Played in the SCGA outing, and although Pelican Hill is generally a nice course, I'd be absolutely furious if I were a hotel guest and paid the rack rate. The conditions weren't nearly as good as whe... Continue »

Played in the SCGA outing, and although Pelican Hill is generally a nice course, I'd be absolutely furious if I were a hotel guest and paid the rack rate. The conditions weren't nearly as good as when I last played PH. Many greens had some repaired areas along with spots where they were verticut but no top dressing. Fairways were mostly OK although there were quite a few areas that were brown and thin, and these weren't just from water conservation as some spots were severely overwatered. Many bunkers were unraked and filled with footprints, and quite a few had the cloth lining poking up through the sand throughout the bunker. The laser rangefinder provided with the cart didn't work. All of these things aren't unreasonable on an average course, but for a facility that presents itself as a high end luxury experience and has the priciest greens fees in SoCal, it is unacceptable.

Played 4/27. Awesome course, spectacular views, immaculate conditions, played from tips which was a mistake. The greens here are probably the best anywhere around. Played in a little over fours, fore ... Continue »

Played 4/27. Awesome course, spectacular views, immaculate conditions, played from tips which was a mistake. The greens here are probably the best anywhere around. Played in a little over fours, fore caddy was really great. A real treat to play this course, played north course a few years ago, both are awesome, south a bit more picturesque. My only cons of this place is the attitude of some the starters/cart guys, they need a lesson in manners. My friends son was sitting in the drivers seat of the cart and was asked if he was 18 by one of these guys, when he replied no the individual asking was amazingly rude and guff about the over 18 restriction to drive a cart like we were supposed to know. Never mind the kid has being playing golf since could walk and shot 72 from the tips! The rest of the staff is amazingly nice, but the jock attitude of the starters needs to be addressed.

Played here for the 1st time on the 17th. Course is in really good shape, greens rolled great, fairways were consistent, and tee boxes were flat. Bunkers were a little inconsistent but overall good... Continue »

Played here for the 1st time on the 17th. Course is in really good shape, greens rolled great, fairways were consistent, and tee boxes were flat. Bunkers were a little inconsistent but overall good, and the rough was thick in most places. I found the layout okay, its a shorter course. Good shots are rewarded and bad shot penalized with little chance to recover, there isn't a ton of risk/reward options. Unlike the the previous poster, I did find the fore caddy helpful at times. But if the read or yardage he gave was wrong he was quick to point out that I did something wrong not him, which annoyed me. Overall, great conditions, nice views, and above average layout. I of course would play again but I can't imagine paying the rack rate or anything close to that amount, I don't think it would be worth it.

Played Sunday 12/8 12:30 tee time. Didn't tee off till 12:40. Only got 15 holes in before dark. Very disappointed in pace of play and lack of marshaling. Course is in bad shape except the greens w... Continue »

Played Sunday 12/8 12:30 tee time. Didn't tee off till 12:40. Only got 15 holes in before dark. Very disappointed in pace of play and lack of marshaling. Course is in bad shape except the greens were good and fast. The group in front was not good and their pre-shot routines were ridiculous. All four would go to each ball and watch. We had to wait on every shot, no exaggeration.
Many tee boxes were absolute crap. Torn up, severe divots and over all just messy. Fairways were in similar condition. Rough was inconsistent. Greens were smooth and fast, very very fast! Made for a very unpleasant golf outing overall to say the least. Service is top notch as usual but the course is not in it's best shape by a long shot.

Played 7/24/13. Top shelf product and top shelf price. $290 for 1030a weekday. Exceptional service, location, views, and condition, but still tough to justify price point. Very good range facility, ho... Continue »

Played 7/24/13. Top shelf product and top shelf price. $290 for 1030a weekday. Exceptional service, location, views, and condition, but still tough to justify price point. Very good range facility, however, I didn't see a chipping area...May have missed it. Very good layout with good variety. A few spectacular vistas and holes (1, 5, 7) come to mind on front. The 'ocean 3' on the back (11,12,13) before heading back up the hill. Spotted a few whales from 11 fairway, and 13 tee. Great views from most holes. Fairways very good condition, however many sand filled divots. Greens rolled nicely (beware of an ocean 'pull') and were quite soft, so holding shots well. Got to be pretty straight here to ensure clean looks at the greens. Greenside bunkers (that I hit into)were absolutely perfect. A special treat to play here, if you can afford it. Enjoy

Played on Saturday feb 23rd early morning. Greens are in great shape with good speed to them. I ended up 3 putting 5-6 times due to approach shots being above the hole or having putts that were on the... Continue »

