Played Tustin Ranch Golf Club last Friday as part of the GK Cup 6 Final. I choose this course because of its location proximity for the participants and because it has a challenging yet fair layout. I... Continue »

Played Tustin Ranch Golf Club last Friday as part of the GK Cup 6 Final. I choose this course because of its location proximity for the participants and because it has a challenging yet fair layout. I knew going into it that in August the golf course is typically not in as good of condition as the majority time of the year but I also knew that the golf course is always in at least in good shape anytime of the year. Regarding conditions, I thought the greens were in great shape. A little bumpy in some spots but around a 10 speed and very receptive to shots. The fairways were also in great shape with exception to a few thin areas here and there. The rough on the other hand was in fair to poor condition. Greenside it played decent with occasional thin spots but adjacent to the fairways the majority of the time it was thin with a few simi-bare areas here and there. Was I surprised? A little because of the high end nature of the course, but completely surprised, no, it’s been a heck of a drought this year and I respect the golf course is focusing its water resources on all other aspects of the turf. As far as the bunkers, I’m not used to seeing this but it appears they recently chose to replace all the sand in the fairways bunkers first. Normally I see golf courses replace the greenside bunker sand first. However both the greenside and fairways traps were in good shape albeit the greenside bunker sand tan as opposed to white. Tee boxes were in great shape, level and mostly lush. Overall I thought the course was in very good shape and enjoyed the conditions. As far as layout, very fun. Its allows you amble room off the tee to hit your driver, mixes in some risk reward par 4’s and par 5’s, has some fun greenside water hazards that require forced carries, has well positioned fairway and greenside bunkers, has undulating multi-tier greens and of course, hole 11, a magnificent par 3 over a lake. I believe if they wanted to make the course very tough for a tournament they easily could by firming up the greens and growing the rough longer. The course green fee includes cart but it’s easily walk-able. However, the carts they have are the nicest carts I’ve ever ridden in. They even have a USB charging port. I had lunch and dinner afterwards and thought the food was delicious. I also hit range balls before my round and thought the practice facility was great. Its a big range with many hitting stations and good quality mats. I would play this course often if I lived nearby. Recommended.

Played 8-22-14 with a bunch of the GK guys. Golf course was in o. k. shape. Tee boxes where o. k. with a few that could use some leveling. Fairways had a few brown spot but overall in good shape. Roug... Continue »

Played 8-22-14 with a bunch of the GK guys. Golf course was in o. k. shape. Tee boxes where o. k. with a few that could use some leveling. Fairways had a few brown spot but overall in good shape. Rough was not that long and easy to hit from, with some areas marked GUR. Sand traps where in good shape with nice white sand in them. Greens where a little slow and bumpy, hard to keep some puts on line.

I played Tustin Ranch on Friday, 8/22/14, as part of a small GK group for the finals of the GK Cup 6 Match Play championship. The day was sunny and hot, with just enough breeze to take the edge off th... Continue »

I played Tustin Ranch on Friday, 8/22/14, as part of a small GK group for the finals of the GK Cup 6 Match Play championship. The day was sunny and hot, with just enough breeze to take the edge off the heat. The course was in good shape and the staff got us out on time. This is a fairly typical Ted Robinson design – integrated into a housing development; incorporating water features and bunkers both as hazards and as visual dressing for the course; and designed to appeal to a range of golfer skill and enthusiasm. Fairways were generally fairly generous, and bunkering was used to define the playing route and give better players risk/reward options. Hazards were present but generally away from the line of safe play. Greens were of medium size, generally fairly flat with occasional tiering and/or slope. Bunkers near the green were close to the line of play. Rough was not long and pretty straightforward when dry, but could be tricky to gauge distance from when chipping near the greens.

Overall the course was in good condition. Greens were generally receptive, although some were firmer than others as the day progressed, but they all rolled well at medium-fast speed. Fairways gave good lies, although I hit very few of them. I was more often off the fairway in the rough, where lies were chancier in the thin grass or semi-bare areas, and the ball could sit down. Traps look like they are in the process of getting new sand, with some nice and white and some with light brown sand. In all cases the bunkers were fairly soft with difficulty getting good footing on the slopes, and the thin top layer had firm damp sand close underneath. Tees were level and in good shape.

