Journey at Pechanga

Course is in private course condition. It's a bit tough, but if you play your appropriate tees it's manageable. Quite fun layout, and some really picturesque holes. Pace of play was fast we finished in 3:45. Find a good deal and go play this gem.

I enjoyed everything about this course, even the name Pechanga. Go ahead, you know you want to say it:

P-E-C-H-A-N-G-A!

I drove down from Nor Cal for some business in Temecula. My partner and I played the 1st twilight (1:30pm) on a Sunday afternoon and didn't encounter another player until a single passed thru on 13 and that was only because my partner doubled back to look for a couple of lost clubs.

Here's what you get:

- Every hole is completely different, running the gamut of forced carries, fabulous vistas and numerous elevation changes. - Fairways, greens and tee boxes were impeccable. Numerous great views above Temecula.

- One of the most beautiful water hazards I've ever hit across. It's a picturesque, babbling brook emptying into a large pond.

I had the pleasure of interacting with the pro shop, the starter, beverage cart girl as well as the food staff at the turn. Everyone was extremely nice and helpful to my partner and me. I had been running about 5 minutes late for my tee time and I was met in the parking lot by outside services who loaded my bags into the cart and transported them over to the 1st while I checked in. In addition to this greatness, staffers went out of their way to locate us on 16 to return my partner's clubs she had left behind. I still don't know how they did it being as it was quite late on a Sunday and we were the only ones out there!? Just part of the magic of Pechanga I suppose!

I previously read someone refer to one of the holes as gimmicky. Personally, I love the challenge of hitting off elevated tee boxes into distant fairways. I don't understand who wouldn't, but everyone has different tastes.

If you don't enjoy the challenge of target golf, I might suggest the more open expanse of Cross Creek which is 25 minutes or so to the north.

For a course that's as fun as it's name, get out and play P-E-C-H-A-N-G-A !!

The course was in immaculate condition and greens were running true but every hole is hard. If you're not an above average golfer you're gonna have a rough round. Very little room for error, especially of the tee. The par 3's are long and there are a good number of elevated tee boxes. #6 is a pretty ridiculous hole with an enormously high elevated tee box.. Great photo op but a very gimmicky hole. I would play here again but not at full price. The majority of workers were great but you get a little snooty attitude from a few. Its golf though thats not rare.

The good? Staff were very friendly and helpful. The course was in great condition. It was also a challenge with lots of elevation changes and undulating greens. The bad? Pace of play. We teed off at 8:30 am and waited on every shot. A 5+ hour round. The course is quirky. Very good shots can end up with bad results. Enjoyed the day but not sure I'll be in a hurry to play again.

Played this course as i had a voucher from underpar.com. Staff is very friendly and the course was in great shape. Awsome views form various parts of the course. Greens were fast but rolled true. Pace of play was average.

Cart path only in December after noon. Ridiculous. Took five hours to play with only 80 round day. Give me a break

I can't say enough about how enjoyable my visit was. The entire staff -- from the Pro Shop to the starter, the clubhouse attendants and on to the beverage cart and snack shop personnel -- could not have been more pleasant. And, the course itself was in such excellent condition that one would be totally unaware of the current drought in Southern California.

The second part of the front nine, and holes 17 and 18, offer spectacular visuals and vertiginous paths between holes. (Fortunately, it probably never rains in this neck of the woods or the liability insurance premiums would be ridiculous.) The GPS on our cart worked well and took a lot of guesswork out of strategy and club selection.

The fact that it was a windy Sunday probably accounts in part for the smooth pace of play -- we were told that there were only 75 people on the course, while the previous day was near 200. Given the difficulty of many of the holes and the distances between some of the hole, plus the many photo ops afforded, the pace on a busy day might not be as good.

I highly recommend Journey at Pechanga

I have played this course about 40 times. It's my top 5 favorite course in SoCal. The reasons? The course, the fairways are really great to hit off of. Rough can be difficulty but always seems "fair". Greens are in good shape (the afternoon can get full of divots, certain golfers don't repair!) I have played the course a lot so I can see some might think they are difficult... The ball rolls away from the mountains lol. Bunkers consistent meaning no "hard pans" or different sands. The layout is solid except for #9. A huge Oak that you must go right of and too right is OB. Journey is not for those that don't like "carries" off the tee. The cart ride itself is awesome if you actually it in during the round.

The staff is awesome! From the GM Scott on down. Never have had a bad experience...ever. Awesome cart girls too!

Th practice area is unmatched in SoCal. I have stayed at Pechanga and went to the range with 3-4 clubs...free for guests!

Finally, Journey's End, the 19th hole! Awesome views and service with TVs to watch sports after the round.

