Best Public courses in Orange County

[Pakoh]

Just moved here last year.  still finding new places to play.

looking for suggestions...

so far i like Moanrch Beach Golf links the best, and i go to Industry Hills sometimes (i know its technically LA county)

Pelican Hill looks amazing but a little pricey...

I have heard mixed reviews on Tustin Ranch.

Have Played:

Miles Square- Close to home

Costa Mesa - was very slow pace of play

Rancho San Joaquin - Not kept very well

Black Gold - Not bad... good value

Strawberry farms- Not bad, a little pricey for what it is if you dont have a membership...

what is worth trying out???

thanks*

[Golfingdad]

Well, take my opinion with a grain of salt because I like Rancho San Joaquin.  Yes, it is a muni that gets a lot of play, but for that I think it is in fair shape.  (I am also biased towards it because its the type of course I play well.  My last four rounds have been, no joke, 87,92,74,89 ... guess which one was at Rancho??)

Anyways, I've never played any of the pricier ones on your list but I assume they are all nice.  The other one I really want to play, also pricey, is Oak Creek in Irvine.

Others that aren't bad (although maybe a little far for you) are Arroyo Trabuco in Mission Viejo and Talega in San Clemente.

[ejimsmith]

Oak Creek can be a good value if you can get a discount on click4teetimes.  While its Long Beach, I'm a fan of Skylinks;  its cheap like a muni, but more pricey than Rec Park or El Dorado and thus that filters out some of the muni-course cheapskates.

Though for my money, I like Industry Hills.

[Pakoh]

sorry...not talking shit about it...   RSJ was actually a great deal... think i paid $30 for 18 holes w a cart during the week.

As i have dogs and not kids i usually dont mind spending a little more for a better overall experience.

[Shindig]

I forget where the exact border of Orange County is, but the longer Navy course was great when I was there (haven't played the short course). Costa Mesa is okay, but I hated the handicap problem on weekends: the tees were almost always well forward of their stone, to the point that playing the blue tees was like playing from the white stones. I didn't know what to post for my handicap. The course was slow, but decently well maintained and had some interesting holes. Plus I birdied #12 two of the first three times I've played there, so I may be a bit biased! RSJ is a nice enough course for what it is, but now that I have a real job, I won't play it - it's not worth (to me) the cost on weekends (versus other courses in the area at the same price point), especially since they require a cart weekend mornings (if they've changed this policy, please let me know). But the two best public courses in O.C. are Talega and San Clemente Muni. There was a fun course in Long Beach that I liked, but I can't remember the name of it.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Pakoh

sorry...not talking shit about it...   RSJ was actually a great deal... think i paid $30 for 18 holes w a cart during the week.

As i have dogs and not kids i usually dont mind spending a little more for a better overall experience.

Don't apologize!  I wasn't offended , I just don't mind the condition of the course.  I have only played there once (last week) in like 3 years.  I used to live down the street and play there a lot but now I'm further south and dont get up there as often.

Now that I think about it though, they were aerating some parts of the course (not the greens) so it wasn't in perfect condition.  Then again, like you said, it's dirt cheap for the area (I paid $29 on a Tuesday morning) so we get what we pay for.

[Big C]

I have played just about every public course in Orange County at some point or another. And while you aren't going to beat the Pelican Hill experience, for my money, the best bang for your buck is your "home" course of Mile Square. While it's not a resort course by any stretch, I have found the greens to be well maintained, the price to be reasonable and the pace of play to be brisk. With a 2pm twilight time, you can usually finish in 4:15, and you pay $22 to walk. Can't beat that!

Arroyo Trabuco is a great track, as are Talega and Tijeras Creek. I would stay away from San Juan Hills, which is too gimicky for my liking (too many severely uphill greens, 90 degree doglegs) and stick with the aforementioned three courses in the South OC.

I am torn on Black Gold. It's a beautiful course and the more I have played there, the more I have enjoyed it, but I absolutely hated the experience my first time out. In addition to the "Environmentally sensitive area" that captures many a lost balls, the greens are just so damn tricky that you are guaranteed to lose 6 strokes. Don't play here unless you can have fun scoring poorly.

I will only play Rancho San Joaquin if I am playing with buddies who are beginning the game. My rationale is that they can't destroy that piece of *$&* course anymore than it is already so what's the harm?

I do like Oak Creek. Some think that it is overpriced for "inland" golf, but the course conditions and service are all top notch. I think it's worth a visit.

I will never... EVER.. return to Westridge. Worst pace of play I have ever seen, no marshalls out on the course, and an apathetic front desk staff. There were rumors at one time that these guys were double booking tee times through Golf Now. It wouldn't surprise me.

