This was an epic day at the Journey for me. One I have never played this course before and I knew reading past reviews I would be in for a treat. I was NOT disappointed.

Those of you who know me,... Continue »

This was an epic day at the Journey for me. One I have never played this course before and I knew reading past reviews I would be in for a treat. I was NOT disappointed.

Those of you who know me, I can be pretty harsh on golf courses especially when it comes to conditions and service. I was not disappointed here. Some said that conditions are not the best at present but honestly they are pretty darn good compared to a lot of courses I have played recently.

The course reminded me a little of Mt. Woodson and a little of Stevinson Ranch. All challenging holes and the course played fair. No blind shots. What you saw was what you got. There were some holes that visually looked different compared to when you played which I personally love. Thanks to some local knowledge from some of the golfers I played with I managed to scrape together a few pars with their advice.

My review is simple. Greens rolled with medium speed. Had to get into my head where the top of the hillside was and the bottom and once that was framed into my point of reference I managed to figure both pace and direction relatively easily. Greens rolled very true. No skips here. High shots could stop the ball. Low shots you could run up; just pick your spot and execute. Bunkers were a bit thin for my liking but once I figured out which club to use I was able to knock that ball close and if it went to far I could recover easily. I enjoyed putting here. As some of my buddies can attest I can play crappy greens but give me some great rolling greens like here at Pechanga and it's lights out buddy!

Fairways were a little thin in spots. But for the most part good coverage. I can honestly only think of two instances where the grass was thin but put a good swing on it and your shot will do well. Tee boxes where flat and lush.

Conditioning is good. Just take a look at some of the photos I posted on Instagram. Some of the holes were completely intimidating but thankfully I was striking the ball well and managed to make the ball go straight which is a plus for any course and it's enjoyment.
The hazards were fair. The golf was enjoyable.

Play here again? Heck yes! And for all the reasons above. It simply was some good dare I say great golf.

Played Journey with 7 fellow GKers. A little GK Easter Egg, thanks to Johnny for setting it up. Course is in good shape, with plenty of green and just a touch of the continuing drought noted.
Fairw... Continue »

Played Journey with 7 fellow GKers. A little GK Easter Egg, thanks to Johnny for setting it up. Course is in good shape, with plenty of green and just a touch of the continuing drought noted.
Fairways were green and maybe just a tad hard to normal. Able to get some run out, but nothing outrageous. Rough is about 1-3 inches normally found although some areas exceed that by a few inches. It is fluffy and you will catch a bad lie here and there with the ball sitting way down, but it is fair.
Bunkers, and I found plenty of them this day, were rather wet/damp and slightly more crusty which you rarely see here. Also some mainly on the back side were rather short on sand, played from a few 16th left front and 17th back rear had underlying exposed.
Today I found the greens to be rather slow about a 9. Also noted were many unrepaired ball marks or poorly repaired one. A few greens seemed to be slightly crusty as well, not bad but still different than what you expect to normally find here. Round played out in just over 5 hours which in itself is a little shocking however we were not in a big rush and course appeared to be rather open so it was a nice leisurely round. Overall still a most play and would definitely be back.

Played out here with fellow GKers today in the 11:00 am group. It was my first time playing Journey and I loved it. What a fun course that constantly presents new challenges and always keeps you think... Continue »

Played out here with fellow GKers today in the 11:00 am group. It was my first time playing Journey and I loved it. What a fun course that constantly presents new challenges and always keeps you thinking.

Conditions were outstanding. Tee boxes were pretty much perfect. Fairways were great, never an issue. The rough was maybe a step below the fairways, as my ball found some thinner areas greenside a couple times (but there's also a lot of lush greenside rough). The bunkers I was in were good. The greens were smooth and medium fast, very nice. Like lotrgolfer48 said, they were somewhat firm, although well-struck full iron shots stopped pretty quickly.

A few side notes: The little Pechanga-branded bottles of water seem to be infused with something very refreshing. I could have drank 15 of them if I had them. After the round, we took advantage of Happy Hour in the bar/restaurant and I got the hugest $6 plate of nachos I've ever seen. Better yet, they were delicious! The weather was amazing, and all in all, it was pretty much an unbeatable day!

