I played with the gk gurus, teeing off at about 1:30 on Thursday. It was a fun afternoon, and a great deal for such a fine golf course. Every aspect of the experience was above average, from the court... Continue »

I played with the gk gurus, teeing off at about 1:30 on Thursday. It was a fun afternoon, and a great deal for such a fine golf course. Every aspect of the experience was above average, from the courteous and professional service in the pro shop, to the challenging layout and excellent condition of the golf course itself.

Two things struck me, in particular, about playing Marine Memorial. First, the course plays much longer than the yardage on the card. The fairways and other areas through the green were pretty wet, so tee shots didn't roll out very much. This, combined with significant, swirling wind, made for constant calculation and recalculation when pulling a club.

Second, I really feel like this is a course that requires a few trips around to learn the places NOT to hit the ball. Several times I had pitch shots around the greens that were well beyond my skill set. The greens also have grain and many subtle contours which make for some difficult two putts for those who haven't played here too often.

All in all, I had a great time … though my game wasn't up to the challenge. I highly recommend the course, though I would suggest playing it forward the first time around.
Thanks, again, Johnny!

What a sleeper hidden gem. It reminds me of Admiral Bakers North if it were a nice country club. The layout is great! It hits on everything I look for in a golf course. The fairways were fine. No... Continue »

What a sleeper hidden gem. It reminds me of Admiral Bakers North if it were a nice country club. The layout is great! It hits on everything I look for in a golf course. The fairways were fine. Not too open open or too tree lined. You can spray it off the tee a little bit and never be in too bad of shape. Best of all were the greens and bunkers. Due to the low play the greens were in great shape and rolled true. The greens were a perfect medium to fast speed. The bunkers were absolutely immaculate. Not only were the edges immaculate but the general manager knows what he is doing with the sand. They were a perfect mixture of crushed granite and quartz. Perfect consistency with that Augusta white. They sparkled in the southern california sunshine. Its a really fun course. Not too easy not too difficult. Really fun driver wedge golf if you are a decent driver with some fun doglegs. Fun elevation changes as well as palm trees surrounding the bunkers to give it a little resort feel at times. The best part is the character it provides being a military base course. All of the holes provide homage to a military battle and you can hear artillery and helicopters in the distance at times. And for the value you cannot beat this course. Must play!

Played today, 9/21/17 with GK gurus Gary00, Stickboy and Broomy. I really enjoyed the course, and these guys made it fun, too. My cart partner Gary00 very handsomely tamed the beast today, while I str... Continue »

Played today, 9/21/17 with GK gurus Gary00, Stickboy and Broomy. I really enjoyed the course, and these guys made it fun, too. My cart partner Gary00 very handsomely tamed the beast today, while I struggled, playing pretty much bogey golf the whole day.

The greens were fantastic, certainly the best single aspect of the course. I really enjoyed the overall esthetic of the tract, set entirely in the canyons, and very secluded on the Camp Pendleton Marine Base. Not overly-crowded, and no houses lining the fairways. Just a great setting. Winds made things challenging for the first 12 holes or so, then things quieted down.

Fairways were good, but were a bit damp, so did not provide great roll for the most part. Sand was white, medium-weight, and nice in all bunkers, including on the practice range. Wish all courses' sand traps were this good!!!

My only issue today was with the tee-boxes. On the par 3s, and a few others, it was a challenge to find a level area to hit a shot. So, hopefully, the greenskeeper there will take a look at the white tees, where we played today and look at ways to level things out in the near future.

A good number of water jugs on the course and restrooms. Very positive reception at the pro shop, and the barkeep at Eagles Landing 19th hole was very nice and attentive. Though we gathered inside after the round to watch the football game, the outdoor seating area with views of the course are also a great place to recap the round.

I really, really liked the course and look forward to a return visit. This is a true 'hidden gem'. The white tees played a bit longer than the yardage (wind and dampish fairways) and for a short hitter, the pressure was to score via the short game today, for which I was not able to deliver. Still, the greens are great, so looking forward to the next round!

