Played here today with an 11:33 tee time. Paired with three singles. I rode and so did another guy. The two others walked. Started a couple minutes early and POP seemed fine to me but I was surprised ... Continue »

Played here today with an 11:33 tee time. Paired with three singles. I rode and so did another guy. The two others walked. Started a couple minutes early and POP seemed fine to me but I was surprised to see it took 4:45 to finish. It was a beautiful day with all the cloud cover disappearing by about our 6th hole.

Conditions are good. Greens are firm, medium-fast and mostly smooth. They do not accept full shots well, although I played terribly and didn't give them many chances. Fairways have mostly good coverage, maybe a little thin in spots and wet in others. Rough was mostly in good condition and long enough to impact shots but not too penal. I was in two bunkers and they were both decent; one was a little thin but not bad. Blue tee boxes were a little patchy in spots but good overall.

The course lost some trees in the recent storms, and lots of them are still sitting there all cut up. Several trees down the right side of 3 have opened things up over there, and then the last big tree on the left on number 8 is gone. That's a big difference maker because that tree pinched the fairway and also blocked out any shots into the left-side trees.

As usual, definitely recommended.

Got a good prepaid rate of $24 on the SCGC website for 1:47pm on Monday, 11/28/22, on a cool, partly sunny day with not too much wind. They grouped me with a family: mother, 21-year old son (his birth... Continue »

Got a good prepaid rate of $24 on the SCGC website for 1:47pm on Monday, 11/28/22, on a cool, partly sunny day with not too much wind. They grouped me with a family: mother, 21-year old son (his birthday), and sister. Son had a decent game, sis almost none. Their first swings of the day were either whiffs or tops, so on the first green I excused myself and bolted to the second tee, but wasn’t able to make much headway against the two slow foursomes ahead of me.

Conditions were typical for San Clemente – good lies in the fairways, minimal rough with some bare or scruffy area, good sand in bunkers. Many of the tees are sloping – I played White. Greens were pretty firm, cut tight, and very fast. There’s not that much grass there over the green base – ballmarks were large but the ball released after impact. And, man, these greens have a lot of break toward the sea. My mouth was literally agape on several occasions as putts or chips made big turns or took very long runouts compared to what I expected.

Able to finish 14 holes in a little over 3 hours before realizing the foursomes ahead of me would likely have to set up camp to finish #15, so bailed out back to the house and missed the tough closing stretch. Looking at the scorecard, SCGC is one of the most egregious around in assigning handicap strokes based primarily on hole length – the par-5s, only one of which is >500 yards, are handicap holes 1 thru 4, while the par-3s are 15 thru 18. In reality, three of the par 3s (9, 13, and 15) are beasts that require excellent play to get a good score. Those par-3s should be at least middle-pack in terms of handicap, while the 5s are likely lower third on the list.

Recommended for good conditions and ambiance.

Not much to add to the recent review. Conditions about the same as when I last played here in July. Given the heat wave, I'd have to say the course has handled the weather just fine. Thought the green... Continue »

Not much to add to the recent review. Conditions about the same as when I last played here in July. Given the heat wave, I'd have to say the course has handled the weather just fine. Thought the greens were a bit quicker than previously. Some brown in the fairways, but that's to be expected. When it's 100 degrees everywhere else, San Clemente is the obvious choice, but even here it was warm.

Played here today with a 10:03 tee time. $48 walking rate, paired with a threesome who all rode. Started right on time. Pace seemed decent with minor waits all day but generally no long ones. Finished... Continue »

Played here today with a 10:03 tee time. $48 walking rate, paired with a threesome who all rode. Started right on time. Pace seemed decent with minor waits all day but generally no long ones. Finished in just over four and a half hours.

Conditions are good, very similar to my last review in early July, with a little more browning in the fairways, but also some brighter green in spots. Greens are smooth, medium-fast, and accept full shots well. Fairways provide good hitting surface with occasional browning, but even those areas aren't bad, just a little dried out. Rough was pretty good overall. Blue tee boxes were improved since last time. I was in one bunker and it was good, not great.

Always recommended.

