Golf in Southern California - Need Suggestions

Hey guys,

I will be out in Southern California next Friday the 8th and basically have all day to get as much golf in as possible. Willing to drive just about anywhere on that Thursday night to try and get 2 rounds in on Friday. What courses do you suggest ($100+ rounds are okay if it's worth it)? Looking at Moorpark for Moorpark Country Club and Rustic Canyon - thoughts? Anyone have a day off and need an extra?

Thanks - I appreciate any and all input, I have been dwelling on this for weeks now.

that's not a bad pairing. play rustic early and walk it, then ride moorpark in the afternoon. they are close enough where you can play 36. of course, if you're a private club member, you'd be best off going through thousandgreens.com and requesting private club access to any # of the good to great private clubs that have members on the site in the la area.

I'd suggest Oak Quarry (Riverside) and either Goose Creek (Mira Loma) or Black Gold (Yorba Linda).

What's your budget? Pelican Hill North and South would be sweet. You can get a discount on the 2nd round, but the first is pricey.

Rustic Canyon is one of the only public courses in SoCal that I would go out of my way to play. Great choice IMO. A little rough around the edges, but a really great layout, and has played firm and fast when I have been there. +1 on the walking recommendation.

If money isn't an issue. I second Pelican North and South. That way you won't have to leave the place. Play one side early, have a nice lunch then head out on the other course.

Wow, Pelican Hill does look amazing but I am not sure that is totally in my budget - as much as I want it to be. Maybe $295 for 2 rounds but not sure about $295 for one plus another round.

Rustic Canyon is one of the only public courses in SoCal that I would go out of my way to play. Great choice IMO. A little rough around the edges, but a really great layout, and has played firm and fast when I have been there. +1 on the walking recommendation.

I played there 10 days ago, and unfortunately it was nowhere near firm and fast due to the amount of rain received over the past few weeks. It was cart path only the day I played. I expect that things haven't changed much in the past week. 'Definitely seems to be a very walkable course.

Wow, Pelican Hill does look amazing but I am not sure that is totally in my budget - as much as I want it to be. Maybe $295 for 2 rounds but not sure about $295 for one plus another round.

It's $190 if you tee off at 1:40 pm or later. If two rounds are out of your budget, perhaps you could play a morning round at one of the local courses, e.g. Oak Creek, Arroyo Trabuco, or Tijeras Creek, as a warm up.

Rustic Canyon is one of the only public courses in SoCal that I would go out of my way to play. Great choice IMO. A little rough around the edges, but a really great layout, and has played firm and fast when I have been there. +1 on the walking recommendation.

 

I played there 10 days ago, and unfortunately it was nowhere near firm and fast due to the amount of rain received over the past few weeks. It was cart path only the day I played. I expect that things haven't changed much in the past week. 'Definitely seems to be a very walkable course.

Yah, with the amount of rain they have had over the past month nowhere is going to be firm and fast. I haven't played there in a few years. While I liked Pelican Hill, it was not worth what they charged. I played 36 there in one day. Beautiful courses but very touristy.

I do love to walk so maybe I will stick with the Rustic Canyon in the morning and then Moorpark CC in the afternoon unless someone else gives me something else that is a must.

+1 on Rustic Canyon, size of the greens are surreal.

Industry Hills is a better budget conscious 36 hole facility without sacrificing much in the way of conditions to Pelican. You could get 36 in for under $200 and not leave the property. Play Babe -> Ike if you do.

Keep in mind that depending on where you are in SoCal you can be 2-3 hours from any of the courses mentioned in this thread. Traffic is absolutely brutal here and if you need to be somewhere after your rounds Friday keep that in mind as you choose a course. Where are staying in SoCal?

I will be in Palm Springs on Thursday and then I was going to drive Thursday night to whatever course(s) were suggested and stay there on Thursday night so I could be really close when waking up on Friday morning. In this case, I was going to most likely get an AirBnb in Moorpark, wake up and play Rustic and then Moorpark CC in the afternoon.

Wow, Pelican Hill does look amazing but I am not sure that is totally in my budget - as much as I want it to be. Maybe $295 for 2 rounds but not sure about $295 for one plus another round.

+1 on Rustic. With Pelican Hill you also have factor in tipping your fore caddie. No caddies if you play twilight. North Course is longer and more challenging, higher up with amazing views. South Course is more of a resort course with back-to-back par 3’s by the ocean (though there’s a weird pedestrian barrier between the course and the ocean).

Avoid Angeles National. Overpriced and gimmicky. Even with all the rain the fairways are currently quite brown.

if youre going to be in palm springs and are set on going someplace I would highly highly recommend Rams Hill in borrego springs. it will not disappoint. About an and a half from PS

If youre set on 2 rounds you can get one in at Borrego springs resort in the morning for I think $60 then head down the road to Rams hill for the twilight rate that kicks in i think at 12. both are very well condtioned and Unless there is a tournament scheduled both courses shouldn't be busy as its a weekday

Rams Hill is an excellent recommendation, and I personally wouldn’t bother trying to get in a prior round at another course - just play Rams Hill twice. They’ve had a lot of deals on places like Underpar and directly on their site that give a free or greatly discounted replay. It is by far the best conditioned course around and a great layout, and you’ll want to play it again anyway.