Played on Saturday feb 23rd early morning. Greens are in great shape with good speed to them. I ended up 3 putting 5-6 times due to approach shots being above the hole or having putts that were on the wrong tier. Ocean break is also the cause of my putting miscues. Bunkers are in great shape except holes 11-13, which is basically hard mud. Fairways were in decent shape but did have more divots in them than the previous 2-3 times I played here. Not a big fan of the fore caddies but they do have some interesting stories about the area. You could see the founder of hot pockets mansion on hole 15 tee box. Fun course with great views of the ocean but not sure it's worth the green fee. But if someone else is paying for it, worth it

First time playing the South course here at Pelican Hill and what a Tom Fazio treat, incredible what he did with this absolutely gorgeous piece of SoCal real estate. The views are awesome, comparable... Continue »

First time playing the South course here at Pelican Hill and what a Tom Fazio treat, incredible what he did with this absolutely gorgeous piece of SoCal real estate. The views are awesome, comparable to but just short of Pebble, but the $150 twilight rate cannot be beat for high end golf. Service is what you'd expect, too, from when you arrive to the completion of your round. Great practice area, valet, locker room, etc., they got it right at this place.

The course: from the blacks it's only about 6600 yards but there's not much room for error here, even if you play the white tees ... errant shots are gone or unplayable, period. That said, the course is set up right in front of you, so from the tee box you can get a solid visual of what lies ahead. Caddies are not required for twilight so we were on our own. There are six par 3's here (par is 70) and the two that run by the coastline are drop dead gorgeous holes (photo op), but I can tell you first hand, don't land in the waste area of #13 cuz it's ultra hardpan and extremely difficult to play out of.

The design gives you a mixture or long and short par 4's requiring some thought if you've never played this track ... 3 metal or driver. The finishing 453 yard hole is a peach as you have two ravines to carry and the green is settled below the beautiful Pelican Hill resort, just picture perfect.

Conditions today were as good as winter golf can be with some dry areas in the fairways but nothing bothersome that is unless your ball finds a divot which are aplenty in the landing areas. Rough goes from 2-3 inches to 'just hack it out with a wedge', that's why you need to be accurate to score here or have a good sense of humor. Greens were, unfortunately, lightly sanded which made the speed a bit unpredictable. Even if well struck, some balls would check up and some would release. Large putting surfaces mostly rolled true but difficult to read if you've not played here, so take care to view your putt from a few angles and keep it below the hole cuz they can make them real fast if they wanted. Bunkers looked good from above but once you dig in you could feel the hard bottom only an inch below the surface, so beware of the bounce. Oh, yeah, POP was 4.5 hours with very little waiting ... we finished at dusk with a 1:20PM start time.

All together, the South course at Pelican Hill was truly one of the most fullfilling golf experiences I've encountered anywhere. Conditions, service, view, and especially the challenging Fazio design make this the top public course I've played to date in SoCal. Pricey, yes, but worth it. Best thing for me: I won a bet last year and my buddy finally paid off, so I was treated to a round at any course of my choosing ... and I'm glad I chose Pelican Hill! And I did buy him dinner after the round :)

Played South Course on 11/25/12 had an unbelievable life experience at this top rated golf haven. Just a beautiful course with great customer service. The caddy program provides a terrific day of know... Continue »

Played South Course on 11/25/12 had an unbelievable life experience at this top rated golf haven. Just a beautiful course with great customer service. The caddy program provides a terrific day of knowledge of the course if you listen to your caddy I guarantee you will save at least 5 strokes! Every hole is enjoyable. The par 3s are all unforgettable , great views of ocean on 12 and 13 breathtaking holes! Will be back again when Notre Dame plays USC in November 2014. Worth every penny!!!

Pelican Hill Golf Club Review
Southern California Golf Course Reviews

I never get tired of coming out here. Not only do you get some of the nicest views, but the golf course is always in immaculate condition. And the carts are some of the most comfortable rides on the... Continue »

I never get tired of coming out here. Not only do you get some of the nicest views, but the golf course is always in immaculate condition. And the carts are some of the most comfortable rides on the golf courses... Professional staff. Nice driving range.
Bev cart came out 3x and well stocked. Every hole offers a diff look and challenges you to hit a good shot. The 1st cut rough were cut short and not as punishing as last time i remember. However, if your ball goes beyond this short grass, good luck finding your ball. The tall grass swallows the misguided balls and it is a task to see the ball even if you are standing right on top of the ball.
Some of the bunkers are majestic and punishing at the same time.. Trust me, I know!
Greens are quite expansive and well maintained but you have to land your ball on the right spot or you are looking at 3 putts a lot. Several tier greens - certainly a forecaddies' advise might come in handy.
Lots of force carries on the tee shots and offers a truly remarkable experience for those who come out to play.
Truly a gem of a course. Can't wait to go back.

Pelican Hill Golf Club Review
Southern California Golf Course Reviews