Golf Course Review: UPDATE Casta Del Sol Golf Course, Mission Viejo, CA- 6/11/08

I’ve just received this email from Casta Del Sol Golf Course in Mission Viejor today announcing their new tiered greens fee program. Prior to this Casta Del Sol in my opinion was the best deal for a short, but full 18 hole golf course in Orange County.

After 1:00 p.m. you would pay only $12 to walk the course which usually take 3-3.5 hours to complete. That cost was even cheaper than paying the $12-14 to play at the nearby 9-hole Lake Forrest Golf Center (underwhelming if you ask me and overpriced).

Now the new fees at Casta Del Sol you can pay the $12.00 only after 4:00 p.m. I wonder if it’s the economic slowdown, need to generate more cash, or to break the pace of play from so many people playing during the twilight rates. I’m guessing it’s #2 since so many people play during twilight (1:00 p.m. and after) before that the course was routinely backed-up a short bit so increasing the fees should hopefully liven up the pace of play.

It’s fair enough for the 4:00 p.m. players to pay $12 still and should still be able to finish the full 18 holes during the long Summer hours. The $9 for post 6:00 p.m. is a joke though, you’d be lucky to get 5-6 holes in Summer.

New Casta Del Sol Twilight Tier Rates for June 2008
Valid Monday-Friday, until June 27th, 2008

2:00pm-3:00pm $17.00 Walking
3:00pm-4:00pm $14.00 Walking
4:00pm-6:00pm $12.00 Walking
After 6:00pm $9.00 Walking

Add a 1/2 Cart Fee for $10.00 from 2pm-6pm and an $8.00 Fee after 6:00pm.

Golf Course Review: Willowick Golf Course in Santa Ana, CA- 6/7/08

Comments: The Willowick golf Course in Santa Ana, CA is a pretty simple and straight forward golf course that should draw players looking for a full Par 72 course that they can bomb & gouge to their hearts content without the fear of hazards such as ravines, lakes, hills, eco-areas, etc. The majority of the terrain in Willowick is flat with minimal topography features, you’ll experience straight fairways the majority of the holes with only about two holes showcasing dogleg turns.

To combat the fairly straightforward fairways, the designer placed some tough and tall bunkers smack dab fronting the green. A good majority of the greens have a huge sand trap right at the front making sure you do not try to lay up your shots, and if you try and blast it over prepare for a good many sloping areas around the green that will frustrate you to no ends when you place a good shot in the green and watch the ball roll a foot into the fringe and then roll down a hill 20 yards down hill. The greens at the time we played in the afternoon had many “scar” marks from previous punches of the hole. The value was decent for $35.00 smack-dab in the middle of Santa Ana.

For some reason our threesome was paired with two other walk-ons. We could’ve done with one, but at least the two guys were amicable and were just a touch better than us. The course also has a small driving range for players to warm up. Be careful in this course, I would rank this the most dangerous course in So. Cal since many of the tee off areas and greens are right next to each other so you can get pummeled by players are you tee off. There’s also a lack of nets or trees/brushes in areas to protect the tee off areas from wayward shots, the day we played we saw many close-calls.

Summary: All in all Willowick Golf Course was a decent average course with no wow factor but if you’re new or just looking to wail away on your shots then this is a good course to choose. Only full 18-hole, par 72 where I have not lost one ball. Simple layout but you still better play well if you want a good score.

Score: 3 out of 5

Golf Course Review: The Links At Victoria Park, Carson, CA- 5/10/08

Synopsis: Fronting the 405 Freeway, The Links at Victoria Park in the City of Carson is one of the few public municipal courses offered for budget courses in the South Bay area. Apart from journeying to the Los Verdes Golf Course in P.V., there is not much else to play a full-featured 18 hole course nearby. The Links at Victoria Park features often seen muni-type layout with fairly standard fairways, bunkers and a few outlying trees challenging golfers.

Since the cost of the course on a Saturday was around $35 and the only game in town, we were set back with delays of 2-3 groups of golfers around us. So there was a lot of standing and waiting around. Not a lot of trouble were shown in the layout, a couple minor eco-ravines in the back nine limit your go-for-the-gusto shots since retrieving balls from some of the outlying areas is a no-no. No water hazards or water to speak of on the layout. During play I did get harrased by the Goodyear blimp that floated around for 4-5 holes at the course since the blimp’s launching pad is right next door. So if you get distracted easily, wait until you see a blimp hover over a couple full holes as it treks around the Sough Bay.

