Played here yesterday using and Underpar certificate with free same day replay. It was our first time to ever play this course. It is an hour drive from the OC but close to a 2 hour drive back to th... Continue »

Played here yesterday using and Underpar certificate with free same day replay. It was our first time to ever play this course. It is an hour drive from the OC but close to a 2 hour drive back to the OC. Upon arrival you are greeted by very helpful and friendly staff. Your bags are tagged in placed in the carts according to your tee time. You are given a small sack of range balls to warm up. Range was grass but the range had a limited amount of bays and we had to wait for other golfers to finish their warm ups. Course conditions are very good except for some of the greenside bunkers. Some of the sand were compacted and not fluffy and your club could not get under the ball. Greens were tricky to read some were lightning fast and some were slow. Fairways were lush and if hit your ball would continue to roll. It seems that you had to hit fairways away from the ocean or your ball rolled towards ocean side. Rough was a good height, enough that you can still see your ball but you still had to hit it hard to get out of it. The best part of the course were the spectacular views. 1st round POP was slightly over 4 hours, 2nd round was 4 hours. If you do decide to eat lunch at the clubhouse expect to spend $30 for a sandwich, drink and tip per person. Would I play here again, maybe. I still prefer playing the high end courses in Palm Springs, more economically priced.

How to say a place is great, and yet I left with a sour taste in my mouth and no intent to ever play there again?

Service staff such as starter, concessions, bag drop, were incredibly friendly and ... Continue »

How to say a place is great, and yet I left with a sour taste in my mouth and no intent to ever play there again?

Service staff such as starter, concessions, bag drop, were incredibly friendly and welcoming. Cannot take anything away from the course conditions, as the grounds staff has that place as consistent as you could ever ask for. A beautiful course with beautiful views makes it easy to understand why the rates are what they are.

With all the great things I just listed, things were off from the arrival. Intimidating enough traveling through Ranchos Palos Verdes to get there; this round was a rare splurge, and it took some extra hours to make sure I could cover the round, so the moment of paying for the round is slightly tense in general. I was told the round would cost 150 (twilight) over the phone, so I was super excited to get a great deal. When I was there to pay however, the rate had spiked to 175. Ignoring the automatic additional taxes that made my total 188, it then becomes a bit embarrassing to even ask why the rate is up.. playing there should supposedly mean “I’m not worried about the extra 25 bucks” but hey, that’s a big deal. Their explanation was some sort of sliding rate where they decide to change it day of... has anyone ever heard of this? Just felt cheated as soon as I walked in the door, despite how nice everyone outside the golf shop was.

And finally, it is a tough lay out. I’m a 12.1, so there’s still a decent lack of nuance to my game, but even shots that should find a safe lie could be brutal side hills or in one of many bunkers or low drain areas.. topography leaves no forgiveness or room. The layout is what it is, but after being in such a beautiful setting all day, still left upset after getting knocked around by the course all day. This is obviously a test for the better golfer with the patented penal Pete Dye design, so if you’re someone who needs to keep the golf budget under control, and want to HAVE FUN while also getting challenged, this might not be the best place. If Golf has a blank check signed by you, and you don’t care where the ball goes as you stare at the ocean, you’ll love it!

Played Trump National on 06/02/19. Got a deal from Under Par with free replay after completion of first round. Customer service was outstanding from the check in at the pro shop, to the starter and ca... Continue »

Played Trump National on 06/02/19. Got a deal from Under Par with free replay after completion of first round. Customer service was outstanding from the check in at the pro shop, to the starter and cart return person.
Course was in perfect shape. Tee boxes and fairways were like carpets. Rough was lush and the greens were very smooth. I highly recommend this course. It is in fantastic shape right now. The ocean views are so spectacular on every hole. Enjoy!

Played the blues today, first time at this course since the old Ocean Trails days with the missing 18th hole. 10 minutes between tee times. Twosome finished just under 4 hours behind another twosome... Continue »

Played the blues today, first time at this course since the old Ocean Trails days with the missing 18th hole. 10 minutes between tee times. Twosome finished just under 4 hours behind another twosome, no empty tee times today but not all foursomes playing—very happy with pace. Best ocean views around, almost every hole. The course is in beautiful shape, and has outstanding sand quality in the bunkers (there are a lot). Front nine has a lot of very similar holes, not very interesting; back nine much greater variance and some very fun short holes. Very nice staff, locker room access, good parking, deluxe carts. Walking would be extremely difficult due to the elevation changes (not even sure it is allowed). Must drive straight; fairways not too narrow off the tee, but there is little room on the sides for error, usually means a lost ball. Greens are course’s best defense—very heavily tiered and undulating, getting away without a three putt or five is tough. Would be especially difficult in solid wind. NOTE: There is NO short game area as otherwise reported here, other than for lessons. A small bag of about 20 balls is free; large bag is $25, so expensive to practice here without one of their several deals for regulars. Good alternative to Pelican Hill, comparable in many respects, but not on interest and variety of holes. Would love another go at this course, could get used to its idiosyncrasies.

Played 12-15-18 early morning as a twosome and finished in a little under 3 hours. Tee boxes were very nice, good coverage, cut tight, and mostly level. Fairways were very nice and lush with great lie... Continue »

Played 12-15-18 early morning as a twosome and finished in a little under 3 hours. Tee boxes were very nice, good coverage, cut tight, and mostly level. Fairways were very nice and lush with great lies but not much roll out. Rough was in real good shape, not to long but thick and the ball would sit down at times. Was in three greenside bunkers all of which were a little thin and firm. Greens were in great shape, smooth fast and receptive to well struck shots. Overall course is in great shape. Costumer service was great from arrival to departure. Fun, challenging, scenic course that for me gets a little repetitive on some of the holes.

