I was in the mood for a challenging course today. It had been a few years since I last played here so I was really happy to find a morning tee time at 10:10 am. I don’t have a JC card so it’s usually... Continue »

I was in the mood for a challenging course today. It had been a few years since I last played here so I was really happy to find a morning tee time at 10:10 am. I don’t have a JC card so it’s usually impossible to get that kind of time.

The guys in the pro shop were very welcoming and got me checked in quickly. I was hoping to hit some balls to warm up but the range was closed due to being too muddy to pick. The carts are nice with GPS and ice chest. I amused myself on the putting green for a bit until the twosome I was paired with arrived. The weather was a brisk 50ish when we started but quickly warmed up to mid 60s... pretty much perfect.
In the past I’d played from the most forward tees but since I’ve been playing decently lately, I decided to go back one set. It was much more to my liking at just over 5300 yards.

I was prepared for not great conditions with the recent rain and the zillions of messy sycamore trees, but I was impressed with how neat and clean the course was overall. The fairways were a bit thinner than I prefer but they had good coverage and no notable wet or muddy spots. The tee boxes were not all level but not bad. The greens were smooth and fairly fast with very few ball marks. I was in only one bunker (I don’t think I’ve ever not been in that bunker on 13!) The sand was clean, soft and plentiful. I really enjoy chipping and the rough made me so happy. It was consistent around the course, lush and a perfect 1-2 inches. The ball sat up nicely and I had some very satisfying shots.

A lot of vegetation has been cleaned up since my last visit. All of it has been removed from the lake on #5 par3. It is definitely less intimidating now as the front of the green is fully visible, but honestly it’s just kind of ugly now. On many other holes the ground around the tee boxes has been cleaned up and the tee boxes are more well defined. I can’t be sure, but it also seems like the ditches on 8 and 10 have fewer big rocks in them than I remember.
I had a super fun time would like to play here more often. Hopefully I can another good tee time someday. Recommended.

Early Friday morning round in under four hours on an always improving course. Staff is very friendly and professional in person and on the phone. The carts still have not been upgraded yet though. ... Continue »

Early Friday morning round in under four hours on an always improving course. Staff is very friendly and professional in person and on the phone. The carts still have not been upgraded yet though. I'm always tempted to grab a cart from the member's side (much nicer units) and actually did a couple years back, only to be scolded and educated that I had placed my clubs on the wrong cart. The tee boxes all have very nice coverage but a few placements were not on level ground. The rough (where it exists) is just a few inches long and will keep your ball in play. Most of the area alongside the fairways does not have any rough but is red staked at least. Losing a ball into those sections becomes frustrating at times though. The fairways are in excellent condition with great lies on the abundant green bermuda from start to finish. The fairways turf is just long enough with the fluff to set your ball up for good strikes. The traps in the fairways are compact redish dirt/sand and not difficult to hit from. Most of the green side bunkers have excellent white sand with a few being a little damp but not bad. The greens are also in very good condition with slightly slower speeds on the front nine compared to the back nine. The greens were holding shots well and putting lines good with a great sound when the ball drops. The group(s) in front of us this morning did NOT know how to fix their ball marks at ALL. Every hole we arrived at had fresh marks that were NOT repaired. Other than that the greens had very few ball marks. The overall conditions are better every time we play here and should continue through the summer hopefully.

Played here today with a 2:00 tee time, which is their first twilight time at $60. I was paired with a threesome and we started right on time. Unfortunately, one of them had to quit after one swing du... Continue »

Played here today with a 2:00 tee time, which is their first twilight time at $60. I was paired with a threesome and we started right on time. Unfortunately, one of them had to quit after one swing due to a bad back, so we played as a threesome all day. Probably led to a little more waiting than normal, but POP was still good at just under four and a half hours. It was partly sunny when I arrived but after a few holes the sun disappeared and it was cool and cloudy most of the day. My cart died on the 14th hole and after a few calls to the pro shop, I eventually got a hold of someone and they quickly brought me a new one.

