Monarch Beach Golf Links

We are locals in the neighboring Ritz Pointe community and have lived here for three years. One of the greatest experiences is the gold staff treating our dogs to goodies as they walk by. As of recent and under new management, staff was asked to stop giving out dog treats. What a shame. All of a sudden we locals felt a change and less cared for. So sad as we walk the path around the community daily. Even sadder to see the golf staff disappointed with this new management decision. Please treat locals and their animals with love and respect. We are YOUR community.

Just finished a round here for the first time… Course is in great shape and each hole is super fun. Would highly recommend this place to any golfer. Staff is super friendly too. Met a staff member named Blake who was really nice and got us pointed in the right direction… and food was really good too all around great experience.

Always a great round. Country Club level views, excellent conditions, wonderful staff. It’s all first class.

Just found my new secret spot. Not only is the course beautiful and in great shape. They have the best half way house. No other course can you get a tri tip sandwich on the fly. Usually you have to sit at a restaurant and be waited on. Not here you can order sit by the fire or keep playing and have a great lunch. If you play you have to have lunch at the café after the fifth or ninth hole. WOW truly impressed with this place.

Breathtaking ocean views. Beautiful course in excellent condition. Greens were challenging, but very fair. Just got brand new carts and great service on the course. Also, attached to St. Regis property so excellent amenities beyond just golf.

I absolutely love Monarch Beach Golf! Insane location with spectacular views, immaculate course conditions, a very friendly staff and it’s reasonably priced compared to other courses in OC. I HIGHLY recommend Monarch Beach Golf!!!

If you’re looking for an exceptional golf course that’s both challenging but also incorporates the laid back relaxing atmosphere Southern California provides Monarch Beach Golf links is the perfect choice. I’ve golfed here a handful of times and from the moment you pull into the lot you are greeted with exemplary service from the valet service and pro shop staff continuing all the way through to the cart attendants service at the end of your round. While out on the course it’s very obvious to see how much they stress maintenance here. Because the course, to me at least, always seems to be in top condition.
Oh! I must add, be sure to give yourself enough time browse the pro shop before or after your round. Who ever runs the shop there sure knows what they are doing! They have a great Men’s selection as well as actually having a wide selection for women as well. And for all you lady golfers out there, you know that is a rarity. They even have some non golf merchandise there too which is pretty awesome!
With all that being said. Course Condition paired with the exceptional service I receive each time I visit, To me it seems like monarch is the recipe for success.

I live in this community and had high hopes that after the economic woes of 2007 Monarch would rebound into a resort destination and a local resource-​so much for dreams. The course conditions have deteriorated while the rates have escalated. As Monarch becomes increasingly focused on first time tourists seeking an oceanside golf experience there is liitle left for avid local golfers.

Place is unreal. Course is in fantastic condition due to putting the water where it counts, views are amazing, service is top notch. Recommend this any day of the week over neighboring Pelican. Loved it.

I don’t write many reviews but here we go.
I was a annual member for three years here. It is just five minutes from my home so very convenient for me. Three years ago the greens were clean and fast. There are a lot of traps so bring your best sand play. but in the last three years many things have changed. The course struggles to be in any kind of really good shape, the pace of play can be slow. They book out the course on many days where annual members have no chance to play. The annual rate has gone up each year from 5,200 the first year to almost 9,000 today, in just three years. At that price it is not worth the money, the price per round is no longer worth giving up your money ahead of time. The greens while good they are no longer great. The sand traps have needed sand and are no longer light and fluffy as they once were. The management cares more for selling out the club for events than taking care of it core annual members, in fact most of the annual members feel that the upper management cares very little for us at all, in fact Eric the General Manager called one of his annual member «a problematic member» for trying to help some folks that were guests of the hotel out, giving them information on Monarch’s 5 hour play guarantee. The staff that we see out on the course and the valets have always met me with welcoming smiles. Sorry but this is no longer a course for me or one I’ll recommend. Read other reviews for an over all option. I hope they feel the loss of their annual members and change their ways, not holding my breath.

Course is in terrible shape. Maintenance on the course is bad. Pace of play is always 5.5 hrs. Fairways are 50% dirt. Management could give a shit about anything as long as they are getting paid. Only people making people coming back are the people working outside. It’s sad to see a good track go to shit.

One of my favorite courses. Beautifully kept and amazing views, great staff. They serve one of the best bloody mary’s I have ever had made with Lava bloody mary mix. Highly recommended!

This course is in amazing condition. Love the ocean views. Pace of play is fine. Maybe a bit slow on Saturday morning but that can be expected anywhere. Service is terrific. My wife and I went to Stonehill at the St Regis after the round. Great day!

Played Monarch Beach today. Haven’t been there in years. What an amazing course. Some very interesting and challenging holes. Somehow I managed to shoot a very good round there. My experience was made extra special by Toni, the cart girl, who exemplifies everything that hospitality and enthusiasm should be. She made us laugh, even after horrific shots. Her bright smile and warm, sincere attitude were a breath of fresh air.

