A view over the water from Talega Golf Club.
GolfPass Icon
Rating Index Rating
Tooltip Information Icon
3.7
1214 Reviews (1214)
5 Stars
299
4 Stars
508
3 Stars
233
2 Stars
103
1 Stars
71
Conditions
3.6
Value
3.4
Layout
4.2
Friendliness
4.1
Pace
3.7
Amenities
3.3
77.0%
Recommend this course
930 out of 1214 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.7
69 Reviews (69)
5 Stars
10
4 Stars
38
3 Stars
13
2 Stars
5
1 Stars
3
Conditions
3.6
Value
3.4
Layout
4.2
Pace
3.7
Amenities
3.4
StaffFriendliness
4.3
81.2%
Recommend this course
56 out of 69 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.9
180 Reviews (180)
5 Stars
51
4 Stars
80
3 Stars
29
2 Stars
12
1 Stars
8
Conditions
3.8
Value
3.5
Layout
4.2
Pace
3.8
Amenities
3.3
StaffFriendliness
4.2
81.7%
Recommend this course
147 out of 180 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6951 yards
Slope 136
Rating 73.5
Book a Tee Time at
Talega Golf Club
Powered by GolfNow.com

Course Details

Year Built 2001
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Fred Couples (2001) Brian Curley (2001) Lee E. Schmidt (2001) Tom Peck (2001)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes
GPS Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes

Policies

Metal Spikes Allowed No
Fivesomes Allowed No
Single Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Proper golf attire.

Food & Beverage

Bar, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse

Reviews

3.7
1214 Reviews (1214)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 25
Patio Dining 18
Brunch 10
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 61
Forced Carries 52
Elevation Changes 38
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 36
Locals 36
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 28
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 34
Convenient to the City 30
In the 'Burbs 26

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 45
Handicap 10-14
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Mostly good

The good:
1. Pace of play on first 7 holes happened to be great, but then it was slow.
2. Generally In better condition than some other recent reviews had mentioned. Tee boxes just OK; Fairways pretty good; Bunkers pretty good; Greens full but needed to be rolled and cut.

Not as good:
I haven't played in a few years, there are a few blind shots and the GPS is way old and just yards (with some yards to bunkers and such.
THere are a couple holes on the back nine especially which are a little funky - the stretch between 13-15 is not the best
Pace of play got slow < 2hours on front and about 3 hours on back nines. Tough course and some bad golfers.
Overall I enjoyed it. If the greens had been faster and firmer it would have been 5 stars despite the slow play.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 60
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played

Slow play, a great course, getting expensive

I enjoy this course - but it’s getting too expensive. So I play more elsewhere.

The play is typically 4.5 to 5 hours per round in my experiences.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Very playable, but

Very well manicured course very playable except for the 16th hole if you’ve never played the course before you will not know where to hit the ball they need a better aiming point.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

Twilight discount

The course is great. I have not played it it years. Greens in good shape and so is the fairway for the most part. It used to be that you could check in, grab a cart and take it to the driving range. They said that during Covid there was only one person per cart and now you have to drive to the range. Ok, Covid was awhile ago🤷🏼‍♂️. Second we had a tee time for 2:30, hoping to play until we couldn’t see anymore. They require everyone to return to the clubhouse 15 minutes before sunset even though it is not dark until 20-30 minutes after sunset. Change those “rules” and you will be a much better facility, either that or lower your prices. You can’t have it both ways.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Go Somewhere Else

Absolutely not worth $150, the greens are fine, the fairways are terrible (patchy, uncut, ridden with weeds), the rough is completely inconsistent, the snack bar is slow, the pace of play on a weekend can be up to 6hrs. The course design has potential to be impressive if the owner/management put money into proper greens-keeping. Save your money, you can play several other courses that are well-kept for the price. I would pay $60 to play there but it is a horrible value at $150.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 34
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Rip Off

$150 for uncut fairways, inconsistent greens, hairy tee boxes, and a 6hr golf round. The course layout has a lot to offer but unfortunately neglected course conditions ruin the experience. The price is a scam as there are a lot of much nicer courses for half the price.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Previously Played

Potential Wasted. Do not give this place your money until they fix it.