Views are nothing spectacular, normal views of surrounding houses and the 405 fwy. nearby. The driving range is pretty large and practice greens broken into two separate areas. I did not see any sand trap practice locations though. Expect heavy amounts of traffic if you play on the weekends since there’s not a lot to choose from in the area for play apart from the executive Domiguez Hills course across the freeway.

Comments: The price is fair, I did not appreciate the marshall just driving around and not doing anything significant to speed up play. Seemed all he liked to do is drive in the opposite direction of the cart path causing us to pull our cart out of th way. Course has nothing memorable to offer, so if you’re in the area I suggest going 15 mins. north to Los Verdes for Pacific Ocean views for about the same cost and course time but much better scenery.

Score: 2.5 out of 5

Golf Course Review: Oceanside Municipal Golf Course in Oceanside, CA- 4/19/08

Date Played: Saturday, April 19, 2008
Time: 9:45 a.m.
Number of players: 4
Driving range: Yes, but was under construction. Go to Arrowwood Golf Course up the street if you want to warm up before hand.
Putting green: Yes, two locations
Cost: $32 for full 18 holes
Course: 6,056 yard, Par 72
Time to play course: 4.5 hours

Comments: The Oceanside Golf Course is a public course with a great location and rates. Rates are lower for city residents, but we paid around $32 for a Saturday morning game. Located in Oceanside near Camp Pendleton, this course as great views of hills and animals such as ducks, rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks. There are several water hazards and ravines that challenge good shot calling.

The course displays two faces depending on rain. When it’s sunny, the course is mild with a great view of the wilderness on the back nine. The 12th hole is a shot up a hill, so stay pumped walking up. When you get to the 13th hole, you get a nice high par 3 straight downwards to the pin. Careful on the way down, if it’s slippery you’ll go down like a bob sled on the slick cart path with your cleats.

If you play the course after a rain, then the course becomes a challenge with portions of the course flooding making relatively simple shots very complicated. So be prepared to lose balls in newly formed lakes that you weren’t used to if you only play in normal So. Cal weather.

Overall: Great price for a North County San Diego golf course. The Oceanside Golf Course has several dog legs make this a challenging course begging you to power a shot through trees if you have the guts. Great scenic locations once you get away from the front of the course. Speed of play not too shabby, no back-ups past 1-2 groups.

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Golf Course Review: Newport Beach Golf Course in Newport Beach, CA- 4/7/08

Date Played: April 7, 2008
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Number of players: 4
Driving range: Yes, $4 small and $7 large bucket
Putting green: Yes
Cost: $17 for full 18 holes
Course: 3,180 yard, Par 59 Time to play course: 3 hours

Notes: Has 6 Par 4s, but majority are on the back 9 which is more popular. Not too busy on a Saturday when stopped by, but post 1 p.m. on a Monday had some 1-2 group backups.

Comments: Played 18th holes at the Newport Beach Golf Course which is a public municipal course for about $17, less than a buck a hole. With a bucket at the range to warm up my hit was about $21 for a 3 hour round. Reviews sow this as a quick executive course so I thought it would be mostly par 3s, but there are actually 6 par 4s that are long and straight. THe back 9 is the preferred if you’re looking to play only 9 holes since it has four par 4s as well as a little lake surrounding two holes. Front 9 is mostly short Par 3s but are fine for new players of those looking to work short game into play.

Grass was fair overall, some brown areas but nothing overtly dead or bare. You end up crossing the street four times meandering between the three sections that comprise the course. There are several tight holes where you have to watch out hitting into the streets at the tees.

Downsides are that you tee off from mats and some weird backups of groups encountered when I thought it would be clear on a Monday afternoon. Driving range is plentiful though kind of tight and really lacking in high rubber tees. I actually had to use my own rubber tees of the mats during the game which I ended up forgetting on one of them. Still for the price I prefer this executive course compared to the other one in Lake Forest.

Overall: Good for the price if you’re looking for a low-challenging course to work short game on. Located next to John Wayne Airport so good for those working nearby offices looking for a quick game after work since it’s lighted.

Score: 3 out of 5

Golf Course Review: Arrowood Golf Course in Oceanside, CA- 8/18/07

Comments: Played a game at the cart-only Arrowood Golf Course in Oceanside at just past noon on a hot and balmy Saturday with temperatures hovering just over 81 degrees. I was hoping to be impressed by this course which just opened last year after two of my playing partners were able to try out this course a few months back and exclaimed that the greens were in immaculate condition and there was a hole you hit over water into an island. Unfortunately the hot summer and increased traffic to this course has not been too kind to this course overlooking the hills and homes around the No. San Diego County.

