This course would usually be off limits for us with a normal green fee of $209.00 per person.  However, we “sniffed in” on what I believe is their annual promotional rate.  I hope it lives up to its hefty price tag.

Monarch Beach Golf Links: Dana Point, CA

The view from the Monarch Beach Golf Links (www.monarchbeachgolf.com/index.php) clubhouse is most definitely promising.  The clubhouse staff are super hospitable and accommodating.  The cool, overcast weather has us anxious to get out there.

Hole 1

This hole isn’t easy with a narrow window to avoid “the beach”.  I have a feeling this may be a common and overused hazard on this course.

The St. Regis Monarch Beach Hotel & Resort

I’m playing the silver tees whereas Bella is playing the jade tees.  The golf carts have nicely padded seats and top-of-the-line GPS units but at yesterday’s round at Oak Quarry they were newer and even more cushioned with top-notch GPS as well.  I don’t recall seeing USB plug-ins on golf carts but they are standard issue here.

“Woody” Shuttle Bus

Only in a beach town…

Hole 3: Signature Hole

This par 4 hole is spectacular with the beach (not a sand trap) just over the traps shown.

Beach next to hole #3

The golf portion (i.e. clubhouse, bathrooms etc.) of the resort is showing a bit of wear and tear.  However, properties can get beat up pretty quickly and I’ve found this to be fairly common even in four and five star resorts.  It’s not like we can expect them to do remodeling every five years, correct?

Beach at hole #3

I’m beginning to feel somewhat like we “jumped the shark” after hole number three.  Would I be saying this if their standard rate were $59 and not $209?  No, but the reality is that their “standard rate” = $209.00 per person.  This course isn’t as diverse and interesting as any of our favorites which include: Black Gold; Coyote Hills; Arroyo Trabuco; Talega; The Crossings and Champions Club at The Retreat.

They love sand at Monarch Beach

Shock-HER!  At least the sand is an appealing light color, soft and powdery.  They have a large groundskeeping crew working today and the most beat-up fairways have no cart access today which I fully support.

Build-Your-Own Albacore Tuna Bowl

You can select from a wide variety of healthy options such as: avocado, cucumber, onions, celery etc.

Beat-up Fairways not Uncommon

I didn’t expect to see so many browned out or beat-up fairways at this price point.  I’m guessing this may be why now (end of summer) is the time they offer their annual half-off rate.  Some may use the “public course” excuse but so is Torrey Pines and for a similar rate I know Torrey is in better condition than this.  But then again, that girl “Torrey” has a countrywide and beyond reputation for having pretty stunning looks.

“Mooooooooooo”…

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen and blogged about a fun sculpture in a homeowner’s backyard on a golf course.

Back nine: Elfie’s approach shot

On hole ten I begin a mini-run of four holes with either a par or a birdie.  This isn’t common for me since I play “maybe” once per week and practice “maybe” once every 2 weeks.

I consider myself an above average putter and I am putting quite well today but I don’t feel like the majority of the greens here are as challenging as the toughest Southern California courses.  I’m finding some nice lies on the green but I’m not feeling like I’m at Black Gold — that is for sure.  At Black Gold, three-putting is deemed a “good day” as a true amateur.

I sunk this 25-30 foot putt for “bird dog”…

Ignore the ball on the LEFT of this par 5 hole.  From the camera’s position, this downhill putt had some last-second left to right movement as it approached the cup.

Here I “sharded it” into the trees…

I tried not to think or speak about my mini-run but of course I did eventually think about it and I launched my tee shot into the trees on the left.  Thus, the run came to a crashing end.

“Chickens” Chilling on the Edge

As we’re getting toward the end of our round I conclude that although this is a nice course I firmly believe the zip code is the main reason driving up the high greens fees.  If I can pay $59.00 to $79.00 and play other pretty courses with more diversity between holes such as Black Gold, Talega, Oak Quarry or The Crossings, why would I choose to play here?  I’m not wealthy enough to use laziness or avoiding the heat as valid excuses.

Back nine: Par 3 hole

Another con for me is that I seek out as much eye candy (i.e. terrain, homes, wildlife, plant life, water etc.) on a course as I can take in and the tract homes on this course are super boring to look at.  I’ve noticed before when driving through this area that even the exterior paint colors appear to be identical as if these detached homes were condo communities.  The HOA’s must be ruthlessly conservative in this area.  That is one thing that is really gross about much of South Orange County.  You won’t have this problem at The Champions Course at Omni La Costa which is a really nice play and is surrounded by custom homes which add to the visual splendor.

Too often in South Orange County there is very little creativity with seemingly 48 shopping centers all named — “Town Center”.  One of the exceptions is the artist’s town of Laguna Beach where there is a great deal of diverse and interesting architecture, color and creativity is not in short supply.

Hole #18

I left my putt 2 inches short on the 18th hole so my birdie turned into a par to end my round.  Regardless, 4 pars and a birdie on the back nine is pretty “golden” for me.

“Golf Board” Golf Carts

We do a free re-play of the front 9 holes with a couple of other golfers (who are also on a re-play).  They are surfing their way up and down hills across the course.  I’m not sure we’re ready for that yet but it sure looks fun.

In summary, their service level at Monarch Beach Golf Links is the best we’ve seen.  And we certainly had a very good time here and enjoyed our round of golf.  Even though I heard very little about this course, I suppose it is somewhat like when everyone builds up how great a movie is and then you see it and it can’t possibly live up to all the hype.

In this particular case I made the ASSumption that for this kind of coin it should be very, memorable, be superbly maintained and border on being magnificent.  For me, it didn’t meet the mark on any.

THE END!!!