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Rating Index Rating
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3.5
1152 Reviews (1152)
5 Stars
166
4 Stars
249
3 Stars
337
2 Stars
194
1 Stars
206
Conditions
3.1
Value
3.9
Layout
3.7
Friendliness
4.4
Pace
3.9
Amenities
3.5
70.0%
Recommend this course
670 out of 1152 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.7
42 Reviews (42)
5 Stars
12
4 Stars
18
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
6
1 Stars
4
Conditions
3.4
Value
4.2
Layout
3.7
Pace
3.7
Amenities
3.7
StaffFriendliness
4.4
81.0%
Recommend this course
34 out of 42 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.7
110 Reviews (110)
5 Stars
40
4 Stars
31
3 Stars
15
2 Stars
15
1 Stars
9
Conditions
3.4
Value
4.1
Layout
3.8
Pace
4.0
Amenities
3.7
StaffFriendliness
4.5
77.3%
Recommend this course
85 out of 110 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
The consistently friendly and helpful staff stand out as a genuine highlight at Willowick Golf Course. Exceptional value for money and a forgiving open layout make it a rewarding choice for golfers of all skill levels.

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 71
Length 6061 yards
Slope 110
Rating 67.7

Opened in 1929, Willowick Golf Course in Santa Ana is Orange County's oldest public golf course. It is a challenging layout that has garnered a quite a following over the years. The course features wide fairways and large greens that offer ample room. There aren’t any water hazards a few strategically placed sand traps come into play and there are also mature trees lining the fairways. Golfers will get to practice a variety of different shots on this course. It is player-friendly enough for high-handicappers but there are still some challenges for low handicappers. The excellent condition of the greens and fairways are inviting no matter what your skill level. In addition to the golf course, Willowick also offers a grass driving range and three practice putting greens.

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Willowick Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1929
Golf Season Year round
Architect William P. Bell (1929)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Pull-carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

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

Food & Beverage

Bar, Snacks, Restaurant
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Reviews

3.5
1152 Reviews (1152)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 16
Brunch 7
19th Hole Specials 6
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 19
Undulating Greens 8
This course/club is great for:
Walkers 20
Locals 19
Beginners 17
This Course's Location is:
Convenient to the City 20

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 11
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Terrible experience. Played in the ghetto.

I’ve been playing golf for 20+ years and I’ve never had such a disappointment experience. The range is so uncapped, and that I couldn’t hit anything without a tee.

My wife is just getting into golf, so I thought this would be good practice, being a “troon” facility.

Instead, we had to think about our own safety and skip a few holes to avoid some thugs. They walked onto the course and harassed other players. Taking their golf cart, blocking the green, throwing their clubs around, etc..

There were six of these kids, so we skipped from 14 to 18, where two teenagers were making out right on the front edge of the green. I wanted to let someone in the pro shop know, but they’re already closed as two teams of young girls were going out to play.

For us to pay $80 total is offensive, and for golf now to be advertising This “troon” course is sad.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 11
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Previously Played

Terrible experience

No high points could redeem the horrible disappointment and discomfort of having a bunch of teenagers on the golf course, harassing gofers. I watched kids climb into someone’s cart and try to steal it in addition to having two other kids making out in front of a green.

Greens are in decent shape because no one is there to play. Paid $80 for my wife and I reply and she didn’t feel comfortable finishing with these kids around the course. A refund somehow.

To top it off, there are girls youth golf teams going out there. Whatever organizations are allowing their kids to go out and play there need to rethink that.

I deserve a refund. NOT to play there.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

It’s not Pelican Hill…

Greens were in pretty nice shape considering all the rain SoCal has received this year.

The fairways… well this track doesn’t really have fairways. It’s all rough..

Tee boxes.. it’s like hitting off a lumpy cobblestone road.

Tee’em high and let’em fly!

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Fairways were horrible

The fairways were not in good shape. The greens were good and they have new golf carts. They staff was great but not enough to get me to come back.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Poor condition

The course is in bad shape. The fairways are rough and have over grown weeds

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 15
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Accept it for what it is.

