Played the Creek on a beautiful spring Sunday afternoon, 4/21, at the card rate of $70 mid-day (a bit pricey). Course is in great condition, tee to green. The rough was cut a bit lower than in the p... Continue »

Played the Creek on a beautiful spring Sunday afternoon, 4/21, at the card rate of $70 mid-day (a bit pricey). Course is in great condition, tee to green. The rough was cut a bit lower than in the past making the up and down easier, greens rolling semi-quick with just a few ball marks, but the POP was painfully slow today as we went off after a 'Pepsi' tournament, 5:15 to play 18 holes ... brutal dude.

Despite the waiting, I still like to play here as the course layout, customer service, practice area, and grub is top notch. But the weekday rates are much more reasonable than the weekend, and it's not nearly as crowded. Maybe it was just the great weather that brought everyone out. Still recommended.

Played first off Monday morning in the wind and misty rain. Tough condtions. Course is coming along. Greens were better than I expected considering they were punched only 1 month ago. However they wer... Continue »

Played first off Monday morning in the wind and misty rain. Tough condtions. Course is coming along. Greens were better than I expected considering they were punched only 1 month ago. However they were very very slow?? Overall course was in decent shape, and once the warm weather gets here, this place should blossom

Tee'd off just before noon with GK'er Doctor Swiz. Done in 3 hours 45min! That's my type of round.

They aerated a few weeks ago...they are about 80% healed i would guess.

Customer service is ... Continue »

Tee'd off just before noon with GK'er Doctor Swiz. Done in 3 hours 45min! That's my type of round.

They aerated a few weeks ago...they are about 80% healed i would guess.

Customer service is great here, staff is courteous and friendly.

Played the Black tee's.

Tee Boxes: Longer grass than I am used to, my guess they over seeded and letting it grow a bit before mowing. It is lush grass and in great shape.

Fairways: they are definitely letting the fairway grass grow. It's quite long and fury for the fairway, not a lot of run out either. When they cut it, it should be perfect!

Rough: not as brutal as it was last time, however around the greens...its some long grass and can be very penalizing.

Bunkers: I was in a few, the one green side bunker i was in on #9 had huge footprints all over and of course my ball was in one. The sand is very consistent and easy to get out of (thanks to all my bunker practice in Arrowood's bunkers!)

Greens: they are healing nicely. Still sandy and plenty or aeration marks. They are on the slow side which is a given with all that sand. Few more weeks and I think they will be awesome!

I am really liking this course, enjoy the shear difference between the front and back nines. Also a variety of holes that challenge you.

I will wait a bit for the course to heal a bit more and will be playing it again soon!

We took advantage of the aeration special and played today. The greens were done 3/18-19 and while not totally healed they are playable. Front 9 were slower than back with moisture still on them, but ... Continue »

We took advantage of the aeration special and played today. The greens were done 3/18-19 and while not totally healed they are playable. Front 9 were slower than back with moisture still on them, but back 9 were nice when the sun came out. Starter put us out as number one group as we were two players and we played comfortably in 3 hours. Unbelievable. As SNGERNZ said, the course is in great shape from tee to green and by all means watch out for the rough, it is brutal. And we had no problems with the 16th hole, unlike he did on Sunday. I had not played here since last year and the course is still great to play and you cannot say enough about the customer service. I look forward to going back more often and playing this great course. If you have not played here, you owe it to yourself and playing partners to do so.

Got on as a twosome on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon (twilight, gratis w/CreekCard) and zipped around in just over 4 hours, no kidding. Marshal doing a great job today. Greens are recently punched and... Continue »

Got on as a twosome on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon (twilight, gratis w/CreekCard) and zipped around in just over 4 hours, no kidding. Marshal doing a great job today. Greens are recently punched and will need a few weeks recovery, but the rest of the course is in great shape: fairways green and full, rough deep ... just the bunkers can be hard pan in some areas, so be advised. The work on the par 3, #5 green complex is now completed and what a beautiful hole, all tee boxes are now open. Beautiful course, recommended.

Played Sat around noon time. It was my first time playing Tijeras Creek and what a beautiful course! Like many people said in the reviews, the front nine and the back nine feel like completely two se... Continue »