While playing this morning, I asked myself "why I don't play here more often?" This course is a pleasant walk, almost always in good condition, enough of a challenge to keep your interest without bei... Continue »

While playing this morning, I asked myself "why I don't play here more often?" This course is a pleasant walk, almost always in good condition, enough of a challenge to keep your interest without being too penal, reasonably priced, staff is always friendly and accommodating, and for me, not too far from home. There is nothing overly special about the course, but it is such a good solid test of basic good in a wonderful setting with the moderate coastal weather. Greens were the best part of the course, but found the fairways in pretty good shape as well. Bunkers were well maintained with adequate sand. A few of the tee boxes were a bit chewed up, but could always find a spot to tee it up. Recommend if you're looking for a fun relaxing round of traditional golf at an affordable price

Played here today (Saturday 7/2) with a 2:15 tee time. I just happened to see a single available on Thursday morning. $39 walking rate. Paired with 3 other singles and we started right on time. Two ro... Continue »

Played here today (Saturday 7/2) with a 2:15 tee time. I just happened to see a single available on Thursday morning. $39 walking rate. Paired with 3 other singles and we started right on time. Two rode, me and another guy walked. By the fourth hole, we could see the foursome two groups ahead had the entire par 5 fifth hole open in front of them. They let the twosome in front of us play through but we waited on them all day, but POP was still solid at just under four and a half hours. Beautiful day and always nice to beat the heat in San Clemente, although it was a little warm and slightly humid today.

Conditions are mixed. Greens are in great condition and far and away the highlight. They are smooth, medium-fast and medium firmness. Full shots generally took a small hop and then stopped quickly. Fairways are mostly good condition (sometimes great) but nearly all holes have occasional browning in spots. The rough is not that great with a mix of decent grass, clumpy grass, weeds/clover, and bare spots. I wasn't in any bunkers but they looked pretty good. The first few tee boxes were terrible (weeds and/or clover seemed to be the only thing growing) but they got progressively better further into the course. Glad to be able to tee it up.

I hadn't played here since February, and the back tee on 16 has reopened after a rather tall pine tree was planted on the front left of the tee box to prevent people from trying to cut the corner too much. Glad to see that box open. Never a bad day at the SC Muni! Recommended.

Played SC Muni early on 5/26. Don't let the aeration alert scare you, course has recovered quickly and is in great shape.

Played SC Muni early on 5/26. Don't let the aeration alert scare you, course has recovered quickly and is in great shape.

Cinco de Mayo! But no celebrations for my continuing inability to consistently hit the ball! And … the course punched greens a couple days earlier! More fun! I was joining a high school buddy who made... Continue »

Cinco de Mayo! But no celebrations for my continuing inability to consistently hit the ball! And … the course punched greens a couple days earlier! More fun! I was joining a high school buddy who made the tee time a couple weeks ago, and I didn’t bother to check conditions, so OOPS. The weather Thursday, 5/5/22, was San Clemente usual – clear, sunny and mild, and a steady breeze.

Greens had been punched 2-3 days before and were soft and medium-slow, with lots of wiggling by the ball running across the greens. We played automatic 2-putt, and I didn’t rate the course. Fairway conditions were good and rough was cut down. Several tees are sloping to the back of a right-handed golfer. Traps are pretty much groomed coarse dirt.

Easy-going staff. Basic carts with no GPS – most holes have basic yardage markers. Course wasn’t too busy and we finished in just over 4 hours. Always recommended.

Played on Tuesday in the afternoon. Course is in great shape even after the rain. Got a little windy in the afternoon but still very playable. I will say this is one of the nicest muni courses I hav... Continue »

Played on Tuesday in the afternoon. Course is in great shape even after the rain. Got a little windy in the afternoon but still very playable. I will say this is one of the nicest muni courses I have played. Easily worth the rate during the week. Some great ocean views while playing. Most of the tee boxes were in great shape. Some had some divot damage but still very playable. Fairways were great, good coverage with almost no brown spots. Gave some good roll and very easy to hit from. Rough was really non existent. It looked like they were freshly mowing all the rough. Sand was ok. Mixed bag with some fresh good even sand and some very thin. Greens were above average not great. In the afternoon they were pretty bumpy where the ball would bounce off line. They looked good and were firm and somewhat fast. First time playing here and looks like it gets lots of action. I would definitely play here again. If I lived in the area it would be a weekly game. If you are in the area and looking for somewhere to play I highly suggest it. It is walkable but there are some steep hills, but only on 3-4 holes.