I try to play Rancho San Joaquin a couples a year. I have noticed the improvement of conditions here each time I return. While there are still numerous bare areas on the fairways, and the rough is rat... Continue »

I try to play Rancho San Joaquin a couples a year. I have noticed the improvement of conditions here each time I return. While there are still numerous bare areas on the fairways, and the rough is rather inconsistent, I can see the progress they are making. Greens rolled OK and had decent pace. Tee boxes are surprisingly not good, which is strange since they only recently put a lot of effort into them.

Price increase since the last time I played, but for Orange County, senior rate is reasonable, I guess. Certainly, much less than all its neighbors. There are a number of holes on this course which I really enjoy, so given its proximity to my home and the relative reasonable price, I'll keep this on my semi-annual rotation

Got a last minute time and walked on at RSJ for a Saturday 8:06. I never expect too much, but the course has been improving over the last few months. Tee boxes are level, but some are wearing thin due... Continue »

Got a last minute time and walked on at RSJ for a Saturday 8:06. I never expect too much, but the course has been improving over the last few months. Tee boxes are level, but some are wearing thin due to heavy use after renovation. 75% of the fairways are in very good shape with reseeded areas filling in. There's still some bare spots out there. Greens and bunkers were very good. POP was good at 4:20. Still think $60 is a lot for walking on this course, but what else can you do?

I needed some practice and got a hot deal at Rancho San Joaquin for 30 bucks walking. I typically don’t expect much when I play there, but I can see they’re really trying to make improvements.

All ... Continue »

I needed some practice and got a hot deal at Rancho San Joaquin for 30 bucks walking. I typically don’t expect much when I play there, but I can see they’re really trying to make improvements.

All the tea boxes had been recently renovated and have matured nicely and are the highlight of the course. The greens on the front nine and then recently punched in sanded back nine greens were in fairly good shape some showing some bare spots in need of some TLC. Call number 15 as a temporary Greene while they rebuild the one at the top of the hill to make it more level.

The fairways were greener than I’ve ever seen them. Several holes were cartpath only as that is their focus for improvement. Still they were several wear grass just wouldn’t grow. They are going to have to lay more sod. One of the green complexes had bare spots also while the rough was quite lush.

They are going in the right direction. As long as the rates do not out pace the renovation it’s a decent value.

Big improvement from when I last played here a few months ago. Lots of sod being put down in the fairways. The tee boxes, which had been closed were now open again. Greens much quicker than the las... Continue »

Big improvement from when I last played here a few months ago. Lots of sod being put down in the fairways. The tee boxes, which had been closed were now open again. Greens much quicker than the last time here. Rolled decently and were receptive. Still a number of issues, but you can see they are making an effort.

Maybe it's the old crew from Coto de Caza which defected here. Anyway, except for the price increase, things are looking better

Played 9/5 and it looks like the new owners are dumping some money into the course and we're starting to see some of it pay off. Some re-sodding of fairways and tee boxes, the par 3 15th hole is set u... Continue »

Played 9/5 and it looks like the new owners are dumping some money into the course and we're starting to see some of it pay off. Some re-sodding of fairways and tee boxes, the par 3 15th hole is set up as a temporary hole as they're re-doing the green (a common complaint of many players) and I heard they're going to completely re-do the clubhouse. I hope it returns to a fun and affordable track soon.

Is it currently worth the $60 weekend rate? Probably not. Not yet anyways, but the location is hard to beat in regards to convenience.