I played here on a Sunday with 7 buddies using an UnderPar coupon for unlimited golf. The course was beautiful and in great shape, but the golf staff was terrible. I have played well over 250 golf courses in my life from the best to the worst, and I have never experienced anything like what happened the day we played. When I arrived in the morning, I was putting my shoes on in the parking lot and the cart attendant came out and asked if he could take my clubs. I said sure, thanks. Then he saw I had a cooler in my trunk and asked if he could take that too, so again I sure. I go inside to the pro shop to check in and met Kevin, who seemed less than happy to see us. He wasn't rude but not pleasant or friendly at all. After checking in I went out to the cart area to get my clubs and head to the range to warm up. Our bags were on carts ready to go but my cooler was missing. I asked the kid who took it where my cooler was, and he said its in the pro shop office, that there was beer in it and they don't allow outside alcohol. I asked how he knew there was beer inside and he said that he looked. I looked at my friends shocked and said why didn't you just say so in the parking lot instead of taking it and then confiscating it. He had no answer. So I went back into the pro shop and told Kevin that my cooler was there somewhere and I wanted it back. He replied you can have it back after your round. I said I had other things in there that I needed and he said, there is nothing in there you need and you can't have it back. I said there was an apple and snacks too and I wanted them and would put the cooler back in the car. He said again in a very rude tone, nope you can't have it back until after the round. I was dumbfounded! Instead of having a big argument over a cooler and risk getting kicked off the property I let it go.

Once on the course, the beverage cart girl was non-existent for the first 7 holes, and once she did arrive she was nice but the beer selection was awful, which she acknowledged. If you like water beer such as Coors Lite and Bud Light you're in luck, the premium beer was Newcastle.

Once we finished our 1st round we wanted to play a 2nd in the afternoon. Keven told us to check back with him at 1:50 that at this time it was open but if someone else (I assume meaning a new paying customer) booked the tee time then they would bump us.

Fortunately that didn't happen and we teed off at 1:50 for our second round, but not before having more trouble with the golf staff. We wanted to play from the Copper "back" tees for this round. The starter Bob immediately wanted to know why and what our handicaps were. I told him we were all single digit players and he said "there is a big difference between a 2 and a 9 handicap" . I explained to him we were all around 5-6. He was not happy and said we that would not have fun and that we had to keep up or else. I explained we would be just fine and knew how to keep the pace of play. Two of our friends didn't play again so we only had 6 players and we went out as 2 threesomes. They put a single out last minute just before we teed off which was fine.

As our 1st group was teeing off I noticed the clubhouse manager come out of the clubhouse and watch us hit our tee shots on #1 (the steps from the clubhouse are right at the base of the back tees on the 1st hole). He seemed very interested and not happy. I presume he was there to make sure we looked like we were could play good enough from the tips, and didn't say anything,

During our second round we got backup up on the 6th tee box, as our 1st group was waiting on the single they put out! There was nobody behind us so we figured if a single player couldn't play faster than a threesome, that we would just play the rest of the round as a six-some, which we did. Not only did we keep up we played through another foursome at the turn, a Korean group who looked a bit shocked when they allowed us to play thought and we had 6 players! We assured them they would not wait for us and they didn't, we left them in the dust.

The course is great (not worth $250) but $80-$100 definitely, just beware of the grumpy staff. As for playing the Copper Tees (7200+yrds) it is not that difficult, and does not play near that long as many of the shots are way down hill and down wind. There was only one of two shots where a 220+ carry was needed but if you can do that it is not that tough.

The bar and restaurant were great and the beer selection and staff were much better too!

I give the Journey at Pechanga a definite thumbs-up, Roger Ebert style. There are reasons I can see why some golfers don't necessarily like it. A few greens might need to be toned down. A couple trees in the middle of fairways might deserve a chain saw. It's a target golf test that probably should be played from the white tees by 90 percent of golfers. Looking at the total package, though - from the food in the "Journey's End" clubhouse to the service at the bag drop and the conditions on the course - this is a first-rate resort experience. The holes 300 feet above the casino look spectacular, even if they are a bit penal. The tee shot from the elevated sixth tee feels like it takes 10 minutes to come down.
There are too many highlights to list - holes 5-6-10-17-18 are all photogenic and fun. If you want to give yourself the best shot to score well, make a morning tee time. Anybody who tees off after 11 a.m. will encounter the swirling winds that kick up every afternoon.

First off, paid $65 twilight, which is a great deal considering what you get here. The course was in excellent condition and many holes are a good test of player ability. I like that there are no homes around the course and is in a scenic setting with a fair amount of oaks lining fairways and in the middle of a couple. Holes are spread out on certain parts of the course making for long drives from one green to the next tee. Our round was 5 plus hours, but think that had more to do with the 2 hackers we were with than too many players on the course. I personally liked the Native American histories that GPS gave from hole to hole, although most will find it annoying. The big knock I have with this track is on a couple of holes, tees sit stories above the fairway, and although the views are striking, the tee shots required are pretty ridiculous. That aside, the course is among the best tracks in So Cal and absolutely worth a trip out to play.