First time Creek/Stonehouse combo on Friday 4/19/19 @ 10:30 with a single mid-handicap and a twosome of high handicaps. Very steady stream of threesomes and foursomes all morning, but pace was good d... Continue »

First time Creek/Stonehouse combo on Friday 4/19/19 @ 10:30 with a single mid-handicap and a twosome of high handicaps. Very steady stream of threesomes and foursomes all morning, but pace was good despite some slow play by some in our group, especially on StoneHouse (more below); nobody pushing behind us until the last several holes. Creek made me wanna take off my shoes and play barefoot with a walking bag of a few clubs like when I was a kid—it’s picture should be in the encyclopedia under “resort course” in its worst connotation. Possibly the most boring course I ever have played that wasn’t a 9-hole muni. Great for a practice 9 holes to work on one thing or another, great for kids and beginners, and in fine shape, but flat and utterly devoid of character. If it went back to nature, the golf course indicators would disappear in a month. But then on to Stonehouse, which is basically an extremely hilly miniature golf course without the clown’s mouth. Almost every tee shot is blind, and some second shots as well, even on one or three par 4’s. Fortunately the other single knew his way around, else we would have been all over the place with even decent shots impossible to find. The contrast with Creek could not be more drastic. In slightly worse shape than Creek, but probably because even the grounds crew get lost out there. I found this almost not fun at all, if any golf can ever be not some level of fun. I like getting to know a course’s quirks, but one shouldn’t have to consult a map every time just to get direction. Even good shots well-aimed often are not rewarded, not due to bad bounces so much as just general topography that makes almost everything run way off one way or the other. It is sort of like Ojai Valley Inn on LSD, beyond quirky and just weird. What is worse is that the club actually lets beginners and kids who can enjoy Creek also play Stonehouse, which is borderline cruel to them and to more skilled golfers who might find something to like in getting to know Stonehouse—that is golf course operational and game-growth malpractice. Oaks 9 was closed for renovation, but from what I could see it was a lot more like Creek than Stonehouse, and I am told trees often obstruct the lines of play. It looks pretty flat. I have zero interest in finding out if it is a good 9. The range is mats and very ordinary. The starter was uninformative about either course, and lost track of a family threesome with a young child when they stopped for a full lunch after 9 and then just wandered out to Stonehouse to insert themselves into the existing lineup, causing an awkward delay that they, not the starter, remedied by being aware and nice about letting us go ahead. Overall conditions were good, greens quite good except even more than usual unfixed ball marks, always annoying but sadly endemic. Bunkers are soft dirt on top, hard clay underneath—no real
sand. I am happy to have tried the place out, I love the area and Old Town Temecula is a blast, and Greenskeeper reviews here gave me reasonable caution ahead of time, but there are way better offerings in this area and except for kids and beginners and a 9-hole tuneup for one’s approach shots or the like, for which Creek is perfect, there is scant reason to return and the other 9 holes could not possibly be good enough to make me give Stonehouse another look. The only good news is that I now know not to play here again.

Played a Friday twilight round at Temecula Creek Inn again for the first time in around four years. Grabbed a cart and played the blue tees on the Stonehouse and Creek nines. Hard to imagine two nines... Continue »

Played a Friday twilight round at Temecula Creek Inn again for the first time in around four years. Grabbed a cart and played the blue tees on the Stonehouse and Creek nines. Hard to imagine two nines as different as these two, and not just in terms of layout.

On the Stonehouse nine, it was pretty standard winter conditions in the fairways and the rough. So many places to get in trouble on this nine and all sorts of elevations and narrow chutes on some holes to some very picky landing areas. Tee boxes and bunkers were in good shape for the most part. Greens were still showing signs of being punched but rolled well and were medium fast.

The Creek nine is flat, parkland style golf with fairly wide open fairways and no water trouble until you get to the final hole. Where the Stonehouse nine had actual grass in the fairways though, the Creek side of the course has very odd fairways that seem to have been mostly painted a sea-green or blue and it's not really grass as much as it is compressed weeds or something. I'm no botanist, but it was weird. Rest of the conditions not much different than the previous.

POP was great as we finished in just under four hours and never really got pushed from the front or behind too much until the end of the front nine. No cart service to be found all day but it was not very busy out there. Pro shop is nice and the driving range is not huge but very functional, especially if you like to hit fades. Overall, I think that there are probably some superior options in the Temecula area right now, but I also think that once TCI gets its mojo back that it will be a very nice option again.

I bought a stay & play pkg and played Creek & Oaks Sunday 12/2/2018. We were scheduled to play Monday too but left due to course condition and hotel facilities. Pro Shop staff was fast and efficient... Continue »

I bought a stay & play pkg and played Creek & Oaks Sunday 12/2/2018. We were scheduled to play Monday too but left due to course condition and hotel facilities. Pro Shop staff was fast and efficient but teed off late. Turned out there was a scramble right in front of us. The pace of play wasn't bad but the conditions were really disappointing at TCGC. The Oaks course greens had punch marks on half the green making them bumpy. Though it's been years since I held a JC Resort card and played TCGC, don't recall TCGC ever looking that poor. From a distance, however, courses looked ok. It wasn't till I discovered cart path only on some holes and walked to my ball that I notice fairways being ridiculously tight, often sparse sometimes mushy. Put a nice swing on the ball and my club head was covered in mud, and the divot was just a smooth cut of mud. I won't go into what happened to my dinner in the restaurant and loud noise that lasted all night. Just finish by saying, we won't be going back and I am sure to inform colleagues and friends.