As someone who lives 1 offramp from Rustic and has played it probably 100+ times, I would play Rams Hill 11 out of 10 rounds. Rustic is definitely a good course but it's currently playing nothing like the condition it needs to be in for its Top100 rating. The course isn't playing firm and fast and as such, it's a good course but nothing special right now.

I've only played Rams Hill twice but it may be one of the most visually stunning courses in Southern California. Pelican Hill, Sandpiper, etc are water adjacent but don't offer much more than that. Rams Hill is a fun design, plus they have golfboards!

Other suggestions for down in PS would be a combination of Classic Club and one of the Indian Wells courses (Celebrity for a true desert oasis feel). Classic Club and Rustic both host local qualis for USGA events, so as a 0 you won't be disappointed either way.

Last thing to consider is the drive Thursday night from PS could be upwards of 4+ hours depending on the traffic. You either need to leave at lunch time or wait until about 8-9pm to avoid the inevitable. We're so starved for good public golf up here that I think your time would be better spent down in PS purely for golf purposes.

As someone who lives 1 offramp from Rustic and has played it probably 100+ times, I would play Rams Hill 11 out of 10 rounds. Rustic is definitely a good course but it's currently playing nothing like the condition it needs to be in for its Top100 rating. The course isn't playing firm and fast and as such, it's a good course but nothing special right now.

 

I've only played Rams Hill twice but it may be one of the most visually stunning courses in Southern California. Pelican Hill, Sandpiper, etc are water adjacent but don't offer much more than that. Rams Hill is a fun design, plus they have golfboards!

 

Other suggestions for down in PS would be a combination of Classic Club and one of the Indian Wells courses (Celebrity for a true desert oasis feel). Classic Club and Rustic both host local qualis for USGA events, so as a 0 you won't be disappointed either way.

 

Last thing to consider is the drive Thursday night from PS could be upwards of 4+ hours depending on the traffic. You either need to leave at lunch time or wait until about 8-9pm to avoid the inevitable. We're so starved for good public golf up here that I think your time would be better spent down in PS purely for golf purposes.

Thanks USC Dan - I think I have time this Sunday, is it worth driving from PS to Rams Hill? Or should I just pick something in PS and save the drive?

theres so many great courses in the PS area you cant go wrong with staying there. If I were me, I would not make the drive over to Rams or anywhere else to play especially if you haven't been to PS to play before. it sounded from your initial post like you were set on going somewhere and from PS (1)rams would probably take you less time to get to than rustic (2) condition, layout and scenery it beats just about anywhere in socal and (3) wouldn't be even remotely close to as busy as just about any other course

you will not hit traffic going to rams hill unless there is an accident along the way as its a two lane highway to get there from PS (or anywhere really). Rams is really in the middle of nowhere which is what makes the scenery so great

As someone who lives 1 offramp from Rustic and has played it probably 100+ times, I would play Rams Hill 11 out of 10 rounds. Rustic is definitely a good course but it's currently playing nothing like the condition it needs to be in for its Top100 rating. The course isn't playing firm and fast and as such, it's a good course but nothing special right now.

 

I've only played Rams Hill twice but it may be one of the most visually stunning courses in Southern California. Pelican Hill, Sandpiper, etc are water adjacent but don't offer much more than that. Rams Hill is a fun design, plus they have golfboards!

 

Other suggestions for down in PS would be a combination of Classic Club and one of the Indian Wells courses (Celebrity for a true desert oasis feel). Classic Club and Rustic both host local qualis for USGA events, so as a 0 you won't be disappointed either way.

 

Last thing to consider is the drive Thursday night from PS could be upwards of 4+ hours depending on the traffic. You either need to leave at lunch time or wait until about 8-9pm to avoid the inevitable. We're so starved for good public golf up here that I think your time would be better spent down in PS purely for golf purposes.

 

Thanks USC Dan - I think I have time this Sunday, is it worth driving from PS to Rams Hill? Or should I just pick something in PS and save the drive?

I've played quite a bit of desert golf and Rams Hill stands out as my favorite, both for aesthetics and for enjoyment from course design. It really is quite a gem and with the replay rate, you can get in 36 for about $200 total! You won't be disappointed in making that trip

Anyone play the Tukwet Canyon courses at Morongo out in Beaumont? Used to play them when they were the PGA of Southern California back in 2000's. How are they and are they in good shape?

Its orobably not on your itinerary but dont play tustin ranch. For $165 its a complete rip. Coditions are horrid for that price. I just played there today.

Also would advise to check aeration schedules as we are entering the season right now. Some courses are starting this week. Rustic is every bit as good as Rams Hill, but Moorpark is fine but leagues below the other two. Rams Hill is better than any public in Palm Springs imo. I think the replay rate at Rustic is around 20-25 which is a great deal if you want to play there twice.

Rustic was the best in my opinion!

If in SD - Balboa is reasonable, Coronado is great and inexpensive, Torrey is being grown out for the tournament at this point so will be very challenging with impossible rough. Some others some what coastal are Encinitas Ranch, The Crossings in Carlsbad while some non-coastal but still great at Rancho Bernardo Inn, Sycuan, Steele Canyon. Costco has a $90 deal for a round at each Sycuan and Steele Canyon. Sycuan has 2 full courses to choose from while Steele is a 3-9 course.

Any other options close to the airport aside from Balboa?

coronado or riverwalk would be next closest