Played today using a certificate I won at a tournament. Course is a mixed bag and will be closing soon for a few weeks for maintenance. I really enjoy the layout of this course and think it’s a good c... Continue »

Played today using a certificate I won at a tournament. Course is a mixed bag and will be closing soon for a few weeks for maintenance. I really enjoy the layout of this course and think it’s a good challenge.
Conditions were good. Tee boxes were level and lush. Fairways were lush with almost no brown spots and gave a decent roll. Sand was a mixed bag. Most of the front 9 sand was filled with gravel and marked ground under repair. Not sure what is going on. In a couple of bunkers on back 9 and they were in good shape. Greens were the best part. Smooth and fast.

Unfortunately hole 6 the big downhill par 4 was closed. They are working on the fairway and turned it into a par 3.

Played in just over 4 hours and never felt rushed. If you can find a good deal the course is a must play.

Used my club card for the $90 rate this morning going I booked the only singles time they had before 11 and tee'd off at 840. POP was decent at 4:20 my group had a father and son that were on the slo... Continue »

Used my club card for the $90 rate this morning going I booked the only singles time they had before 11 and tee'd off at 840. POP was decent at 4:20 my group had a father and son that were on the slower side for my liking but we kept decent pace and we never saw the group behind us. Staff here was fantastic as always IMO. I even went to the restaurant this morning and if you are a Eggs Benedict fan this place is for you.

As for the course it is in fantastic summer shape. It has been in the high nineties the last few weeks but they have watered the course a bunch to keep it alive. A few fairways were almost too wet and would stop all high shots and leave divots. Greens were smooth and running at a 10.5 per the sheet in the proshop telling you about weather and course conditions. One tip that I have hear is that like money every putt goes to the casino. So knowing that I had a fantastic day putting because this tip was true. Sand was decent to hit out of, out of the three shots I had to hit only one was a touch firm but nothing out of the ordinary.

This course is a must play and if you know someone with a gold card or above at Pechanga the rates are quite reasonable. I will be returning often until my card expires in six months

I played The Journey for the first time yesterday. I used an Underpar deal and was joined by rudyclub. The customer service was great from the parking lot security guard being helpful when I got a bi... Continue »

I played The Journey for the first time yesterday. I used an Underpar deal and was joined by rudyclub. The customer service was great from the parking lot security guard being helpful when I got a bit turned around,to my bag getting picked up at my car, and the friendly and efficient pro shop staff. We spent a little time warming up. This was one of the nicest practice areas I’ve seen- grass range with complimentary balls, a multi-bunkered chipping area and a very large putting green. All of these were in beautiful condition and it made me even more excited to get to the course. We headed out right on time at 8:30 am in the very comfy cart with good GPS and water bottles in the cooler. The course conditions were as close to perfect as I’ve seen anywhere recently. There were a few damp areas in the completely green fairways but they were not problematic. A nice touch was the divot mix being green to blend in with the grass. The tee boxes were level with very few divots, the rough was lush and cut short. The bunkers had wonderful sand. It was soft and just little heavy. It was so easy to hit out of that I was actually excited when I got to. It was such a pleasure to see every bunker on the course groomed and raked by previous players. The greens were wonderful. They were smooth and rolled a fast medium speed. Tim’s course knowledge was really helpful with the many hard to read undulations. The layout is so much fun and still challenging from the very short forward tees. There is a big variety of holes, from wide and relatively flat to extreme elevation changes and blind shots. I enjoy taking a lot of photos during a round of not just the golf holes. There were many interesting things on this course like big bridges and Indian huts. POP was a little over 4.5 hours. We waited only a few minutes here and there. There was no one behind us for most of the round so we were able to play at a leisurely pace and hit some extra shots. The Underpar voucher included a bounce back deal so I will definitely be back. I very highly recommend The Journey at Pechanga.

Played Saturday the 29th teeing off at 11:30 on a warm (and on the back nine) breezy day.

This was my first time playing The Journey and my first time visiting Pechanga in maybe 8-10 years (?) and ... Continue »

Played Saturday the 29th teeing off at 11:30 on a warm (and on the back nine) breezy day.

This was my first time playing The Journey and my first time visiting Pechanga in maybe 8-10 years (?) and I was blown away at how much they've grown. Everything about the clubhouse and amenities at Journey was awesome. The style of the building, the carts, the practice facilities and staff were top notch. It's definitely a place I could see hanging out all day at and just practicing and working on the game.