Had a mid morning tee time, had to make use of my last free round on trump's dime before it expired. This place is a trek from orange county, but I still think it's worth the drive for a memorable ro... Continue »

Had a mid morning tee time, had to make use of my last free round on trump's dime before it expired. This place is a trek from orange county, but I still think it's worth the drive for a memorable round. Not sure about paying rack rate though. Warm up balls included with complimentary valet. Conditions were good, but it was damp and they were letting the fairways grow out a bit after overseeding, so the course plays long. In addition, it was CPO for 14 holes due to the 'rain', so it made for a long day walking back and forth from the cart path. Both fairways and rough were a lot longer than when i played here 3 months ago. Rough was long and thick and would grab your club, good luck a) finding your ball and b) hitting it out. Greens were damp and receptive, i had a few plugged approaches. Rolled pretty nicely, not particularly fast, and always breaks toward the ocean. Bunkers had bright white sand, but there was hard pack underneath, so I thinned a few out of the bunker after my club bounced out of there. Got around in 4H. Take a deep breath before your tee shot on 10 and take in the views. Maybe less about the score here than the enjoyment. Still sad about the loss of the waterfalls though...

Finally got around to using my free round with 2 other buddies that also got the email special. My review would basically replicate Nick and Caligolfer's so I can't add much. Course conditions were d%... Continue »

Finally got around to using my free round with 2 other buddies that also got the email special. My review would basically replicate Nick and Caligolfer's so I can't add much. Course conditions were d%mn near perfect and you'd really have to be super picky to not like how the course if playing currently. Yes it's CPO since they just came out of overseed but if there's ever a course that CPO isn't so bad it's the former Ocean Trails since most fairways are barely wide enough for Shaq to lay across lol. I mean there are some seriously tight fairways here and if you're off by even a little bit it's going to make for a long day! The weather was PERFECT. Views were amazing and the price was the BEST! ;) Service is as expected for a course of this caliber. If you still have that free round hurry up!

Had a great time on Friday with nickesquire and two other golfers that joined us for the back nine. This course lived up to the hype and I was impressed. Using the free email voucher made it all that ... Continue »

Had a great time on Friday with nickesquire and two other golfers that joined us for the back nine. This course lived up to the hype and I was impressed. Using the free email voucher made it all that more special.
The course is tough, no doubt about that. With a slope of 130 from the whites, it gave me all I could handle. If you find an orange golf ball it's mine. There is a lot of them out there to be found.
Since Nick described the conditions perfectly, I will focus on a few other things. Customer service here is top notch, from the bag drop attendants to the cart girl, everybody everybody seems happy to serve you. One of the things that impressed me was that the starter is multi-lingual and I heard him speak a minimum of three languages. Very impressive.

They have a nice range which I used and it was mat only on this day because of the 2 inches of rain they received the day before, otherwise looks like a very nice grass range.

Don't know if I'll ever get to play here again, but I will always remember my round here and the fun that I had.
And yes the tee box for the blacks on hole 18 is something else and you need to take a walk up and look at the hole from there, or if you are not a wimp like me and play your tee shot from there.

Rode the Blues (6294/71.9/136) in 4H, 20M with Caligolfer1031, Matthew and Jerrod. CPO. Clear, breezy and around 70. We got about as good a day to golf as you will ever encounter next to the ocean. Gr... Continue »

Rode the Blues (6294/71.9/136) in 4H, 20M with Caligolfer1031, Matthew and Jerrod. CPO. Clear, breezy and around 70. We got about as good a day to golf as you will ever encounter next to the ocean. Greg and I enjoyed using our free Trump e-mail voucher rounds immensely! My 1st time playing here. Course conditions were excellent bordering on immaculate. Wet but very playable after the recent rains. Other than 1 bunker and a few areas that had some runoff challenges, the entire place was in the 8+ range out of 10 condition wise. The Pete Dye layout is tight and every hole has a great ocean view. Very tough, unforgiving course. Side note: Just for kicks, we teed on the Black tees on #18, which is perched on top of a hill beside the ocean. Toughest par 4 I have ever seen from there... 512 yards, with a 200 yard forced carry to reach a fairly tight fairway with lost ball bushes down both sides before you reach a very severe green with trouble all around. The Blue tees are almost 1,000 yards shorter than the Blacks here, the largest yardage gap I have ever seen between tee boxes. The tees were lush and very well maintained. The fairways were lush and maintained high coming out of over seeding. The course played long with almost no roll because of the higher grass and wet conditions. The rough was nasty. Lush, 3" tall and the ball sat down, made worse by wet conditions. Several times we almost had to be hovering over our ball to find it. Advancing the ball more than 125 yards and getting it back in the fairway w/o roll was a good result. The sand traps were in amazing condition considering it had rained the previous 2 days. Thick sand that was for the most part immaculately maintained. The greens were medium fast and putted well. The contours appeared less severe than most Dye courses until you watched a few chips/putts roll much differently than expected. You did not want a putt or chip down a slope here. The customer service was excellent. The friendly, informative Player attendant out making numerous rounds, as was the drink cart gal. Combination of price and out of the way location would have me rarely playing here, but the course and layout were better than I had heard. It's tough and tight, not a place most people are going to lower their handicap. However, I came away feeling like I usually do when I play another one of Dye's more famous layouts, Stadium @ PGA West. It beat me up but I still thoroughly enjoy the experience. Definitely recommended, especially if you can get a deal.