Played today on a last minute Golfnow tee time. Got out about 15 minutes early. Paired with a twosome and another single. Agree with previous reviews. Greens, Tees and rough were excellent. Rough is a... Continue »

Played today on a last minute Golfnow tee time. Got out about 15 minutes early. Paired with a twosome and another single. Agree with previous reviews. Greens, Tees and rough were excellent. Rough is as high as I have seen at almost any course in the area. Fairways patchy, dry and thin. Reminded me of Arroyo Trabuco's greens. Customer service best anywhere. No marshals on the course but cart girl was around 4 or 5 times. Played in about 4:45 with an 1130 tee time.

It's not that they are having trouble with overseeding, it's that they didn't overseed at all this year because if you overseed with the rye grass everywhere then in the spring when the bermuda starts... Continue »

It's not that they are having trouble with overseeding, it's that they didn't overseed at all this year because if you overseed with the rye grass everywhere then in the spring when the bermuda starts to grow back then you end up with patches of rye all over the place so what they are doing this year is letting it die out so that they can overseed again next year. I personally liked the dry conditions I had a great round, birdied the 9th!(which was actually 18 when i played) made my day.

A great course. A must play for the avid golfer. Greens were in perfect condition. Very fast and difficult. Tee Boxes were in great shape. Rough was long, challenging, and evenly cut. Fairways w... Continue »

A great course. A must play for the avid golfer. Greens were in perfect condition. Very fast and difficult. Tee Boxes were in great shape. Rough was long, challenging, and evenly cut. Fairways were a bit dry. No bare spots, however; dry. The practice facility is one of the best I have seen. Bring a solid game to this amazing course. A bit pricey though.

I have played Oak Creek several times and I really enjoy the layout. I have played Pelican a few times and I still believe Oak Creek is a better course even before factoring in the price difference.
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I have played Oak Creek several times and I really enjoy the layout. I have played Pelican a few times and I still believe Oak Creek is a better course even before factoring in the price difference.

With that said, I played on January 20th and was really disappointed in the course condition. I realize that we are in the middle of winter and I expect "winter" conditions; however, the fairways at Oak Creek are in poor shape even for this time of year. The rest of the course is in pretty good shape. I am not sure if they had an issue with overseeding, but both the rough and the greens are in great shape.

Great course and nice challenge. Tough greens. Course is in "winter mode" so the fairways were a bit thin, but the rough, greens, traps, and boxes were great. Enjoyed the course... Price is a bit ... Continue »

Great course and nice challenge. Tough greens. Course is in "winter mode" so the fairways were a bit thin, but the rough, greens, traps, and boxes were great. Enjoyed the course... Price is a bit steep however.

This is a cool course. You must play smart here. The greens are pretty fast. The fairways are still sorta browned out. Its a fun course and I highly recommend it. The customer service is top notc... Continue »

This is a cool course. You must play smart here. The greens are pretty fast. The fairways are still sorta browned out. Its a fun course and I highly recommend it. The customer service is top notch also.

Initial impressions can oftentimes be misleading but not in this case. Playing Oak Creek for the time this past Sunday, I walked away from the 18th hole with nothing but accolades and high praise. T... Continue »

Initial impressions can oftentimes be misleading but not in this case. Playing Oak Creek for the time this past Sunday, I walked away from the 18th hole with nothing but accolades and high praise. There were many features to like about this facility, in spite of the high greens fee, although I must admit I was able to play for less than $100 due to a friend's discount perk. The service was prompt and courteous, the atmosphere friendly and relaxed, and the golf course is an absolute gem.

Although the course is going through a transitionary period due to recent overseeding of the rough, I found the conditions to be top-notch nonetheless. True, there were a few spots in some of the fairways that weren't plush and locating a ball hit into the rough was a time-consuming adventure since it had a tendency to bury itself among the wispy blades of grass, but what really grabbed my attention was the condition of the greens.

Without a doubt, these are the smoothest, most immaculate putting surfaces I can ever remember being on. Simply impeccable, with no blemishes to be found ANYWHERE! The speed was quick, so getting the ball in the proper position on the greens was a priority. However, if you read the break correctly and struck the ball with the proper speed, odds were in your favor the putt was going in. Not sure if the staff will be able to maintain the greens in their current state but I simply cannot praise them enough.

Unlike a lot of courses being built these days, course architect Tom Fazio employed a subtle approach when it came to contouring the greens so you won't find any elephants buried under the grass. What I did notice, however, is that many of the greens run diagonally and are often split into upper and lower levels, which requires you to keep the ball to the right or left side of the hole in order to make that first putt a manageable one. I really enjoyed this challenge since it placed a premium on shot direction as well as distance control. Playing the course more than once should definitely provide more knowledge as far as this is strategy is concerned.

The layout is challenging yet fun to play with a great variety of holes that will test just about every shot in the bag. Some holes can be fairly benign with a generous pin location but you can feel the anxiety creep in when they are tucked into some well-protected corners. There are holes that require your longest tee shot while a well-placed layup shot is the prudent play on others. Hitting your tee shot in the fairway at Oak Creek will afford you an opportunity to score well, provided your iron play is on target.

The course is very fair since most of the greens have an opening available to those who cannot challenge certain pins by flying their approach shot over a bunker. This is a nice design option and gives a less talented player the chance to still get up-and-down for par. And speaking of the bunkers, many of them have deep-faced fronts which can stymie a player should their shot run up against them.

Sand quality was very good and the traps were well maintained. Tee boxes were level although the grass could have been cut a little tighter but that's just my personal preference. It was most likely due to the overseeding and should be better in a couple of weeks.

One of my playing partners was female and she thought the course was very playable and fair for women also. Although she doesn't hit the ball very far, she did comment that it was nice to play four Par 3s where she didn't have to hit driver off every tee box. The multiple tee options also make this course very enjoyable for just about any level of player.

The only drawback I can think of is that the smallest bag of range balls available consists of about 50 balls and costs $11 while a larger bag of 110 balls sells for $16. If you don't wish to hit that many balls prior to your round, it might be best to split a bag with someone. Despite that caveat, the practice facility is huge and well-marked with an area set aside for bunker practice.

In closing, I highly recommend that you play Oak Creek if you haven't already done so. If you're discouraged by the regular $150 weekend rate, a weekday round costs less. There are also twilight rates available; just be sure to tee off early enough in order to play the challenging 18th hole before it gets dark. The course has a lot to offer but if pristine greens are what you're looking for, get over there and play it soon.

I love the Irvine Company but, this course needs to work on their greens. I feel that they are to bumpy for as much as they charge. Staff was very friendly just as I expected them to be. I would pl... Continue »

I love the Irvine Company but, this course needs to work on their greens. I feel that they are to bumpy for as much as they charge. Staff was very friendly just as I expected them to be. I would play this course again even with it's high green fee.

Played July 29, 2008. I found the course in good condition. Fairways were cut low and the rough got higher as you move away from the fairway. Greens were a little sandy but fast and no sign of plugs a... Continue »

Played July 29, 2008. I found the course in good condition. Fairways were cut low and the rough got higher as you move away from the fairway. Greens were a little sandy but fast and no sign of plugs as a previous reviewer had indicated. The sand in the traps varies from soft and fluffy to heavy sand. The traps can be challenging. The people were pleasant and helpful. The food cart came around 3-4 times during our round. The driving range is off grass but very pricey. It cost $11 for what I consider a small bucket of balls. Lunch, 3 sandwiches and a couple of drinks, was very expensive. All said, an excellent day.