I have not played here for a while, so was excited to return. I generally prefer old style traditional courses, so this courses certainly qualified. Maybe it was me, but the course just seemed to p... Continue »

I have not played here for a while, so was excited to return. I generally prefer old style traditional courses, so this courses certainly qualified. Maybe it was me, but the course just seemed to play exceptionally long this morning. Not much roll in the fairways !

Greens were the best part of the course. They rolled well and seemed to "roll out" further than I had adjusted for. Not that they were all that fast, they just rolled true. Both bunkers I was in resulted in plugged lies, so it was a struggle from the sand today.

We were the third group off, but never waited. Played in under three hours at a nice easy pace on a beautiful overcast morning. Enjoyed the course, but did not play very well, but that was on me. $35 to walk is a bit steep, but all in all, a fun days on the links.

Late with this one. Played 8-18-17 with GK Gurus getting around in about 4 hours. Haven't played here in about 3-4 years and the course conditions have definitely improved. Tee boxes were mostly lush ... Continue »

Late with this one. Played 8-18-17 with GK Gurus getting around in about 4 hours. Haven't played here in about 3-4 years and the course conditions have definitely improved. Tee boxes were mostly lush and level. Fairways were in great shape, nice green kikuyu so not much roll but great lies. Rough was in nice shape with some real thick areas. The newly renovated bunkers were in great shape and real nice to hit from. Greens were in great shape, rolling medium fast and true. Not an overly tough course but really fun to play. If I lived in the area would probably play here more often.

Teed it up on Friday morning 8/18 with GK Gurus at Marine Memorial Golf Course. This was my first experience playing a golf course located on a military base … what have I been waiting for, this was a... Continue »

Teed it up on Friday morning 8/18 with GK Gurus at Marine Memorial Golf Course. This was my first experience playing a golf course located on a military base … what have I been waiting for, this was a great golf experience and getting on the base to play it was simple.

I was very impressed with the conditions of Marine Memorial and their recent bunker renovation. They restored the bunkers to the original designer Billy Bell plans. The bunkers are in outstanding condition and pleasure to play from. They bring a ton of extra character to a layout that already has a lot character with its mature trees, many doglegs, demanding par 3s and if you play it from the blue tees, a stern challenge.

The golf course is predominately lush kikuyu grass so don't expect much roll off the tee, but do expect beautiful lies in the fairways with the ball sitting up yet very difficult lies in the rough and around the greens with the kikuyu playing all kinds of tricks on you. The greens are in excellent condition, poa turf, smooth, holding shots and moderately fast. The only blemish this course has, its not much in my opinion, are the tee boxes not being that level. But its my understanding that is Marine Memorial's next improvement project, to laser level all the tee boxes.

To be honest with you, I read many very positive reviews leading up to this round and was still a little skeptical about what to expect with the conditions/layout due to how low priced the course is, the course easily exceeded my expectations in every way. Playing conditions, layout and service. If I lived in San Diego or South Orange County, Marine Memorial would be close to the top of my rotation.

After the round, had a delicious club sandwich and fries from their Mulligans grill on the patio. Under $10 yet excellent quality and even though they were busy, I got my food pretty fast. I am immediately a fan of this course, I will hopefully play it again soon, highly recommended, check out the photos I posted!

Paired with Nickesquire and dconnally as part of the GK guru outing on the morning of 8/18. Echoing statements by the other gurus, an extremely pleasant surprise hidden in the hills of Camp Pendleton.... Continue »

Paired with Nickesquire and dconnally as part of the GK guru outing on the morning of 8/18. Echoing statements by the other gurus, an extremely pleasant surprise hidden in the hills of Camp Pendleton. Everything was far above average with the greens and bunkers being the highlight of the show. All(or most) of the traps have been recently renovated and filled with new sand. Greens rolled extremely well at med-fast speed on flat putts with not a lot of divot damage. Fairways had great kikuyu coverage as did much of the rough. The areas around the newly renovated bunkers was nearly all bermuda so that made things a little interesting at times. Tee boxes were good even with a few being on the tilted side. Fun course to play and a definite must to have in the rotation if you live in south OC/ north SD.