The course is in really nice shape! I knew the aeration alert is still yellow but figured the greens would be mostly healed, and it's difficult to find many courses not affected by aeration right now. I was right and the greens are mostly healed, some more than others. Another week to 10 days and I bet you'll hardly notice anything. Today they were a little bit bumpy, medium speed and accepted full shots really well. I never felt like the punch marks affected my putts other than the greens maybe being a little slower than expected. Fairways have great coverage of rather tight bermuda, providing good lies and some run out on low trajectory drives. The fairway-adjacent rough is pretty thin and somewhat patchy, but the rough around the greens is very nicely maintained. Seems like lots of courses are taking that approach lately, and I like it. Blue tee boxes were mostly good but where the tee markers were on the par-3 16th felt like hitting from a downhill lie; some leveling needed there. The bunkers I was in were great!

I've always found this course really fun and beautiful, and there are very few, if any, dull holes. $60 on a weekend is a great rate as long as you get one of the first twilight times so you know you'll finish. Beautiful clubhouse that had a wedding ceremony in progress when we were teeing off on 18. Highly recommended.

Early am 3.5 hour round on a course that keeps getting better and better. Staff is very friendly and welcomes all guests. The carts are still from the last century but will take you around the cours... Continue »

Early am 3.5 hour round on a course that keeps getting better and better. Staff is very friendly and welcomes all guests. The carts are still from the last century but will take you around the course just fine. No windshields on a cool day is a bit uncomfortable and there is no gps. The tee boxes were all in great condition with good coverage. Rough was really not much to see but if you wander too far off the fairways you'll find nasty clover over a foot long. There are many forced carries to manage during the round. The fairways have excellent coverage with many tight lies on most holes. There are some holes here that resemble the Kapalua fairways with 30-60 yard runs from left to right which can be very frustrating. The traps are all in top condition with ample quality sand and plenty of rakes. The greens are probably the best conditioned we have played recently. Though they were a bit firm they held fairly well and rolled nicely with some tough to read breaks. The course sits down away from the homes in this custom community with great views. The management has kept rates very reasonable if you can manage to get a tee time. Highly Recommended

Four plus hour morning round with another group of hackers. The staff is always great and helpful. The carts are still holding up but showing their years (no gps). The practice green was closed for... Continue »

Four plus hour morning round with another group of hackers. The staff is always great and helpful. The carts are still holding up but showing their years (no gps). The practice green was closed for enlargement as they are doubling its size. The large tee boxes were all in really good winter shape and level. The rough really does not come into play as there is very little and it is not penal at all. Most of the trouble on the driving holes are forced carries with creeks, trees and bushes. The tight fairways all had the best coverage I've ever experienced in my rounds here over the last fifteen years. Every fairway has nice green turf and fairly easy to hit from.
The traps were all in excellent condition with plenty of quality sand. Greens were top notch rolling very smooth and quick. There were very few ball marks on the large greens throughout the entire round. The greens do have quite a bit of slope in sections on most which can be difficult for some. JC resorts has taken over management of the Club and kept the rates reasonable in comparison to others in the North County. The facilities original Super has moved on the the sister course in Murrieta (the old SCGA) , now The Golf Club at Rancho California. Hopefully he will bring similar playing conditions of that course to standards here at The Golf Club of California! I was really surprised to see this facility in such great condition and definitely recommend it to all.

I am an 8 handicap who plays weekly in the Los Angeles County area. I was vacationing with family in Carlsbad and looking for a course to play. I've played the Torrey Courses, Aviara, Arrow Wood, and ... Continue »

I am an 8 handicap who plays weekly in the Los Angeles County area. I was vacationing with family in Carlsbad and looking for a course to play. I've played the Torrey Courses, Aviara, Arrow Wood, and the Crossings. In my opinion the Golf Club of California is a far more enjoyable course than the latter two on that list. I'm posting this review to help other golfers who may be looking for a course to play in the San Diego County area.

