Pelican Hill: Is Anything Better?

By Eric Tracy
erictracy@earthlink.net

This year, the Southern California Golf Tour made 24 stops. (Is this a great job, or what?) During a 6-month period of a different golf course every week we tried to present golf experiences from the desert to the sea. We visited everything from brand-spanking new courses by designers loved and loathed to classic courses built in the 20's that are still challenging golfers with their classic designs. We visited and played 40-dollar no-frills golf courses along with high-end daily-fee facilities offering so many lush amenities private clubs could learn a few things. All things being equal, Pelican Hill on the Newport Coast is the top of the heap. Even their competitors acknowledge that for most Southern California golfers, getting a chance to play either of the two Tom Fazio-designed 18's, is still the most coveted round…round these parts. Pelican Hill is SoCal's version of Pebble Beach. Make no mistake, Pelican Hill is pricey, probably more than some of you would ever pay for a round of golf ($250 on the weekends), but for those who have forked over the cash, whether they could afford it or not, most walk away with a smile on their face saying it was worth it. Besides, do your homework, plan ahead and forget about playing Saturday morning when the green fees are at their supply-and-demand highest. Truth is, you can get in 18 holes for the $99 twilight rate and if you're lucky Mother Nature will throw in a sunset as you putt out on the 18th that will make you thank God you're alive. Besides, sometimes you just need to spoil yourself. Don't like Catalina Island views? Tired of watching sailboats enjoying the good life? Stop making excuses. Bring a camera and binoculars, live it up and tee it up.

WARMING UP: Here's my best advice for your Pelican Hill experience, plan on spending the whole day, don't just show up for your 18-holes. Start first at the driving range, work on your game, hit lots of balls. The range and Glen Deck Golf Academy are about a quarter-mile from the clubhouse, so drive their first. This may be one of the best practice facilities in the county. You don't have to hit bucket-after-bucket range balls, work on your short game. They've got a wonderful practice trap and chipping green. After an hour or two, head up the hill. You'll love the clubhouse with it's classic Santa Barbara architecture. Have lunch. Then check in for your tee-time about 30-minutes early so you can spend that time before you tee off on the huge putting green soaking in the view poets write about. Then after your round, hang around the clubhouse, tell golf lies, then go home after dark and sleep a deep sleep. Does that sound like a perfect day, or what? Now, let's play the North Course.

MY FAVORITE HOLES:

• No. 1: 511 yard, par 5, (17 handicap): The fairway is big enough to allow a 747 to take off, and by the time you hit the huge green and get a false sense of security, it starts to get interesting. Just par this semi-beast and you'll feel comfortable at the hole labeled "Quick Start."
• No. 5, 443 yard par 4, (7 handicap): The "Newport Run" hole is the first fantastic vista, with a view of the ocean piers to the right up the coast and Newport Harbor beyond that.
• No. 7, 451 yard, par 4, (1 handicap): The "Canyon Edge" hole will distract you with all those hacienda hotels that are under construction. ("What? Oh, those aren't hotels they're private homes?) Try to imagine what'd it be like to make mortgage payments on those mud and adobe huts.
• No. 8, 528 yard, par 5, (9 handicap): "If You Dare" isn't that difficult to figure out: Stay left. If you dare go right you're down a hill and dead. Aim at the bunker and be short on the second shot and don't get duped. Have a plan and stick to it.
• No. 17 : 543 yard, par 5, (8 handicap): Called "Gut Check," and last time we did, we lost it a few holes back. The water on the right at about the 290-yard mark is the first check. The second is what you do with the second shot. An experienced golfer goes for the birdie rather than the eagle or the duck that awaits in the pond. When you get finished, stop on the hill before the 18th and take in the view.
• No. 18: 426 yard, par 4, (6 handicap): It's known as "Double Dare" because your second shot is a decision you really won't like making: With 200 yards left, do you take the short cut to the dog right or pitch it 100 yards twice by going left and then making the turn? A killer finishing hole.

WILDLIFE ALERT: Any pelicans? Didn't see any. Maybe they flew south to Capistrano.

DID YOU KNOW: Pelican Hill is enjoying its 10th Anniversary and with that they created a 10th Anniversary Club. For $50-bucks you get a year's worth of $100 off on Sundays. Use it once and it pays for itself, then all the rest is a bonus, including 20% off in the Pro Shop on Range Balls and membership in the Southern California Golf Association which will establish your handicap. That'll mean no more "gee, I don't have a handicap" when it comes to making a first-tee bets, but by the same token, you'll lose that "sandbagger" nickname, and that's a good thing.

COOL PERKS: This cavernous pro shop is worth a trip by itself. Golf Shop Operators Magazine has given it the Top 100 rating the last five years, and the Southern California PGA and PGA of America have given it three of its Resort Merchandiser of the Year awards. Do you want to know what's in? Look no further than here.

SUMMING IT UP: An all-day visit to Pelican Hill is the closest thing to feeling like you belong to one of them high falutin' country clubs. They'll comp valet your car when you pull up and you can even have it arranged to be washed. There's something else you don't find many places; great power in the golf carts. Also a worry-free, on board, GPS cart-computer system that tells you exactly where you are on the course with a "you are here" icon. They'll give you a rolled up wet towel when you've finished your round. There are showers and all the amenities in the locker room…even an ATM machine. There are bag handlers, greeters and plenty of on-course service. Go ahead and splurge, I promise you won't walk away saying "it wasn't worth it."

Eric Tracy

KFWB RADIO