Something To Do In San Clemente Besides Surf

By Eric Tracy
erictracy@earthlink.net

Growing up in Southern California the first "planned community" I ever saw had cute little homes, cute little parks and a cute little executive par-3 golf course. Folks, in the new millennium, Talega, you've come a long way, baby!

Those were my exact thoughts when I turned off Avineda Pico into the "planned community" of Talega. The developing visionary's vision for this part of south Orange County is taking shape quickly and San Clemente's the better for it. For golfers in the south Orange County Talega provides a championship course that's new, challenging and competitive with the other "high-end/daily fee" courses that have sprung up the last few years. And Talega is maturing nicely. We saw it first in late winter just after it's opening. What a difference a half-year has made as the spring and summer growing seasons have seasoned this place nicely. Talega's marketing staff has done a good job too, in very quick time this Fred Couples Signature course has become a well known player on the Orange County Golf Coast. In fact, what I like best about the Heritage Golf Group, operators of Talega, is that they react to their clientele quickly. The green fees were set by ownership way too high when the club first opened. Heritage quickly adjusted the fees to a much more reasonable rate. Right now Talega is very busy facility because their price point pleases the customers and the fees are much lower then the quality of the golf you will experience. (Please make note of the fees in our Course Stats section to the left.)

Golf architect Brian Curley (who also designed the PGA of Southern California twin-18's we reviewed last week), teamed up with Couples and the two carved out a course that's friendly to the high-handicapper, surprisingly head-scratching for the mid-80 shooters who will think they should have scored better, and a hitch-up your pants nearly 7,000 yard adventure from the copper tees for the "grip-it-and-rip-it" set. In fact, the seriously competitive golf community has given its stamp of approval to Talega, both the Senior Amateur and the US Mid-Amateur are holding qualifying here where the course rating is 73.6 and the slope index 137.

HANGING IN THE CLUBHOUSE: Before the holidays golfers will have a brand new clubhouse to hangout in and share some golf tales (cocktails too in a nice bar). The construction of the Spanish Colonial clubhouse that's been kicking up dust, will be kicking up it's heels soon and when done will hold 200 for corporate events, charity tournaments and meals from daybreak to day's end. It's 13,500 square feet of feet-up relaxing hominess with a veranda for snoozing and schmoozing.

WARMING UP: Give yourself more time to visit the practice green to get your stroke down. I've never putted new greens that putted as true as they do at Talega, take advantage of it. The greens are lightening fast in the dead of summer, so my tip to warm up also acts as a warning!

MY FAVORITE HOLES:

• No. 3, 341 yard, par 4, 18 handicap: Ten--count 'em--ten bunkers on this one, like large animal tracks, starting at about 150 yards out. The scariest is the medium sized pot bunker with the raised lip that hides most of the green.
• No. 7, 183 yards, par 3 and No. 8 161 yards, par 3: Not often do you find back-to-back three-bangers (its par 35 on the front), and both are definitely different. The first calls for flying over waterfalls and rocks; the second, to go uphill with a lot of landing area if for you the green jumps out of the way at the last minute.
• No. 10, 451 yards, par 4, 7 handicap: After finishing at 9, you'll take a cross-country jaunt to this one, a trip that takes you high enough to get a glimpse of the Pacific. You're entering the badlands--seemingly another world--with a lengthy par 4 that has a green with a severe drop off behind it.
• No. 13, 617 yards, par 5, 5 handicap: Guess this is the longest hole in the county now, with two natural ravines that make it feel like you're playing two holes in one. At one point, the fairway seems to narrow down to nothing. When you're putting out, you're definitely at the back end of the yard. Forget your cell phone, it isn't going to work back here.
• No. 15, 523 yards, par 5, 3 handicap and No. 16, 461 yards, par 4, 1 handicap: Two toughies finish off a four-hole stretch that covers almost 2,000 yards. If the afternoon winds are whipping up, there's nowhere to escape. Bring flares.
• No. 18, 428 yards, par 4, 11 handicap: They say Fred Couples had one of the bunkers that splits the fairway removed on this impressive finishing hole because there's enough to deal with. Your drive has to find a place either right or left of that fairway trap about 190 out. Now the trick is putting the ball on the green without it rolling off the backside. I tried twice with a five iron. Both got wet.

DID YOU KNOW: Those funky trees--the yellow bottle-shaped ones with the thorns around the base--are called purple orchid trees. Approach them with caution if a ball lands nearby.

SAND PITS: That's Augusta Crushed White Marble in those traps, which gives a Masters touch. It's so smooth, it'll probably polish your wedge as you sift through it.

HOMING DEVICES: In the middle of the round, a message from the clubhouse pops up on the cart computer screen: Callaway 8 iron found, please check your bag. If it's a lost club, a found club, a medical emergency or you need the marshal, the onboard computer takes care of you. Now, if it can only find that Nike ball I lost over on 16.

SUMMING IT UP: "Somewhere between Scotland and Ireland" is how the marketing people are pitching it, and if there's no time to jet over the British Isles, try here. There's plenty of new-home construction in the planned community surrounding the course, so the view will change dramatically with each trip around.

Eric Tracy

KFWB RADIO