Monarch Beach Golf Links

I have played here a handful of times but this last time was such a good experience I felt I needed to write a review. Everyone from the valets, pro shop, starters, beverage cart were attentive, friendly, and accommodating. Their course is maintained like a private club and the greens were so fast, it took me a hole or two just to get used to the speed. My favorite holes were the ocean holes which are so close to the beach you can watch the waves crash. Overall a very upscale experience and we finished in 4 hours which was nice.

I have played Monarch a handful of times and always enjoy my round. I really enjoy the music played around the clubhouse and the cafe and the option to rent a golfboard or phat scooter. Hole 3 and 4 always take my breath away, but I think the views on the back 9 have some of the best. If you're looking for a deal, their Links Card includes a round of golf and more. Worth it if you plan to play there a few times. Definitely recommend!

It lived up to the hype for me an amazing golf course

Don’t fall for it!! Only one ocean front hole!

If you are looking for ocean views and a well maintained course spend your money! Many better options along the coast at this price point!

Everything was great (staff, layout, beach views) but they charged $200 while the course was under quite a bit of maintenance that wasn’t advertised. It was overpriced for that alone but also had punched/sanded greens also not advertised.

I would play this course again for $200 when it’s in tip top shape as the views are awesome. But under current conditions price should be half that.

Always in great condition, first class resort style amenities and service, not to mention the ocean views. Can’t wait to be back

Don’t fall for it!! One ocean front hole!
If you are looking for ocean views and a well maintained golf course spend your money elsewhere! There are many better options along the coast at this price point.

As usual, the course is in good conditions. Friendly staff as always!

I lived in the neighborhood above this place before it was built in the late 70s early 80s. my childhood years were spent exploring from my house to the coast. there were many different natural aspects i remember, including creeks and vernal ponds. i used to swim in them. then i remember being chased off the land, as just a small child hiding behind a ten foot tall ant hill! no lie, that was me. maybe it was only four feet tall since i was only seven years old but still, that was my childhood before the curtain fell and everything went to... golf is so rad

Monarch is a very nice resort layout with wide fairways. However, the turf is very firm and is not a great choice if you like to take divots. It is way over priced for the layout, condition and speed of play. You are paying for the "Happy Hour" and not the golf course. The greens are terrible for the cost and level of experience the resort should be offering. The greens are designed well and have interesting contours, however they are poorly maintained too soft. The grass surface is to long and the greens need to be rolled as they are extremely tracked up with footprints and bumps. The greens are almost unplayable by the end of the day with all of the footprints. They should model Mederas Golf Club in San Diego which is a Troon Property and offers a similar layout, but much better conditioning.
Soften the fairways a little and firm up and smooth out the green surface and you will improve the overall experience 100%.
I hope they fix the course as I live in the area and would like to see all of the top tier golf courses maintain their excellence in customer experience.
Regardless of level of player, a good putting surface yields a great experience.

Usually when I write out golf course reviews I'll list the positive and the negative aspects/features of a course. Honestly though I don't have any negative remarks about Monarch Beach. After asking the other three golfers in my group what they thought about the course, I found they were of the same opinion.

Everyone from the valets, bag drop guys, to the pro shop, starter and beverage cart lady and the grounds crew, everyone was very friendly, courteous and as helpful as I've run across at high end courses. The course itself was in wonderful shape from the tees through the greens, and I thought it was a fun, somewhat difficult, but not unfair, golf course(like other Robert Trent Jones & RTJ Jr courses I've played in the past). I'm an OC native and have been golfing for 20+ years, and this is one of the two public courses in OC I hadn't played before. I wasn't disappointed with any part of the round and I'd definitely recommend Monarch to anyone looking for a local, high end resort course.

One of the complaints I noticed in other previously posted reviews was the cost. While it's certainly not "cheap", I thought it was a pretty good value for the price. Also, if you live and/or golf in OC you're likely familiar with the minimum $60-$80 it'll cost you to play most other public courses on a weekend. As well as the usually average(and occasionally below average) service and course conditions you can expect and the 5-5.5 hours(or more) it'll take to play 18. All things considered I didn't find the pricing to be too high, especially considering the area or for the resort quality service provided and the great course conditions. One thing I'll suggest is to sign up for the emails the course sends out, its free and they send out one a week, that's how I managed to get a pretty good discount on my foursomes green fees.

The course is fun and not very hard to play. The course has a Great layout and nice looking approach shot looks to the greens. Hole 3 has a great view of the ocean and a fun hole to play. Hole 7 is an odd par 5 with the split fairway choice for an approach. I love that idea. I would play this course again for sure.

Had a good time overall, but this course takes serious course knowledge to have any chance at a decent round. Extremely challenging holes with very unique OB zones. Not a very intuitive course and only 2 holes are near the ocean. I would pay around $75-100 tops to play this course. Definitely not worth the $250. I don’t regret it, had a good time, but will never be playing here again.

Fortunately we played with a member who was very helpful Beautiful views of the Pacific. Greens in super shape Fairways ok.
Staff was very accommodating in all aspects.