Monarch Beach Golf Links

I hadn't played Monarch for a few years and heard they had been making some changes. I was very impressed with what I found. Brand new golf shop is one of the best with killer views. Staff was awesome. I had clients with me and they too were impressed. Most of all the course is better. Conditions have definately improved since my last round there. Greens were smooth and fast, fairways improved, etc. I didn't remember the course being this fun either. The staff was definitely having fun that day.

I've played here a number of times. There are few holes which are memorable. Only 1 is on the water. The rest don't do much for me.

It's way overpriced in my view, but that's because it caters to the folks who stay at the Ritz and what was formerly known as the St. Regis.

The staff is great, and the facilities and the food are superb. It's just not my cup of tea for a round of golf in Orange County.

For a $200 resort course, this was a major disappointment. No driving range, just hitting bays into a net off worn down mats. Course is in terrible shape - ground under repair everywhere. Pace of play is abysmal - and we played on a Thursday. Holes are not particularly memorable and only 1 is on the ocean.

Clubhouse is nice, the snack bar has good food, and the golf boards are fun. But for the price we paid, there are far far better tracks out there.

This was a VERY disappointing round of golf! We booked through Golf Now and when we arrived, were told that there were a couple of "modifications" not shown on the GPS. The fairways had a number of bare spots and in places the rough was 6-8 inches thick. As we got away from the club house we found that 5 or 6 of the par 4s and 5s were under construction for either drainage or irrigation and were all set up as par 3s. After the round when we went into the pro shop and told them how disappointed we were in the course conditions, the response was "we're sorry you didn't enjoy it, but it will be much better the next time you play it." I heard several conversations on the phone with people calling in for tee time as well as people in the pro shop, and they never said anything about the terrible conditions, nor would they offer any discounts or refunds. Caveat emptor!

Very deceptive!

Played a tournament there yesterday and was totally disappointed. It was a shotgun tournament that started at 11:30, so there was a slight chance we would finish before dark (on most courses, but not this one). I'm not sure who made decision to start at 11:30am, but that was the first major mistake. I can't really tell you anything about the last 4 holes I played because I played them in the dark. What a waste of money!

About half the fairways said carts on path only because all the fairways were in awful condition with huge sections of roped off ground under repair. I did have a few good lies in the fairway, but most were in holes or burnt out dirt. If you are a golfer, I don't have to tell you how annoying it is to have a cart and have to leave it a mile away to walk to your ball... not to mention what this does to pace of play. Probably should have considered this before scheduling tournament at 11:30.

To add to the frustration, they had tour busses driving on the cart paths giving tours (I assume to guests of the resort). They probably should teach these bus drivers golf course etiquette, because they have none. They just drove right in front of the tee boxes as we were teeing off. 3 or 4 times I tried to motion to these drivers to stop when one of my playing partners was putting, but the drivers just waved at me and kept driving. A couple times I saw passengers in bus laughing at the rudeness of the drivers. They must have been golfers.

I was looking forward to the nice ocean view holes I saw pictures of on website. Correction, the ocean view hole. There's only one and you can see the ocean from your approach shot and from the green. Enjoy it while it lasts for the few minutes you are there, because that's it. That is if you can find it after driving thru the unmarked tunnel after finishing previous hole. A sign pointing in the direction of next tee would have been helpful... that 5 minute detour by every group in tournament probably didn't help pace of play... nor did the lack of signage throughout the course.

The greens were in much worse shape than most of the $40 public courses I play. I assume they recently punched them because the holes and bumps were everywhere. Most courses reduce their prices when their greens are that awful. Not here. I wasted $110 on a round that maybe was worth about $40 if it was early enough to finish in daylight.

I won't comment much on the awful layout, because there are some other courses with goofy layouts like this... extreme doglegs, etc. I assume this is a result of building a course on a property that is too small.

My advice... save your money! I'm not sure what they normally charge here, but if it's more than $40- $60... then you will feel like you got ripped off... just like I feel.

If you do decide to play it, make sure you warm up someplace else. They don't have a driving range or practice area. It's a resort course, so you expect to overpay a little, but you also expect better than average conditions. It feels like a resort when you pull up and can't park (you have to valet) and when you get into the nice golf cart with a couple waters in the cooler... but once you get on the golf course, the resort feel completely disappears... you feel like you are on a goofy local municipal course that isn't maintained.

