Pala Mesa Resort: #11
View of the 11th Pala Mesa Resort
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Rating Index Rating
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4.4
1784 Reviews (1784)
5 Stars
550
4 Stars
760
3 Stars
292
2 Stars
109
1 Stars
73
Conditions
4.3
Value
4.2
Layout
4.5
Friendliness
4.6
Pace
4.4
Amenities
4.0
92.3%
Recommend this course
1469 out of 1784 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.6
44 Reviews (44)
5 Stars
29
4 Stars
13
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.4
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.8
Amenities
4.2
StaffFriendliness
4.8
97.7%
Recommend this course
43 out of 44 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.5
116 Reviews (116)
5 Stars
72
4 Stars
35
3 Stars
4
2 Stars
3
1 Stars
2
Conditions
4.5
Value
4.3
Layout
4.6
Pace
4.6
Amenities
4.0
StaffFriendliness
4.7
94.8%
Recommend this course
110 out of 116 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Pala Mesa's mature layout rewards accurate shot-making with well-maintained greens, fairways, and bunkers that consistently impress recent golfers. Exceptionally friendly staff and an outstanding pace of play make rounds here smooth and enjoyable.

About

Holes 18
Type Resort
Par 72
Length 6703 yards
Slope 134
Rating 73.5

Pala Mesa Golf Resort is situated between Temecula wine country and the beautiful countryside of San Diego's North County. The course was carefully carved from the surrounding hillsides, providing rolling fairways and undulating greens throughout the layout. Towering oaks, sycamores, and elms blanket the course's landscape, providing the perfect complement to the stunning mountain views. The fairways are tight and lined with trees, demanding a fair amount of accuracy. The greens also play fairly quick. The golf course does provide a challenging round but it is seemingly much tougher than it actually is. Beginners should still feel comfortable taking on the course. The versatile layout in combination with the consistently good conditions have earned Pala Mesa acclaim as one of the best golf courses in San Diego County.

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Pala Mesa Resort Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1961
Fairways Kikuyu Grass
Greens Kikuyu Grass
Golf Season Year round

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes

Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage

Available Facilities

Clubhouse

Available Activities

Swimming, Billiards
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Reviews

4.4
1784 Reviews (1784)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 45
Patio Dining 30
Dinner 26
Course Challenges Include:
Narrow Fairways 75
Bunkers 73
Elevation Changes 65
This course/club is great for:
Locals 60
Advanced Golfers 56
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 45
This Course's Location is:
At a Resort 77
Worth the Drive 58
In the 'Burbs 25

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Best around

Pala Mesa has such gacious staff and a most beautifully designed course !!

To enjoy !!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Response from on 12/26/2025:
Thank you for the awesome review! We're so glad to hear you had a great experience and look forward to having you back again.
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Rough round

Pala Mesa is a favorite course for our 4 some.

The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that the rough is too long make it quite difficult to find your golf ball even is you're only a couple of yards off the fairway. Getting into the rough is very penalizing almost as much so as at Torrey Pines. It really slowed our round due to the searches for golf balls that were difficult to find. You had to be practically on top of your golf ball to find it. I wish they would cut it 1" shorter to speed up play.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Anonymous
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Previously Played

Twice the walk

Whole course is cart path only. It was not on the app. I’ve never been so tired after golf. Twice the walk. Walk to the ball and walk back uphill. It should’ve been noted when I booked. It said 10/06-10/08 cart path only. Today is 10/27. What gives?

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Response from on 10/28/2025:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We understand this visit didn’t meet expectations and will use your comments to make improvements. We hope your next visit is more enjoyable.
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
1.0
First Time Playing

Pala Mess Course

Don't go here. Fairways are shaved crabgrass right now with greens that literally putt like sand pits. I knew the greens were just punched when I reserved, but didn't expect the rest of the course to be destroyed with it. Horrible.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Response from on 10/13/2025:
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. We’re sorry to hear your experience wasn’t what it should have been. Your feedback is important, and we’re working to make things better.
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Love it!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Great course right off the I15

This course is never really that busy during the weekdays, when I usually play. The layout is quite wonderful, and the maintenance is always kept up. Staff at the pro shop are SUPER friendly and helpful. I try to make a point to play here at least once a month, but lately I’ve been revisiting at least every couple weeks. Well worth it!

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Response from on 09/24/2025:
We’re thrilled you had such a great experience! Thanks for the support — we’ll be here ready to welcome you back for another great round.
Played On
Reviews 12
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Customer Service

Lane the cart attendant was very nice and professional. He located my club and brought to me during play. Thank You. Lane.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 47
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Bang for the buck

This course was definitely bang for the buck. My son and I played on a holiday and the rates were cheaper than most local courses we play. The course was GREEN everywhere and we’ve had a drought with extreme temps. The layout was fun and challenging, had narrow fairways on some holes, and others wide open landing to help all levels of player. Several doglegs to keep it spicy, several fluffy sand traps around the approach, the greens landed soft but rolled with a good pace to keep you on your toes with power selection. We will 100% make this a new monthly visit to keep my kiddo ready for high school golf.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 22
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Course in good shape you have to hit straight because of slopes ,dog legs and a lot of traps

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 20
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Not impressed. Rouge was untested and to high for the average player.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Fair
Pace Average
Played On
Reviews 45
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Very unpleasant experience!!

I need to express my frustration over the experience my group and I had. We were harassed and followed by Gary, the course marshal, throughout the course, which made the entire outing extremely uncomfortable and awkward. I repeatedly received messages demanding payment for the round due to their error, and then was told to return after we finished. But I was approached after hole 9, demanding I pay for the round. I advised them I would pay after the round, so we don't slow down other groups. After completing hole 18, golf carts blocked us on our way back, as if we were expected to leave without settling the bill. This was embarrassing and concerning, especially since we appeared to be the only Hispanic group in the course at that time. It felt like we were being singled out, and while I hesitate to believe it was intentional, it leaves me questioning their motives. I strongly advise any Hispanic/Latino golfers to reconsider visiting this venue. It's disheartening, especially for our friend who was golfing for the first time and now has no desire to continue.

Conditions Average
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Poor
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 15
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
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