This was the first time I had played TR in about 10 years. Attractive clubhouse facility and fairly large practice area. Staff was plentiful and helpful. Service in the grill afterward was excruciatingly slow, although the food was good, though expensive. In general, the green fees here are just beyond what I want to pay. The only reviews I recall seeing on GK are for people playing a birthday round. The course obviously gets its support from something other than open public play. In general, this is not a memorable design or a course with one or two holes that stick in your mind as a future return target. Both for design and cost considerations there are other better choices nearby in Orange County.

Got a chance to play yesterday with Vic, Keith and Nick ahead of the GK Cup finals match. Their reviews are pretty much spot-on, just want to add a couple comments.

Both the white and brown sand b... Continue »

Got a chance to play yesterday with Vic, Keith and Nick ahead of the GK Cup finals match. Their reviews are pretty much spot-on, just want to add a couple comments.

Both the white and brown sand bunkers played well, despite the difference in appearance not a lot of difference in how they played. Both were pretty soft, getting a good stance was challenging if you were on a slope (lot of slipping down the hill), however, the brown sand played slightly firmer (more distance with same swing). The mixture of rough was difficult, especially around the greens – the rye allowed nice soft pitch/chip shots while the Bermuda and Kikuyu resulted in more of a stab or gouge with a lot less distance control. Yeah, it’s being a little “nit picky”, but for a “high end” course it was kinda frustrating.

Not sure what the powdery stuff was, but it got all over any club used on a tee box. Came right off, but was a little odd.

Also have to add, those were the NICEST golf carts I’ve experienced in a LONG time – USB ports AND leather seats! As for the value of the course – it’s all relative. While the service and carts were great, my “comparison course” is Soboba Springs, which is in equal or better condition and a LOT less expensive. Then again, it’s also a long way for most people to get to Soboba, and if your “comparison course” is in the OC or LA, the pricing would probably be a lot more comparable.

Last but not least, the weather was great but the company even better!

Here with the group ahead watching the 6th annual GK Cup. I will be posting some photos and writing up the event on my blog -- Golfing-guru.com. Be sure to check it out in the upcoming days. In the... Continue »

Here with the group ahead watching the 6th annual GK Cup. I will be posting some photos and writing up the event on my blog -- Golfing-guru.com. Be sure to check it out in the upcoming days. In the meantime consider GK gets my exclusive.

Love the USB charger on every golf cart. Love the seats on the cart; not benches. Saw the cart girl two/three times during the round.

Greens are in good shape. Very difficult for me to see the line on these greens today for some reason. I suppose it had to do with pace of the greens. I found it hard to determine the green speed because of the crazy slopes each and every green greeted you. Fairways in very good shape. Rough is thick, sticky and penalizing. Sand in bunkers are sandy white beaches. Tee boxes are flat. They take care of the course and it shows. Weather cooperated as well. Trust the GPS on your golf cart. Does not show elevation but gives you a good idea of the course layout.

Pace of play was good. I think our group ran out of steam on the back 9. Overall conditions here are superb. Take advantage of the Birthday golf special and you can read all about it here on GK.

Worth the money? You bet. You pay for service. You pay for superb golf conditions. You pay for the quality of the amenities. And you get what you pay for. Those folks that say that the green fees are higher than they are used to have to also consider the level of service they as a golf course provide in addition to the golf conditions. If they were sub par then you would hear about it. Instead those reviews rave about the conditions and service. Just consider what you pay for and get in return. If you get that from other golf courses, then by all means offer your comparison but give it constructively.

Play again? Sure. I see the value. Just can't do it as often as I would like, let's be honest.

