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.

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.