Mid morning Sunday round in 4.5 hours. The staff is top notch and the carts as well. A lot of the employees are newly hired but all were excellent at what they were performing. The practice facilit... Continue »

Mid morning Sunday round in 4.5 hours. The staff is top notch and the carts as well. A lot of the employees are newly hired but all were excellent at what they were performing. The practice facility is excellent but evidently they haven't yet been able to bring enough staff on board yet to have the range set up for grass (we had to hit from the mats). The tee time intervals are every 15 minutes with times from 7 am until 2 pm only. The tee boxes were all in great condition with good coverage. The rough was fairly thick for the heat of summer and was great at stopping wayward shots from becoming lost balls! The stuff was thick but you could still advance the ball more than one would expect. The fairways were just about as perfect as any I've ever played with no bare or thin spots anywhere. The traps all had plentiful top quality sand and numerous rakes located around them (not everybody was using the rakes). The greens were in nearly perfect condition as well with a few too many ball marks on those that were hit often. The pace of the greens was a little different on a few which was a bit frustrating. They were not playing as much break as they have in the past either. The course itself is beautiful as are the views from a few holes! Having lived in a home for many years directly next to the facility before it became a resort casino and top notch golf course has been interesting. We used to hike the trails that ran through the land and watch our dogs swim in the natural spring that feeds the turf. Always recommended even at the rack rate!!!

Played here today with 11:15 tee time using mpisarki01’s player’s club rate of $90. Thanks Matt! I was unfortunately running very late due to extra heavy traffic, so I didn’t get a chance to partake i... Continue »

Played here today with 11:15 tee time using mpisarki01’s player’s club rate of $90. Thanks Matt! I was unfortunately running very late due to extra heavy traffic, so I didn’t get a chance to partake in any of the practice facilities. After Matt texted me saying he had to park in the parking structure, I also made a mistake by parking in a different, giant parking structure that was at least a 10-minute walk/scramble/mad dash trying to find the golf course. Pro Tip: If playing here, leave yourself a little extra time to navigate the resort, find the course, and park near it – rather than wandering all over like me. Anyway, we started on time and POP was great until we caught the group ahead of us on the 9th. From there, it was a little slow but not too bad. Total POP probably around 4.5 hours.

Conditions are very nice! Greens are smooth and very receptive of full shots. They rolled about medium speed but looked like they’d be faster. I left putts short all day. Fairways are coming out of dormancy and have great coverage except for occasional spots that aren’t really in play. Overseeded rough along the fairways is lush and around 3-4 inches deep, although I felt the ball sat up pretty good in it most times. Occasionally it would settle down in it, which made things difficult. Black tee boxes were all level and well maintained. I wasn’t in any bunkers but they seemed pretty good.

Only my second time here. Great course where there’s never a dull moment. Tons of elevation changes make things fun. Also lead to lots of long drives between holes. Good amenities almost make it feel like a private club with free water bottles, two colors (!) of branded tees, divot fixers, ball markers, etc. Highly recommended!

Played here yesterday morning at 715am. Range and chipping area are among the best available for a public course. Range balls are included and at $159 a round they should be. Customer service was on p... Continue »

Played here yesterday morning at 715am. Range and chipping area are among the best available for a public course. Range balls are included and at $159 a round they should be. Customer service was on point, friendly and attentive. The snack shack and kitchen was not open prior to our tee time so bring your coffee, breakfast, etc. of you tee off early (Easter Sunday may have played a role in the late start). Fairways were PERFECT! Greens were not as fast as I remember but rolled very smooth. Sand traps were excellent (rakes are available so no more free placing you Reeds!). Great experience, great facility...I just need to find a way get a discount or make the blackjack table reimburse me ??. Highly recommend this place

Joined Gregholla, Circaflex, and Hillary at Pechanga on Saturday using my club card that gets a 50% off rack rate which makes it well worth it. Weather was perfect 70º light breeze and a very enjoyabl... Continue »

Joined Gregholla, Circaflex, and Hillary at Pechanga on Saturday using my club card that gets a 50% off rack rate which makes it well worth it. Weather was perfect 70º light breeze and a very enjoyable day. Front nine starts flat until hole 4 where it starts to go into the hills. Hole number six is spectacular giving you a 150' drop from the tee box to the fairway and another 50' to the green. Backnine stays flat until holes 17 a tough par three and 18 another hole with a 120' drop from tee to green.

Conditions are still good here at Pechanga with the greens being the highlight smooth, semi firm and rolling nicely. Black Tee's were in good shape some divots on par threes. Sand was good and had enough sand to do what you need to splash out. Rough was in amazing shape as it was overseeded some areas it was rather deep but the ball usually sat up. Fairways were the low point for me as they did not overseed them and there are a few thin areas around. Still mostly dormant Bermuda but it just looks funny with the rough being overseeded and the fairway dormant. Usually you had a good lie but around the edges where they put new sod it just hasnt taken and looks bad.

