GolfPass Icon
Rating Index Rating
Tooltip Information Icon
3.2
1195 Reviews (1195)
5 Stars
100
4 Stars
376
3 Stars
377
2 Stars
197
1 Stars
145
Conditions
3.0
Value
3.1
Layout
3.6
Friendliness
4.0
Pace
3.1
Amenities
3.6
63.1%
Recommend this course
749 out of 1195 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.4
27 Reviews (27)
5 Stars
7
4 Stars
7
3 Stars
5
2 Stars
5
1 Stars
3
Conditions
3.4
Value
3.3
Layout
3.8
Pace
3.2
Amenities
3.8
StaffFriendliness
4.1
66.7%
Recommend this course
18 out of 27 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.3
81 Reviews (81)
5 Stars
13
4 Stars
30
3 Stars
17
2 Stars
10
1 Stars
11
Conditions
3.1
Value
3.1
Layout
3.7
Pace
3.1
Amenities
3.6
StaffFriendliness
3.9
66.7%
Recommend this course
54 out of 81 reviews
Read Reviews
frame.svg
AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
circle-star.svg
Course Highlights
Consistently friendly staff and a well-stocked café with diverse food options make the overall experience welcoming for returning golfers. The greens regularly earn praise for their quality and consistency across recent rounds.

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6431 yards
Slope 126
Rating 70.5
Book a Tee Time at
Rancho San Joaquin Golf Club
Powered by GolfNow.com

Course Details

Year Built 1964
Fairways Bermuda & Kukuya Grass
Greens Poa
Golf Season Year round

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - $7 - $13
Pull-carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

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

Policies

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

Food & Beverage

Snacks

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 Most Improved U.S. Golf Courses (2022 #21)
The Best Way To Book Is With GolfPass+ Annual
golf ball.svg
$120 in monthly tee time promo codes
waivedfees
12 rounds of waived fees
redeemtrophy
GolfPass Member Pricing
teetime protection.svg
Tee Time Protection

Reviews

3.2
1195 Reviews (1195)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 21
Brunch 10
Watching the Game 8
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 29
Undulating Greens 26
Bunkers 22
This course/club is great for:
Locals 35
Walkers 31
Beginners 22
This Course's Location is:
Convenient to the City 42
Near the Airport 36
In the 'Burbs 7

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Average weather
Used cart

RSJ GC, Irvine, CA

Good pace of play but the fairway was like a dump.

So many GUR's and hardpans in the middle of fairway.

I had to dodge so many duck poops while walking toward the greens. I don't think I want to come back here again.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
First Time Playing
Average weather
Used cart

Disappointing

Played one time last week of April. Course was in poor condition. GUR everywhere. Greens not bad. Surprising that a muni course in such an upscale community is kept in such poor condition.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

We had a good day!

The course is still beat up in places, such as fairways with no grass. But our timing couldn't have been better as there was nobody in front of us the whole round and we finished in less than 4 hours!

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Course was ok

Course is in ok shape, the pace is always slow here. Decent course for your money but the pace is what deters me. Other than that it's not bad.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

course is being repaired

Cart path uneven is breaking carts apart

Greens are good. Fairway is not but appears to be under attention. Bunkers are being refreshed with new sand.. Workers are considerate with players.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Better than before

It appears improvements are in the works.

Fairways still sparse, new sand in some bunkers. The greens are typically in great shape and challenging

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 14
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Needs work

The greens were ok, but the fairways & traps need a lot of work.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 13
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Condescending Marshall

Played the course with my wife as a twosome for our 25th wedding anniversary. We played fast for the first eight holes then hit the slowest twosome I have ever had the displeasure of playing behind. They never waived us ahead and we waited on every shot from the ninth hole on. They not only held us up but the two foursomes behind us as well. Complained to the marshall which was a mistake because they happened to be his buddies that were holding the course up. He was rude and disrespectful in their defense instead of managing pace of play. Course condition is marginal at best; rock hard bunkers, uneven tee boxes with little or no grass and patchy fairways. Last time I'll play here....