It was a warm summer day in the 90's but I didn't mind the heat at all. Teeboxes were level and had plenty of grass, fairways were firm and rolling out, and the greens were soft and fast. Bunkers had some of the best sand I've seen in a while. Couldn't have asked for better conditions in the summer.

Played 2pm to get their twilight rate and finished in 3.5 hours. The course layout was really creative and unique. There are forced carries from the tees and well-protected greens. One thing I really loved about the course was that it wasn't just a typical back and forth course where 3 holes are always alongside each other. Each hole felt "framed" and designed with intention. It is quiet and the local scenery is beautiful.

In my opinion the only two things that were lacking were the lack of refreshment carts/water stations and the poor condition of the golf carts. Other than those two things, I highly recommend this course if you're in the San Diego County area!

Early morning Sunday round in just over four hours. The staff is great and the carts are average with no gps. The course changed ownership in January and new management has made some improvements. ... Continue »

Early morning Sunday round in just over four hours. The staff is great and the carts are average with no gps. The course changed ownership in January and new management has made some improvements. The tee boxes had good coverage but a few were very sloped and soft. The rough has returned on many holes but there is and will be always be numerous forced carries and protected areas that come into play on many holes. The fairways are filling in nicely with nearly full green coverage everywhere. The traps were are nicely groomed and most had good to great sand with rakes that had been used! The greens quickened up as the round progressed but still seemed a little slower than in previous rounds. They rolled true with unseen breaks on several holes. The entire course is really looking good and surely will continue to improve. I mentioned the rates are very reasonable and was told that they will be going up. Definitely recommended.

Played this course yesterday on 12/13 and had a great time. It was my first time playing and as a single was paired with a twosome and another solo. Everyone was great and we all had a good time toget... Continue »

Played this course yesterday on 12/13 and had a great time. It was my first time playing and as a single was paired with a twosome and another solo. Everyone was great and we all had a good time together.

The course was is very good condition and the greens were in excellent shape. This was my first time playing and driving down from Mission Viejo was well worth the time and money spent. I loved the layout and the challenges it provides without being unfair. Most holes have that risk reward where you have to think about your shots. I would say for me I basically hit driver off every tee for the Par 4/5s, but mainly due to me being more confident in that over my 3w. I played from the whites and hit anything from 5i-SW into most greens. On 17 I hot a decent drive in the fairway and still had about 180 into the green so I hit the 4 hybrid into the green side rough.

Fairway rough wasn't thick at all, bit the rough around the greens were well maintained and taller and more lush. The greens were very fast and if you landed on a green slope it would role down it easily.

Played The Golf Club of California this past Sunday, May 23rd. We teed off at 7:15 in the morning and played in about 4:15 which was great.

I hadn't been out here for a few years but I've always th... Continue »

Played The Golf Club of California this past Sunday, May 23rd. We teed off at 7:15 in the morning and played in about 4:15 which was great.

I hadn't been out here for a few years but I've always thought it was an interesting layout. Since the last time I've been here it looks like they re-did the bunkers and they now have bright, white fluffy sand and they played well. I was in a couple and I think it probably needs a little more time to settle in because its pretty soft.

The fairways and rough here are still pretty thin and firm. I wasn't hitting it that great and trying to be really precise on the firm conditions gave me some fits, but I do think as the weather warms up they'll thicken a bit. Overall better than the last time I played there and if I was playing better it would have been fine.

The tee boxes seemed to need a mow but they were lush, level and I never had an issue finding a good spot.

The greens were the highlight of the day for me. They ran really smooth, held shots great and ask the day warmed up got plenty quick which was fun. I don't remember them being this healthy so that was a lot of fun to play on.

I really do like this golf course. It's a bit tough when the fairways get too firm and fast because the course is not really designed for too much run out and big bounces, but at this time it's not much of an issue and I think it will keep getting better.

Just a lot of fun to play, definitely a challenge but some opportunities to score. I'd get out and play soon and enjoy the great greens!