I’m an average golfer with above average distance. I’m only saying this because I want to give as much perspective as possible. I need to be rewarded for my good shots to shoot scores that I’m aiming for. Talega has all the potential in the world. It’s a wonderfully designed course with good staff and they don’t crunch tee times. However, I won’t be giving this course my money in the future. They treat the course like it’s a finished product. Like it needs no maintenance. 4 times today I hit tee shots that appeared to be either on the edge of the fairway or just off, and then I had to search for 3+ minutes for these balls each time. The course is in TERRIBLE condition. The greens are relatively fine. But the fairways are destroyed. Not rain damage, but just patches and patches of weeds, full mud sections. The grounds crew must be understaffed because every employee interacted with was friendly and competent. There are are clumps of grass in the freshly mowed rough(which is 2 inches too tall) and the tee boxes are abominable. I spoke w some guys who have been “members” for years and they said they hate what has happened to this course. The tragic part is that this course could be one of the best courses in Orange County. I don’t mean best values, I mean best courses. But they don’t care. They post gorgeous pictures of their course, and then collect your money and let you be disappointed by the lack of care for the course itself. I’m rooting for Talega because we could use more courses of this caliber, but until they rectify their apparent abandonment of the course itself, I will actively deter as many people from this place as I can.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Nice course and good conditions

My only complaint was they dont have the restroom code on the scorecard. They need to cut down some bushes on a par 5 where you cant see the fairway. The directional flag was hard to see and I am 6 foot tall. Greens were very good and so was the fairways. Lot's of lazy golfers not raking the sand traps but had a great time with the guys I played with.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 21
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Solid course

If you can get 18 holes in on a nice course in South OC on a Sunday afternoon. For $80. That’s unfortunately a great deal. Talega is in good shape. Best higher end course in area for the $.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great layout but in bad condition

Fairways are trash right now. Greens are good. Bunkers have some sand and others impacted dirt. Tee boxes need to be cut. Pace of play was horrible, 5 hour round. There was a Marshall but they were just pumping groups off the tee. Way too many holes of three groups (one on tee, one in fairway and one on the green. Also, they don’t have GPS on the carts they have some very old tech that doesn’t help
you much other than what your rangefinder can provide.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 8
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Better Times Ahead

This has the foundation for a nice coarse but it needs an influx of cash to bring it back to what it could be. The greens are in very good shape but they are pretty slow. Fairways have a lot of invasive grass spots and some of the bunkers have some grass growing in them. Carts needed replaced a year or two ago but they do work. Just needs someone that cares and has the money to put into the place and the I would recommend because the coarse design is good.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great course… but

Love this course and will continue to go. But last round was overbooked (had a line of people at tee boxes waiting to tee off) and our cart died on hole 7. Tried calling the pro shop and there was no answer so we pushed the cart for a decent bit until luckily the guy managing the carts came across us and dropped one off (he was absolutely fantastic).
Like I said, great course, but for the money I’d like to have a charged cart and not wait 15-20 minutes on a tee box.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 7
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Nearby Courses
San Clemente, California
Public
2.8111705882
1031
San Clemente, California
Public
4.0
9
San Juan Capistrano, California
Public
3.8392
566
San Juan Capistrano, California
Private
0.0
0
Mission Viejo, California
Public
4.2667
15
Dana Point, California
Resort
4.5083058824
215
Laguna Niguel, California
Private
0.0
0
Coto de Caza, California
Private
5.0
2
Mission Viejo, California
Private
5.0
1
Golf Packages

Monarch Beach Resort Stay & Play Package

FROM $557 (USD)
ORANGE COUNTY, CA | Enjoy 2 nights' accommodations at the Waldorf-Astoria Monarch Beach and 2 rounds of golf at Monarch Beach Golf Links.

The Resort at Pelican Hill Stay & Play Golf Package

FROM $797 (USD)
ORANGE COUNTY, CA | Enjoy 2 nights’ accommodations at The Resort at Pelican Hill and 2 rounds of golf at Pelican Hill Golf Club - Ocean North & Ocean South Courses.

San Diego Golf Around Package

FROM $467 (USD)
SAN DIEGO, CA | Enjoy 3 nights' accommodations at the OMNI La Costa Resort & Spa and 3 rounds of golf at the OMNI La Costa Golf Club - Legends Course, Aviara Golf Club & The Grand Golf Club.

Aviara Stay & Play Package

FROM $617 (USD)
SAN DIEGO, CA | Enjoy 2 nights' accommodations at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa and 2 rounds of golf at Aviara Golf Club.

Best of San Diego Package

FROM $617 (USD)
SAN DIEGO, CA | Enjoy 4 nights’ accommodations at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar and 3 rounds of golf at The Grand Golf Club, Maderas Golf Club, and Aviara Golf Club.
Now Reading