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Founders' Note

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Following the leader

Tustin Ranch Golf Club, which was among the first high-end public courses to open in the Southland, set a good example for other facilities that came along.

BY ROB LYON AND ERIC MARSONPublished: July, 2009

Much of the staff at Tustin Ranch have been employed for significant portions of the club's existence, including General Manager Steve Plummer (middle). (PHOTO: Eddie Meeks.)
In 1991, the National Golf Foundation ranked Orange County 269th out of America’s 317 most populous areas in ratio of golfers to courses. What the NGF didn’t report was that the county was in the early stages of a public golf course revolution that began July 10, 1989, with the opening of Tustin Ranch Golf Club.

With green fees of $45 on weekdays and $65 on weekends, many in the golf industry viewed it as a litmus test to see if golfers would pay top dollar for a “country club experience for a day.”

Many didn’t think that recreational golfers, used to paying $10 or $20 a round at a municipal course, would pay three to five times that amount to play, which would have cast an ominous cloud on the other area high-end public courses that were in the planning stages.

But Tustin Ranch passed the test. Golfers loved the superior conditions, emphasis on service and less-crowded fairways. When Tijeras Creek opened the following year and Pelican Hill opened in 1991, the floodgates were officially open for high-end public golf. 

Like every aspect of the economy these days, courses have felt a pinch in light of decreased golf demand. That has forced many high-end courses to tighten their budgets, offer more competitive pricing and install player-reward programs.

But when we visited Tustin Ranch last month to see how our friends were doing, the skies were blue, the course had a full tournament field and the facility never looked better.

The club remains dedicated to top-notch service and great conditions, and its story can’t be told without mentioning the facility’s longtime leader.

General Manager Steve Plummer was the superintendent at Tustin Ranch 20 years ago, and his attention to detail is still evident today on the course’s fairways and greens.

Tustin Ranch’s success also has put to rest any doubts from those who snickered at the concept of a public course offering a pristine experience. Tustin Ranch has offered that for 20 years now and, hopefully, will do so for many more years to come.

So, as the course celebrates its 20th anniversary this month, we’re proud to offer our congratulations on a great run that is showing no signs of running out of steam.


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Tustin Ranch celebrates 20th anniversary

Short and sweet — the new Big Easy at Tustin Ranch

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