Aliso Viejo CC

socal33 · January 13, 2015

Anyone play AVCC recently? I looking for updated reviews. Maybe what you like, what you don't like. They are ClubCorp and have some attractive memberships for SoCal. I am looking into moving to this club.

TheWookie · January 17, 2015

good shape. Greens and rough are very very good. Fairmways are dormant bermuda but pure. bunkers well maintained and consistent.

Sabaka · January 17, 2015

I am an AVCC member. The transition to year round Bermuda fairways was completed this past year. The cold snap we had a few weeks ago really put the grass to sleep but it is warming again and it should be waking up. I am heading out today for the first time in a couple of weeks.

I joined three years ago and could not be happier with the club. The course is a little short but puts up a challenge in other ways. The greens are large, undulating, a little tricky to read until you get used to them and can really roll when they speed them up. There are some great elevation changes that make you think through club selection. If you are hap hazard off the tee you will find flat lies hard to find. I like to work the ball which can be fun but challenging if you are out of position. For example, if you are too far right off the tee on 17 you will find yourself with a draw lie for a green which needs a high fade to hold it.The bunkers have some of the softest sand I have seen in Orange County.

Aside from the course, the best thing about the club is the staff and membership. The people are just fantastic. There is a real youthful, edgy feel to the club. The staff puts on great events every month and while it is strictly a golf club, and not a full service country club, they do a great job with kid events and functions for the entire family. Add in the Club Corp travel benefits and IMO there is not a better club to join in Orange County for the value of what you pay.

Pure745 · January 17, 2015

Personally I like it, it's generally in decent shape and has some nice views. The club house is new and the food is good. The members I have met there have all been really nice (not typical at some clubs in OC). The biggest downside is the lack of a driving range (you hit into a net in the parking lot), which is a major deal breaker for me and a lot of people I know when considering a private club.

TheWookie · January 17, 2015

I get why everyone "needs" a driving range but I honestly feel its overated. They have two great putting greens one which you can chip at...a very very good short game area. Just cuz you cant pound driver, which is probably the last thing all of should be practicing, doesnt mean it doesnt have value.

socal33 · January 19, 2015

Thanks for the info! A few other thoughts I have:
How walkable is the course? I know there are a number of hills, but do many people walk it?

Any difficulty getting tee times? I play all different times and like to be a weekend pacesetter on Sunday mornings.

What's the typical pace of play?

I'm coming from 15 miles out if I join. Everyone knows that could mean 15 minutes or 30 minutes, so that is a concern, but there is tremendous value there.

baddomes · April 29, 2015

I played Aliso Viejo last week before heading back to DC and loved it. Course was in good shape and really interesting without being tricked up, and the clubhouse/locker room was very nice. Couldn't believe I heard MGMT piped through the soundsystem in the locker room (not loud, but nice background music). Definitely not your dad's club. If I lived out there, I'd seriously look into joining.

This thread helped me pick Aliso Viejo over Coto de Caza for my round. Glad I did so. Thanks for the info.

Pure745 · April 29, 2015

[quote name='baddomes' timestamp='1430338666' post='11467771']
I played Aliso Viejo last week before heading back to DC and loved it. Course was in good shape and really interesting without being tricked up, and the clubhouse/locker room was very nice. Couldn't believe I heard MGMT piped through the soundsystem in the locker room (not loud, but nice background music). Definitely not your dad's club. If I lived out there, I'd seriously look into joining.

This thread helped me pick Aliso Viejo over Coto de Caza for my round. Glad I did so. Thanks for the info.
[/quote]

Next time play in the Coto Friday game.. it's really good. Mesa Verde CC, El Niguel CC, and Dove Canyon are also really good.. I'd pick one of those three over AVCC or Coto.

socal33 · August 17, 2015

Thanks for the input. So far, my experience has been very positive. The staff seem great and the food was good. I have played two rounds and I have enjoyed my time out there. My biggest concerns are the lack of a range and the distance from my house. The range isn't so bad as I am a 15 right now and could use work on my short game anyway. The drive is right at 20 minutes for me, which is not bad at all. The other two things I need to finalize my thoughts around are walkability and how hard it is for a tee time. It is a very up and down course and would be a great test for endurance, but I am told there are short cuts to take to lessen the impact of the walk. As for tee times, being a ClubCorp and having an active membership, I have heard some times tee times are tough to get and I am told tee times with guests on the weekends are not available until after 11AM. I love 6:30AM! Any other input is appreciated.

2ball · August 18, 2015

Look at the reviews on yelp. There are more than a few reviews like the one below... buyer beware....

"....I just resigned or as one Club Corp executive referred to it "abandoned" my membership at Aliso Viejo Country Club, because I realized after 18 months on the waiting list to sell my membership (and paying $650 in monthly dues), that my membership would most likely sell after a total of 44 months! I would have been paying over $28,000 in dues to get back my "transferable" deposit of $14,000. Bad deal for me, good deal for Club Corp and Aliso Viejo Country Club. ..."

Pure745 · August 18, 2015

[quote name='2ball' timestamp='1439929748' post='12163910']
Look at the reviews on yelp. There are more than a few reviews like the one below... buyer beware....

"....I just resigned or as one Club Corp executive referred to it "abandoned" my membership at Aliso Viejo Country Club, because I realized after 18 months on the waiting list to sell my membership (and paying $650 in monthly dues), that my membership would most likely sell after a total of 44 months! I would have been paying over $28,000 in dues to get back my "transferable" deposit of $14,000. Bad deal for me, good deal for Club Corp and Aliso Viejo Country Club. ..."
[/quote]

Yes, there is a similarly long list at Coto. The other thing about Coto and assuming Aliso is that there is a 10% dues increase each year, almost without fail from what I understand.

socal33 · August 19, 2015

Thanks for the info. Looks like that person was better suited for the non-refundable initiation fee if he was looking short term. The bylaws state that any refundable initiation is only paid out by the club every 4 new members, so to clear 10 people on the list, 40 new have to join. The rest of his feedback seemed to be positive towards the course and staff.

My biggest areas of concern are lack of practice range, if it gets very busy and you have to fight for tee times, and walkability - lots of elevation change.

So far all the members and staff have been great. The course has been in good shape the two times I have played and it remains a challenge even with the shorter yardage. It seems they have cut off all the access to the public unless it is a local resident from AV (which seem to be few due to the green fee) or a Monday tourney. However, I played on a Thursday afternoon and it was surprisingly busy. It still played at a good pace, but we did have to eventually play through 2 groups on the back.