Played here on Sunday with an 8:30 tee time and a 1:50 replay. With the Crown Card the price was $99 for the morning round an $25 for the replay. Overall the course was in good shape considering the foot traffic it has been experiencing. The pins were tucked away in difficult locations (back left on numbers 3 and 6), and the black tees were playing slightly up on some of the holes, most noticeably 7 and 8.

The greens were rolling at a nice pace, the rough around the greens was thick and lush, and the bunkers were full of soft sand. The fairways had some thin spots, with some sections under repair on holes 6 and 12. There was a light drizzle in the morning as well, so some of the holes were cartpath only.

Pace of play was reasonable, running about 4:15 in the morning and 4:45 in the afternoon. The tee times are spaced 10 minutes apart here, which tends to keep things moving. The weather was fantastic, with a nice marine layer to keep everything cool throughout the day. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful as usual.

The weather in Dana Point makes this course a nice alternative to some of the others in the area during the hot summer days, though the tight layout can feel a bit cramped. If you play the black tees, you can definitely use the driver a bit more, but from the gold tees it is more of a target course. The smartphone app makes it a breeze to book tee times, and if you have a Crown Card or another OB Sports card, I think this course is worth the fee.

I used my OB Sports points to play a free round at Tijeras on Saturday. I have played here quite a bit, and I must say that it is in the worst condition that I have seen all year. Many of the fairways had burnt out spots and soggy areas that led to a lot of chunky shots. The rough on all of the holes was extremely thin and littered with dirt spots, which was a far cry from the lush rough that had been here about 6 weeks ago. The greens were pretty beat up with tons of ball marks, and they were rolling at their typical slow pace. They were also repairing some of the tee boxes, so the tees played up on holes 1, 14, and 16. This definitely made quite a difference on the par 3's so we teed of from the blacks on those holes.

The pace of play was typical of an early afternoon round at Tijeras. We were supposed to tee off at 12:40, but they were running late due to a morning tournament. We started at about 1:00 and finished by 6:15. Unfortunately it seems as though the secret has gotten out regarding the Creek Card and the great deals it has to offer, so i don't see the pace improving unless they increase the space between tee times beyond the current 8 minutes.

Under prior conditions, I felt that the Creek Card made this course the best overall value in Orange County. It is easy to book tee times with the iPhone application, and the free rounds end up paying for the card. The layout is challenging, and the scenery is beautiful.

Unfortunately given the current conditions and pace of play, I am not so sure that it is worth even the discounted fee. I am going to give Tijeras a rest for a while before I check it out again, and hopefully they can bring the condition back to where it was a few months ago.