Starting in the North, in the foothills of Orange County, the OC Golf Trail begins with a course designed by Cal Olsen and the PGA legend, Payne Stewart. Coyote Hills, just minutes north of the Disneyland and Anaheim Convention center area, is hidden away in a valley setting protected from the surrounding development. It offers elegant waterfalls, great views and some exciting tee shots from numerous elevated tee boxes. This golf course plays well for both the average and the single digit handicapper.

A little farther to the East is one of Orange Counties newest golf courses, built and managed by the City of Yorba Linda. Black Gold, designed by Arthur Hills is tucked way up in the foothills, a rugged and challenging course with great views of the lowlands.

Our next course, Tustin Ranch golf course is just south of the Disneyland area off the interstate 5. Designed by Ted Robinson, Tustin Ranch is all grass, boundary to boundary, with well treed fairways, very walkable and all meticulously maintained. There is ample room in the fairways for the average golfer to get a chance to score, but watch out for the complex tiered greens!

Now, heading South on 55, South again on 405 just past the Orange County airport, you will find Strawberry Farms Golf Course. The par-71, 6,700 yard golf course is set amid canyons and wetlands, offering picturesque vistas across the 35-acre reservoir, large rolling greens surrounded by wildlife and natural vegetation and scenic hills studded with granite boulders and natural waterfalls. Developed by Doug DeCinces, former California Angel third baseman, Strawberry Farms Golf Club will challenge your game off the tee box so don’t think you can hit a homer out in right field!  

Next, we’ll head west and south to the famous Monarch Beach Golf Course. The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort and Spa has recently been ranked "The #43 Golf Resort in North America, the Caribbean, Ireland and Scotland" by Conde Nast Traveler's Readers Poll on the top 100 golf resorts. This Robert Trent Jones II course opened in 1983 and is a must for golfers who love to play in sight of the Pacific Ocean. You can see the misty blue on 12 of the 18 holes and on two holes you are right there, hearing the surf crash and gazing at Catalina Island or the myriad of seagoing vessels, from sailboats to tall ships. Monarch Beach is host to the Hyundai Team Championships where 24 touring Pros from the PGA, Senior PGA and LPGA tee it up for two days of match play.

Heading east from Monarch Beach we finish up our OC Golf Trail tour at a 30 yr. favorite for Orange County residents, San Juan Hills. Nestled in the rolling hills of San Juan Capistrano, close to the oldest mission in California, the course is located right at the southern end of Orange County. Recently purchased by a local group, the course sports new greens and even better overall conditions than in the past.  San Juan Hills provides an affordable and enjoyable round of golf.

GOOD GOLFING!