As for the conditions of the course, I thought they were about as perfect as you could get. The fairways were awesome. Never found a bad spot out there and every lie I had sat just perfectly. The tee boxes were more than fine even if they were a little divot heavy on the white tee boxes which we played. I'm sure that's where the majority of play hits from so it's to be expected. I thought the greens were absolutely perfect. I'd venture to say they were running at the 10-10.5 speed with some getaway spots to some of the pins we had, especially when the wind picked up and dried out the greens. But they rolled absolutely true so if you hit your read you could make a lot out there (I didn't....). I was in two bunkers and they were fine.

As for the layout, I couldn't have enjoyed it more. From what I've read and heard I kind of expected it to be much trickier but I thought that everything was really right out in front of you. There's a crazy variety of holes and you really do end up having to hit a ton of different shots. You could really have some fun with the green complexes out here and I'd love the chance to play this one often and utilize some of the slopes and bounces.

With everything considered I have to say the Journey is near, or at the top, of my list of all the courses in the San Diego/Riverside area. Across the board just a cool experience that I would recommend wholeheartedly.

Played a GK Team Match Play on Saturday, 6/29/19 at 1130 – the weather was mostly clear, warm, and the wind got very blustery on the back nine. Classy facility with great service, nicely-appointed car... Continue »

Played a GK Team Match Play on Saturday, 6/29/19 at 1130 – the weather was mostly clear, warm, and the wind got very blustery on the back nine. Classy facility with great service, nicely-appointed carts with comfortable seats and a good-quality GPS, free bottled water (none available on-course), a very nice grass practice area, and a challenging course layout.

Conditions were good throughout. Tees were mostly level; fairways were very nice, and rough at 2-3 inches definitely had your attention. I wasn’t in the sand. Greens were very firm, looked thin, didn’t hold shots that well, and rolled at medium+ speeds, especially away from the hills and down the creekbed.

Pace was resort slow. The front nine took almost 3 hours, then we pulled up to the 17th tee at 5.5 hours and saw two other groups on the tee. The match had been decided, so we bailed and went in, missing those 2 interesting final holes. Unfortunate. Still recommended for amenities, design and conditioning.

6/29 GK Cup team play with George, David. and my partner Andrew, somewhat breezy about a club or so wind. Very scenic layout with good variety of holes winding through the hills and canyons laid out ... Continue »

6/29 GK Cup team play with George, David. and my partner Andrew, somewhat breezy about a club or so wind. Very scenic layout with good variety of holes winding through the hills and canyons laid out with dramatic vistas and many tee shots down to greens or fairways, and due to the layout with the cart path taking you back up, there are really no uphill holes. Conditions overall are very good. Fairways are lush with closely mowed dense grass that provides good roll while providing excellent cushion. A few too many unfilled divots consistent with a "resort" course. Rough is thick and healthy, cut to about 1 inch so generally very playable. Tees lush and level, some divot damage on par 3s but mostly repaired. Bunkers filled with fine but well compacted shiny white sand. Greens firm and receptive for full shots but tricky for chips and pitches. Medium fast mostly smooth with some levels and contours. Some subtle breaks and the prevailing topography needing to be considered as well. Friendly helpful staff. Grass driving range with large practice area for chipping. Large putting green that provided good approximate speeds. Interactive GPS. One negative was the POP 515 when reaching the 17th tee with 2 groups waiting. Staff reported that there had been 2 groups 4 hrs earlier that bogged things down and with full bookings the course just did not recover. There were no on course staff to help POP again not uncommon for a resort course and a Saturday. Still an overall enjoyable outing.

Played Pechanga for first time, with a tribe member who plays there regularly to show me the way, and it was needed—at times the cartpaths were so long and windy I was sure I had made a wrong turn. I... Continue »

