Over years of traveling and working across the Western United States, and especially in Los Angeles, I’ve played a lot of client golf. On several occasions we’ve chosen Strawberry Farms Golf Club to avoid the busier L.A. courses or to meet Orange County players halfway. The course opened in November 1997 during the golf boom when many youngsters dreamed of becoming the next Tiger Woods. Although the nationwide frenzy has cooled, Strawberry Farms still attracts plenty of golfers and manages pace of play well so groups don’t back up.
Designed by Jim Lipe, a senior associate with Jack Nicklaus’ architectural team, the 6,700-yard, par-71 course sits among canyons and wetlands that surround a 35-acre reservoir. The project was the vision of former California Angels third baseman Doug DeCinces and its construction sparked a debate between developers and open-space advocates in Orange County. The club supplements golf income with events like weddings — one took place while we were playing on a hot summer afternoon, and I felt for the bride and groom standing in 90-degree heat.
On that warm, sunny day I teed off with Rafie Iannello of Global Traveler, Gary Huang of EVA Air and Vladimir Velasco, formerly with Malaysia Airlines.
HOLE 6 | 521 yards, par 5
The final stretch of the front nine felt like a string of pearls for me: a birdie, a par, a bogey and another par. Hole 6 is forgiving if you can hit straight shots — not overly long, but still challenging. It’s ranked as the fifth most difficult hole at Strawberry Farms because a shot that drifts left can disappear into dense brush and trees, and a creek lies just beyond that tree line. The right side offers bailout options but they can be risky. I hit a drive into the left-center, followed by a second shot that dribbled onto the green. Two putts gave me a birdie while the others made pars and bogeys.
HOLE 7 | 177 yards, par 3
Hole 7 produced bogeys all around. It’s a narrow par 3 that tempts players to take risks; I sliced my tee shot and landed safely but almost out of bounds. Many golfers underestimate this long par 3 because its length can be deceptive.
HOLE 8 | 317 yards, par 4
I dubbed this the “King and I” hole because Vladimir and I were singing bits from the musical — he had recently toured as the king in Asia, and I’d seen the Broadway show. Both of us hit near-perfect drives to the middle-left of the fairway, while Gary and Rafie fell short of regal form and lost strokes. Hole 8 is intimidating from the tee: you must clear brush and bramble to reach the fairway, and any mis-hit likely means re-teeing. Four bunkers guard the approach and three more surround the green.
HOLE 9 | 558 yards, par 5
The closing hole of the front nine required three solid shots to finish with par and a 42 on the front nine. Five fairway bunkers can catch both your drive and second shot, and the narrow throat off the tee makes it easy to stray into brush and trees lining both sides. My playing partners each lost strokes to these hazards. A massive, amoeba-shaped bunker sits left of the green and has ended many approaches — including Vladimir’s.
HOLE 10 | 369 yards, par 4
The back nine moves around the 35-acre reservoir, with some holes running alongside the water and others beginning or ending near it. This creates a pleasant transition from front to back. Our group tried to favor the left side with tee shots and several ended up in the water; we used a few mulligans in response. The fairway rolls right to left, so a solid drive on the right often settles in the center. Vladimir cleared the water with one drive but faced an awkward uphill lie to the green and took two shots to save bogey. My drive left me about 100 yards in, so a sand-wedge approach and a par were an easy reward on a good day.
HOLE 18 | 403 yards, par 4
The finishing hole is both beautiful and tricky. Knowing I was playing well made me nervous, and I overcompensated with a drive that went too far left toward the brush. Thankfully the ball sat up, but my next shot required a delicate feather around a tree and over a small brook about 30 yards from the green. A small waterfall trickles down rocks on the right side of the fairway, adding to the scenery. Gary miraculously saved par, while Vlad and I came up short and took bogeys. Rafie needed one extra shot for a double bogey.
We wrapped up a hot Saturday with another enjoyable round among friends, stopped for a quick snack, and then I headed off for a red-eye to the East Coast.
STRAWBERRY FARMS GOLF CLUB
11 Strawberry Farms Road Irvine, CA 92612 tel 949 551 1811