The layout of this course is awesome. Unfortunately, with the cooler weather, some of the fairways looked browner than normal. It's still playable, you just won't get the amazing ocean views with pe... Continue »

The layout of this course is awesome. Unfortunately, with the cooler weather, some of the fairways looked browner than normal. It's still playable, you just won't get the amazing ocean views with perfect green color contrast against the blue waters. I've played many ocean courses, this course has it all. It's long enough from the blacks, views are goregous, greens are fast, and sand traps are fluffy. What more could you ask for? After all, they still claim to be the SoCal version of Pebble Beach. Only negative I can say....not a fan of their driving range. Don't like hitting up a hill.

Course is in better condition than several private clubs in OC. And the views may be unmatched. Pace of play was excellent (3 hours), greens were smooth and quick, and most of the bunkers were excelle... Continue »

Course is in better condition than several private clubs in OC. And the views may be unmatched. Pace of play was excellent (3 hours), greens were smooth and quick, and most of the bunkers were excellent. The sand wasn’t consistent—some holes had a different type of sand—but all of the bunkers had sufficient sand. Hard to find any real flaws.

Played here this morning with the SCGA outing this morning teeing off at 10:25 and I don’t remember playing the north before so I jumped at the chance. As with the prior review the course has outstan... Continue »

Played here this morning with the SCGA outing this morning teeing off at 10:25 and I don’t remember playing the north before so I jumped at the chance. As with the prior review the course has outstanding views from virtually every hole and I saw many sailboats along with people just yachting around. I won’t go into much as the previous review was spot on, some private clubs could take a lesson on how locker room and other amenities are, they are truly first class. I thought my group Mary, Cindy, and Danny were great along with a perfect day made for a perfect day of golf. At 375 during the week and 425 on the weekend it maybe cost prohibitive but they have programs that make it easier to play with less down than joining a private club. Highly recommended if you get the chance..

Played in the SCGA Member Outing today at Pelican Hill (North). Pop was just under 5 hours as we waited on a few holes and took our time enjoying the incredible views. The group I played with try and... Continue »

Played in the SCGA Member Outing today at Pelican Hill (North). Pop was just under 5 hours as we waited on a few holes and took our time enjoying the incredible views. The group I played with try and play here at least once a month and knew all the details of each hole, which helped. The course is in really good condition right now. The greens were punched maybe a few weeks ago and you can see a few marks still healing. The fairways and rough were as good as it gets, and the tee boxes were perfect. The only real snag was the sand, which for some reason changed from hole to hole. Some holes had perfect white, and soft sand, others had more of a mix of dirt and sand. The North Course is a challenging day of golf, the fairways are wide in spots but the greens are hard to read. A lot of putts rolled out the lip for our group.

Pelican Hill is a top notch resort and golfing center, with a great set of amenities. The locker room rivals some private courses, and the driving range is set with mats but could be moved to grass when needed. The putting green was small, however there was another practice green right next to the first tee box for anyone to practice prior to teeing off. The attention to detail sets it apart. Pelican Hill has to be one of the most scenic places I have played as each hole has a view of the ocean, simply spectacular. I look forward for an opportunity to try the South course next time. I would highly recommend this place if you have not played, it most definitely needs to be on your bucket list.

Took today off from work in anticipation of the traditional GK Review Guru outings in Palm Desert that never materialized (or did, but were never announced?), so it gave me a chance to use a bunch of ... Continue »

Took today off from work in anticipation of the traditional GK Review Guru outings in Palm Desert that never materialized (or did, but were never announced?), so it gave me a chance to use a bunch of GolfNow credits I'd accumulated from some customer service issues. I used $160 in credits and paid $18 for a 12:05 time on the Ocean North course today. Arrived around 10:50, check-in went smooth and I used the range and practice putting green for a while. They set everyone up on their carts right away but don't give you the key until around 15 minutes before your time. The clubhouse and practice areas are nice, if not a little sterile feeling. You cannot see any of the course from the clubhouse. I played with another single and a twosome. On the first hole a twosome behind us was waiting to hit their approaches while we were putting, so we let them through on the second hole, and later a single drove past us and snuck ahead of us without asking. (Dick move, imo, even if he only slowed us down a tiny bit.) Overall, POP was right at 4:30. Thick cloud cover all day but no rain; also, underneath the cloud cover it was extremely clear! Catalina and Long Beach both looked super close, and the Newport and Balboa piers looked like we could walk there in about 5 minutes.

Conditions are pretty good but far from pristine. Visually, the greens are kinda splotchy with almost like a green camo pattern. But they are really good: fast, smooth and accepting of full shots but pretty firm on short shots and chips. Putts downhill and/or toward the ocean are extremely fast, and many greens fall off on the edges, meaning you can get yourself in big trouble with a bad putt. Fun challenge to read and putt these all day. Fairways have good coverage but aren't really as pure as you might expect for a $300+ course. Rough was mostly thick bermuda where the ball can sink down, uniformly cut to about 2-3 inches. Farther off line and around some bunkers is really deep stuff that makes it almost impossible to find your ball. Strongly recommended to stay out of it! Blue tee boxes were mostly good, a couple were a little beat up/thin/muddy. The few bunkers I was in were all full of nice sand.

