Finally got to play the vaunted Pelican Hill North course this week and after building it up in my mind for the last decade, it's safe to say that it did not disappoint. My foursome caught a really wo... Continue »

Finally got to play the vaunted Pelican Hill North course this week and after building it up in my mind for the last decade, it's safe to say that it did not disappoint. My foursome caught a really wonderful afternoon in terms of weather and even got a discounted rate for the round since the North course recently did a micro-punch (similar to the one I experienced at Pebble Beach) that was nowhere near as off-putting (no pun intended?) as anticipated - more on that later. We played from the blue tees and headed out with an 11:35am tee time. From the first hole until the last, this layout is exceptional, never mind the stunning ocean views throughout the day. There are a number of long carries from this tee box, and the elevations are truly surprising considering coastal proximity, but holy cow is it fun to play here. There are most certainly some rather 'blind' second shots thanks to those elevations, so experience here I can bet goes a long way. But just an absolutely delightful layout and background scenery. As previously mentioned, the greens on the North course just got what they called 'the Porsche of punches' and they still rolled pretty darn nice despite the imperfections and some areas with sand. I can honestly say these punched greens are still better than 75% of muni greens around SoCal. The green complexes are really subtle and tricky, but not in any way gimmicky or crazy. Make a good stroke on a good line and you will be rewarded - easier said than done! Fairways were very good but just shy of great. Found lots of lush areas that were very good to hit from, but it wasn't the pristine carpet at this time of year that you might find at a very high end private club, but they're still plenty good. The rough (and ample OB areas) are very daunting indeed, which is to say there's not a lot of rough and any wayward shots are either gone or in some thick bushes or fescue that make finding your ball a big adventure. Tee boxes were superb and the bunkers were mostly in very good shape (even had two sandy pars!), but I would not classify them as world class white fluffy at this moment. We had cart service come around a few times on the front nine but be advised there is no turn here so you're on your own out there depending on how often that service is provided. I was actually a little surprised at a resort course of this caliber that there are no 'comfort' stations with snacks and/or beverages near the extreme edges of the course. It's not a deal breaker in any way, but just odd considering the normal price here. Carts were very nice with great GPS and the POP was terrific on the front nine, then our group was caught up by a fast threesome whom we let pass us on the 12th hole. We got done in just around four hours even so that was great, but truth be told I was hoping to sneak in nine more holes at this tremendous facility. I hope that I can knock out the South course this year as well.