The course is still amazing and I will still play but its just not in the same condition as normal until the Bermuda wakes up from its winter sleep.

Played today with a few fellow GK'ers at 9AM (9:15 because of frost).

Facility: The restaurant is open and was taking in-door seating. You are temperature checked before entering. The inside of the... Continue »

Played today with a few fellow GK'ers at 9AM (9:15 because of frost).

Facility: The restaurant is open and was taking in-door seating. You are temperature checked before entering. The inside of the building was extremely clean and the staff were friendly. I didnt stick around for food, but the menu did look good, however items were $$$. The range was above average, you are hitting off of mats and unfortunately the sun rises towards the back of the range so seeing your ball land was almost impossible. Range balls were good quality. The chipping/short game area is where the facility really shines. The grass was well maintained and the bunkers around were pretty good. Nice to see a fully stocked practice area with enough balls for multiple people to practice. Water was provided as were bag tags, divot tools and ball markers. Staff was courteous and all around excellent.

Course: Fairways were dormant, but still played pure. You did catch a few thin lies, but it was still playing nicely. Almost like hitting off of a good mat at the range. The rough was lush and sometimes it was preferred depending on the next shot. Bunkers were good, not too fluffy, however, not compact either. Rakes were available (whether folks were using them is another story). There are some forced carry holes and a couple that are narrow, but if you can keep it in play off the tee you have a good chance of shooting a solid round. The greens were firm for the most part and fast, but rolled smooth. Pace of play was a little slow, however given it was the weekend I wont complain all that much about a 5 hour round.

I highly recommend playing here if you have not yet!

Joined Matt, Jerry and Mike for an all to enjoyable round at Pechanga on 1/17/21 teeing off a little early with POP a shade over 4 hours (415ish). Seemed like we waited a lot, but the round wasn't ba... Continue »

Joined Matt, Jerry and Mike for an all to enjoyable round at Pechanga on 1/17/21 teeing off a little early with POP a shade over 4 hours (415ish). Seemed like we waited a lot, but the round wasn't bad at all. The staff as always was A+ and helpful. This course for me is just fun to play. Sure there are the silly holes with trees in the fairway, and some crazy elevation changes, but overall a blast to play. Not much to add to Matt's review except that I concur with the overseeding the rough but not the fairway was bizarre and that the greens rolled about as well as I have ever played on this course. Some of the tee boxes could use some leveling but these are minor grievances. Bunkers were great and rough was lush and beautiful while remaining playable. I think this course warrants the rack, and even more so when the fairways come back. Would be a fun one for an outing!

Went out yesterday to to get one last round in before I lose my 40% off discount. Joined by Blakej824, OCGolfer19, and mmosqueda for an 9:30 tee time. We Checked in 1 hour early to make good use of th... Continue »

Went out yesterday to to get one last round in before I lose my 40% off discount. Joined by Blakej824, OCGolfer19, and mmosqueda for an 9:30 tee time. We Checked in 1 hour early to make good use of the amazing practice facilities. For those who have never player here the practice area has two large chipping greens with sand traps as well as a full size driving range and putting green. The staff here was very nice as usual A++.

The Course was in good shape overall as is normally the case. For some strange reason they decided to over seed the rough this year and not the fairway. Usually they over seed the entire course but that was not the case with the shutdown earlier in the year. Ever though the fairways were not pristine lush grass it was still very playable and had no bare spots. There are a few GIR areas where the new sod didn't take on 2 holes but it doesn't come into play. Tee Boxes were level and lush with many options to choose from. Rough was fully lush and 1-2 inches by the fairway and 2-4 inches near the green very nice to play from and not overly challenging. The Sand is just as nice as before providing ample sand to hit from and nothing to disappoint. Greens are very nice right now running a little quick and receptive to most shots. Probably as good as I have seen the greens here over the years.

This course is a lot of fun going up and down the mountain as well as well placed water features on the flat holes. Carts are very nice with plush seats and Bluetooth built into the GPS. I suggest playing here if you get a chance as it is a lot of fun.

Played in a scramble tournament at Journey on Saturday and, while it's not in its most pristine condition like past visits, it's always a pleasure to play this unique course, and contributing to a goo... Continue »

Played in a scramble tournament at Journey on Saturday and, while it's not in its most pristine condition like past visits, it's always a pleasure to play this unique course, and contributing to a good cause near and dear to my heart is never a bad thing.

Staff at Journey is always helpful and pleasant, which goes a long way when there's a frost delay that pushed back starting tee times about an hour. Our 9:30am start was actually more like 10:20 or so, but the weather really cleaned up nicely and by the third or fourth holes it turned into a perfect afternoon for golf.

