Played Strawberry Farms today 3/26/18. Course is in good condition with greening fairways and descent rough. Greens were in good condition and rolled about a 10. Typical problems though showed on all ... Continue »

Played Strawberry Farms today 3/26/18. Course is in good condition with greening fairways and descent rough. Greens were in good condition and rolled about a 10. Typical problems though showed on all greens, Failure to repair or poorly repaired ball marks. Bunkers were somewhat wet and sticky and have the usual concerns that always present here, minimal sand and poor coverage. Without wind this course in normally manageable for me playing from blues, however today was a tad windy on course and I struggled for that distance. My other problem here is pace of play or lack there of 5+ hour round today. Several zig zag groups ahead of us all in foursomes (3). Still think the price here is a bit over what the rack should be.

Played Strawberry Farms this morning. Fairways were OK, not great; typical winter conditions. Only a few tight lies. Greens were very good and rolled true. Bunkers are good. The lake is full again and... Continue »

Played Strawberry Farms this morning. Fairways were OK, not great; typical winter conditions. Only a few tight lies. Greens were very good and rolled true. Bunkers are good. The lake is full again and waterfall on 18 running. Great staff. This course has really improved in the last year. Very nice! Well done Strawberry team!

Treated a bud to a round at Strawberry Farms Saturday using a GN Hotdeal ($90), they got us out an hour early which was cool, so we teed off around 11:30 and finished in 4 hrs. Course in overall very... Continue »

Treated a bud to a round at Strawberry Farms Saturday using a GN Hotdeal ($90), they got us out an hour early which was cool, so we teed off around 11:30 and finished in 4 hrs. Course in overall very good condition, tee to green. Bermuda fairways still mostly a lighter shade of green with the rough short but if your ball settles you had be uber precise when making contact. As A'Cat mentioned, the tee boxes were overseeded and not cut recently today, too, so a bit shaggy, sandy, and uneven. Greens were soft and rolled true, semi-quick downhill. In a couple GS bunkers which had excellent cover and easy to play from. They drained the reservoir which takes away some of the beauty of the back nine. I enjoy this track but its high green fee only means its an occasional visit. As most mention in their reviews, the rack rate here is simply over the top. Still recommended (only with a deal though).

Played yesterday with acesfull and Teagal. Even though the course is only 10 minutes from home, it’s one of the few OC courses I just hadn’t gotten to yet. The white fences along the entrance road an... Continue »

Played yesterday with acesfull and Teagal. Even though the course is only 10 minutes from home, it’s one of the few OC courses I just hadn’t gotten to yet. The white fences along the entrance road and the farmhouse looking clubhouse have a very charming (very Irvine-ish) look. There are two large putting greens by the range. The carts have dual USB ports, club and ball washer but unfortunately no GPS.

The front and back nines seem very different. Although almost the entire course plays relatively flat, the front is mostly wide fairways and the back has narrower holes, larger trees and hills on both sides giving it a more rustic feel. There are a couple of ravines to cross as well.

The tee boxes were a bit messy and not level. The fairways were really good, lush with only a faint dusting of brown. The greens were beautiful. They were smooth and really fast and very few mark. I was quite impressed.

I had so much fun. I absolutely will play here again when a good deal is available.

Played our first around here this weekend. I've been considering playing here for a while but the green fee is a little more than I'd like so hesitated until now. Teagal and Abbacat and I had an enjo... Continue »

Played our first around here this weekend. I've been considering playing here for a while but the green fee is a little more than I'd like so hesitated until now. Teagal and Abbacat and I had an enjoyable round together. Would I play here again? Probably. Do I really want to pay $100-$125 to do it? Not really. Here's my two cents... Nice-looking course that meanders through the canyons. Today we had no one in front or behind us so we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves which was wonderful. Finished in about 345 and took our time doing it. Arrival is good with bag drop off right there with the carts, driving range, restaurant, bathrooms and golf shop all within 10 steps of each other. Ample parking and good driving range with mats in the back not being used today and grass in the front which we were on. Unfortunately the driving range was more level than any of the tee boxes. Not horrific… Not flat though. You do have to pay for range balls here which again, were a bit steep.. a bag of 120 was $17! Is this TPC Scottsdale!? Carts are a newer ez-go which actually had sort of bucket seats and were extremely comfortable with a nice soft brake pedal. Unfortunately the only other thing on the cart though is a ball cleaner. No GPS. No ice chest. I like the USB ports too. Service was excellent from drop off to check in to food service to the cart girl who was so friendly and very genuine. Fairways were good but did have some decent divots throughout. Sand was not great, very hard in the fairways then between dry and hard to decent sand in others to not that much sand in another. Very inconsistent but at least no rocks. Greens were excellent. Very soft, fast and smooth. Few divot marks but looks like most of it was from the days play. Good bathrooms and some water coolers scattered throughout. What I liked about it was the feel of the course and the peacefulness of the round, not that I know that this is always the norm. Probably should have a few more features though to make it consistently "worth the green fee".

First time playing Strawberry farms today. Fun course, in good shape. The greens rolled really well at a comfortable pace. Fairways were springy and usually nice to hit from, though very wet in places... Continue »

First time playing Strawberry farms today. Fun course, in good shape. The greens rolled really well at a comfortable pace. Fairways were springy and usually nice to hit from, though very wet in places and dry and dead in a few others. But mostly it's in good shape, same goes for the rough. Was in a couple bunkers and they were really nice with soft, heavy sand.