To the guy above, yes the Navy course is technically in Orange County and yes it is a lot of fun. The conditions aren't always great but it is a DAMN tough golf course, especially in the afternoon when the wind is blowing. Plus, Tiger Woods cut his teeth here, so if you play with some of the locals, they will tell you stories of Tiger's lore (like reaching the insane 560 yard 6th hole in 2 as a 12 year old).

Meadowlark is a pass for me - it's the only course in Huntington Beach and thus gets a ton of slow hackers.

I used to play Costa Mesa (Los Lagos and Mesa Linda) but don't any more. It's still a fun course, but I agree with others that pace of play is an issue. They don't have a starter, or any coherent system for sending out groups so I have begun to suspect that they just take everyone's money and let them fend for themselves on the first tee box.

Anaheim Hills is fun. Like San Juan Hills, it can be a bit gimmicky at times, but I think that in all, it's a better quality golf course.

Last but not least, it's not technically OC, but just over the bridge into Long Beach, is El Dorado, which is my favorite local municipal course. With all the mature trees, it's a great test of skill, and the conditions are good for all of the play it gets. Happy hitting!

[Big C]

P.S. I like Tustin Ranch, but it is expensive and I have found the conditions to vary greatly at different times of the year (unlike Oak Creek, which has always been excellent). My suggestion is to check it out on your birthday, since they will give you a free round and see for yourself!

[carrx]

Navy GC - Fun course, pretty forgiving with big greens (usually in very good shape).  I think it's like $40 to walk, and has a nice mixture of holes.

Oak Creek GC - Only played once, it's a really great layout, and the greens were in fantastic shape.  They also have a kicka$$ practice area if you're a mechanic.

Arroyo Trabuco - Fun track, a little pricey for what you get, but if you don't mind dropping $75 you can have a good time.

Black Gold GC - Decent track, very typical Inland Empire course.  Lots of sidehill, downhill, uphill lies, bring a range finder.  Also, this course is typically cart path only.

Hidden Valley GC - Similar in style to Black Gold, takes a few visits to be able to club yourself.  If you have a range finder you'll be ok.  Greens can be tricky.

Meadowlark GC - A logjam, but fun if you're a beginner.  The back 9 has some character, and the domed greens can be treacherous.

Coyote Hills GC - Not my type of course.  Kind of gimmicky front 9, like they didn't have enough land and so you've got bunch of 3-4 irons off elevated tees on par-4 holes.

Mile Square GC - Over priced.  There are two layouts, both are pretty forgiving, and can be fun.  The Classic is a wide open layout, and the Players has some water and other trouble.  Huge greens.

Anaheim Hills GC - Quirky course, a lot of blind shots around/over corners, and who can forget the downhill par 3 with the power lines that are right in the flight path of your tee shot?

Costa Mesa GC - Two tracks here, the longer is actually a pretty fun layout when the course is in good shape.

San Clemente GC - Fun track, same course designer (William Bell) that designed Rec Park in Long Beach, and Torrey Pines.  Kind of feels like a combination of Rec Park and Los Verdes (in Rancho Palos Verdes).

Talega GC - Have yet to play, but have heard positive things.

If you're playing in the Long Beach area, Rec Park (18) is a fun easy play.  The greens are amazingly good for the amount of play the course gets, and greens fees are reasonable.  Skylinks is a re-design, they tried to create a hard and fast 'links style' course, and it's pretty easy as well.  The greens roll well.  Eldorado GC (my home course) is the toughest layout (IMO), but is frequently also in the worst shape (unfortunately).  The LB Open is played at Eldorado Park.

Also, there's Lakewood CC (public), which is a great layout.  It's a county course, so plan on 5.5 hour rounds, but if you have all day it's a fun course to play.

[celticstanger]

What ^ said.  Although, Coyote Hills is a roller-coaster that I personally love.  Yeah, maybe it is a little gimmicky, but if yo can keep your ball in play, it can be FUN!

I used to be a frequent Mile Square and Costa Mesa player, but gave up on both due to pace of play.  Mile Square used to be BY FAR the worst.  I've played more than one 6+ hour round there.  That's not only irritating, but dangerous - play there often enough and you'll run afoul of someone pissed at the pace of play and they'll start hitting into you, even though you're not out of position.  Not fun.

Black Gold is another fun course.

Monarch is nice, but priced for ocean golf - with only 1 hole where you see the ocean (ok, so on the par 3 back toward PCH, you can turn around and see it!).

I lived in HB and bought the "Coyote Card", which got you big discounts at Coyote Hills.  Again, only works if you like that style of course (which I did!).

Arroyo Trabuco is def worth a visit too.

[justtapitin]

I'd add the Rancho San Joaquin to ^^ list.

The pace of play is not an issue for me yet.

Talega/Black gold are bit pricey but very fun to play.