell seems to have laid out every muni in S. Cal. I don't think his designs work toda... Continue »

I played this course because our regular course is being renovated. I wouldn't play here again, by choice. William Bell seems to have laid out every muni in S. Cal. I don't think his designs work today. The course is in very good condition, but there was not enough land to lay out a real 18 hole course. So Bell had to resort to tricks and gimmicks. There are two or three lay-up par 4s, where you use 8-7 iron off the tee because the landing area in front of the greens is a pond. This is entertaining once in a round. The greens are often elevated and crowned so a good pitch or chip catches the downhill slope on the far side and rolls off. Once again, OK once or twice in a round—but not consistently. Overall, the layout feels cramped, with a fair amount of cross-fairway golfing. Add the higher cost and it doesn't add up.

I've played here many times since we moved here a couple years ago. It's always been a decent course and fair for the money. I'm not convinced that the new ownership is a big step forward yet, but I... Continue »

I've played here many times since we moved here a couple years ago. It's always been a decent course and fair for the money. I'm not convinced that the new ownership is a big step forward yet, but I'll try to stay optimistic. Some notes:

Driving range: They've changed so that you're allowed to hit off the grass or the mats depending on the day of the week. Unfortunately the grass (kikuya, I believe) just doesn't put up with the abuse as well as some other strains might. They also seem to hugely over-water the grass with the result being that my cleats fill with mud and any shot not picked clean off the turf will require you to clean out the grooves of the clubhead before hitting another shot. The range is "irons only" on most days that the grass is being used unless you're backed up all the way to the mats.

The have a chipping green as well, but that needs to be scraped and redone. All shots break hard towards the driving range, so it's hard to create an interesting variety of shots to execute. They've got a lot of extra, unused space there, so let's hope they put it to use someday. In the meantime, Rec Park 18 has a much, much better short game area and is only a few miles up the 405.

The putting green, though, is quite nice. Be aware for shouts of "Fore!" though--anyone who seriously airmails or blades their approach on the 9th is going to put the ball on the putting green.

The course: It's a a short course, par 70, 5600 yards and the rough is pretty modest, so you're unlikely to lose a ball unless someone picks it up (had that happen before). The front 9 rarely calls my driver into play, but the back 9 requires it fairly often. The par 3s are somewhat bland, all being mid-distance (165-180 yards, roughly), with both back 9 par 3s playing uphill and into the prevailing breeze. The exception is the first par 3, which is tough to club right--you can't really feel the breeze up in the air and there's water short, the driving range left, and streets right and long.

Pace of play: On the weekends it's bad. Really bad. Awful. I've had 6 hour rounds here and that's just unforgivable. No reason for it ever unless management doesn't stay on top of it. Unfortunately, like most courses, the marshals have no authority and are really just customer service reps. They're not out there to make people keep up and maintain a decent pace of play. If you want to play in a reasonable amount of time, you better be off the tee before 7 or 7:30.

Pace of play caveat aside, it's a decent course for a fair price. I'll be there this Sunday.

Have not played this golf course in a while, was pleased with the new changes! New mwnagement is a huge improvement, customer service has improved 110%, golf course was in great shape, food was godd t... Continue »

Have not played this golf course in a while, was pleased with the new changes! New mwnagement is a huge improvement, customer service has improved 110%, golf course was in great shape, food was godd too. check out their new driving range program, can't beat that deal! I will be playing here as often as I can...

Me and a buddy played Meadowlark. We wanted to play in HB to get out of the heat. This was a challenging course for me. I am a high handicapper. The greens are very fast and don't hold the ball well. ... Continue »

Me and a buddy played Meadowlark. We wanted to play in HB to get out of the heat. This was a challenging course for me. I am a high handicapper. The greens are very fast and don't hold the ball well. Overall the course is in very good shape. Many have complained about the tee boxes not being level. They really were not bad. The only thing I could complain about is the $53 green fee and the arguing family on hole #2. The tee box on #2 is right up against an aparment complex and this family was going at it so hard you could hear them all the way to the green!

Played here on a weekend and it took about 6 hours. Ouch. Had some newbies in the two groups ahead of us. Marshalls were of no help.

Course was good and challenging. Short at times but still tough.... Continue »

Played here on a weekend and it took about 6 hours. Ouch. Had some newbies in the two groups ahead of us. Marshalls were of no help.

Course was good and challenging. Short at times but still tough. Make sure you know your distances on your clubs, because you may have to use most of them. Small greens.

Not a bad course. Was just slow play. I'de play again, but maybe just during the week if possible.

Decided to check off another course on my need to play list, overpriced, avg layout. very wet due to rains. Supposed to be cart path only and was paired with a group that had an employee in it and the... Continue »

Decided to check off another course on my need to play list, overpriced, avg layout. very wet due to rains. Supposed to be cart path only and was paired with a group that had an employee in it and they were allowed to drive anywhere on the course. Hit 3/4 of the greens and couldn't get the ball to hold the green. Made a decent ball mark, just couldn't get it to hold. Used to greens that are bigger, but they rolled very nice. Tiny greens and large price for this course. Checked off another one though...

Played today, Sunday, at about 7:30. I took my son's friend here, because he is a beginner and I remembered Meadowlark as a pretty wide open and forgiving course. I forgot how hard it can be to pitch ... Continue »

Played today, Sunday, at about 7:30. I took my son's friend here, because he is a beginner and I remembered Meadowlark as a pretty wide open and forgiving course. I forgot how hard it can be to pitch and putt around these greens when they are hard and fast as they were today. Really a good shot maker's course, especially for a shorter player. The greens were in very good shape and the rest of the course is good for this time of year. Pace of play was outstanding (for here) at under 4 1/2 hours. The customer service was great and my only complaint would be that $53 to ride is a little steep for a muni, but Orange County always seems to add at least ten or twenty bucks to the green fees.

played 8/31/07 This is a nice little course close to the beach so it was maybe 15 to 20 degrees cooler than inland empire. The course was inexpensive yet still in good shape. Fairways are thin but gre... Continue »

played 8/31/07 This is a nice little course close to the beach so it was maybe 15 to 20 degrees cooler than inland empire. The course was inexpensive yet still in good shape. Fairways are thin but green. The rough was a bit long making it had to spot your ball at times. The greens were hard to hold but rolled true. Now the bad. We teed off at 3:30 and thought we could finish well before dark 4 hour round, but not a chance. I have never seen more people crammed onto one course in my life. This is no lie it took us 4 hours to finish 11 holes. I love golf but this just ruined the round for us. Perhaps if the marshall would get out there and move people along and they stop letting groups on 5 or 6 go out. By the way you read it right groups of six. Now if you like a 7 hour round of golf this is the place.
Enjoy