Love this beautiful course.
My boyfriend played an amazing round, while I lounged at St Regis pool and met him for a late lunch. Staff is awesome and the food was amazing
Big shout out to our waiter Robert Felix for his stellar service & friendly attitude!
Will definitely be back for those fish tacos & adorable & delicious little French fry baskets!!!

Though I love this great Golf Course, many, if not all, of the regulars I play with at this course are very disappointed with the extremely poor Green Side Bunkers. (more than 75%)
Along with minimal sand and more concerning is the very hard; crusty & shallow depth creates nothing but a «Challenge» to just get out of them, resulting in lost strokes.
As the beauty and the change of this great course is around 100 bunkers, it forces you to avoid them on your approach shots, just so that you are not facing the menacing green side bunkers.
Repeated requests have been made with acceptance of poor quality followed by
assurances of fixes, but no results as of yet.
With all the good things at this club, including Superb Greens; Great Fairways & Excellent Outside Services & Managemnet Staff, you wonder why Greenside Bunkers
are left in poor conditions for so so long.
Note: About ⁴⁄₅ months ago, a good effort was made to shuffle the hard & crusty sand without adding much of newly needed sand. We strongly believe that Greenside Bunkers MUST be put on some sort of semi– monthly/​monthly rotation.

We had a tee time for 10 am on Friday. First con no driving range although you can warm up hitting into a net if you don’t mind.
The course was incredible for being December and the greens were immaculate. The weather was picture perfect!
We were serviced several times by the cart gals and there was a snack bar at turn but I opted to wait to eat until we finished our round of golf. That was a huge mistake because after we seated ourselves on the outdoor patio and waited a good ten minutes my coworker went inside and was advised they were closed for a private function! No beverages or food after playing cart path only! It’s pathectic that nobody communicated this at the turn and my vendor must have been so embarrassed –I know I would have been if I was entertaining clients.
I left hungry & pissed !!!

It doesn’t matter if the facilities and service is good if Monarch Golf decides to jam a ton of golfers in to make a buck, leaving you to take 6 hrs to play a round.
Came here to bring some of my better clients out for a round of golf. By the 9^th hole some of my guests left due to the 3.5 hr outward nine. The rest left before their round was done because at 6 hours and counting for 18 holes, they had to leave or miss flights and appointments. So I was left embarrassed and apologetic, yet also out hundreds of dollars.
Never again. A professional embarrassment to me and at a large cost.

Played a round this morning here for the first time, the first tee time of the day. Had a foursome at first, with 2 members and another hotel guest. We were told at the pro shop that we could break into 2 separate twosomes after 9 holes to finish up faster if we want and the maintenance crew is done.
The course was in great shape, the greens were nice, but a bit on the slower side since it is a resort course. The fairways are pretty generous and the course had a nice variety of holes. Water is in play in a few holes, but never was too challenging. Played well, enjoyed the staff, and finished in 3 hours after we split into 2 twosomes on the back 9.
Shot one of my best rounds ever and enjoyed the weather, the scenery and the course. The price is a bit high for what the course is, but with some hotel activity credits, it was a reasonable round for what it was. I wish there were more holes that overlooked the Pacific, but still enjoyed everything.
I’d play it again just because I played so well here.

Well, this was certainly the most expensive course I have ever played, and may be the one of the priciest course I ever play. I didn’t pay rack rate, scoring a great discount on top of an already discounted web rate, but it is a pricy course. With the rate, the question is, is it worth the money. And the answer is a qualified no.
Don’t get me wrong, it is a lovely course. I played the day after a rain, at the tail end of a wet month, so the course was a wee bit soggy. There were more than a few muddy lies, but on the whole I can overlook them. The fairways are fairly generous, and off the tee, the course does not qualify as target golf. where the target practice comes into play is in the approach. Most greens are well protected, so either have good control over your approach shots, or get some practice in with your sand wedge. On the plus side, the traps here are really nice (an advantage of being next to the beach), even with all the recent rain.
The greens themselves are fast, with multiple tiers and some really ugly pin placements. It is not that hard to put off the green. Again, even with the weather, these are some of the fastest greens I have played. And with the exception of some bird droppings, the greens are in fantastic shape.
There is a bit of water on the course, and it really comes in to play on two of the par 3s, but beyond that, it is manageable. Fairway traps are also sprinkled about, but they can be managed as well. I guess the key term here is course management. Since it is not overly long, shot placement is more important that length off the tee, and controlling your approach shots can mean the difference between an up and down and double bogey.
So, back to value, and what makes this course worthwhile. The views on a few holes are magnificent. Holes 3 and 4 are on the ocean side of PCH, so you are playing with the beach as a backdrop. No, you are not carrying a cliff onto a point overlooking the Pacific, but the is darn pretty. 18 is also beautiful, heading back in with the ocean as a distant backdrop. The course is very well maintained, but so are other like Talega, Tustin Ranch, Black Gold and Oak Creek. Toss in a few more if you are willing to drive to the IE. Customer care is nice here, with water in the carts (but no GPS) very friendly staff, and a complementary yardage book.
So give me a steep, steep discount, and I will play this course any time. At full rates, however, it isn’t on my list.