Played Presidents Day on the costco coupon ($150 for 1 round at Oak Creek and 1 round at Strawberry Farms). So I played for $75, which I thought was a great value for the course. This was my first... Continue »

Played Presidents Day on the costco coupon ($150 for 1 round at Oak Creek and 1 round at Strawberry Farms). So I played for $75, which I thought was a great value for the course. This was my first time playing, so I hit from the white tees, which was a mistake (more later). The course is in good condition, despite the fairways being dormant. There weren't many spots that were GUR, I thought the rough was fairly long, making it harder to hit out of, and the greens were quick. The course is nestled in the hills of Irvine, and while there are house way up high on the hills looking down, it feels fairly remote. Its a good place to occasionally take a moment and just look around enjoying the atmosphere.

As for golf, the course is harder for those that struggle to keep their drives straight. They've made it a bit easier by moving the whites up on many holes to the gold stones. Already short at 5800y from the whites, having many/most holes with their white tees up closer makes for a very short course. On many holes I was <70y from the green after my drive. In hindsight, I would've played the blues, as those tees were kept at the correct distance, and well, I was hitting my drives straight as an arrow that day so it would've made for a better golf experience. I enjoy the greens here as they're not too flat, making even short putts difficult to make.

For the negatives: the sand here was too hard, making greenside bunker shots a bit of a challenge. And the greens were rather hard has well, making it hard to keep some shots from bouncing off the back.

For $75, its a definite bargain (though last I checked costco no longer sells the livediscount deal). I think the normal rack rate is $110 on the weekdays, which feels to me on the border of being reasonable. I'll have to retry the course playing from the blues to see if I enjoyed it as much. Overall this course is a good option, and if you're a straight hitter, I recommend the course.