Played today in a pace of just under 4 hours. Would have been better, but when we reached # 10 we found a 2 some teeing off? "the pro shop sent us off" BS work on the part of the pro shop, especially ... Continue »

Played today in a pace of just under 4 hours. Would have been better, but when we reached # 10 we found a 2 some teeing off? "the pro shop sent us off" BS work on the part of the pro shop, especially when it was Noon? We used the online Christmas special of $49 (good deal in our opinion) but the course failed to tell us that they would not open until 10 AM. So much for getting to the course a "skosh" early? When we teed off, no one said anything about "cart path only"? The pro shop came running out while we were in the middle of # 1 to inform us? See a pattern here? This place needs to work on its communication skills? As far as the course goes? Not in good shape, like many courses with recent rains? But if you play lift/clean/play it works. But the course is going through a lot of major work? Why was # 4 a temporary green but no one in the pro shop informed us of that (hello communication). Plus there are many many areas around many many greens with new sod? Oh and excuse us for failing to inform you that our restaurant will be closed on Christmas Day? All in all it was a great excuse to get out of the house on Christmas Day and play golf. Plus driving on the freeways w/o any traffic (seriously) was a once in a lifetime experience (really OC in under an hour from Redondo). The best part of the golf course is the greens. They are great, even with the recent rains. But personally, I will wait to go back and play here in the spring. SJH is a very nice course, but in my opinion, it is better played when it is dry, due to the layout through the hills of San Juan Capistrano. I won't rate it because it would be unfair due to the recent weather conditions.

11:45 tee time today, I paid the birthday rate of $15 and the rest of my group paid $49. This course is known for its long rounds, and today was no different; we finished just before dark. Overall co... Continue »

11:45 tee time today, I paid the birthday rate of $15 and the rest of my group paid $49. This course is known for its long rounds, and today was no different; we finished just before dark. Overall conditions are really good. The tee boxes were level without a lot of damage, the fairways were lush with a few bare areas marked as GUR, the rough was cut low and wasn't penalizing at all. Some areas in the fairways were pretty tight and firm though, approaching hardpan. Fairway bunkers were firm and crusty, while the greenside bunkers had adequate, fluffy sand. I prefer the bunkers that way. The greens were smooth, rolled true, and were quite fast. Being below the hole was key. Some greens had new sod in the surrounding areas, and one bunker on one of the par 3s was GUR. I don't know why it took me so long to play here, I really enjoyed the layout and conditions. Glad I finally got out here. The 19th hole is great, good food and drink. And a huge bonus, the beverage cart came around several times and has bloody marys and margaritas on tap! Bottom line: If you can get past the pace of play, this course is a gem. And a great value.

Have been playing this course a bit more regularly since Tijeras Creek has taken its recent dive in course conditions.

Grabbed a nice $30 online deal w/cart in the morning via their website @ 12:32... Continue »

Have been playing this course a bit more regularly since Tijeras Creek has taken its recent dive in course conditions.

Grabbed a nice $30 online deal w/cart in the morning via their website @ 12:32 today, 8/26. Starter moved me to a different group upon check-in, to keep things even with a few 3somes in a row, and got out a couple minutes early. POP was pretty good for a Friday afternoon, coming in at 4 hours 30 minutes today. Every hole was just a minute or so wait before teeing off.

Greens are the crown jewel here, and today they were very nice, held shots well, and were smooth and fast to very fast at times. At this pace, 'kissing the lip' of the hole means it doesn't go in - you usually lip out unless solidly in the center of the cup. Fairways were mostly good, but the grass type does change at various spots, and yes can be a fair number of small GUR spots on any hole. Rough was rough but fair. They seem to do a good job or marking it off with white paint, and you get a good amount of roll, but not too crazy.

My trap experience today was OK, with the sand being fair, and a good amount of fluff in the two I visited.

Usually get paired up with avid golfers here, most with a good sense of humour, so a good day out is nearly always the case.

The bar facilities are great, lots of TVs, pretty decent food and live music at 7pm on Fridays.

played san juan hills this morning with an old buddy. i like getting out here because it's much cooler than inland, and they are friendly and more affordable compared to the rest of south OC. the la... Continue »

played san juan hills this morning with an old buddy. i like getting out here because it's much cooler than inland, and they are friendly and more affordable compared to the rest of south OC. the layout is a bit quirky, with a few tight target holes through homes but also a few that are wide open. some teeboxes were uneven, which always annoys me, par 3s had plenty of divots filled in by sand. fairways could range from lush to bare depending where your ball landed, there was a lot of GUR marked on the fairway like on 15. greens rolled quick, but were very soft and receptive IMO with a deep ball mark if hit with a high iron. i was in one greenside bunker which had heavy sand. started at 8:30, and POP was about 4:40. busier than i would expect for a tuesday morning. only saw the cart once, and she was parked behind the bathroom on 12 and didn't ask us if we wanted anything. i personally like this course for my regular practice.