In terms of conditions, the dormant fairways are really the only blight on things right now, but it was still extremely playable and not an issue to fire off good, clean shots. The rough is in great shape - very thick and lush. We did not deal with any bunkers all day since our team was fairly accurate throughout the day (we shot a 9-under 63 collectively), but they looked very well kept and even fluffy in some of them. Tee boxes were in good shape with only the par 3s being a little more beat up than the others.

The greens were definitely the highlight and ran great all day. No issues there whatsoever. Not so fast that it was impossible for some of the trickier green complexes around Journey, but plenty of soft putts required for the downhillers to keep them close. Held shots well and were very true to their lines ... a joy to play.

As far as amenities, Journey has superb carts with luxury seats and Bluetooth speakers, along with a very adequate GPS system that gives you everything you need. There is also a very convenient snack shop between nines that will give you every opportunity to refuel before you tackle the back half of the course.

I always look forward to returning to this fun, quirky yet challenging course and Saturday's visit did nothing to dissuade that view. When the fairways get back to green again, it will be absolutely fantastic.

Played Journey at Pechanga yesterday in a GK match. This was my first time playing this course which was chosen by Matt. Matt knows that the further I drive the nice the course has to be. And thou... Continue »

Played Journey at Pechanga yesterday in a GK match. This was my first time playing this course which was chosen by Matt. Matt knows that the further I drive the nice the course has to be. And though I can’t say Journey is worth a 6 hour drive, it was certainly worth the 1 ½ hour drive from where I had to be Monday morning for work. Matt got us his High Roller discount and that’s just the way the staff treated me. From check in through teeing off, the entire staff was great. Very friendly and helpful guiding me around to all of the amenities. Due to COVID they can’t load your bag but they are in the area to help point out everything.

Range balls are included with green fee. Range is on mats with wide socially spaced hitting spaces. Next to the range is a great chipping area with short grass, long grass and a couple of bunkers which had excellent sand.

Greens were excellent as well. Most greens had multiple undulations making them critical to be on the correct level. Yet the breaks were severe enough that they were predictable. Greens rolled smooth at a medium-fast pace. The front nine had relatively no pitch marks, but the back nine had several unrepaired pitch marks per green. Not sure if the early players just got tired of repairing their marks or what?

Fairways were decent for the most part. Good coverage throughout and nice and green. However, They have replaced the grass with new sod in several locations. Unfortunately. The SOD either wasn’t laid out properly or hasn’t been watered enough as it shrank leaving gaps between the strips. The only other issue with the fairways was the opposite end of the spectrum. Most fairways have slope to them and the downhill side of the fairway could get pretty soggy in some areas. Other than that the fairways were a joy to hit from. At least that’s what I heard….

No issues with the tee boxes. Level lush and easy to find nice grass to hit from on the par 3’s. I was only in one greenside bunker and it was consistent with the practice bunker. Nice quality sand.

Layout- The course is part of a casino which apparently is the largest Indian Casino in California. The track is set up against a hill with about a third of the holes set up in the hillside. Like Carmel Valley Ranch up north Journey routes the course so that you are hitting down hill on all of the mountain side holes. Course does a good job keeping you on your toes on the “flat” holes as well with some split fairways, dog legs etc. Several holes throughout the track are grip and rip it, mixed in with less than driver, accuracy is a premium over distance. Plenty of water on the course in the form of ponds, small lakes and creek crossings to give the course some great beauty.

Several of the holes have elevated tee’s making club selection on the par 3’s a bit of a challenge for the first time playing. However, it was a very enjoyable layout. The one issue I had with the course was the sub 400 yard par 5, that doesn’t require any type of layup off the tee or the second shot? Sorry, Matt, but I can’t get excided about a “birdie” on a 380 yard hole. But nice par!

The Carts are super plush with top quality seats, GPS (to the pin) and built in blue tooth speaker. Carts also had sand bottles in them. I didn’t see a cooler on the cart which I thought was odd. Not that big of a deal yesterday in the picture perfect 70’s weather, but in the summer??

COVID- Pro shop has a single entry door which I assume is for easier disinfecting. Masks are required everywhere but while playing. Speaking of masks. They require specific masks. Gators, bandana’s and even “construction” masks with vents are not allowed.
Restaurant was open with outdoor patio dining. Eggs benedict was very good. Practice green was open with no flags. They doubled up Peter and I but Matt and Gerry were single rider carts.

All said and done, Journey at Pechanga was a great course. Solid conditions all around, great layout with elevation changes and water, plus excellent customer service. I don’t know if I’ll get a chance to play it again due to it’s location but again it’s definitely worth an hour or two drive.