COURSE REVIEW

Pelican Hill Golf Club:
Ocean Vistas, Fazio Golf
Highlights Ritzy Layout

By David R. Holland,
Senior Writer

NEWPORT BEACH, CA (Oct. 2, 2002) -- It's hard to imagine that cattle once roamed on the massive Irvine Ranch that is now part of Pelican Hill Golf Club. When you reach the ocean holes and look back up inland, you wonder how Tom Fazio sculpted this course on severely sloping land above Crystal Cove.

The views are spectacular -- vistas of the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island and Newport Harbor with sailboats silhouetting another perfect Southern California sunset on this 36-hole layout.

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It's probably the most sought after public round of golf in the Los Angeles area.

Blooming coral, eucalyptus and pine trees frame the manicured Bermuda fairways where the Ocean South Course descends 300 feet from the clubhouse to a couple of scenic par-3 holes on the sea.

Locals call it the Orange Riviera. Golf Magazine calls them both winners -- the 2002 Top 100 Courses You Can Play List just named the South No. 53 and the North Course No. 91 best in America.

The Ocean South Course, built in 1991, concludes its venture down the hill with a couple of back-to-back par 3s. No. 12 is a 212-yarder called Pelican's Nest and No. 13 is a 121-yarder named Double Trouble because it features two greens separated by a waste bunker. Both holes are surrounded by native vegetation at Pelican Point with its rugged seaside rocks, but you will be gazing upon the mighty Pacific expanse.

Trump Rescues Ocean Trails In the Greater Los Angeles area there are three high-end opportunities to play golf in view of the mighty Pacific Ocean -- Pelican Hill, Monarch Beach and Ocean Trails. Ocean Trails, however, has been beleaguered. It was preparing for grand-opening festivities when a landslide on June 2, 1999, sent its 18th fairway sliding into the Pacific Ocean. The golf course is open however, with 15 holes in play. Mounting expenses to repair the damage sent the course into bankruptcy. Enter Donald Trump, who already layed out about $40 million for courses back east. Trump has announced he will rescue the scenic layout, which includes 75 high-dollar residential lots and 260 acres. Trump says he doesn't want to develop the acreage commercially, but does plan to improve it and build a house for himself. Amazingly, Ocean Trails is the first and only ocean-front golf course in Los Angeles County -- the nearest Pacific Ocean layouts are north to Sandpiper in Santa Barbara and south to Pelican Hill in Newport Beach and Monarch Beach in Dana Point. Ocean Trails contends it is the only golf course in the USA that has ocean views from all 18 fairways. Stay tuned. While Trump thinks it can be another Pebble Beach, some already call Pelican Hill the Pebble Beach of Southern California. -- DRH

Many consider The Ocean North Course, built in 1993, as the more difficult of the two as you negotiate from plateau to plateau with drops through the rugged landscape and over barrancas. It measures 6,856 yards at par 71.

Fazio decided on a change of style for the Ocean North course envisioning a "highland links" feel, protecting much of the land's natural vegetation. Some think it resembles seaside courses you find in Scotland.

This is country club luxury, with complimentary valet parking, in a daily-fee package. But you will pay for it -- $175 on weekdays and $250 on weekends. The 30,000-square foot clubhouse is first class and the area includes some of the most expensive real estate in Orange County.

"Pelican Hill is definitely luxury golf, but not to be missed for the avid golfer," said Ralph Montgomery of nearby Irvine. "It may be too pricey for many, but I try to play here at least once a year. Visitors from all over the world play here and it is easy to know why once you see the views. The golf is very challenging and the conditions are excellent."

Quick Start is the name of the opening hole on the North Course. It is a 489-yard uphill par-5 with a huge landing area and the downhill Postage Stamp is the second, a 189-yard par 3, framed by white-sand bunkers.

No. 7 on the North is the No. 1 handicap hole and brings you to the Canyon Edge, its namesake. It is a 451-yard, par-4 beauty. There is a pot bunker that divides the fairway 220 yards out and if you plunk one in there, bogey is the norm.

Pelican Hill is not gentle resort golf -- it is a stern enough test to have hosted the Diners Club Matches for the PGA, Senior Tour and LPGA players.

Pelican Hill Golf Club
22651 Pelican Hill Road South
Newport Coast, CA 92657
Telephone: 949-759-5180
or 800-529-6553.

Green Fees:

$175 weekdays, $250 weekends. Twilight, $99, weekdays, $135 weekends. Includes GPS. Range, $6-12.

Directions from North:

Take the 405 South (or the 5 South to the 55 South) to the 73 South Toll Road. Exit at Newport Coast Drive and pay the $1.00 toll. Continue on Newport Coast Drive heading West, toward the ocean. At Pelican Hill Road South, turn right.

The driving range is not at the clubhouse. The clubhouse and golf courses are located 1/8 mile up Pelican Hill Road South on your left.

Awards

Golf Magazine's Top 100 You Can Play List. Golf Magazine's Best Public Access Course. Golf Digest's Best Places to Play for Women.

Golf Digest ranked the South Course (formerly known as the Ocean Course) as the ninth best public course in California and the 30th best in the United States.

Golf Digest lists the North Course (first known as the Links Course) as the No. 5 best public course in California and No. 40 best in the USA.

Orange County's Golf Coast:

The folks at Orange County: California's Golf Coast have their own internet address at www.occgolf.com for information about planning your golf trip to Orange County or call 800-555-1982.

Where to Stay

The Hyatt Newporter, located at Jamboree Drive and Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway), was the site of the 1953 Boy Scout National Jamboree, where more than 50,000 Boy Scouts camped out in tents.

Today, the tents are gone, and the grounds are covered with palm trees and natural trails -- ideal for scenic walks, jogging and cycling. Back Bay Drive, a five-mile nature trail for cycling or jogging, parallels the ecological preserve of Newport Bay. Bicycles are available for cycling to nearby Balboa Island, Newport Harbor or the beach. Volleyball, shuffleboard and table tennis are all available on-site.

The Hyatt Newporter also has a nine-hole executive par-three golf course named Back Bay, and is a perfect place for a family, including small children, to learn the game or sharpen skills of the short game. You also have access to 16 lighted tennis courts, spa facilities, sauna and whirlpool.

The Hyatt Newporter,
1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach,
CA 92660. Phone: 949-729-1234, Fax: 949/644-1552,
Sales Fax: 949/759-3253.
Internet: www.hyattnewporter.com/hyatt_home.cfm.

Where to Dine at The Hyatt Newporter

The Hyatt Newporter features the Jamboree Grill, Knuckles Historical Sports Bar, The Lobby Bar-Cigar and Martini Lounge.