The course is located just past the Oceanside Municipal Golf Course with new tract homes lining the streets to the club house. The clubhouse had a nice pro shop with adequately stocked supplies and OEM clubs (Burners, Raptures, Super Quads) available to buy. An afternoon tee time was priced at the regular weekend rate of $85 which includes a golf cart and $5 discount for Southern California residents. If you want to try out this course on the cheap, I suggest the 4:00 p.m. tee time which clocks in the late twilight rate of $30. The heat was bearable only due to the occasional light breeze, but when it died down the sun beat down on you horribly.

Due to the hot weather these last few weeks, there were not a lot of players on the course at high-noon; we had a couple 4-somes moving at a good pace ahead of us and a two-some behind us. So we were able to play at a leisurely pace with a few second tee-offs if they were needed. At the time the course was just being aerated. There were a couple holes where the drive off the tee was blind since the course would wrap up and over a hill.

The greens were in o.k. condition, but the tee boxes were in need of fixing and divots were not fixed on the greens. The rough grass was long and kept you from bombing over them in hopes not to lose your balls into them. There were some challenging fairways, but not too distinct with the “lake” hole the 16th consisted of a pretty large island with ducks and dirty water that you needed to carry on the second shot after your initial drive. I enjoyed the challenging 18th hole with required you to drive your ball over a hill and right before a water hazard to the enclosed green surrounded by 3 bunkers. If you hit a slope and not on the green, the ball will roll into the lake.

While a nice course, with good scenery, I felt that for the cost of playing that the tee boxes, greens should be in better condition or discounted because of the aerating. The course would have been a better value if the fee was at about $65. For the $85 we played I felt the San Juan Hills course in San Juan Capistrano offered more of a challenge with the same layout and yardage type and the Aliso Viejo Golf Course in Aliso Viejo had just a good view of the county, both at relatively the same or lower price. So if you’re looking to play a good course with nice views and not feel like you’ve spent too much, check out Arrowood in the twilight or super-twilight hours.

Score: 2.75 out of 5. Priced a bit too high for my expectations. Too many blind shots that do not challenge but instead infuriate the course layout.

Golf Course Review: Lake Forest Golf & Practice Center, Lake Forest, CA- 8/12/07

Comments: The Lake Forest Golf & Practice Center raised their golf rates recently.

Early bird is now $11 instead of $9. Doesn’t seem like a lot, but for a dinky quick 9-hole course that takes less than an hour and is mostly Par 3s, $11 before 7:30 a.m. is too high as well as $12 for the late owl special, especially when there is always a wait on every hole. For the same price I’d rather go to Casta Del Sol in Mission Viejo and for $12 after 5p.m., get a full 19 holes with decent Par 4s and better location.

There’s a few golf hoppers at Lake Forest that just come to play without paying since there’s no marshall in the morning. Played behind a guy that was alone and he had his dog with him running around and playing two balls even when we were right behind him.

The only additional note is that the driving range has replaced a majority of their practice balls with new Nike practice balls. This is a long time in coming since the old practice balls looked liked that were not replaced in two years. The second level hitting area also has been closed to players who drive longer than 275 yards (irons on top deck only for those people) since I guess some balls have been going into the busy street or homes across the way.

Score: 2.5 out of 5. Prices should actually be lower for the length and challenge of the course. Too much traffic on weekends makes hurried plays.

Golf Course Review: Aliso Viejo Golf Club, Aliso Viejo, CA- 7/26/07

Comments: Played the Aliso Viejo Golf Club in Aliso Viejo on Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m., the twilight rates were $27.00. After taking off to the first hole you will notice the long drive up past construction (cart rental is a must) since the course is being torn up due to a new housing project being built next to it. A formally 36 hole course, this 18 hole course is situated along a mountainside in Aliso Viejo, lots of hills to go up and down in. There are about 3 small lakes to navigate around during course of play.

The greens are in immaculate condition, very green and the rough is tall yet maintained. The rough swallowed up tons of balls from me since they were lush and overlapped each other. I would at times catch my ball rolling into the rough and as I walked towards it’s location I could not find it at all. There were many times my ball rolled not too far off the cart path, but the lushness of the rough ate all balls headed in it’s direction. The view from the tees was great, many views overlooking Orange County on a clear day. Mostly Par 4’s, there is a nice Par 3 hole, 157 yards straight down a hillside. Since we played an evening time there were only a handful of golfers on the course making it one of the more quieter games I’ve ever played.

