Monarch Beach Golf Links
A sunset view of a green at Monarch Beach Golf Links.
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Rating Index Rating
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4.3
263 Reviews (263)
5 Stars
156
4 Stars
64
3 Stars
28
2 Stars
11
1 Stars
4
Conditions
4.3
Value
3.9
Layout
4.6
Friendliness
4.8
Pace
4.0
Amenities
4.7
88.2%
Recommend this course
226 out of 263 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.9
9 Reviews (9)
5 Stars
4
4 Stars
3
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.3
Value
3.9
Layout
4.6
Pace
3.6
Amenities
4.9
StaffFriendliness
4.9
88.9%
Recommend this course
8 out of 9 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.3
16 Reviews (16)
5 Stars
10
4 Stars
4
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.5
Value
4.1
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.9
StaffFriendliness
4.9
93.8%
Recommend this course
15 out of 16 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Exceptionally friendly staff and a beautifully maintained layout with challenging, undulating greens consistently impress recent golfers. Rounds regularly finish in under four hours, making this course a rewarding and well-paced experience.

About

Holes 18
Type Resort
Style Links
Par 70
Length 6645 yards
Slope 143
Rating 78.2

Playing at Monarch Beach Golf Links will bring to mind the great traditions of Scottish links golf. The seaside course offers sweeping views of the oceanfront as well as a challenging and diverse layout. Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed the golf course, fully utilizing the dramatic bluffs and natural beauty of the landscape. The course offers small, rolling greens and tight fairways that are both kept in excellent condition. Strategically placed bunkers wait treacherously throughout the course and there are a number of tricky doglegs to watch out for. The course is on the shorter side but it is an excellent place to work on your iron game. Monarch Beach Golf Links' par-4 third hole is one of the most difficult. It plays along the ocean but don't let the views distract from the challenging green that is dramatically undulated.

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Monarch Beach Golf Links
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Course Details

Year Built 1983
Golf Season Year round

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
GPS Yes
Pull-carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf Simulator Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Indoor Practice Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Fivesomes Allowed No
Single Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Proper golf attire.

Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Locker Rooms

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Golfers' Choice (2025 #6)
  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 Off-course amenities in the U.S. (2025 #15)
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Reviews

4.3
263 Reviews (263)

What Golfers Are Saying

Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 7
Undulating Greens 7
Water Hazards 6
This course/club is great for:
A Weekend Splurge 7
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 7
Advanced Golfers 6
This Course's Location is:
At a Resort 7

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 3
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 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
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
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

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 7
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 07/27/2020

Thank you, bjcologgi for rating us 5-stars!

Regards,

Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Really love this course. Layout is great, dog left, dog right ,over the water. A great place to work on all your golf games from driver, woods ,irons ,wedges and putter. I'll come back and play here for sure. Staff are helpful and great customer serves . Free waters and food with green fees ain't beat that....

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 07/27/2020

Greetings!

We love your review and appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. Hope you can visit us again soon.

Regards,

Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 3
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 A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
Incentivized Review
5.0
Previously Played

Monarch Experience

This course is challenging and scenic. The staff is genial and helpful. More important antsy the course is always in great shape. Especially the greens which are challenging to all levels of golfers

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/06/2019

Thank you for the stellar review! Visit us again soon!

Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 55
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Beautiful oceanside course

I am a regular to this beautiful oceanside course, and have been enjoying the layout, condition of the course, pace of play and friendly staffs.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/06/2019

Greetings 23992caravel!

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are glad to hear you're a regular and hope you're enjoying the changes we are making to the property. Looking forward to seeing you around!

Regards,

Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 14
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
Incentivized Review
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Dana Point must play

Great course with some wonderful views. Good for all levels of play. Great staff

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/06/2019

Thank you for sharing your review and photo!

You're welcome any time!

Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 21
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Beautiful Oceanside Course

This is a beautiful course that offers, a challenging layout, but not unfair to a mid handicap player. The greens are very fast but true, so if you are heavy handed with the putter you may roll a few by the cup. The staff is super friendly and the views of the ocean and the surrounding area are great! The only down side to the course is the practice area, you only hit into a net not a driving range so if you want to see how your ball is flying do it before you get there. Otherwise its a fantastic course!

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/06/2019

Thank you very much for the the great review of your visit. We hope you can visit us again when you're on the west coast!

Happy Golfing!

Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/06/2019

Thank you for rating us 4-stars!

Regards,

Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Nice course

Nice resort course. Fairways weren’t great but greens and tee boxes were in excellent condition. Pace of play was excellent and the course host was doing his job. Overall a great experience.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 17
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

nice Views but...

The views are great and the staff were friendly but the layout is a bit funky and the conditions were a bit messy (divots on greens left unattended)

No driving range

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/06/2019

Greetings!

As a resort course, you can expect we get golfers who don't care for our course as much as we wish they would. We do ask our marshals to fill and fix divots as well as our regulars. We do wish to host you again and hope that you experience our better usual conditions.

Happy golfing -

Eric Lohman, PGA GM

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

Beautiful and challenging!

Great experience! Played fast and was beautiful. Was paired with 3 great golfers from Texas and had a great time. Frank and Kevin in the pro shop were super friendly and helpful. Frank even lent me a pair of sunglasses for the round when I couldn’t find mine! Hope to play again this weekend.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/06/2019

Sincerely appreciate you taking the time to share your stellar and memorable experience with us. We will be sure to let Frank and Kevin know that you gave them a shout out!

Regards,

Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a month
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Never Again

Amazingly gorgeous course. Has a few holes ON the Pacific Ocean which are amazing.

Unfortunately it was backed up more than any course I’ve ever seen. We’d run into 2-4 other golf carts at every tee box.

After it taking 3.5 hours for only 9 holes, we left. Never again.

Conditions Good
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/06/2019

Greetings DerekFSU -

We are so very sorry to read that you experience a less than exceptional day here at Monarch Beach. We really do strive for fast pace of play and it seems you joined us on an off day. We certainly don't believe your experience was okay and hope we can try and host you again. We certainly understand your frustration. Wishing you all the best -

Eric Lohman, PGA GM

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
675883f1-81ad-5c0f-be3a-45663fa9fa02
Commented on 12/06/2019

Thank you very much for rating us 5-stars!

Regards,

Eric Lohman, PGA GM

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