Resort, One, Dana Point, California 92629, US
(800) 722-1543
Location Map

About Monarch Beach Resort

The Monarch Beach Resort is a grand Mediterranean retreat that has earned AAA Five Diamond Awards since 2003 and Mobil/Forbes Five Star Awards since 2007. The first Miraval Life in Balance Spa in California debuted in 2016 as part of a $40 million refresh. The Monarch Bay Club is a private beach club across the street. Every day ends with champagne sabering at the Lobby Lounge to celebrate another spectacular SoCal day.

Facts

Price Range$$$$
Property Class★★★★★
Acres162
Year Opened2001
Number of Units300-500

Amenities

RestaurantsFine, Casual
Room TypesRoom, Suite
TennisYes
Fitness CenterYes
Beach AccessYes
Banquet SpaceYes
SpaYes

Services

Kids ProgramYes
Room ServiceYes
ConciergeYes

Rules

Is the resort pet friendly?Yes
Is resort stay required for a tee time?No

Featured Offers

Golf Packages
Orange County, CA
FROM $557 (USD)

Golf courses at Monarch Beach Resort

Reviews

4.5
215 Reviews (215)
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Good golf, good drinks, good vibes, what else can you ask for?

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!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 8
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Awesome place

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

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 03/16/2021

Greetings!
We appreciate you taking the time to review your visit and even more grateful that you were able to golf with us! Visit us again soon!
Regards,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
First Time Playing

Eh

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!

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 02/26/2021

Greetings Manhattan,
Though we wish you had a more memorable experience, we appreciate you joining us for the day.
Happy Golfing,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 02/12/2021

Greetings Mr. Wright,
We appreciate you taking the time rate us 4-stars. Glad you love our course and we hope to see you around Monarch Beach this year!
Regards,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing

Great Views, Layour, Staff - But Overpriced For The Conditions

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.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Can’t beat it

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

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
First Time Playing

Eh

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.

Conditions Average
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 20
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Good day at the beach!

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

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 01/08/2021

Greetings Lagunapc,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. I will be sure to share your comments with our team members. Hope you can golf with us again soon!
Regards,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 1
1.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

grandmaster

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

Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Roll and cut your greens (See example at Madares Golf Club-Troon)

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.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/04/2020

Greetings,
We appreciate your feedback and review. As you can expect, courses such as ours have been busier than usual which results in a challenge to keep the conditions to our high standards. Additionally, being close to the coast provides its own unique challenges in regards to salt & soil conditions. Lastly, poa annua greens tend to get bumpier as the day progresses as you noted - we do cut and roll our greens, unfortunately you may have visited us when our superintendent was working hard on not stressing out our turf due to high traffic. With all that being said, we hope you do have a chance to visit us again in our warmer spring months and enjoy peak conditions. Wishing you a happy holiday season!
Regards,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/04/2020

Thank you for rating us 5-stars!
Regards,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Great Course, Highly Recommended.....

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.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/04/2020

Greetings!
Thank you for taking the time for you to write such a thorough review. We are so glad your experience matched your expectations. We are also glad that our emails provided value to your visit and sincerely hope we can host you again soon.
Happy holidays!
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/04/2020

Thank you for rating us 5-stars!
Regards,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Fun Course to play

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.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/04/2020

Greetings M4FLASH,
We appreciate you taking the time share some words regarding your experience. Hole 7 is very tough and glad you enjoyed it - maybe you'd play it different next time!
Happy holidays and play well!
Regards,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Was Fun; But Never Again

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.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/04/2020

Greetings AustinMareena,
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit with us. It is a tricky course for first-timers. Though you feel you won't be joining us again, we sure hope you do. Have a wonderful holiday season.
Regards,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 09/04/2020

Greetings,
Thank you for taking the time to rate us 4-stars and to come and play. As I am sure you experienced, we have been busier than normal given this unusual state of the world we are in with limited social distancing activities. Because of that and our dynamic pricing structure, you did pay a higher than usual rate so we hope that when things level out you do have a chance to visit us again and have an overall 5-star experience. We do thank you for visiting us and hope we provided a memorable day.
Regards,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 07/27/2020

Greetings!
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit with us and for the 5-star rating. Hope yo can golf with us again soon.
Regards,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Interesting Holes

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.

675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 07/27/2020

Greetings!
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and the 5-start rating. Hope you can visit us again soon all the way from Kentucky!
Regards,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 01/13/2020

Greetings!
We appreciate you taking the time to rate your experience at Monarch Beach Golf Links. Glad to hear you were able to play with a Member to help with some course tips!
Hope we can host you again soon -
Have a great 2020.
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 07/27/2020

Thank you for rating us 5-stars!
Regards,
Eric Lohman, PGA GM

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