Played Sat around noon time. It was my first time playing Tijeras Creek and what a beautiful course! Like many people said in the reviews, the front nine and the back nine feel like completely two separate golf courses. Front nine reminded me of Tustin Ranch GC with houses lined up on both sides, narrow fairways, and elevated greens but Tijeras felt wider than TR and houses come into play lesser than TR (both courses are designed by same guy, Ted Robinson). Then, the back nine is set in the wild (so to speak), weaving through the creek, and there are some elevation changes. They are wider than front nine but have OB. All in all, this is a beautifully set up course and gives you variety that you will not get bored. I personally liked the course better than TR, where some holes feel very similar and redundant. If you have not played it, I highly recommend it (and it's a lot cheaper than TR).
As far as the conditions, it was in great condition (they are aerating 3/18). Fairway is kept in very good condition. Greens were medium to fast and rolled true. Front nine greens do not break as much as you think - I don't know if it's ocean break or mountain break, but play less break than you would normally do on front nine. Back nine greens break more than the front nine. Sands were generally good with fluffy sands, except 15th hole green side bunker I was in - it was thin. The roughs were very long and can be very penalizing and it will test your game. Try to avoid it as much as possible and keep your tee shots in the short grass. If you're in rough and if there is water in play, make sure to lay up. I try to muscle it over the water and lost few balls. There are some holes where water comes in play like 4th, 5th, and 10th.
Overall, this is a quality course with beautiful set up and layout with good customer service and great value. Especially if you have Creek Card, which is IMO best value in OC. I think this is going to be my regular course.

This was my first time out at Tijeras Creek, played with GK member: doctor_swiz . I am kicking myself for not trying this course before. I have been missing out.

First off, from when you drive up, ... Continue »

This was my first time out at Tijeras Creek, played with GK member: doctor_swiz . I am kicking myself for not trying this course before. I have been missing out.

First off, from when you drive up, to the staff. This plays feels like a private course. Huge practice facility, 2 large putting greens and a very upscale atmosphere....but that is the thing, with the creek card, the price is beyond fair! This is the best bargain in OC!

Let's move on to the course.

The front 9 i completely different than the back 9. I enjoyed both, good thing i brought extra golf balls for the back.

The one strange tee box is #10. it is literally on top of the putting green. I found this very annoying and quite odd. I loved every hole. I will be back, very soon!

Tee boxes were in great shape, plenty of grass and level. Sand refills on all par 3's which was nice.

Fairways are GREEN, lush grass and very picturesque. For a heavily played public course, the fairways were beyond impressive! Kudos to the workers.

The rough...was, well, well, well ROUGH! and i mean penalizing rough. at least 6-7" high and the ball could be in front of me and I cannot see it. A few times took me awhile to find it and it was only a few feet from the fairway. Let me tell you again, that rough is ROUGH! Better add a few strokes if you find this stuff.

The sand was harder than I am used to but was easy to get out of. I found them all to be raked and no real issues here.

The greens were in my opinion on the SLOW side. many downhill puts came up short and flat putts came up quite a bit short because they were a lot slower than they looked. A few were quite bumpy as well. However they are in great shape and not many ball marks at all. I was quite impressed.

Played here Thursday 2/21. First thing I would mention is the level of their customer service. These guys are "johnny on the spot", very attentive and friendly. We were taking customers out and they a... Continue »

Played here Thursday 2/21. First thing I would mention is the level of their customer service. These guys are "johnny on the spot", very attentive and friendly. We were taking customers out and they appreciated the top notch treatment. My boss purchased the Creek Card they offer. What bargain...drink discounts, discount green fees ($35 off) to a SCGA membership...the list goes on. After purchasing the card ($99) and 4 green fees ($60 each), he saved over $40 from the rack rate. I have not seen a better deal anywhere...I challenge you to find one.

Now the golf course. Beautiful!
The tee boxes did need a mow. Overall, level and plenty of tee boxes for every golfer.
Fairways are in great shape but not a lot of roll. I bombed a couple of drives but, surprised at the overall distance...course plays a little long, needless to say. Rough was lush about 3"-5".
I wasn't in any bunkers but, they looked firm. Plenty of sand but, not fluffy.
Greens were very fast and overall consistent. A couple of greens on the front nine were a tad bumpy.
Now a dig...The POP was terrible for the amount of people playing...5+hrs. The foursome ahead of us was a hole behind. We finally had enough and skipped hole #13. There we met up with another foursome that had at least 2 holes open ahead of them. We pushed them and they picked up the pace. I'm hoping this was a fluke because I love playing this track.
It is on my favorites list for sure.

Arrived at 7AM, it was 40* but no frost delay and it warmed up as soon as the sun came over the hills. Cart path only due to soft turf, POP was 4.5 hrs, not much fairway roll either. Greens were cut... Continue »

Arrived at 7AM, it was 40* but no frost delay and it warmed up as soon as the sun came over the hills. Cart path only due to soft turf, POP was 4.5 hrs, not much fairway roll either. Greens were cut short but were a bit slow, front 9 rough was deep and difficult to play from, not so bad on the back side. Bunkers a little damp but playable, some were not conditioned after weekend rain and would have been tough to play out of. Everything green and lush. Still playing from the temp tee box on the par 3 #5, but the new green will be huge.