Not easy to find good tee times in OC. Willowick at times is go to for this. For the fee, again in OC it’s not a bad track. Do really like staff. Greens generally are in good condition. Other parts of the course could use better maintenance, attention. Been playing it for over 30 years, not sure what it is but pace of play seems not as bad previously. Good course to play when your game isn’t treating you too well. Will be back again and again.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Really bad

Locals know how bad this course is and it’s a cheaper, last minute option with open tee times for a reason. If you’ve never played here, don’t! The greens are possibly the worst I’ve ever experienced, you can hit in the fairway every time and likely be in a gofer hole, divot, sand, or dirt. On the front 9 the tee boxes have tree roots running along the surface, divots everywhere, impossible to stand on even ground.

No cart girls with drinks or food, “restaurants” only had nathan hot dogs & a very limited bar. And the bathroom has black mold everywhere and sinks that are non-functional. I can go more into detail about the other issues but you get the gist.

It’s the oldest 18 hole course in Orange County so I hope there’s a way to turn this course around but it’s likely due to close

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 1
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Terrible condition and way too expensive

53$ for a terrible conditioned course with poor greens

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Disappointing day

Unhappiness started with the so-called driving range. The ground was torn up from over-use. Hard to get a good lie just to practice! The balls were quite old making the $7 small bucket price criminally excessive.

The fairways were all in extremely poor condition. Pot holes and uneven terrain made the ride painful if not harmful.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 12
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Course Conditions and More

I’ve been playing ‘Wick for a few years now and the conditions have been the best that I’ve ever played.

For the amount of play it gets, the greens and fairways are fairly lush.

Really liked that they have cordoned off many of the areas players like to drive to grow those areas, especially on the Par 3s.

Love the new carts! Really nice touch and they restocked the Pro Shop. Like the ‘Wick swag. Great job!

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/13/2023

Reviewer must be a overly happy person, or he was high when he wrote this review .

Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

The Wick is back

I've been playing this course for 2 decades. Back when I was a regular and Kenny K. was the teaching pro this course was local course and was packed on the weekends. Then it turned into a 5 somes 6 hour round and I left. The conditions were not good and nobody seemed to mined the long waits at every tee. For a very long time this course looked like it was going to fade away and disappear forever. Now the new leadership is trying to bring it back to a better place to play. New carts are coming (no gps😫) and for the first time in a long time the greens are much better. They are cleaning it up little by little and it's much much better. If they keep the cost down and eliminate slow play with better more consistent Marshall work I'll be happy to return to play it again. I say we should support their efforts as they work hard to get it back to previous years. Give the Wick a try....

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Previously Played

Ok for the price

I guess i should start with, this course could be and Probably was at one point a nice course. Even the staff gives disciunts because they know the quality. The maintenance is just lacking and with the mass amount of rain we got this winter this is the only course that didn’t capitalize on it. It is like they only have 3 sprinklers hitting the whole course its so dry! The absolute worse part is the gopher holes every 10 ft and the random mounds of dirt in the middle of the fair way. Not to mention it is like Baja 1000 out there with the cart paths! The poor cart’s U joints are just blown makes steering the worst. Up side they have a nice bar with plenty TVs and beer in stock smooth putting practice greens and decent restrooms. The driving range grass is junk. So if you are looking for average priced course to just go drink and play this is it. But by no means is it a “nice” course its just ok. It is what it is they don't plan on changing anything anytime soon. Also one last thing don't get surprised if a local steals your ball after ya shank it, or if they force you to pair up with some randoms.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Course in Rough Shape

This was probably one of the most unkept courses I’ve ever played on. Grass was in very very poor shape. It felt like we were off roading in the carts, even when on the cart paths.

The guy in the pro shop was not friendly at all.

Kitchen was closed at 1pm on Sunday.

I’ll never be back

Conditions Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Horrible

Unfortunately, this was the worst course I’ve ever played. It was inundated with mole and gopher holes. Throughout the course the greens were lumpy, and it looks like it was in the middle of the ghetto with a graffiti.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Poor
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 54
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Could be a good experience!

Fairways aren't mowed and around the greens there's muddy areas. greens are slow but in nice condition. trash cans are full, even in the early hours that I played. proshop was unprofessional and seemed like he didn't want to be there.

Conditions Poor
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Poor
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Moderate
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