Sat. afternoon round at SJH, $40 w/cart booked on their website. Off the tee on time and PoP at 4:30. The best thing to say about this course is that conditions are usually the same: dry, predominan... Continue »

Sat. afternoon round at SJH, $40 w/cart booked on their website. Off the tee on time and PoP at 4:30. The best thing to say about this course is that conditions are usually the same: dry, predominantly hardpan fairways and firm, quick greens. Today, the GS bunkers I got into were thin with wispy sand ... a couple fliers were the result. Greens would release most shots beyond the landing spot, so plan accordingly. Also, soft spike marks around the cup threw many putts off line ... lots of bumps and bruises. Can't see rating this course over a 6.0 until the Fall season, at best. Good for an afternoon round of knocking it around, but that's about it. Mostly play here cuz it's easy to get a weekend time for not too much $, if that's a recommendation than so be it.

7/15 830 tee off on way to 415 POP with some breeze about 1 club to contend with. Fairways are green with good cover and cushion still firm enough to give some roll. Short rough along most fairways... Continue »

7/15 830 tee off on way to 415 POP with some breeze about 1 club to contend with. Fairways are green with good cover and cushion still firm enough to give some roll. Short rough along most fairways enough to slow the ball but not very penal for hitting. More juicy conditions around some greens. Traps full deep with heavy groomed sand required acceleration to get through--had lot of practice out of the 6 I found. Tees ok with good cover some have a slight slope just enough to make you pay attention to where the ball is placed. Greens are in good condition firm but would hold shots as evident by the action demonstrated by my playing partners. Most greens are elevated with high lipped bunkers guarding the approach which calls for high shots with full carry--definitely a shot that I do not consistently have--add to that that many greens are also uphill 1 to 3 clubs added and there are some big greens at least 2 clubs front to back--so on some holes #2 as a prime example a 130 shot becomes 160-170 at least for me. Speed medium fast to faster above the hole. A few pins placed near the beginning of a slope so a putt that got past the hole gained 2-4 feet of extra roll. Cart service and BBQ started well after 10. Overall customer service is just average.

Grabbed a 2:08pm tee time for 9 July via their website for $30 including cart. Sunny, mid-80's day, about a 1 club wind. There was a small tournament (4 teams, 4 person scramble) immediately in front ... Continue »

Grabbed a 2:08pm tee time for 9 July via their website for $30 including cart. Sunny, mid-80's day, about a 1 club wind. There was a small tournament (4 teams, 4 person scramble) immediately in front of us. This may have contributed to the 5 1/2 hour+ round. Good thing the group I was paired with were a fun bunch of guys - always seems to be the case here - so we really enjoyed the chat/mixing it up on and between holes. Greens were in great shape, fast, but held the ball fairly well and rolled true all throughout the day until the last few holes, as the bumps from the days' traffic were more prominent on the final four holes, I'm guessing due to a higher moisture content in the air and the golfers by that point. Still, managed 2 birdie putts and a few medium-length par save putts. Fairways were firm, lots of roll - good for a short-hitter like me, but always had a good lie. Rough is patchy, some good, some areas bare and/or weed-laden. Kikuyu grass is plentiful around the greens, so for those shots, one needs to be good with their chips & pitches around greens. Tee boxes were mostly good, but a few tees really, really need to be redone to get some level lies, including the 18th tee box. Sand traps were good for the two I ended up in by the greens. One was just the right 'fluffiness', and the other was a deeper trap, and the sand was soft but heavy. Good thing I had practiced the day before at Lake Forest's practice center. On a number of holes, 2 extra clubs are required to account for the elevation changes. GPS unit in the carts. Lots of refreshments on offer, both from lovely Sarah stationed by #3 and #8 tees, also cooking up dogs and tri-tip sandwiches, and drinks and snacks from another lovely young lady coming around on a cart a few times. Post-round, a good band was already playing on the patio, as part of their Friday free concert series, and the 19th hole was rockin! Lots of fun to be had, and good food to boot. Would think this course (especially on a Friday with a good band) would be a good spot for a GK Event/Meet-n-play. Staff at check-in, the starter and bar/restaurant staff are also all friendly and professional.

i played here last week and played a decent round, but told myself i had to comeback today and play better, this time played a little earlier and the course was in great shape, greens were firm and fa... Continue »

i played here last week and played a decent round, but told myself i had to comeback today and play better, this time played a little earlier and the course was in great shape, greens were firm and fast, fairways were good. definetely going to be my go to course

Got down below the Orange curtain on Memorial Day afternoon with a couple buds at SJH, $45 online deal w/cart (GPS has front/center/back distances). Conditions are never great here: dry but playable ... Continue »

Got down below the Orange curtain on Memorial Day afternoon with a couple buds at SJH, $45 online deal w/cart (GPS has front/center/back distances). Conditions are never great here: dry but playable fairways and low cut adjacent areas. The greens were rolling quick and semi-predictable, holding a well struck iron. I was in 3 GS bunkers, no issues there ... dry, fine sand. PoP was slow, expected as SJH can be a hackers haven, especially on a Holliday ... no marshal but the cart gal was out. Good for an occasional round if you don't mind a few non-conventional holes that wind thru homes, lots of hardpan/GUR, and hilly terrain. Plus, it's cheap compared to most OC courses. Side note: they added a fourth to our group, a 50-something Asian lady (no malice intended) playing as a single. She was, by far, the fasted golfer I've ever played with ... even faster than Sixpez. Super courteous and she could ball, too. Pleasant surprise.