By my count, there are 57 golf courses in Orange County, including private clubs, executive courses and nine-hole tracks, and it has been my enviable duty to play them all – some dozens of times and a few much more. I call it fairway research, just so the IRS knows that writing about golf is serious business.
As a longtime OC resident, I’ve also played courses in the county that no longer exist, such as Cypress, El Toro, Driftwood and Imperial. All of which is my way of saying that I’ve teed it up everywhere and feel comfortable writing about what I consider the best – my assignment this month for Southland Golf – while knowing that all of you have your own favorites and preferences as well. Here you go:
BEST COURSE
Pelican Hill’s Ocean South layout is it, no question, though the $315 green fee ($295 for resort guests) will price out many golfers. The South’s closest competition is sister course Ocean North (same cost), with both Tom Fazio-designed, award-winning courses at the Resort at Pelican Hill ranked among the top 100 resort courses in the nation in Golfweek’s 2016 Ultimate Guide.
I prefer the South because holes 6-10 are as challenging as they are scenic; the stunning back-to-back par 3s along the ocean (Nos. 12-13) offer compulsory photo opportunities; and collectively the South offers the most challenging four finishing holes I’ve ever played: No. 15, an uphill dogleg-right par 4 that plays much longer than its 407 yards; No. 16, a 219-yard uphill par 3 toward the ocean; No. 17, a 570-yard, uphill par 5; and the diabolical 18th (see more on this finishing hole below). Practice facilities, nice restaurants, spacious locker rooms and plush golf carts also are incomparable at this OC gem.
BEST VIEWS
Ocean vistas always win, so the aforementioned Fazio masterpieces at Pelican Hill and Monarch Beach Golf Links, a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design in Dana Point, share this distinction.
Individually, the elevated green on Monarch’s par-4, 315-yard third hole has the nearest proximity to the Pacific and its spectacular sights and sounds, meaning you’ll want to linger on the green (or No. 4 tee box) while gazing at the coast and listening to the waves crashing below.
In the absence of ocean vistas, I’m partial to views of nature with no houses in sight. That’s why I like the canyons, rolling hills and natural vegetation at Strawberry Farms in Irvine and Oak Creek, another Fazio gem in Irvine. The elevation changes on the back nine at Tijeras Creek in Rancho Santa Margarita and the environs surrounding Arroyo Trabuco, which was carved out of the hilly terrain in Mission Viejo, feature two finishing holes built around an old mining lake. And I guarantee you’ll love the natural setting at Ben Brown’s Golf Course at The Ranch Laguna Beach, where you’re likely to spot deer grazing on the nine-hole layout.
BEST VALUE
We’re fortunate that Orange County has so many high-end, daily-fee golf courses, which wasn’t the case until Tustin Ranch Golf Club got the ball rolling, very fast and on the proper line, with a 1989 opening that was soon followed by the development of Tijeras Creek (1990), Pelican Hill South (1991) and North (1993), Oak Creek (1996), Coyote Hills (1996), Strawberry Farms (1997), Talega (2000), Black Gold (2001) and Arroyo Trabuco (2004). The downside of that new-course boom is that green fees continued to rise to the point of making it difficult to find an upscale course cheaper than $100 during the week unless you pay a membership fee.
That makes Arroyo Trabuco a “bargain” at $75 Monday through Thursday ($58 for seniors) considering its course design, playability, customer service and acclaimed restaurant. Talega in San Clemente ($80 Monday-Thursday) and Coyote Hills in Fullerton ($70 weekdays) also are under $100.
The best value among the established county courses is San Clemente Golf Club, a municipal course built in 1930 on land donated by city founder Ole Hanson, where you can walk on and play a great layout for $36 (plus $15 cart fee). San Juan Hills in San Juan Capistrano has dynamic pricing, so bargain hunters can often can find deals better than the rack rates of $64/$84.
BEST 18TH HOLE
Pelican Hill South’s par-4, 442-yard closer also happens to be the most challenging hole in the county and among the most picturesque. From the lofty tee box, which provides panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and Crystal Cove, it’s a visually intimidating dogleg-left that looks as if it should be a par 5 because the green seems so far away. It’s called “Double Cross,” requiring a downhill tee shot over a canyon and a second shot over a deep grass valley to an elevated, steeply sloped green. Trust me, a par feels like a birdie.
Honorable mention in this category goes to Oak Creek (par 5, 500), Strawberry Farms (par 4, 403), Talega (par 4, 428) and Black Gold (par 5, 535).
BEST 19TH HOLE
The appropriately named 19 Sports Bar & Grill at San Juan Hills is the quintessential sports bar, with 17 HD TV screens lining the walls (yes, with at least one tuned to the Golf Channel), glass-encased jerseys of past and present athletes and autographed flags from golf’s major championships. There’s also a voluminous menu with options for all three meals, a plethora of beer choices and gourmet burgers galore. (I liked the San Francisco Burger on grilled sourdough Parmesan bread. Others swear by the meatloaf sliders and steak street tacos.) You won’t miss a game here, but you also might not want to leave.
But wait, there’s more! I have to give honorable mention status to the following: Pelican Grill lounge, Resort at Pelican Hill (two 9-foot HD TVs and extensive by-the-glass wine selections); Club 19 at the St. Regis Monarch Beach (salty pretzel bites, mahi-mahi fish tacos and ocean views); O’Neill’s Bar & Grill at Arroyo Trabuco (bar burgers and a craft beer; better yet, your first domestic beer is the price of your 18-hole score); T.J.’s Cantina at Tijeras Creek (the cantina tacos and “Mike’s Special Brat” – a Johnsonville bratwurst with grilled onions, bell peppers and sauerkraut – are tough to beat).