Played Creek+Oaks on 11/28 with a 12:22 tee on 11/28. Check-in with Shea in the Pro Shop and the starter Glen was pleasant and they got us out on-time. Both of these nines are in good shape. I can'... Continue »

Played Creek+Oaks on 11/28 with a 12:22 tee on 11/28. Check-in with Shea in the Pro Shop and the starter Glen was pleasant and they got us out on-time. Both of these nines are in good shape. I can't recall a bad tee box, though there were a few with numerous un-sanded divots. The fairways all had great coverage with relatively short rough. The greens were nice, fairly receptive, with smooth medium-fast rolls. Creek is fairly flat course with distance decisions occasionally challenged by afternoon gusting winds. Oaks is a bit more challenging than Creek with several elevation changes and water. Though the sun was beginning to set, we finished the round before darkness fell. A good afternoon of golf.

Played Thurs sept 13th at 950. This is the first time I have played here so I looked at the pics here on Greenskeeper to look at some of the holes. Check in was fast and friendly . There are 3 9's he... Continue »

Played Thurs sept 13th at 950. This is the first time I have played here so I looked at the pics here on Greenskeeper to look at some of the holes. Check in was fast and friendly . There are 3 9's here and was told by the starter that Oaks was just punched so we would be playing Creek and then Stone House. He also told us the greens were very fast. The course was in very good condition, and the greens were probably the fastest I have played on all year. The layout of Creek was nice, you could easily walk this. We then got to Stone House and it was a completely different course, of the 9 holes here you could only see the greens from the tee boxes on 2 holes and they were par 3's. Without ever playing this 9 before it was near impossible to know what you were doing, where to hit and what to do on most holes. If you want just a nice round play Creek and Oaks, if you feel you have to be challenged, then play Stone House. I am out there to enjoy myself, a 395 yard par 4 is challenging enough when your drives are 215, personally at my age I don't need or want a 395 yard par 4 where you don't know where to hit, can't see the green and has 100 plus feet of elevation change, or a par 3 listed at 167 on my watch, but it was up hill into a club and a have wind. If I go back, it is a long drive, I will avoid Stone House. BTW POP was terrible at 445, and then traffic all the way to Norco stunk.

Had a tee time as a solo at 1 pm. When I arrived, the staff was very friendly. The practice facilities are great, with a grass driving range and big practice green. The starter was very friendly an... Continue »

Had a tee time as a solo at 1 pm. When I arrived, the staff was very friendly. The practice facilities are great, with a grass driving range and big practice green. The starter was very friendly and gave me a few pointers since it was my first time. It was not very crowded allowing me to tee off 15 minutes ahead of schedule. The first 9 I played was Oaks. POP was great because there was not many groups out there. 8 out of 9 blue tee boxes were level and had plenty of grass. There was one tee box that was in very poor condition with it having little grass to hit from. The fairways were lush and the sand was decent. The rough was not very long and had a few thin spots throughout. They also have done a good job of marking any poor conditioned sections as ground under repair. The greens were firm and fast. Looking at the greens, there are quite a few marks. However, when putting everything rolled smooth. The back 9 I played was Creek. Conditions were the same for Creek as they were for Oaks. However, POP slowed down. This was my first time playing this course and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was debating whether to try this or nearby Redhawk and I think I made the right choice.

Played 4 days ago. Great, great, great track. As it always seems to be just a fantastic day out there. Everything in very nice shape. ...just a great experience everytime I hit this course. A cool oce... Continue »

Played 4 days ago. Great, great, great track. As it always seems to be just a fantastic day out there. Everything in very nice shape. ...just a great experience everytime I hit this course. A cool ocean wind picked up as it usually does in afternoon adding another bit of challenge.
Escape the heat out here a bit in the evenings.
Cork Fire Grille also a nice place to chow down after rd and for drinks.
Hit it if you can get it!

Early morning four hour round on a very well conditioned course. The staff and facilities are always top notch. The tee boxes were all in good shape with a couple being slightly sloped and scarred u... Continue »

Early morning four hour round on a very well conditioned course. The staff and facilities are always top notch. The tee boxes were all in good shape with a couple being slightly sloped and scarred up from the golfers. The fairways have excellent coverage with great lies to hit from every shot. The rough was fairly thick and pretty damp from the overnight showers. You could hit shots from the rough but would be penalized yardage every time. The traps were wet and damp with many having standing water in them. The greens were all in excellent shape and held shots nicely. Most all the greens rolled great with only a couple being slightly bumpy. The views from the course are nice and fact there are no homes along the fairways is nice. Highly recommended!!!!

Played 12=20-17. I was in the area for the day and chose Temecula Creek to try out. Started a bit off with a frost delay that pushed everything back. There were no balls in the range ball machine and ... Continue »

Played 12=20-17. I was in the area for the day and chose Temecula Creek to try out. Started a bit off with a frost delay that pushed everything back. There were no balls in the range ball machine and after they finally refilled and I warmed up I went to see how much longer I would have to wait and the starter could not find me on the sheet. Fortunately a 3some was headed out and I asked if I could join them. He said sure and off I went. The first 9 was Creek. There was a tractor spraying the fairway green ahead of us. After that I did not see it again.
The course was just an up and back style. Not the most exciting layout. Greens were fast and I mean fast. Tee boxes were chewed and up but level. Fairways were thin but very playable. Bunkers had dark sand in them but were fluffy and in great shape.
Second 9 was Oaks. Immediately noticed the fairways were much greener and lush. Greens still fast and challenging. Same material in bunkers. The layout was more interesting. Not many straight holes. Lots of right or left bends. If you can shape shots it would be a big advantage. The trees present a challenge and if you miss the fairway you need to go under or around.
Over all enjoyed the round and would be interested in checking out the 3rd 9 sometime.
Would rate the course a solid 6 to 6.5.