Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club

Played the Golds (6052/70.0/129) in 4H, 25M using Forelinx. Played as a 2some with Doug, very fun guy to play with from Chicago. The POP was slowed by CPO a day after the rains. We were 1st off, the weather was chilly for the 1st 5 holes but had warmed up in the 70's by the time we were finishing.

I am not a fan of par 70 layouts, but this one is better than most par 70's. All 5 par 3's are good to excellent IMO. Some tight holes, especially on the front, with plenty of OB & water to keep you in line. No driving range, they have 4 stalls for you to hit balls into a net to warm up. Subpar practice putting green, small and sloped made it challenging to practice normal putts with even a few people on there at the same time.

The tees were decent, only a few par 3's needed divot repair.

The fairways were tough to rate. 95% of the fairway area is immaculate, lush with great lies. However, there is another 5% that was hardpan and marked as GUR, with no middle ground. In a foot you could range from great or poor on numerous fairways.

The rough was lush, thick and VERY penal when wet. You rarely see rough like this in So Cal the past few years, even finding your ball was a challenge. Tough to advance more than short irons out of this thick stuff.

The sand quality was excellent. Very well maintained.

The greens were just punched yesterday with small holes, so my numerical rating will be lower than the course would have likely gotten a few days ago. Firm, medium speed but bumpy as you would expect. No top dressing, just medium sized cores. They look nice from afar, but it was disappointing to putt on greens that had been aerated the day before.

The customer service was excellent from the Pro Shop to the Starter to the Attendant who cleaned your clubs after the round. After seeing this layout a 2nd time, I like the course. Sneaky tough but not nearly as much ocean scenery as you might expect considering the courses proximity to the ocean. However, on the few holes you do have an ocean view, it is stunning. Recommended = Yes, if you can get a deal but not worth their rack rate.

The weather was perfect, in the 70's with a little wind. Played with JohnnyGK, Jerry64 & Jerinthebox. My 1st time playing here, we played the Golds (6052/70.0/129) in 4h, 20m, enjoyed the round with these guys. While I am not a fan of par 70 layouts, this one was good overall. Some tight holes, especially on the front, with plenty of OB & water to keep you honest. I especially liked the five par 3's. Not nearly as much ocean scenery as you might expect considering the courses proximity to the ocean, but on the few holes you do have an ocean view, it is stunning. No driving range, they have 4 stalls for you to hit balls into a net to warm up. Subpar practice putting green, small and sloped made it challenging to practice normal putts with even a few people on there at the same time. The tees were only average for a high end course, most of the par 3's needed divot repair. The fairways were tough to rate. Large areas were immaculate, lush with great lies. However, there was another 10% that was thin and could have been marked GUR in a tournament. Very good overall that would have been excellent "but for" the poorer areas on many holes. The rough was penal. Usually lush, occasionally thin. Not real long, but the ball would nestle down and tough to even see your ball in the rough unless you were up close. Most of the lies I had in the rough were a 1/2 shot penalty, tough to advance more than short irons with any degree of certainty. The sand quality was excellent, and I was in a 1/2 dozen traps, so I should know. Very well maintained. Only complaint would be that several could have used more sand, they were inconsistent in the depth of the sand. The greens were firm and medium fast. I really liked the greens here, I generally saw the lines well and the speed, texture and firmness was very consistent from green to green. I rated them an 8/10 and strongly considered a 9/10, which I rarely give. The customer service was excellent. Pro Shop & restaurant facilities were top notch. We had happy hour snacks/drinks afterward, and those prices were reasonable. However, regular prices of $21 for a Breakfast Burrito and $25 for a Hamburger/Soda seem extreme even for an expensive club? Carts had high end GPS systems, but our cart was often saying "GPS not available", so we were playing many holes old school and looking for sprinkler markers. I liked the course, but will not likely be back because even "deals" to play here are around $100 & the course is around 100 miles from my home. Very nice course overall, but it does not justify those prices in my mind.

First off, the track is way over priced at their regular rates. It's a very nice course, just not THAT nice. We got a $80 deal, which when compared to other OC courses, made it a good deal and well worth the play. The course plays short. Good course management is a must on many holes, and requires some creative short making at times. The greens tend to be undulating and require some reading and thought. The course has many bunkers (with real nice soft sand in them, imagine that!) water, and other forced carries. Some of the shorter par 3's give you a chance to recover before you move on to the more challenging par 4's and short par 5's. All in all, definitely worth a play for what we paid.

I loved this course although it might have something to do with the 77 I shot as an 18 handicap. This course is tough with a lot of bunkers and some water in play. The fairways were a bit dried out on most holes due to our drought, but the greens and rough were in excellent shape. I got a good deal on golfnow for $160.00, and while that is expensive, I think it was worth it, due to the location, staff, and great layout. The greens ran true, and fast. Excellent staff that treated you like a private member. Loved it
Make sure and pay attention to your touch screen GPS on the carts, it will give you layup yardages when you touch the spot you need to layup to

Nice course, no practice range, employees are wonderful, it took just under 5 hours to play, on course food and drinks were great. Only two holes along the ocean but the course is challenging.
Play it at least once if you can.