I also played with the Gurus on 8/18. This was my 2nd time at Marine Memorial, first time was January. Since then, the course has undergone a full bunker restoration, and the result is outstanding. Th... Continue »

I also played with the Gurus on 8/18. This was my 2nd time at Marine Memorial, first time was January. Since then, the course has undergone a full bunker restoration, and the result is outstanding. The GM said the new sand still needs time to settle, but I found them to be soft and fluffy, but quite playable.

Otherwise, the rest of the course has some of the best grass coverage I've seen anywhere in quite a while. Greens were smooth and consistent. Fairways were quite plush.

This is not a difficult course, but one that is a lot of fun to play. Enough of a challenge for anyone, but not a lot of trouble other than a rough that will make balls disappear.

The location is quite a treat, very isolated with nothing anywhere near the course. In all, this one is high on my list of golf bargains.

Played with the GK Gurus at 8am on Friday, 8/18/17 – thanks to Matt and Nick for a fun round. I had never played here and was interested in seeing the course (I know many military courses are very nic... Continue »

Played with the GK Gurus at 8am on Friday, 8/18/17 – thanks to Matt and Nick for a fun round. I had never played here and was interested in seeing the course (I know many military courses are very nice tracks), as well as getting together with GKers. I found the conditions and facilities to be very good, and the price is great, but it’s bad news as far as the course and my game matching up. We had a nice day with clouds fort the first 6 holes, clearing and warming for the rest of the round with only light breezes. It’s wall-to-wall kikuyu here, and with my low ball flight I wasn’t getting any runout on the (few) good drives I hit, so I was left with very long approaches into these greens. (Additional difficulty – I moved back to the blue tees with Matt and Nick [6,865 yards]; my game would have been much better off at the white tees! [6,443]) The kikuyu grass definitely makes the course play longer than the card distances. The par-3s play especially long from the blues, and there are a number of par-4s over 400 yards, and my game wasn’t up to that task on this grass. Course conditions overall were very nice. There’s an all-grass range with flat teeing areas and good grass to hit from, and nice club/tee holders for each station. The large putting green doesn’t have a lot of slope, but speeds were very indicative of what we found on the course. Also a couple of practice bunkers available. In addition, there’s a nice little 9-hole pitch-and-putt course along the hillside next to hole #9 – distances range from 60-120 yards. I couldn’t tell what kind of quality the small greens were, but if they are like the big course they would be very nice. We were treated to a sleeve of quality balls, divot tool/marker, and chilled water. Carts are pretty basic otherwise, and there’s no yardage book, but there are plates in the fairways and marker sticks for distances approaching the greens. Conditions were fairly wet to start, drying out somewhat as the day progressed. Greens were in very good condition, firm and rolling smoothly at medium speed. Greens don’t have a lot of undulation, mostly sloping from the back, but some greens had quite a bit of slope in the front half, and a few greens were crowned slightly or had distinct tiers. Nothing crazy, and the putting lines were generally right in front of you. Just remember that everything generally goes down the canyon. We didn’t see that many old ballmarks, and greens were pretty receptive to well-struck shots. Green complexes are relatively simple – nothing tricked up, although #15 green has some interesting moguls and swales surrounding it. Most of the greens are slightly elevated as you approach from the fairway. Fairways gave good lies, although we saw scattered thin/bare areas. Rough was 2-3 inches deep and could be challenging when wet or if the kikuyu was stringy! In areas where the kikuyu was deeper the feel under your feet could be pretty squishy, and the stance was uncomfortable. Sand traps were great – the recent renovation is very attractive and in-bunker conditions were good. After the renovation, the course re-turfed the bunker margins with another (non-kikuyu) grass, so you get a little different feel immediately adjacent to the sand. Not sure why they took this approach. Tees were level, although a couple of the par-3 tees were uneven in the teeing area (#14) and some were slightly sloping. The GM stopped by after the round to get feedback – he also talked about future improvements they are planning. Very good food values in the grill after the round – they were crowded as they get outside business from Base personnel as well during the lunch hour. This course is likely flying under the radar because of a lack of general advertising emphasis and its “hidden” location on the Marine base, which makes access a little more difficult. This isn’t a “drive by” course. While I thought the course was in great condition, and an excellent value, I don’t see myself returning very often only because the grass type doesn’t fit my game, but I’d recommend the course to friends without hesitation.