Played this afternoon with GKers Ringworld, HmtGolfGuy and Sixpez on a $60 special with a cart. We played the blues (72.0/129/6446) in the group in front of the GK match play final match. We were neve... Continue »

Played this afternoon with GKers Ringworld, HmtGolfGuy and Sixpez on a $60 special with a cart. We played the blues (72.0/129/6446) in the group in front of the GK match play final match. We were never pressed AD and enjoyed a leisurely 4 1/2 hour round. First time playing here, I liked the layout overall. I normally do not care for hole after hole ringed by houses, but the design here covers many of the houses with trees. With the houses not as prominent as you would expect with them being closeby, you barely think about them. Not a tight course, on most holes you can grip it & rip it. The greens are average size and many have multiple tiers, so distance control on your approach shots is very important. They were medium fast, firm and putted well. The tee boxes overall were good, but there was something on the grass that left a powdery residue all over my driver head? The fairways were mostly lush with a few thin lies mixed in and played well. The rough is a mixture of rye, kikuyu and bermuda. You get some lies that sit up nicely, others that will grab your club and are challenging to hit out of. The sand traps seemed to be in transition. Roughly half were soft white sand with the other half grainer, much browner sand. Overall, the course was in good to excellent shape. I would definitely not play here based on their regular green fees. However, on a deal like we got today, it was worth it. The staff was great and the clubhouse is nice. We enjoyed two meals onsite and the food was good at prices that are reasonable for a golf course restaurant.

Played out here this afternoon as one of the tag-along witnesses for the GK Cup final. Actually, I was in the first group of two along with ringworld, HmtGolfGuy and Nickesquire with the match group g... Continue »

Played out here this afternoon as one of the tag-along witnesses for the GK Cup final. Actually, I was in the first group of two along with ringworld, HmtGolfGuy and Nickesquire with the match group going behind us. We got a nice discount rate, so that made it worth the visit. Other than my birthday, I usually won't play here for the normal rates. We never pushed the groups ahead of us, so a solid 4.5-hour pace. The course was in pretty good shape. Pretty much what I am used to as I've only ever played in August in the past. Tee boxes good, but there was some sort of fertilizer or something on the turf that left a powdery residue all over my driver head. Fairways mostly great. A little dappled in color and some thin spots here and there, but I mostly had excellent lies in the tight summer bermuda that I love to hit from. The rough was more hit and miss. It's an odd hodge podge of kikuyu, rye and bermuda, so you never quite know what lie you are going to get, sometimes just bare dirt. Still, I would say more good than bad. The greens were very soft and rolling at medium speeds. Definitely the slowest I've ever encountered here, so you could actually stop your ball if putting over one of the giant shelves to a front pin. The bunkers seemed about 50/50 either soft, beautiful white sand or regular brown sand. I found 3 bunkers on the day (2 greenside, 1 fairway) and they were all of the white variety. Those I thought were excellent, but I can't speak for the others. Either way, it would be nicer if they all matched. I've never been a huge fan of the Tustin Ranch layout and the rack rates are more than I'm willing to pay, though they seem to do fine catering to a higher end crowd. It's fine and there are a handful of holes I do like, especially on the back nine. The greens are quite tricky with all the big shelves and undulations, but I putt really well today, so I found them enjoyable this time around. The staff is always nice and the facilities are great. Last but not least, the bunker rakes here are the best in the business. Not kidding. These things are giant, sturdy and make it a breeze to clean up your footprints!

Played 8/16 for a birthday round. First off, the service here is absolutely fantastic. I was worried that we might get some flack for having a birthday round in our group but it was the exact opposi... Continue »

Played 8/16 for a birthday round. First off, the service here is absolutely fantastic. I was worried that we might get some flack for having a birthday round in our group but it was the exact opposite. Everyone from the pro shop to the driving range was accommodating and genuine. They really make you feel welcome from the time you arrive to the time you leave. The USB ports on the carts were a nice touch as well. Now onto the playing conditions.... I will be honest here and say that I was a little underwhelmed by the conditions. I don't think the current 'immaculate' rating captures TR right now. Especially after playing some phenomenal courses in the past week. I was underwhelmed enough to feel a little bad about having my buddies pay the $137 birthday guest rate. The rough was inconsistent and uneven, in some places a mix of thin, burnt kikuyu and crab grass, and other areas being completely soaked. Your ball will settle in the rough so keep an eye for it from the tee, Standing water was also present in some areas of the course and something you would not expect to see at a place like TR. Fairway lies were generally lush, but thin at times. Layout was ok, kind of felt like a really expensive, juiced up version of Los Lagos at CMCC. Would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit bored with the design near the end of the round. Tee boxes were in great shape, flat, lush, and well-rotated. Greens were fast, but receptive to all shots. Being on the right tier is key here as some greens have pretty diabolical undulations (hole 5). Fairway bunkers were filled with soft, fluffy, white sand. I could be wrong, but some of the greenside bunkers were filled with something else and a bit more wet. Overall, TR is kind of "meh". I know golf in Orange County is expensive, but with a $187 rack rate and a $137 discounted rate there are much better options in the OC and surrounding areas. If you have a birthday coming up then I say give TR a go, if not, go play a couple rounds elsewhere.

