First time playing Talega this weekend with a monthly group that moves all around SoCal finding new places to play. I was excited to test my game at this challenging course, and I'm actually glad that... Continue »

First time playing Talega this weekend with a monthly group that moves all around SoCal finding new places to play. I was excited to test my game at this challenging course, and I'm actually glad that my group (12 players) all decided we'd play the white tees so the skins would be even. I don't think I would have had as good of a time struggling with some of the carries and narrow approaches from the blues. There are some interesting quirks to this course, so let's get those out of the way. The driving range is a solid 7-8 minute cart ride from the clubhouse. The 10th tee is so far away from the clubhouse that you start worrying that you've certainly missed it if playing for the first time here. And what can you say about the 15th hole? You reach the tee box, look around in every direction, and have absolutely no idea where to hit. Why? Because there's not even a glimpse of the fairway as it's completely obstructed by tall trees grown up along a ravine. Luckily two our guys played there regularly and were at the tee box to let us know. Trim those trees! Now for the good stuff ... very fun track to play with a nice variety of holes. There are surprisingly a large amount of wide fairways to attack, which is sometimes rare with these hilly, target-oriented courses. The approaches can narrow for sure, but mostly it's the uneven fairways that will test you the most. There are some forced carries and there are also plenty of water holes that are really fun and challenging, like the par 5 6th and par 4 18th. Greens were in nice shape with the exception of a patchwork on that famous 15th green. Rolled medium fast, held lines well and the greens are tough, but manageable. A few bigger slopes to contend with, but mostly fair and forgiving. Fairways were a mixed bag of mostly good with some great areas, but you could also find some thin lies, especially around the greens. Bunkers were pretty thin and disappointing, and the tee boxes were just a tick below good for all 18 holes. We had a good cart service throughout the day and the discounted $89 greens fee was borderline acceptable, but it's the OC and it was a beautiful day and it's more than enough fun to justify it. Just. Carts were just a tick above good with one of those basic GPS systems that only spits out numbers but not the course overview. It is what it is. Talega is a fun and engaging track that is worth playing right now, but even more so if you can manage to get a little bit of deal. Just don't go there to get in a light, quick practice because you practically need to bring your passport by the time you get to the range.