The only downside to the course was we were given a bum golf cart causing us to pull the cart up hill for a few holes until the battery gave out and we had to wait for a replacement. The delay cost us at least two holes. We played about 12 holes in 3 hours and had to stop due to the receding sunlight. I only played this course since in a year it will be turned into a private club and the usual weekend rate of $75 is a bit to expensive I think since due to the construction they make you repeat a couple holes to make a full 18. But for $29 in the evening and low traffic on the course, the price is reasonable. A truly great location marred by high price and construction near the site. Oh, and the pro shop was pretty bad in service, no acknowledgement as we checked in and when we called the shop when our cart died, it sent me to voicemail. Only after calling back multiple times using different extensions did I get a hold of someone to send a replacement cart to us.

Score: 3.5 out of 5 (Based on twilight rate)

Golf Course Review: San Juan Hills Country Club, San Juan Capistrano, CA- 7/14/07

Comments: Played San Juan Hills Golf Course on 7/14/07. Although mentioned that this course is busy, it is not at bad as other courses I’ve been at. Was able to play the course in 5 hours, started at 3p.m., ended around 8p.m. Could’ve finished sooner, but there was a 3-some ahead of us who played the championship tees when they weren’t that good and slowed the pace of play.

Since it was after 2:30p.m., was able to get twilight walking rate for $32 and cart for $47. I walked for my foursome, I wouldn’t suggest this for the summer, this course is LONG and winds around the San Juan neighborhoods so you cross streets and underpasses. I was the only walker there, no wonder they make people cart it in the morning, and this place is all hills. The location is really nice, mostly along the hillside and views to the Mission. Some homes scatter along the course that you do have to watch out for. There’s a nice par 3 on top of a hill just above a lake that will try your accuracy and distance with a 7 iron. Lots of squirrels and bunnies abound.

One of the few course where you don’t find lost balls, if it’s lost in the bushes, it stays lost. The driving range is located across the street from the clubhouse, so park in the course area after the driving range. Good location for the price.

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Fun Spot Review: Crystal Cove Beach in Newport Beach, CA- 7/1/07

Jaunting to the much publicized Crystal Cove Beach located in Newport Beach, CA at the start of the Summer Rush on July 1^st, Sunday was an experience.

Originally a beach home local, a couple years ago the State decided to reclaim the beachfront property from local residents who lived in the adjoining cottages along Crystal Cove. After much legal wrangling from residents trying to stay, the State won and converted the cottages to rental units. Situated along Pacific Coast Highway in between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, this area is now popular with nearby residents and tourist trying to secure the handful of cottages as a vacation spot.

Usually renting out for a maximum of 5-days, the cottages start at approximately $179 per night. What you get is a throwback to the look of the 40s with almost art deco style. You will find no t.v.s, dvds, clocks or radios in the rooms, this is a vacation remember. The only hint of modern necessities would be a microwave hidden behind some cloth from prying eyes. I’ve read about this location many times in the last few months, so interest is continually peaking. Bookings should be placed almost six months in advance if you want to secure a place for your trip though some available rooms do pop-up from cancellations from time to time.

We ventured to Crystal Cove to initially have breakfast at the Beachcomber Restaurant right across from the cottages. This is the only nearby restaurant from the cottages, so it’s usually packed and prepare for a wait in line. We got to the restaurant at about 9a.m. and were able to get a seat right away since there was an opening inside. If you would like a seat on the deck, prepare to wait for the beach view. Food was good with breakfast options consisting of omelets or pancakes/French toast. I also ordered a bloody mary on the side. Breakfast for 3 rounded about $45 with tip and you get free validation (a good thing after spending more than $10 since just parking across the street is a whopping $10 for a public beach).

Most beach goers play around the entrance to the beach near the cottages, but walk 5 minutes in either direction to the coast and the traffic of people open up. There are a few good protruding rocks to walk along to view small crabs and hermit crabs, bring some appropriate sandals so you don’t hurt your bare feet. Unfortunately there was no breeze the day we went so our kites stayed packed. We really enjoyed the beach and after only going to the locale for breakfast came back later in the afternoon to spend a few hours playing in the sun and sand and bringing proper beach wear. Apart from the $10 parking fee, this is a great place to spend the summer days.

Score: 4 out of 5