The best courses you can play in San Juan Capistrano, California
Course Vaults is a golf course logging app where members have logged 16,956 rounds in California and rate what they played. These are the 22 highest-rated public courses within about 25 miles of San Juan Capistrano, California, ranked by those community scores.

Ocean North
The Resort at Pelican Hill
Newport Coast, CA, USAPublicTom Fazio
- 4.1Conditions
- 4.2Layout
- 2.5Value
- 4.9Scenery
- 3.5Facilities
Layout was top notch with ocean scenery as the backdrop for most of the holes. Difficult track, even in the fairway it would frequently be an uphill/downhill lie. Greens were lightning fast. Played at twilight for $175 about a year ago - saw rounds going for $400+ now.
Written by
@KirklandBomber
- Driving range
- Views
- By water

Ocean South
The Resort at Pelican Hill
Newport Coast, CA, USAPublicTom Fazio
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 2.4Value
- 4.8Scenery
- 3.3Facilities
Has a couple unique golf holes. Some holes are just ok. I prefer the north course as it seems to be a touch more difficult. Still incredible views.
Written by
@tigertaylor
- Pristine
- Views
- Driving range

The Ranch at Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach, CA, USAPublicGary Roger Baird
- 3.5Conditions
- 4.2Layout
- 4.5Value
- 4.5Scenery
- 4.9Facilities
- Hidden gem
- Restaurant
- Bar

Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club
Mission Viejo, CA, USAPublicTom Lehman
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 3.0Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.5Facilities
Great track weaving through a canyon. Back 9 was gorgeous, especially the last two finishing holes. Difficult, but fair course.
Written by
@KirklandBomber

San Clemente Municipal Golf Club
San Clemente, CA, USAPublicWilliam Francis Bell
- 2.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 5.0Value
- 5.0Scenery
- 5.0Facilities
Awesome piece of property, very solid use of the land. Good layout and good conditioning, everything a Muni should be
Written by
@nxttw4sho
- Hidden gem
- Walkable
- Driving range

Tustin Ranch Golf Club
Tustin, CA, USAPublicTed Robinson
- 3.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 3.5Facilities
Resort Style course. Pretty fun. Can be bland on some holes. Usually in pretty good condition.
Written by
@tigertaylor

Monarch Beach Golf Links
Dana Point, CA, USAPublicRobert Trent Jones, Jr.
- 3.6Conditions
- 3.3Layout
- 2.2Value
- 4.4Scenery
- 2.9Facilities
Goofy and stupid routing, but incredibly enjoyable with the ocean and Dana Point as a backdrop. Great greens.
Written by
@shahbaz-hashmi
- Views
- By water
- Bar

Tijeras Creek Golf Club
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, USAPublicTed Robinson Sr.
- 3.0Conditions
- 2.7Layout
- 2.7Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 2.8Facilities
This course had some pretty cool holes, especially on the back 9. However I don’t know if it was enough to justify the price tag, there’s other similar courses for cheaper at peak times that I’d rather play.
Written by
@KirklandBomber

Oak Creek Golf Club
Irvine, CA, USAPublicTom Fazio
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.4Layout
- 2.6Value
- 2.8Scenery
- 3.2Facilities
If the conditions are dialed in, this place is a steal. Course flows well, offers variety and is fun to play. Solid choice if you need to take clients somewhere. Close to SNA airport.
Written by
@Lazstradamus
- Challenging
- Driving range

Talega Golf Club
San Clemente, CA, USAPublicFred Couples & Brian Curley
- 3.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
- Challenging

Strawberry Farms Golf Club
Irvine, CA, USAPublicJim Lipe
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.3Layout
- 2.7Value
- 3.7Scenery
- 3.1Facilities

Eagle Glen Golf Club
Corona, CA, USAPublicGary Baird
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 2.3Facilities

San Juan Hills Country Club
San Juan Capistrano, CA, USAPublicHarry Rainville & David Rainville
- 1.5Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities

The Classic
Mile Square Golf Course
Fountain Valley, CA, USAPublic
- 3.5Conditions
- 3.1Layout
- 3.0Value
- 2.9Scenery
- 2.8Facilities
Convenient location on the positive tip. Repetitive layout on the negative front.
Written by
@Lazstradamus
- Walkable

Los Lagos
Costa Mesa Country Club
Costa Mesa, CA, USAPublicWilliam Francis Bell & Ron Fream
- 3.5Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 2.0Value
- NRScenery
- 3.7Facilities
5 hr round any day of the week. Best to be the first one out, more difficult and longer than its sister course. Longer par 3s, enjoyable for a casual weekday afternoon to see how many holes you can squeeze in.
Written by
@nick-jason
- Driving range
- Grass range
- Mat range

Rancho San Joaquin Golf Course
Irvine, CA, USAPublicWilliam Francis Bell
- 2.0Conditions
- 2.5Layout
- 4.0Value
- 2.5Scenery
- 2.7Facilities
- Parkland
- Great value
- Walkable

Shorecliffs Golf Club
San Clemente, CA, USAPublicJoe Williams
- 2.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities

Mesa Linda
Costa Mesa Country Club
Costa Mesa, CA, USAPublicWilliam Francis Bell & Ron Fream
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- NRScenery
- 4.0Facilities
Fun course when it’s actually moving. The pace at Costa Mesa ruins the experience. Some drivable par 4’s for some or at least some fun decisions you get to make.
Written by
@johnnyschmidt

The Hills
Anaheim Hills Golf Course
Anaheim, CA, USAPublicRichard Bigler
- 1.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
- Tourist trap

David L. Baker Memorial
David L Baker Memorial Golf Center
Fountain Valley, CA, USAPublicGeorge B. Williams & Garrett Gill
- Great value

Newport Beach Golf Course
Newport Beach, CA, USAPublicHarry Rainville & David Rainville
- 2.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
- Dog track

RiverView Golf Course
Santa Ana, CA, USAPublicDavid Pfaff
- 2.5Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 2.0Scenery
- 2.2Facilities
You get what you pay for. Greens have always been in great shape, but it’s a cheap public course in the heart of Orange County. Long rounds, great little snack bar, and interesting course as it winds around the Santa Ana riverbed.
Written by
@nick-jason
How we rank
Course Vaults ranks public golf courses by Course Vaults Score (CV score), a community rating from golfers who have played and rated each course. Only open courses with at least 5 explicit ratings qualify, and this list is limited to public or guest-friendly courses. City pages include public golf courses within about 25 miles of San Juan Capistrano, so nearby suburbs can appear on the same list. Rankings refresh about hourly as new ratings come in; each page shows when it was last generated.
FAQ
Common questions about public course rankings in San Juan Capistrano, California.
The top public golf courses in San Juan Capistrano, California on Course Vaults are led by The Resort at Pelican Hill with a Course Vaults score of 8.2. This page ranks 22 courses, including The Resort at Pelican Hill, The Resort at Pelican Hill, The Ranch at Laguna Beach.
Course Vaults ranks public golf courses by Course Vaults Score (CV score), a community rating from golfers who have played and rated each course. Only open courses with at least 5 explicit ratings qualify, and this list is limited to public or guest-friendly courses. City pages include public golf courses within about 25 miles of San Juan Capistrano, so nearby suburbs can appear on the same list. Rankings refresh about hourly as new ratings come in; each page shows when it was last generated.
Yes. The San Juan Capistrano, California list includes public golf courses within about 25 miles of San Juan Capistrano, not only courses whose city field is an exact match. Nearby suburbs can appear when they fall inside that metro radius.
The Resort at Pelican Hill is currently #1 among public courses in and around San Juan Capistrano, California on Course Vaults at 8.2 out of 10.
This ranking was last refreshed Nov 12, 2026, 3:53 AM EST. The page revalidates about every hour as golfers add new explicit ratings that meet the 5-rating minimum.
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