Played Pechanga for first time, with a tribe member who plays there regularly to show me the way, and it was needed—at times the cartpaths were so long and windy I was sure I had made a wrong turn. I enjoyed the round and played well, and there are some really good holes and some pretty ones and awesome views of the valley—but much of the layout is not to my taste. Many holes on the hillside are a bit gimmicky, designed more for the view from the tee box than for the golf hole itself. The place is extremely well kept, and maintenance crews were everywhere doing lots of routine stuff, and never in the way but the caretaking really shows. The practice facility is terrific, especially the short game area replete with several greens and many bunkers (but oddly designed without a lot of room to hit greenside chips of varying length). The main range—which along with the short game area is open only to those with tee times or guests of the resort—has grass, but today we were on mats, but the really nice spongy ones that are as close to grass as one can get. Excellent food service at 1 and 10, and the beverage cart came by 4 times. Pace was right at 4 hours, mostly because, seriously, sometimes the ride from green to tee is itself 5 minutes long. Terrific staff, and a good starter paying attention to groupings on a day when there were a lot of twosomes and singles, putting people together to keep the spacing right, and it worked. Good water features, greens in excellent condition, overall course condition was first rate. Hit every club in the bag, and thanks to my playing partner guide I avoided some unseen hazards. My playing partner also knew a lot of local history and I learned a lot about the Pechanga tribe and the area—we had one backup on the back nine due to a fairway maintenance project, which gave my new friend the chance to show me the Great Oak just off the 12th green, an amazing place (and absolutely off limits, but I figured it was okay with a tribe member showing me the site). So, all in all, a great day on a very well-maintained course with a great practice area, some great golf design holes, some beautiful holes and views, and then some odd and contrived holes on the hillside. Of the courses in the area, it now is my second favorite behind CrossCreek (which also has a few odd hillside holes). My guess is that pace of play is a real issue here when it is busy—Tues thru Thursday are probably the best days in terms of pace, and this is not really a course for “resort” golfers, but there are a lot of them playing and that likely often impacts pace. I look forward to a return visit. The Temecula area is now, for me, a rival to Palm Springs in terms of a place to go for a few days of good golf.

After years of hearing fairly mixed reviews of Journey at Pechanga, everything ranging from 'spectacular' to 'gimmicky and unfair,' I finally had the chance to find out for myself on Wednesday during ... Continue »

After years of hearing fairly mixed reviews of Journey at Pechanga, everything ranging from 'spectacular' to 'gimmicky and unfair,' I finally had the chance to find out for myself on Wednesday during a work scramble tournament while staying down in Valley Center at Harrah's for the three-day event. And of course, now I have my own thoughts.

First off, the course is likely (from what I've seen at least), the best manicured course in the fine golfing Temecula area, with the only exception of one super dry and out of place 3rd hole fairway. The rest? Really nice, green and lush. I would even consider some of the holes pristine. Overall the place is in super nice condition. As for the layout, well, you really get it all here. If you hate elevations, long carries, or angling around a few lakes, this may not be the course for you. But I loved it. There's just no escaping the variety of holes here and each one feels quite unique. Gimmicky? Maybe in some places, like a fairly blind green to finish on 18, or the trees that serve little purpose but to torment on holes like 7 and 9. Yes, you're going to have to think you're way through lots of this course. Fine with me but may not be everyone's cup of tea.

As for conditions, the fairways once again were pretty fantastic all around. Tee boxes were great with a few just slightly uneven, but good coverage. The sand was in really nice shape as well from picking up wayward balls out of bunkers, but of course in a scramble we never ended up playing out of any of them (our team shot a bogey-free six-under 66). Rough could be very thick and penal in places but not terrible. Lots of OB areas or easy places to find yourself ball hunting.

The greens, or more precisely, the green complexes were very compelling and tough. Very nice condition overall - receptive to shots, true to their lines and all variety of tough-to-read breaks and slopes. There are some real doozies at Journey at Pechanga so you'll have your work cut out for you to have a good round with the short stick. This is the kind of place where being able to keep the pin in will be a bonus for long lags or downhill putts. Some very intense slopes and tiers to deal with as well for added fun. They're tough, but super fun.

POP is a useless observation thanks to the tournament but don't worry about that too much as the great views and super golf will quickly make you forget about any time considerations. Full service snack bar at the turn and a massive clubhouse with all you need. We also had cart service running around at various points of the day so they did a great job with that.

Really looking forward to coming back and playing a proper round soon so I can test myself against this really unique course with a little knowledge of the layout. Hope I'm hitting the ball as well as I was yesterday though when I do go back.

Little late with this review. Played The Journey on 1/9/19 with a morning tee time. Not much to add to the previous reviews. Course really makes think your way around the course. Handed out yardage bo... Continue »

Little late with this review. Played The Journey on 1/9/19 with a morning tee time. Not much to add to the previous reviews. Course really makes think your way around the course. Handed out yardage books at the starter and along with the GPS really helped.
Really is the definition of a high end course.