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Fair
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

$46 with cart for Sunday 11am tee time=good value

Course has a nice layout...lack of water is evident, but greens are in pretty good shape- Overall good value at $46 with cart on a Sunday at 11am tee time-Not to too busy either, so we move along OK.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Needs improvement

Some sand traps have only a thin layer of sand & irrigation leaks all over the place.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 20
Handicap 15-19
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Used cart

Greens: 1 Fairways: 0

Played Easter Sunday so the pace-of-play was unusually good. I’ve played RSJ many times, however, not for a few months. I was surprised to see that several Fairways had been aerated leaving plug-marks in certain areas. The Fairways at RSJ have usually been the biggest knock when it comes to rating the 'course conditions'. Clearly they have got the message and are trying to do something about it—t will take time though: Several areas of various Fairways appeared browned-out (don't think it was dormant turf). But, I could tell they had also received plenty of water to revitalize them.

A very noticeable change was on the left side of the #3 Fairway: A row of Trees were removed and some pruned back. It was a welcomed change that helps open up the Fairway some. But more importantly, it allows semi-errant shots to the left side to continue further down the fairway. Clearly this change can increase the pace-of-play on this hole by reducing time spent looking for your ball AND giving a golf a shorter shot into the green.

The Greens were in good condition and rolled fairly well albeit challenging to read at times for most in our group.

Suggestion for the PIN PLACEMENT at the (2) side-by-side Par 3’s (I believe #7 & #15?).

They should be JUDICIOUSLY thought out (if not, you might as well add the Clowns-Mouth & Windmill challenges too). The slope is so severe in spots that placing the Pin adjacent to them only slows down the pace-of-play (an almost inevitable 3-4 putt). Btw--I suspect that the lone Mt. Everest-like uphill hole on the Practice Green is to prepare the golfers for these two holes.

Just hope management continues to improve the course conditions and thereby improve the golfing experience at RSJ.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Used cart

Down Hill Spiral

A one time preferred course has gone downward. Slow play, driving range with no space to warm up at noon during the week on a day where they have spiked the greens. Wow! Frustrated and left after a few holes.

Perhaps under new management and far to many deals to catch the highly price sensitive market. Price without value is nonsense.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Fair
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Poor weather
Used cart

Unfair review

This is an unfair review of the course on this particular day as I've played this course many times before. Normally the course is "fine". It is not difficult. While there are a lot of dead and dirt spots in the middle of some of the fairways, this is a good course to practice on. However on this particular day, the weather was not nice and we had just experienced a lot of rain in the area the week prior. The course was very muddy and soggy. I was not the only one who believed that course would have drained better as it was extremely crowded there. While I normally have no issues with 5 somes, the pace of play was ridiculously slow. There was a marshal out on the course, however this did nothing to speed the pace of play up, nor was anything said that I witnessed to the groups in front. On the particular day, it was "cart path only" which was understandable given the wet conditions of the course. However it was normal to wait up to 15 mins between shots. This was due to golfers ahead not having the common decency of each golfer going to their ball and hitting when their turn came. Instead what I witnessed was one golfer walking to his ball, hitting his shot then walking back to the cart. His cart partner then getting out, walking to his ball, hitting his shot and walking back to the cart. All the while the other players sitting there watching each shot before getting out of there carts and walking to where their ball was and hitting shots when it was their turn. All the while, the marshal watching this happened and being more concerned about individuals not staying on the cart path.

As I've played this course many times before, this was the first time I witnessed this and it was disheartening. There is not a shot on the golf course regardless of where your ball lands that requires you to stand over your ball for 5 minutes to determine what type of shot you're going to attempt to hit.

It is my hopes that in the future the marshal on the course will notice the slow pace of play and do what he can to speed things up. There is no reason in the world on this particular course that around should take 5 1/2 to 6 hours, even with it being cart path only.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap Don't know
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Fair weather
Used cart

Rancho San Joaquin

We played an afternoon round the day before Christmas Eve, and it had rained, so it was cart path only. The course was in decent shape. No complaints there. Unfortunately, a decent percentage of the players don't feel that it's their responsibility to rake bunkers or repair ball marks on the green. Throughout the round I kept finding cut rate golf balls that had been abandoned, so I kept a few for practice balls.

Unfortunately, there was a 3-some in front of us that were playing from the blacks, even though they weren't driving the ball more than 150 yards on their longest drives. We would have played through, but there was another 4-some in front of them that was also playing slowly. It would have been nice for the "ambassadors" to at least pretend to enforce pace of play, rather than putting in their time to get free golf.