Being my first time here, I took a ton of photos and uploaded 45 of them to Flickr. There are pictures of every single hole, so copy+paste this link for basically a photo tour of the course: https://goo.gl/byIWMb

What a fun day at Journey with a great group of GK'ers. Looking forward to more cool "easter egg" deals on the site! As always, the service here is excellent and the course presentation is very nice. ... Continue »

What a fun day at Journey with a great group of GK'ers. Looking forward to more cool "easter egg" deals on the site! As always, the service here is excellent and the course presentation is very nice. I personally kind of miss the extreme dip in the 18th green, even though not having it there helped my approach shot today. Though maybe not as pristine as I've seen it in the past, the course is still maintained to much higher standards than most courses around. Fairways mostly great and greens very nice. Pure and rolling true/quick. I always look forward to any excuse to play this course, especially with a good deal, so I can't wait for my next visit. The more I play the hole designs or green complexes people consider a bit too quirky, the more I can appreciate the strategy needed even if I can't always execute. Great setting and scenery and the views from the top on #6 are so incredible!

Was in Rat-Patrol's group today and can't really add too much to his review.
Most higher-end courses are going to have similar fairway and rough conditions at this point in the season. What separate... Continue »

Was in Rat-Patrol's group today and can't really add too much to his review.
Most higher-end courses are going to have similar fairway and rough conditions at this point in the season. What separates the best from the rest of the field are green conditions. Today was a treat (apart from the ever present unfixed ballmark!) They were firm and running well and you just had to get them on line (which I didn't). I also notice that these greens tend to show it if groups don't pick up their feet. Grain had been caught on several holes today. Pick up the feet people!!

For those unaware (I was), The 18th green has been softened. The 5 foot middle saddle is now closer to 1.5-2 feet. That greens is still showing some turf scarring but overall the grass seems to have come in pretty well.

Played today with a group of GKers and had a real fun time. The course is in real good shape, especially considering it's late summer with all the heat and the on going drought. The layout is really f... Continue »

Played today with a group of GKers and had a real fun time. The course is in real good shape, especially considering it's late summer with all the heat and the on going drought. The layout is really fun and as challenging as you want to make it by choice of tee boxes. The carts are really nice and comfortable with great GPS systems. Tee boxes: level with mostly good coverage Rough: mostly minimal but enough to make you think about shot selection Fairways: well covered with a nice bit of roll out Bunkers: well maintained, all sand and very playable Greens: excepted well struck shots and rolled nice and fast . . . quite deceptive in spots, but that's what good golf course architecture will get you. Also the areas around the greens had some long rough and some closely mown chipping areas giving a good mix of situations to use some imagination on Layout: interesting with some dramatic tee shots and views, very fun Customer service: top notch, top notch. A nice snack bar at the first tee/turn area . . . I didn't make it in the restaurant as I had to get back to my lonely dog, but I believe some of the others did, so might have something to say about that Overall: weather was perfect, course was in good shape and fun, that coupled with the great company it was a fun day!

Played here 7/23/15. Overall good to very good conditions, however, not as lush as I have seen in the past.
Fairways were a little thin in spots but still very playable, just not the thick, lush gra... Continue »

Played here 7/23/15. Overall good to very good conditions, however, not as lush as I have seen in the past.
Fairways were a little thin in spots but still very playable, just not the thick, lush grass as I have become accustomed to here. I'm sure drought / water rationing has some impact. (Driving range was even a little better condition than some fairways.
Greens were smooth, but very firm and fast. More ball marks and small brown spots / areas than in the past.
Bunkers I visited were very good. Consistent and right amount of sand.
No starter on this day so we rolled out to range then wen off on our own when tee time was up. Also unusual from past visits.
Ambulance (aka beverage cart) found us twice, but given relatively small number of players, was about right.
Need to leave driver's license in pro shop to get access to locker room, which was different as well.
I think it has been mentioned before, but if not, worth noting the 18th green is now nearly flat. The large swale that cut across the center of the green was filled in. New turf is filling in nicely.
Still a very fun place to play and interesting layout to say the least. From flat to several hundred feet of elevation on # 6. Great practice area, and bar / restaurant. Some quirky holes but none that I don't enjoy. Variety of holes is a plus.

Two thumbs up to Pechanga for fixing the 18th green! They listen to their players. I was working there last week and had to do some work on the course. I drove by the 18th green and felt bad I had wro... Continue »

Two thumbs up to Pechanga for fixing the 18th green! They listen to their players. I was working there last week and had to do some work on the course. I drove by the 18th green and felt bad I had wrote a poor review of the 18th green because it did not look as bad as I remembered it. The worker I was with said they repaired it because of complaints. To all other courses out there - Listen to your customers! I find so many courses I play could be so much better with what seems to be general course maintenance. P.S. Course looks immaculate as always.

First class in every way. The staff is super pro and helpful. The practice facility is the best I've ever seen (played Pebble, Riv, Torrey). Course is challenging and requires thought and planning. Th... Continue »

First class in every way. The staff is super pro and helpful. The practice facility is the best I've ever seen (played Pebble, Riv, Torrey). Course is challenging and requires thought and planning. Though the cart GPS is great, a range finder is also rec'd.