To the staff and GM of Tustin Ranch Golf Club -- Bravo! You run a pretty tight ship there, attentive and informed staff, good communication, and friendly.

Played here today in honor of my good f... Continue »

To the staff and GM of Tustin Ranch Golf Club -- Bravo! You run a pretty tight ship there, attentive and informed staff, good communication, and friendly.

Played here today in honor of my good friend -- RobStretch. He's an old fart (j/k)but that shouldn't dissuade you from the fact that this course drips of superior customer service and golf conditions to die for. I have pictures and will post a few of them momentarily. Be sure to check out my blog www.golfing-guru.com and give me a like or three :D Check out my Instagram @ringworld.

Commercial done. Now for my review.

It's RobStretch's birthday today and in honor of it, I checked out the Birthday Golf section here on GK to find a suitable place to play. Came across Tustin Ranch and read a few of the reviews. OK there were two things going for it -- FREE Birthday golf and the golf course reviews. Went to the Tustin Ranch website did some additional digging to find out the requirements for FREE Birthday Golf. There are three: (1) registered on their website -- done. (2) show them an ID and viola... FREE Golf on YOUR BIRTHDAY and (3) Be a Member of their club. Since we could easily qualify for 2 out of the 3. I made the decision to call Tustin, get everything confirmed and then make sure we could all play. Easy to navigate their automated phone system and was connected to a friendly starter who took my name and a CC to reserve the time.

Day of the round we show up separately but they (the staff) kept tabs on the group so that when all parties arrived and the tee time came up we were notified and spirited to the first tee. Not bad considering I arrived a little late.

The course was crowded but we did finish in around 4.5-5 hours. Gotta say the course is immaculate. Tee Boxes were flat and well rotated. No wear/tear on these tee boxes and if there were you would really have to be nit picky. Fairways are lush. I mean hit the ball take a divot and it would feel like hitting off a nice pile carpet. Rough is thick and your ball will settle (aka disappear from sight). This happened a number of times to myself and Rob. Sand in bunkers is a mix of white sandy beaches (nice and fluffy) and brownish hard packed -- both easy to get your club on the ball so not a problem to get out. Greens are tricky, roll true (no bounce) and fast/med. Speed started to pick up as the temperature amped up over the course of the day. Pace of play was a little slow but it's a Friday, practically the weekend crowd, and the conditions were so fantastic you just forgot about that aspect. At least for me I caught myself muttering how slow the group ahead of us was but then you saw the group ahead of them and the next group ahead of that group and well you make allowances. It was packed today. And considering it was packed we did finish in around 4.5-5 hours.

Side note if we did manage to play faster I bet you I wouldn't have felt so tired after the round. There isn't a lot of shade around any of the tee boxes.

Now the golf carts are state of the art in my opinion. Seats are comfortable; not benches but good well-designed seats. The onboard computer and navigation is excellent. Run the cart into a no-go area and it shuts off and you must hit reverse until you get to an area where you are allowed. You even get CART PATH ONLY announcements. Now folks who know me know I champion charging stations for our phones on the cart. Apps today suck the living juice out of your phone lickety split. This baby had not one but TWO USB ports. Just plug in and keep that baby charged.

Bottom line folks would I play here again? It's pricey admittedly, but I feel a little excess is a good thing once in a while. This would definitely be a course I would play again. Good Luck!