Out for a 7:30 tee time and finished in 3:30. Wonderful morning for golf. 50 to 60 degrees and sunny in San Clemente. The greens were in very good condition. They rolled medium/fast, smooth, and held ... Continue »

Out for a 7:30 tee time and finished in 3:30. Wonderful morning for golf. 50 to 60 degrees and sunny in San Clemente. The greens were in very good condition. They rolled medium/fast, smooth, and held shots. When in doubt the green breaks toward the ocean. The fairways had good coverage with a few thin spots. The rough was a mixed bag for length. Most of the rough had good coverage and not to penal but some areas are thin/bare. I was not in any bunkers but my playing partners were in several and they appeared to play good. The tee boxes had mostly good coverage. The par 3s were a bit chewed up. Most tee boxes were mildly unlevel.

The driving range is open. There is a practice putting green next to the clubhouse. The chipping green with bunker is across the street from the clubhouse on the far side of the parking lot. Wear masks inside and single rider carts. Enjoyable layout with some rolling terrain. The staff was very friendly and welcoming.

What a beautiful morning to play San Clemente. Bright sunny day with only a trace of ocean breeze. This is such a wonderful course to play on a clear day. Great walking course as well. While not th... Continue »

What a beautiful morning to play San Clemente. Bright sunny day with only a trace of ocean breeze. This is such a wonderful course to play on a clear day. Great walking course as well. While not the most difficult course, the trick greens make up for it. Having local knowledge helps, but if you short side yourself, good luck.

Fairways and rough pretty good for winter time. Most tee boxes are good as well. Bunkers had firm compacted sand, but OK. Staff is always friendly here and as long as you get out early, pace of play rarely an issue. Sure do enjoy the moderate temperatures, so winter or summer, you can count on this course being comfortable to play. Highly recommend !

Played 1/7 @ 910, POP 4 hours, never waited on any holes! The greens are quick, these are by far the firmest I've ever have seen them. Down hillers are greasy fast. These greens will drive you mental,... Continue »

Played 1/7 @ 910, POP 4 hours, never waited on any holes! The greens are quick, these are by far the firmest I've ever have seen them. Down hillers are greasy fast. These greens will drive you mental, the pull of the Pacific comes into play all day long. Tees good, fairways nice and full. Ball sits up nice on the kikuyu. Get out there now, the greens are as good as they get @ SCGC!

Early morning tee time on Thursday. All Covid rules being followed. Check in and first tee very organized and running ahead of schedule. Tee boxes were a little beat up, fairways and rough have good c... Continue »

Early morning tee time on Thursday. All Covid rules being followed. Check in and first tee very organized and running ahead of schedule. Tee boxes were a little beat up, fairways and rough have good coverage. Traps have compacted sand and well maintained. Greens have good coverage and were smooth running at medium speed. Have played SC a couple times over the last month and can’t figure out the greens, everything breaks to the ocean but there must be something else to them. POP was a little under four hours. All practice facilities are open and snack bar service available.

Back to San Clemente at the invitation of a high school buddy on Wednesday, 10/21/20 at 1:20pm. Temps have dropped seriously since I was here 3 weeks ago and we had a nice breeze on a great day for go... Continue »

Back to San Clemente at the invitation of a high school buddy on Wednesday, 10/21/20 at 1:20pm. Temps have dropped seriously since I was here 3 weeks ago and we had a nice breeze on a great day for golf. My review from 3 weeks ago adequately summarizes conditions, except that I seemed to encounter every thin/dry/clumpy lie on the course today. Some tees are still sloping, sand bunkers have good coverage and play consistently, and the final 4 holes are a tough challenge. Recommended.

Looking for a cooler place to play landed me at San Clemente GC at 1040 on Thursday, 10/01/20, on a hot, sunny day with much less wind than I’m used to finding here. Joined by two other OC singles tha... Continue »

