Valencia Country Club

[Sboooooo1245]

Anyone a member at Valencia CC? I heard it was fantastic in its day (and a RTJ design), but had fallen off years ago. I wonder if Arciss has restored it and whether it’s worth considering? I’m also looking at Hacienda and am curious if anyone has info, pricing, etc on either for a junior member or comparisons of the two. 

[ryu123]

 About 6 years ago as a guest played the Valencia CC near Santa Clarita.   Set on a mostly flat piece of land, it was unimpressive & not memorable (except for a 200 yard par three over a pond -  which I really didn’t like.)

[tw422]

Don't know anything about Valencia but Hacienda is a great course with good facilities (not much if any practice area).  Pricing as of a year or two ago was reasonable they were looking for new members.

[Sboooooo1245]

2 hours ago, ryu123 said:

 About 6 years ago as a guest played the Valencia CC near Santa Clarita.   Set on a mostly flat piece of land, it was unimpressive & not memorable (except for a 200 yard par three over a pond -  which I really didn’t like.)

Have you played The Oaks at Valencia (old TPC Valencia course)? I've really liked TPC courses I've played, and that's the natural alternative given that it's across the street.

[ASN21]

Have played at VCC about 3 times. It is a solid layout and facility, nothing spectacular however. 

[ButterCutter2]

oaks tpc isn't in same league as valencia or hacienda. PM Me if you'd like to know more about VCC or hacienda in terms of course quality, what the clubs are like & ballpark pricing.

[Schley]

I wished VCC would come back to it's glory as one year it hosted the Nissan Open IIRC as Riviera was washed out.

[Sboooooo1245]

On 1/30/2021 at 1:34 AM, Schley said:

I wished VCC would come back to it's glory as one year it hosted the Nissan Open IIRC as Riviera was washed out.

Any sense of how far off it has fallen? Would imagine it'd still be up there with the next "tier" of courses in the LA area if they had been taking care of it reasonably well again.

[manku]

On 1/30/2021 at 1:34 AM, Schley said:

I wished VCC would come back to it's glory as one year it hosted the Nissan Open IIRC as Riviera was washed out.

 

I played in the pro-am that year...and played it again last year.

 

I don't recall much being different, aside from the weather.

 

Course was in good shape, greens were slick. 

[shadymg]

Not to hijack this thread (while i do it lol) , but since i just moved to Valencia area, if anyone ever needs a single, please reach out to me. I know nobody up here and have been having a heckofa time booking single spots anywhere.

[leezer99]

Big V has gone through a major renovation by Fry Straka over the last six months (complete closure) that includes new turf, lengthened tees, updated bunkering, etc.  You can find all the details here:  Valencia Country Club Course Renovation (valenciagolfclub.com)

 

Really looking forward to getting back out there after they reopen on the 8th of October.

 

 

[Sboooooo1245]

Any updates on VCC after the renovation?

[bcc69]

On 10/11/2022 at 7:45 PM, Sboooooo1245 said:

Any updates on VCC after the renovation?

Mostly positive reviews from the members.  The turf is still young and needs to mature.  Lots of turf was removed and replaced with mulch.  All of the bunkers were reshaped, moved, or removed.  Hopefully the management continues to invest the time and effort in bringing VCC back to it's glory days.

 

[rzitup]

 

As others have mentioned, OC golf is a little all over the place, and more complicated to solve, and golf easily then it really should be.

 

Public courses are not the best, are all overpriced, usually slow rounds, and not always the best conditions. 

 

Most of the private courses are at the high end ($50k or more to join, over $1k/month), and what would probably be considered decently “stuffy”.  Difficult to break in on your own, clichy (Newport Beach CC, Shady Canyon, Dove Canyon, Big Canyon, Coto De Caza).  I have played all and have friends at each, if you have the money and personality, all good options if you plan to live here for awhile and make use of the country club aspects quite a bit.  Lots of social events.  All of them have decent practice facilities.  

 

I was a member at Pelican Hill for many years.  Although it is public, they have a Gold membership program, that gives members advanced tee times, and some member events and perks.  About 200 members (I think), and some good groups of guys that play a skins game on the weekend, and are open to letting other members in.  I think its just over $22k/year now, so you need to play a lot.  Practice facilities are OK, range is good, putting good, no chipping areas.

 

One to consider is Mesa Verde.  In Costa Mesa, its a decent course, with a great clubhouse (and Mens area), and a really good membership.  Always groups to play with, not too stuffy.  I am not sure on the initiation, wait list or monthly fees.  Another in this range is Santa Ana CC.  I didnt like the course much before the redesign, and haven’t played since, but lots are fans of it.  It could be on the pricier side and a wait to get in, I am not sure.

 

I have friends at all of the above and have played all of them several times.  Lots of good private options.  But, I was never really into the social aspect of the OC country clubs, and so never committed to joining one (although I did meet with most of them).  I like to play golf, and then spend my extra time with my family.  Pelican did that for me.  

 

But then I found Hacienda, and joined a few years ago.  You can do the research on the course yourself.  It is 100 years old and has a long and storied history.  You stand on the tee and it reminds you of Riviera.  William Watson design, I have yet to ever hear, or see posted online, anything other than "its a great course”.   It is called Hacienda Golf Club for a reason…it is all about golf.  They did a study not long ago that compared the operating expenses to the competition, and found that Hacienda spends a much larger amount of their budget on the course itself.  The social part of the membership is really lacking (intentionally), and the amenities (pool, gym) are not good.  

It is located in Hacienda Heights, and not a great drive through a two lane windy road for a few miles.  But its a pretty exceptional place.    I think its $25k initiation right now, no wait list, and about $1k/month.  

 

If you ever have interest, let me know and you can come join me for a round.