Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel

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.

One of several courses on a recent trip. In better condition than Maderas ( a more difficult course that I also really liked). We played for $75. Fantastic value. Course was in super condition for time of year ( one of the best) and was very playable. 2 Nice Holes out on a small loop by the ocean. The whole course had a Nice feel. Practice facilities limited to 3 nets and a chip/putt Green next to clubhouse. Staff in clubhouse and pro shop very friendly. I recommend this course.

I suspect course conditions are more pristine later in season, but was plenty nice for February golf. Value for the money is GREAT when opportunity exists to leverage GolfNow. Debatable if value lives up to advertised green fees of $185. Lots of sand, and super challenging greens (rolling at 13 the day we played, though they told us 11 was typical speed). Lots of undulation/breaks. Don't get caught above the hole. I am an 11 handicapper and shot 87/84 from the gold tees. Stay out of sand (unless you like it) and below the hole on greens and it's a scorable course. I took advantage of $50 replay rate. Loved the signature 3rd hole and ocean view...but that was the only hole along the water.

Flew in from CT for business and picked up a great $90 rate here and it was the best money I've ever spent on a course. The moment you arrive the valet will take care of your bags and car. Pro Shop was very friendly and helpful and they have a nice locker room to change. The starter provided a lot of helpful course information and the pace of play was great - not the pressure you feel from the angry golfers back east. The greens are tough but I knew that going in. One par 5 on the front 9 was about as difficult as I've ever played but this course was so good I smiled the entire way ... Love it and can't wait to go back!

Overall excellent course and location. We played at a quick pace and no waiting on any hole

The friendliest staff in the OC. Course had some issues in the past, but fairways are in much better shape! Greens always excellent, and running true @ 11.5. Remember a par 70 course- land is a premium on this coast.The 5 par 3's are always a treat.
Keep up the maintenance, and this is a must play.

Beautiful ocean views on several holes with 2 holes right along the coastline. Very fast, undulating greens make this course challenging. The GPS on the carts is very helpful and the staff was super friendly and accommodating. A great value for the golfnow price.

I'm an east coast golfer and this was just the trick to get me through the difficult winter. Conditions were excellent (played in Feb), and I got a great rate. What an amazing view on #3, worth half the price on its own. Staff couldn't have been friendlier. Played with a former collegiate player who plays there a lot, showed me around the course. The only thing I didn't really like was the warm up cages instead of a driving range, it's a little deceptive online, kinda looks like they have a range, but definitely not. Minor quibble in an otherwise great experience (even the lunch was great!).

This is not a course that I would have played had it not been for Golfnow.com. The price was amazing for what this course has to offer. It is everything and more! Even in the dead of Southern California's winter, the grass is only mildly dormant and the greens are perhaps the most challenging I have encountered. Breath taking views with the signature hole right on the beach. The staff was extremely welcoming and helpful. Pace of play made us feel like we were the only group on the course. Not something that generally happens in these parts.
Thank You Monarch Beach!
We will be back very soon.

We played 6 courses in a week and we all liked this course the best [over La Costa, Torrey Pines and Trump National].

I love playing this course! I have played it over 10 times now and it never gets old. The new owners are bringing it back to its former glory. Conditions are excellent and the customer service is top notch! Can't wait to come back.

Played the back tees, and the course offers a good blend of long par 4's, par 3's. Only a few holes where you can get pelted from the other fairway.

Greens are difficult and were running 10 -11, and in best shape I have seen in the area.

Carts have GPS, which is more of a nuisance, constantly offering up advertising. ARE YOU HUNGRY.

All staff was great

Not worth the big bucks unless all you care about are the ocean views. Get a discount before you go.

If you're getting the GolfNow deal of $79 at peak hour on a weekday, this is a great course. I wouldn't pay the full price of $185, but it's definitely worth the $79. Beautiful views, greens were in great shape, and a solid, challenging layout.

Overall course condition was very good. Greens were super slick. Combined with the amount of undulation made for a difficult day for many golfers around the green, this frustration was directly related to the players shortgame skill. I saw one golfer 5 putt and then pick up. I'm a 7 hndcp and had five 3 putts. A couple of the pin locations were questionable with the speed of the greens. However, the greens rolled smooth and consistant. Pace of play was slow mainly because of how nice the greens were. Staff was great except for the oldest of the outside help, maybe he's more friendly in the afternoons. Price at $94 was fair. Being a resort course, the concession prices were very high as can be anticipated.

Monarch Beach is a beautiful course with plenty of challenging holes, especially for a novice like me. Anytime you can hear the thunder of waves crashing as you play through a couple of holes is a bonus. The staff are incredibly professional and attentive from the pro shop out to the parking lot.

The only complaint was that there were large flocks of migratory waterfowl that made a mess of where ever they decided to hang out, especially noticeable on the greens. This is a seasonal issue and they are looking for a solution. Being from Texas I offered a couple of suggestions that may not fly here in California.

I would recommend this course to a friend and would play it again, assuming I can get a similar deal. The GolfNow price was lower by $5.00 than the specials that my partners paid.

Make sure to check-in with your FourSquare app for a buy one get one special for MBGC logo-ed hats.

Anytime you can get out on Monarch for $90 you have to do it.