Looking for a cooler place to play landed me at San Clemente GC at 1040 on Thursday, 10/01/20, on a hot, sunny day with much less wind than I’m used to finding here. Joined by two other OC singles that were pleasant to play with, and we had a relaxed round. COVID precautions included single carts, masks in the clubhouse area, foam rings in the holes, and no sand bottles in the basic carts. No GPS or yardage book, and holes had 100/200 plates and 150 posts. Greens look thin and are firm and hold high shots, but are overall in good shape and roll pretty well at medium+ speed – always know where the ocean is!! Putting green had been recently punched/sanded and was not helpful in getting ready for the on-course greens. Fairways had generally good coverage and could be lush, or a little thinner in the drier areas. Rough was variable throughout the course dependent on watering history. In areas that got good water, the deep rough was lush and the kikuyu pillowy and soft, but in other areas that were drier the kikuyu was ropy and less dense, and the ball could really sit down. Some tees were OK but several were humped or sloping – the worst was the par-5 12th tee sloping toward the ocean, with the added hazard of a bush intruding up the right side. Bushes needed to be trimmed down in front of the Blue tee on the par-4 16th hole. I wasn’t in any of the sand bunkers. My cart died on hole #3 but the course was able to replace it quickly. Since I play here infrequently, I was surprised by a couple of greens greatly reduced in size since my last visit (esp. #14). Good course for a casual play.

Played 9/10/20 @ 10 am. POP was under 4 hours. Tees good, fairways good, greens slow and bumpy, on 4 or 5 holes theres a strange looking white weed thats growing on the poa annua greens, not sure what... Continue »

Played 9/10/20 @ 10 am. POP was under 4 hours. Tees good, fairways good, greens slow and bumpy, on 4 or 5 holes theres a strange looking white weed thats growing on the poa annua greens, not sure what it is. Doesn't realy effect the putting surface, how the super will remove this? I wish they could get some speed on these greens, a little to slow for my liking, I just wish there were more affordable courses in South OC, dream on. I hate that drive to Goose Creek.

Played here today with a 1:24 tee time purchased on their site. Looks like they're getting a new way to reserve/buy tee times starting August 4. Online instructions said don't show up more than 5 minu... Continue »

Played here today with a 1:24 tee time purchased on their site. Looks like they're getting a new way to reserve/buy tee times starting August 4. Online instructions said don't show up more than 5 minutes before your tee time and said something about checking in outside, but that wasn't the case. The shop was open as normal and as I walked in they gave a 5-minute call for my group. I mentioned who I was and the guy directed me straight to the first tee. No need to show receipt or ID or anything. Smooth and easy. Two other guys who both live very near the course played with me. The course is using 12-minute tee times to keep people spread out, which works but also has an unintended result. The group in front of us was already on No. 2 when we teed off, but then we caught them by the fifth tee, which made things feel like we hit a wall. I expected it but the other two guys in my group seemingly didn't, and they bailed by the time we got to the 7th tee because they felt it was too backed up. Meanwhile we'd played the first six holes in about 1:20-1:25. They were both riding and I was walking, so things worked out well for me. I got to take off my mask and enjoy my own pace behind the foursome ahead. Total POP was 4:02. COVID stuff: No tee markers are out, so I just teed it up aligned with the blue plate every hole. Pool noodles in cups. Seems like they're promoting single-rider carts because the group in front of me had four separate carts.

Conditions are good. Greens are smooth, medium speed and accept full shots well. Fairways are their normal lush, spongy kikuya with a mix of deep green, light green and yellow areas. Rough is a little longer but not too penal; balls mostly sat up on top. If you get way off line, you might find some deep stuff here and there. I wasn't in a bunker but they looked good. Tee boxes were decent but probably the low point today. Some scruffy areas, but with no tee markers, there was plenty of width to find somewhere decent to tee it up.

San Clemente is always a good choice and especially so when the temps get high. It felt so great feeling the ocean breeze (up to two clubs' worth at times) all afternoon and was very comfortable, weather-wise. Wish I'd played better, but really enjoyed it anyway.

Out early on a gray overcast morning. Easy check in - staff always friendly and accommodating. Rarely ever have a problem getting out here. Not much has changed since my last time where, except the g... Continue »

Out early on a gray overcast morning. Easy check in - staff always friendly and accommodating. Rarely ever have a problem getting out here. Not much has changed since my last time where, except the greens were much quicker now than before. Fairways good with plenty of coverage. Rough was a mixed bag, some thick, some less than an inch. Bunkers were maintained which was nice as I found several.

San Clemente is just such a nice walk. A low stress layout with the exception of hole # 16, which demands a really good tee shot and second shot. Also enjoy the fact that a lot of seniors play here and there are numerous walkers, so getting paired up with "like kind" golfers is a plus. Great place to play on these days where the temperatures soar.