I like playing Monarch Beach. It is a nice resort course - not too demanding, nice wide fairways, usually in pretty good shape, although the rough was in bad shape today with a lot of recently placed sod. Bunkers, greens, tee boxes and fairways were all in great shape.

Hole #3 & 4 are beautiful but also very confusing and tight - can't tee off on 3 until the group ahead has teed off and gone on 4. Cool sea vistas and overall challenging holes. Pace of play was slow, typical resort course with players that have no consideration for others and no marshals to keep it moving. Some of the holes are ver similar. Wouldn't play again.

Played the Golds (6052/70.0/129) in 4H, 25M using Forelinx. Played as a 2some with Doug, very fun guy to play with from Chicago. The POP was slowed by CPO a day after the rains. We were 1st off, the weather was chilly for the 1st 5 holes but had warmed up in the 70's by the time we were finishing.

I am not a fan of par 70 layouts, but this one is better than most par 70's. All 5 par 3's are good to excellent IMO. Some tight holes, especially on the front, with plenty of OB & water to keep you in line. No driving range, they have 4 stalls for you to hit balls into a net to warm up. Subpar practice putting green, small and sloped made it challenging to practice normal putts with even a few people on there at the same time.

The tees were decent, only a few par 3's needed divot repair.

The fairways were tough to rate. 95% of the fairway area is immaculate, lush with great lies. However, there is another 5% that was hardpan and marked as GUR, with no middle ground. In a foot you could range from great or poor on numerous fairways.

The rough was lush, thick and VERY penal when wet. You rarely see rough like this in So Cal the past few years, even finding your ball was a challenge. Tough to advance more than short irons out of this thick stuff.

The sand quality was excellent. Very well maintained.

The greens were just punched yesterday with small holes, so my numerical rating will be lower than the course would have likely gotten a few days ago. Firm, medium speed but bumpy as you would expect. No top dressing, just medium sized cores. They look nice from afar, but it was disappointing to putt on greens that had been aerated the day before.

The customer service was excellent from the Pro Shop to the Starter to the Attendant who cleaned your clubs after the round. After seeing this layout a 2nd time, I like the course. Sneaky tough but not nearly as much ocean scenery as you might expect considering the courses proximity to the ocean. However, on the few holes you do have an ocean view, it is stunning. Recommended = Yes, if you can get a deal but not worth their rack rate.

First off, the track is way over priced at their regular rates. It's a very nice course, just not THAT nice. We got a $80 deal, which when compared to other OC courses, made it a good deal and well worth the play. The course plays short. Good course management is a must on many holes, and requires some creative short making at times. The greens tend to be undulating and require some reading and thought. The course has many bunkers (with real nice soft sand in them, imagine that!) water, and other forced carries. Some of the shorter par 3's give you a chance to recover before you move on to the more challenging par 4's and short par 5's. All in all, definitely worth a play for what we paid.

I loved this course although it might have something to do with the 77 I shot as an 18 handicap. This course is tough with a lot of bunkers and some water in play. The fairways were a bit dried out on most holes due to our drought, but the greens and rough were in excellent shape. I got a good deal on golfnow for $160.00, and while that is expensive, I think it was worth it, due to the location, staff, and great layout. The greens ran true, and fast. Excellent staff that treated you like a private member. Loved it
Make sure and pay attention to your touch screen GPS on the carts, it will give you layup yardages when you touch the spot you need to layup to