I wish I could've played this place before they drained the reservoir. I think that would add better views and atmosphere to the back 9, but it's gone and doesn't look like it's coming back.

The clubhouse was nice, and lunch after our round was friendly and tasty. The breakfast burrito was pretty much all eggs, which I didn't care for.

Paid about $120 via Forelinx, which I think is still a little high. As everyone else has commented, I would never pay the full printed rate of $175. It's good, but not that good.

I played in the Irvine City Championship at SF on Saturday/Sunday, September 16-17, 2017. I’ve played in this event about a half-dozen times over the years – they used to hold it on British Open weeke... Continue »

I played in the Irvine City Championship at SF on Saturday/Sunday, September 16-17, 2017. I’ve played in this event about a half-dozen times over the years – they used to hold it on British Open weekend (bummer!!), but moved to the Fall last year to try to get more participation. This year they wound up with ~60 players in championship (scratch) and A, B, and C handicapped flights. We teed off around 7am both days under cooler, cloudy skies without too much wind. (There was a little more breeze on Thursday afternoon.) I also played a practice round (included with the tourney fee) on Thursday afternoon 9/14 around 3pm. This review reflects all three rounds. Unfortunately for my low-ball-flight game, the lake on the back 9 is dry but the fairways are getting plenty of water. All fairway and rough areas were very wet both tourney days, and solid drives were still leaving me with long irons and hybrids into the longer par-4s. Fairway lies were good, and rough at 1-2 inches was fine, except in the finer-diameter stuff the ball sat well down and was hard to control coming out. Traps were in good shape, with good material in greenside traps and fairway traps being a little firmer. (Thursday afternoon fairways were a little drier and I had fewer distance problems.) Greens were in very good condition, fairly firm, cut tight and rolling well at medium-fast+ speeds. Speeds were consistent throughout the course and over the several days, which was nice. Most greens had quite a few old ballmarks slow to heal. I made more putts than I usually do, which only partially made up for several wayward offline tee and other shots, which can cost you quickly at SF, and I had several penalty strokes. Maybe I was trying too hard to hit the ball further to make up for all the lost roll! (I think I’ll go with that excuse!) SF has problems with some fairly small tee boxes being somewhat domed or sloping, so it’s sometimes a challenge to find a comfortable level area. Par-3 boxes are generally pretty torn up – some boxes have sand containers on them (which few golfers use, apparently!), and some don’t have refills at all. In general players are not taking good care of the tees. Either way the course staff apparently don’t get out to take care of the boxes very well – we saw Saturday’s destruction unfilled on Sunday morning. There’s a new pro at SF now, as Tom McCray has moved over to Laguna Woods after 15 years. I didn’t get his name, but we chatted briefly about the tourney and course conditions after the second round. My flight winner amazingly shot his best score ever on Saturday – a 10-handicap dropped a gross 74 on SF from the blue tees. Er, okay. Not that I was anywhere within hailing distance! Still recommended, but watch out for the high rack rate!

Played on Sunday, 8/27, 1:30 pm. Course staff is as accommodating as any I've been to. Course had the Orange County Championship going off in the AM, but played front 9 with no one in front. Back 9... Continue »

Played on Sunday, 8/27, 1:30 pm. Course staff is as accommodating as any I've been to. Course had the Orange County Championship going off in the AM, but played front 9 with no one in front. Back 9 slowed up around 14 due to the tourny, but pace remained at a 4 hour round. Tee boxes were all level and for the most part in good shape. Only remember one being really "beat up". Course has done a good job getting through the warm weather as fairways and greens were in great shape with little to no problem areas. Greens (especially for a tournament day) could have been cut and rolled again, and played a little slower than I prefer, but rolled as true as any course in the area. Areas around the green were a bit inconsistent as far as being mowed or overgrown, but nothing alarming. Bunkers were consistent throughout course with a good amount of sand. Aesthetically, the course is beautiful - playing in and around one of the local canyons and along (what used to be, before they were drained) marsh/wetlands. Not much to complain about at this place as it's fair to anyone who can keep the ball in play; the front is a little more forgiving with landing areas, while the back definitely requires a little more precision. The morning price tag is a pretty steep and probably not worth it compared to some other options in the area, but the afternoon rate is more than fair. Overall, and as far as consistency is concerned, this remains my go-to in the area.

I have not played Strawberry Farms recently, primarily because of price, but also because they have a lot of back nine play in the mornings, and nothing is more frustrating than to zip around the fron... Continue »

I have not played Strawberry Farms recently, primarily because of price, but also because they have a lot of back nine play in the mornings, and nothing is more frustrating than to zip around the front in an hour or so, and then spend 2+ hours on the back waiting on every shot. However today wasn't too bad. Only a twosome in front of me, so I played two balls and just tried to play slow. One hour on the front. 1 1/2 hours on the back.

Based upon recent reviews, I did not expect conditions to be very good, but I thought that it was in pretty decent shape. Greens were good, not great, and there are a lot of ball marks still. Fairways were nice, did not find a lot of bare spots. They were putting lots of water on the course is it was very green and wet ! Maintenance had every green watered in front of me, so needless to say they were not quick, but they sure held shots well.

Staff was great! I generally enjoy this course, but for those previously mentioned issues.