It was clear that we were never going to make the full 18. At the turn we decided to skip 10 to get in front of the slow pokes. I figured out why the second group (2 fathers with their sons) was so slow. While we waited for them to tee off, one of the boy took a wild baseball swing and lost track of his ball, though it hadn't traveled more than 75 yards. He teed up another ball, took another wild baseball swing, and ended up with the same result. Still unhappy, he teed up a third ball, and repeated the scene.

I figured out where the abandoned balls were coming from. I realize that there are going to be newcomers on the course. I'm okay with the occasional mulligan. But there's absolutely no reason to allow someone 3 or 4 tee shots on each hole. And dad, you're not doing your son any favors by letting him swing out of his shoes on every swing. Teach him to club up and swing at 80% so he can practice making clean contact with the ball.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Surprisingly good greens!

The fairways were in rough shape which is not unexpected given the drought however the greens were in excellent shape, as good or better than local courses costing 2X or 3X the cost. Pin position on 16 was just plain silly, perched on top on a big mogul this hole was only missing a clown and windmill.

Overall a very pleasant, challenging and rewarding round. An excellent value to be sure!

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Excellent staff and good food

I booked my tee time on line via Golfnow. It's one of their special so the price is fairly inexpensive. Since I travel a bit far I got there 2 hrs before my prepaid tee time. I had the chance to have my lunch at the bar. The food is great as recommended and the bartender, Rachel is fantastic. She is knowledgeable, courteous and professional.
Ashley, the Starter came in the Bar to ask if I like to tee off sooner due to some cancellation. Now that is great service . I'll definitely give the staff members a 5/5 stars for customer satisfaction. Al, the starter at hole #1 is warm and welcoming too.
The pace of play is very slow and it seems like the Golf ambassador cannot do much with it. In fact the back 9 was even worse than the front. The friendliness of the staff is bringing me back to eat, drink and play.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Good place to practice yor game,

Have played this course many times, I find that no matter what they do to improve the fairways, it just will not happen due to the soil that was damage from being a landfill many years ago, but for a quick find during the week it's great,, keep trying

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Couse dried out but greens in good shape

The course was pretty dried out but you always have a fair amount of wet areas at RSJ. The greens are in good shape.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great Greens

Greens were great. Some of the fairways needed some work but that is why some holes were cart path only due to over seeding.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Unfriendly staff

They were setting up a putting contest on the putting green. Staff was very rude, wouldn't allow us to warm up on the edge of the putting surface, not on their putting course. half hour later saw others doing what we intended to do. Very unfriendly.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Friendliness Fair
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Nearby Courses
Irvine, California
Public
4.0737132412
537
Newport Beach, California
Public
3.7059502589
516
Irvine, California
Private
5.0
1
Santa Ana, California
Private
0.0
0
Irvine, California
Public
4.1293800539
371
Newport Beach, California
Private
5.0
1
Newport Beach, California
Public/Resort
2.0
3
Newport Beach, California
Private
0.0
0
Newport Coast, California
Resort
4.4757992852
185
Costa Mesa, California
Municipal/Public
3.6372040636
2469
Newport Coast, California
Resort
4.2661321164
212
Costa Mesa, California
Municipal/Public
3.6372040636
2469
Golf Packages
MB2.1.jfif

Monarch Beach Resort Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
ORANGE COUNTY, CA | Enjoy lodging accommodations at the Waldorf-Astoria Monarch Beach, the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Nigel, the Montage Laguna Beach, or the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa and golf at Monarch Beach Golf Links.

Monarch Beach Resort Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
ORANGE COUNTY, CA | Enjoy lodging accommodations at the Waldorf-Astoria Monarch Beach, the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Nigel, the Montage Laguna Beach, or the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa and golf at Monarch Beach Golf Links.

Aviara Stay & Play Package

Click Below
SAN DIEGO, CA | Enjoy lodging accommodations at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa and golf at Aviara Golf Club.
Aviara Golf Club - Hole #18

Aviara Stay & Play Packages

Click Below
SAN DIEGO, CA | Enjoy lodging accommodations at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa and golf at Aviara Golf Club.

The Lodge At Torrey Pines Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
LA JOLLA, CA | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at The Lodge at Torrey Pines and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Torrey Pines – South Course and Torrey Pines – North Course.
Now Reading
  • Home

  • Memberships

  • Library

  • Account