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Rating Index Rating
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3.5
1129 Reviews (1129)
5 Stars
162
4 Stars
237
3 Stars
335
2 Stars
190
1 Stars
205
Conditions
3.1
Value
3.8
Layout
3.7
Friendliness
4.4
Pace
3.9
Amenities
3.5
68.9%
Recommend this course
650 out of 1129 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.7
34 Reviews (34)
5 Stars
13
4 Stars
10
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
4
1 Stars
4
Conditions
3.3
Value
4.1
Layout
3.8
Pace
4.0
Amenities
3.6
StaffFriendliness
4.5
73.5%
Recommend this course
25 out of 34 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.8
107 Reviews (107)
5 Stars
44
4 Stars
25
3 Stars
17
2 Stars
11
1 Stars
10
Conditions
3.4
Value
4.1
Layout
3.9
Pace
4.1
Amenities
3.8
StaffFriendliness
4.5
75.7%
Recommend this course
81 out of 107 reviews
Read Reviews

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 - $14
Pull-carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range 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
1129 Reviews (1129)
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 8
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Bumpy road

They are working on the course but has a long way to go. Gophers are a major problem, making even the fairways bumpy.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Teeth chattering back smashing course

There isn't even a piece of flat surface on this course. Holes all over and hundreds of small piles of dirt all over. Every square inch of fairway is impossible to drive a cart on without banging your teeth. My back was sore from riding in the cart after 6 holes. Conditions were horrible. Greens ok but traps are hard and have weeds In them. There are no fairways just weeds and dirt and uneven ground..This course is not taken care of. I wouldn't golf again if it were free.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 12
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Good value

It's a cool course. Just wish it didn't feel like off-roading when driving to your ball.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Save your money

Absolutely no maintenance whatsoever on this course.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Ugh

Gopher holes, dirt, weeds, and the bumpiest course I’ve ever been on. With all the rain we had this winter, why didn’t they seed the fairways and grow some grass ? I will not be playing this course again due to the complete absence of maintenance.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Not Great

The fairways on this course are not great. You are not rewarded for hitting fairways on this course. You could very well have a lie on top of huge patches of crab grass or bare dirt. The fairways are quite lumpy too. Driving a cart down the middle of the fairway feels like off-roading. Make sure you have your belongings secure when riding around; often things can fly out of the cart. I also found a couple of head covers while playing — probably fell out of the carts for the reasons stated above.

On other hand, the greens were in decent condition. The speed of the greens were pretty slow, but the balls rolled pretty true.

The layout of the course is a little scary. On a couple, few holes, tee boxes are facing each other on separate holes. A shanked shot could prove to be dangerous.

The pace of play was slow on this day. It may be different on other days. But we hand to wait to tee off on every hole.

Lastly, on the upside, the staff was friendly and very helpful. The price of the round $44 is probably what would justify me coming back; maybe on a weekday afternoon. So I don’t have to wait so long for the people in front.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Got what we paid for.

Cheap course that needs more upkeep.

We had fun but the fairways are in fair to poor shape.

Lost several balls in gopher holes.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Review

Staff was extremely friendly! Driving the carts down the fairway was very bumpy.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 27
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
First Time Playing

Terrible conditions, but you get what you pay for.

Course needs a lot of maintenance work. Overgrown rough, fairways were ok, greens were surprisingly good. Staff super nice. Bathrooms looked like they hadn’t been cleaned since the 90s. A little mowing would go a long way here. Otherwise, this was a straightforward course that’s worth the money for a casual round. Great for practice. Carts could use a good hosing down too.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great value for money

Great place of play - I pay there frequently. The rough is a tough as the balls may get lost in it. Otherwise, I'll continue to play there

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 10
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Worst course I have played to date.

This is the worst course I have ever played at. The fairway is ate up. Every lye was in dirt or crabgrass. Even if you hit it in the middle of the fairway, you’re still most likely going to be on some uneven overgrown dirt or grass if you’re lucky. The whole course was backed up even though we had a 6:40 tee time. It took nearly 6 hours to finish. The pro shop was bare bones as it gets. The breakfast burrito wasn’t bad, I’ll give them that. Hole 16 we had huge construction trucks drive across the fairway. Then they were reversing for about a minute with the loud backup horn beeping. And then as soon as they stopped reversing they started blasting mariachi music at full volume. I will never return to this garbage course. If you have to choose between playing here or not playing, stay home!

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
2.0
Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 47
Skill Beginner
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 11
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Worth the money

The overall layout for this course wasn’t as bad as I had read. The tee boxes could use a lil love as well as the fairways but it’s very playable and worth the price. The greens were in good condition as well. Pace of play was good although many of the holes are tight and right on top of each other so you will have other players in your fairway hitting their approach shot but it’s not a big deal. We got asked by the marshal to pick up the pace on a 372 par 4, with the group in front of us just getting on the green, and 2 separate groups in our fairway. Kinda funny but I like the efforts. Definitely will play this course again.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
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