The weather was perfect, in the 70's with a little wind. Played with JohnnyGK, Jerry64 & Jerinthebox. My 1st time playing here, we played the Golds (6052/70.0/129) in 4h, 20m, enjoyed the round with these guys. While I am not a fan of par 70 layouts, this one was good overall. Some tight holes, especially on the front, with plenty of OB & water to keep you honest. I especially liked the five par 3's. Not nearly as much ocean scenery as you might expect considering the courses proximity to the ocean, but on the few holes you do have an ocean view, it is stunning. No driving range, they have 4 stalls for you to hit balls into a net to warm up. Subpar practice putting green, small and sloped made it challenging to practice normal putts with even a few people on there at the same time. The tees were only average for a high end course, most of the par 3's needed divot repair. The fairways were tough to rate. Large areas were immaculate, lush with great lies. However, there was another 10% that was thin and could have been marked GUR in a tournament. Very good overall that would have been excellent "but for" the poorer areas on many holes. The rough was penal. Usually lush, occasionally thin. Not real long, but the ball would nestle down and tough to even see your ball in the rough unless you were up close. Most of the lies I had in the rough were a 1/2 shot penalty, tough to advance more than short irons with any degree of certainty. The sand quality was excellent, and I was in a 1/2 dozen traps, so I should know. Very well maintained. Only complaint would be that several could have used more sand, they were inconsistent in the depth of the sand. The greens were firm and medium fast. I really liked the greens here, I generally saw the lines well and the speed, texture and firmness was very consistent from green to green. I rated them an 8/10 and strongly considered a 9/10, which I rarely give. The customer service was excellent. Pro Shop & restaurant facilities were top notch. We had happy hour snacks/drinks afterward, and those prices were reasonable. However, regular prices of $21 for a Breakfast Burrito and $25 for a Hamburger/Soda seem extreme even for an expensive club? Carts had high end GPS systems, but our cart was often saying "GPS not available", so we were playing many holes old school and looking for sprinkler markers. I liked the course, but will not likely be back because even "deals" to play here are around $100 & the course is around 100 miles from my home. Very nice course overall, but it does not justify those prices in my mind.

Nice course, no practice range, employees are wonderful, it took just under 5 hours to play, on course food and drinks were great. Only two holes along the ocean but the course is challenging.
Play it at least once if you can.

The climax of Monarch Beach happens early in the round - the ocean view near the third green - so it's the course's design (not the scenery) that must hold a player's attention the rest of the day. The flamboyant bunkers of Robert Trent Jones Jr. and a bounty of water hazards - this is SoCal, right? - certainly do the trick. Don't worry that the gold tees look short at 6,052 yards. Those are the right tees for you. This par-70 routing has five par 3s and three par 5s. Think of it this way: If Jones had the space to add 350 yards to super-size a par 3 into a par 5, suddenly there would be a set of 6,400-yard tees that most golfers play from on a daily basis anyway. The trickiest holes are a couple of the par 5s - the hazard-laced seventh and big boomerang left at no. 12. Best of all, the course delivers the same level of service as the St. Regis up the hill.

The greens keeper does a amazing job. The marshals are top notch. The 3rd hole is amazing. However it's no resort course. It's a bit too hard for high handicaps that are unwilling to play forward a tee box or not pick up when it's falling apart.

Course is nice and challenging from the back tees. But, not $200 nice. The greens are not $200 greens. Too many patches, scars, and ball marks (obvious the greens are very soft most of the time). The bunker etiquette was terrible. Every greenside bunker had huge footprints and trenches from people coming and going. Having hitting nets instead of a driving range significantly takes away from the golfing experience especially if you drive a distance to arrive and would like to get loose.
The clubhouse amenities makeup for the course somewhat. Beautiful outdoor patio and indoor restaurant overlooking the course. If you can find a deal to stay and play it is worth it. If you are trying to get a good weekend track there are better courses for the price.

We screamed into the parking lot right at our tee time. The starter asked us to join the 2-some, who were already nearing the 1st green, on the 2nd tee which we did. He said they would work us in later to play # 1. We found the course interesting with a lot of doglegs, bunkering, OB, and some water. The greens were punched and sanded which usually renders greens poorly playable but these greens were remarkably good anyway. The fairways were bare & brown in a few spots but overall conditions were good. This course is a really good option for coastal SoCal which can be very expensive. The starter made good on his offer to get us out on # 1 after our round even though they were booked full. No worries. We will go back for sure. Thanks !

Monarch Beach Golf Links is a very beautiful and challenging course. My wife and I were greeted by a very friendly staff on arrival and throughout the day. The course is well maintained and has very beautiful views of the ocean on holes #3 and #4. After our round , we had lunch on the terrace that over looked the course and veiw of the ocean. The food and veiw was fantastic. This was well worth our drive from Upland. We both thought it was a perfect day.

Greens were VERY soft. All putts wiggled and did not "roll".

Excellent course in excellent condition. Challenging, however, with multitude of strategically placed bunkers, both around the greens and in the fairways. Traps, though, are in pristine condition and honestly playable. Four tee boxes, ample fairways and large greens, manicured and maintained to perfection, however, allow players of all levels to feel comfortable on the course. Course is laid out on beautifully lush, rolling terrain in the canyons of Dana Point with two holes along the ocean and many with views of the ocean.

Course was well maintained and could not have asked for any more from the staff.