I didn't expect this course to be so extreme. In a way it felt like Eagle Glen or Champions Club was relocated to Newport Coast with all the forced carries, ravines, native areas, etc. Also I swear the ball wasn't flying far due to the chilly temps, or maybe the oversized scale of the course just makes things visually deceiving. Would have liked to catch it on a nicer day, but no complaints for the absurdly low out of pocket cost I paid. Good to notch it off the list. Gotta get out on South sometime now.

Played the North from the whites on 11/12, a very fun but difficult round on a day of below average ball striking. Beautiful warm day with little wind. Paired with a nice couple visiting from Dallas... Continue »

Played the North from the whites on 11/12, a very fun but difficult round on a day of below average ball striking. Beautiful warm day with little wind. Paired with a nice couple visiting from Dallas. California is so easy to complain about, but people still come here for our weather and coastal views.

North is a more difficult challenge than South, with several long par 4s even from the whites, and many uphill all the way. Almost every hole has an ocean view, and even though South has three holes on the water, overall the North has the most spectacular views. It also has more interesting holes, nothing ordinary here. Several blind or semi-blind shots, a split fairway, a forced carry second shot on 18, a couple high tees to way lower landing areas, a couple infinity greens looking out to the ocean, and one 200 yard par 3–every hole is really a feast for the eyes. It is a course you love to hate—very difficult to score on, several card wrecking holes if not perfectly played, but I always leave wanting another go at it. Like the South, it rewards local knowledge but you do have to be precise or you are going to shed a lot of tears.

The course is in excellent shape overall, slightly more fairway bare spots than South but nothing to complain about. The greens were punched and sanded about a month ago and are just about back to normal very fast speed. Undulations are subtle, some tiering, short putts very difficult due to the speed and you will have some second putts longer than your first. The length for average hitters and the greens are what really make the course difficult.

Great staff, good range, nice carts with GPS, ball washers, and coolers (why aren’t all course’s carts so equipped?), nice pro shop (but pricey, of course), and excellent food at the grill and lounge and small snack shop next to the pro shop. Cart girl seen 4 times.

See my review of the South for comments on “value.” This is a very expensive round but your only regret will be not being able to afford a second try at this spectacular course.

Played Pelican Hill North with my dad on Labor Day with the Labor Day email special. Course was in excellent condition and the greens were fantastic. Staff was great. Started on time and finished in... Continue »

Played Pelican Hill North with my dad on Labor Day with the Labor Day email special. Course was in excellent condition and the greens were fantastic. Staff was great. Started on time and finished in less than 4 hours. Overall, a great experience and would play here again.

One of our favorites to go during spring break. Nice relaxing round with views to boot. Conditions were not as pristine as it should be but we still had a good time playing.

The last few times ... Continue »

One of our favorites to go during spring break. Nice relaxing round with views to boot. Conditions were not as pristine as it should be but we still had a good time playing.

The last few times we have been here, the greens have been unusually slower than norm. Given some of the greens have a lot of acreage, picking the right spot to hit the approach shots determine if you get a par or birdie.

Carts are very comfortable and staff always treat their customers right. Driving range today was mats but previously was off the grass. Decent range and practice greens to warm up but unfortunately, no short game area. I think they have one but is reserved for lessons.

This is where my son had his first birdie a few years back and have been a destination for us to unwind. Certainly will be back.

Another note. South is being aerated and have dropped their green fee to $129 so if you dont care about the greens, great time to enjoy the scenery.

Played here on 7/28/17 with a 3:35 tee time. The twilight rate was $180 and we teed off right on time. I don't get a chance to play here very often due to the rates but when I do I love it. The course... Continue »

Played here on 7/28/17 with a 3:35 tee time. The twilight rate was $180 and we teed off right on time. I don't get a chance to play here very often due to the rates but when I do I love it. The course is just visually beautiful and the layout is tons of fun. We finished in four hours with very little waiting. There are many holes that require carry off the tee but the fairways are wide enough that it is not as antimidating as you might think. If you can get off the tee consistently then you can score well. The course conditions as you might expect were very good although I did fix quite a few ball marks and the greens were slower than usual but still putted well. Overall, the course was 7 out of 10 but I am not sure paying the rack rate of $330 is for everyone. I get it though, the property is in a multi billion dollar area with views everywhere and the homes in the several million so it fits the needs of this affluent community. However my pocketbook just can't handle this sort of luxury too often. Treat yourself to a twilight round if you get a chance! Other than price, this place rates high on my favorites list. After our round we went to the bar for drinks and food. We found the food just average though which was surprising considering the clientele. The SCGA has outings here for $160 which I think is a pretty good deal and you are guaruteed to finish.