The climax of Monarch Beach happens early in the round - the ocean view near the third green - so it's the course's design (not the scenery) that must hold a player's attention the rest of the day. The flamboyant bunkers of Robert Trent Jones Jr. and a bounty of water hazards - this is SoCal, right? - certainly do the trick. Don't worry that the gold tees look short at 6,052 yards. Those are the right tees for you. This par-70 routing has five par 3s and three par 5s. Think of it this way: If Jones had the space to add 350 yards to super-size a par 3 into a par 5, suddenly there would be a set of 6,400-yard tees that most golfers play from on a daily basis anyway. The trickiest holes are a couple of the par 5s - the hazard-laced seventh and big boomerang left at no. 12. Best of all, the course delivers the same level of service as the St. Regis up the hill.

The greens keeper does a amazing job. The marshals are top notch. The 3rd hole is amazing. However it's no resort course. It's a bit too hard for high handicaps that are unwilling to play forward a tee box or not pick up when it's falling apart.

Course is nice and challenging from the back tees. But, not $200 nice. The greens are not $200 greens. Too many patches, scars, and ball marks (obvious the greens are very soft most of the time). The bunker etiquette was terrible. Every greenside bunker had huge footprints and trenches from people coming and going. Having hitting nets instead of a driving range significantly takes away from the golfing experience especially if you drive a distance to arrive and would like to get loose.
The clubhouse amenities makeup for the course somewhat. Beautiful outdoor patio and indoor restaurant overlooking the course. If you can find a deal to stay and play it is worth it. If you are trying to get a good weekend track there are better courses for the price.

We screamed into the parking lot right at our tee time. The starter asked us to join the 2-some, who were already nearing the 1st green, on the 2nd tee which we did. He said they would work us in later to play # 1. We found the course interesting with a lot of doglegs, bunkering, OB, and some water. The greens were punched and sanded which usually renders greens poorly playable but these greens were remarkably good anyway. The fairways were bare & brown in a few spots but overall conditions were good. This course is a really good option for coastal SoCal which can be very expensive. The starter made good on his offer to get us out on # 1 after our round even though they were booked full. No worries. We will go back for sure. Thanks !

Monarch Beach Golf Links is a very beautiful and challenging course. My wife and I were greeted by a very friendly staff on arrival and throughout the day. The course is well maintained and has very beautiful views of the ocean on holes #3 and #4. After our round , we had lunch on the terrace that over looked the course and veiw of the ocean. The food and veiw was fantastic. This was well worth our drive from Upland. We both thought it was a perfect day.

The staff was accommodating and friendly. Course was in great shape and the greens were outstanding.

Greens were VERY soft. All putts wiggled and did not "roll".

Excellent course in excellent condition. Challenging, however, with multitude of strategically placed bunkers, both around the greens and in the fairways. Traps, though, are in pristine condition and honestly playable. Four tee boxes, ample fairways and large greens, manicured and maintained to perfection, however, allow players of all levels to feel comfortable on the course. Course is laid out on beautifully lush, rolling terrain in the canyons of Dana Point with two holes along the ocean and many with views of the ocean.

Course was well maintained and could not have asked for any more from the staff.

The views were spectacular especially on hole 3 and 4, the green were challenging but not too fast.

Excellent course, liked it as much or more than Torrey Pines. Great mix of holes. Fun for me and my boys and a neighbor who played with us. We all had a great time.

Course is in good shape. Has some great holes. A couple look over the ocean.

Only drawback is no practice facility!

I was on vacation from NJ and found this course on GolfNow for $79. The course and greens are well maintained. The Marshall was out making sure nobody was holding others up. It was a good round just over 4 hours. The greens are nice and quick, but can be read and adjusted to. You'll get your 3 putts, but you're not going to putt anything off the green. Real nice course and I'd play there again my next time out.

Played in early March, so fairways were just starting to turn green. Greens were in great shape. If you like the sand, you will love this place. Bunkers abound! And enough other trouble to make this course a real challenge. Maybe it was the time of year, but I didn't feel it worth the $225 prime-time fee. Fortunately, I played in the p.m. for $139, which it was definitely worth.

Regarding value, I got a "hot deal" for $79 - totally worth it. If you pay the full $185-$210, then it's less of a slam dunk, but the course is very scenic and fun and the staff is very friendly without seeming like they are expecting tips like at some other high-end courses.

Fyi - the course does not have a driving range, just nets. This costs them 1 star in my rating, but otherwise I had no complaints.