Did not want to drive too far or spend a lot of $$, so there are very few options from where I live which satisfy those criteria. I was hesitant to play RSJ because of the recent reviews. I guess be... Continue »

Did not want to drive too far or spend a lot of $$, so there are very few options from where I live which satisfy those criteria. I was hesitant to play RSJ because of the recent reviews. I guess because my expectations were so low, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. It was a drizzly morning and only two other people were there at 5:20am, so no issues getting out. The guy in the pro shop was fast/efficient, friendly and accommodating. EVERY blue/black tee box on the front nine is under construction, so unless you want to play from the very front tees, the option is to tee it up behind or next to the tee box. (Being off first alone allows this option ! ) The majority of the fairways actually had decent coverage, although it was a mix of grass types and lengths. But there was grass there. Bunkers had plenty of sand, but not yet raked. ( Again I was ahead of maintenance) The greens were the best part of the course. They had good speed and rolled pretty well. Better than many of the other courses I've played. The course still has a scruffy unkept look/feel to it, but you can see they are really trying and dumping $$ into the course. Great to see. It has a LONG way to go, but you have to start somewhere. I recognize a number of the maintenance workers, who have defected from Coto de Caza. Nice to see them again. While the course is certainly not great, or even good, it appears they have a plan and are under way to accomplish the resurrection of this course. Hope so !

Played 4/16, and again I’m reminded why I avoid this course. I’m frankly not sure they even have sprinklers. In fairways, there is basically no grass except on holes 11 and 12. Tee boxes are dried out... Continue »

Played 4/16, and again I’m reminded why I avoid this course. I’m frankly not sure they even have sprinklers. In fairways, there is basically no grass except on holes 11 and 12. Tee boxes are dried out and chewed up. Greens were just punched so understandably slow and bumpy. But overall I have never played in worse conditions.

I will never understand why this course is such a dog track. It’s in a prime spot in an affluent area with a large golf culture. The layout outside of a couple holes is actually decent. With a little investment, conditions being nice, I’d gladly pay a decent rate. But as is, walking for $39 I feel like I was ripped off.

Would someone PLEASE acquire this course and give it a little TLC?!?!

Played 4/14/21 - morning tee time with random group, POP 4 hours. Greens coming off aeration, fact of life, it's fine.

But my oh my has this course seen better days. Tee boxes and fairways are not ... Continue »

Played 4/14/21 - morning tee time with random group, POP 4 hours. Greens coming off aeration, fact of life, it's fine.

But my oh my has this course seen better days. Tee boxes and fairways are not in good shape at all. I was legitimately aiming for the rough by the end of the round as at least there was some grass there. Large portions of the fairway are just bumpy... nothingness. On the plus side, the one bunker I was in was even and soft and it appeared the groundscrew is getting ready for some major maintenance.

Also they were jackhammering the sidewalk by the restrooms on the course (behind 8 green, 16 tee box). Hopefully that's done soon.

$30 walking on a weekday isn't bad, but if you're a play-it-as-it-lies type of golfer like I am, I would avoid this spot for a bit. I hope they get it in good shape soon.

Long time player of Rancho; hadn't been there in some time now but played on 10/17 at 8:20AM.

Range: Prices went up, large bucket is now $15 dollars which is a fairly large jump from $12. The range... Continue »

Long time player of Rancho; hadn't been there in some time now but played on 10/17 at 8:20AM.

Range: Prices went up, large bucket is now $15 dollars which is a fairly large jump from $12. The range was PACKED and by PACKED I mean it was full at 7:45AM and many people were waiting. I wish the employees would do a better job of policing those people that set their clubs on a stall and walk away for 30+ minutes. Multiple stalls had bags and half buckets of balls, but no one around for the entire time I was there. Frustrating when the range is extremely packed and this range is notorious for that. Its extremely rude to your fellow companions. Balls are nothing great and you hit off of mats.

Course: The price is extremely high these days, $70 dollars on the weekend and I'll say right off of the bat it is not worth that price. It seems with the pandemic and being located in Irvine, gave them the idea they can raise their green fee $15 dollars on the weekend. Pace of play was great, we didn't catch up to anyone until about the 16th hole and still finished in just under 4 hours. The course isn't very challenging, fairly wide open so you can go left and right and still be OK. The greens were rolling nice and seemed to be healed from last months maintenance work. The fairways are pretty good, but some spots are overwatered or a thin whispy grass. The bunkers are nice, I know they redid them all in 2019. There were no geese out there, I was disappointed :(. They are allowing carts to share if you want, otherwise its single rider. They offer a players club, however the club only works at their course and no longer works at other players club courses.