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Course of the Month

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Talega Golf Club

By Southland Golf MagazinePublished: August, 2007


Cooler coastal temperatures? Check. A natural layout that doesn’t beat you over the head or bore you to sleep? Check. A private club atmosphere with public accessibility? Check. Talega Golf Club in San Clemente possesses all these traits.

www.talegagolfclub.com



THE AMENITIES

The Spanish-style clubhouse is quaint and the food inside the restaurant is excellent.

The Heritage Grille offers indoor and outdoor dining with an American Southwest menu and can seat up to 280 guests for private parties, weddings, and tournament receptions.

The club also features a fully stocked pro shop with everything from shirts and shorts to clubs, balls and bags.

There is a large practice putting green adjacent to the first tee that provides a taste of what you will be up against on the course.

THE GREENS

For the most part, the undulations are subtle on Talega’s greens, but there are several instances, depending on the pin location, where the slopes and breaks are more severe. When all else fails, leave your ball below the hole because the sidehill putts are tough to judge.

THE COURSE

The layout maxes out at 6,951 yards and features four sets of tees, making it manageable for players of most skill levels.

Talega does everything it can to get you going in the right direction off the first tee. The opening hole of the Schmidt-Curley design plays downhill, while the second is a slightly uphill par 5. At 495 yards, it’s reachable in two, but if you go for the green, make sure to hit enough club to clear a cluster of bunkers in front of the putting surface.

The third hole defines the meaning of risk-reward off the tee. Lay up short of the bunkers and you’ll have a wedge into the green. Or, take your driver out and challenge those bunkers by going for the green. With a little luck, you could be looking at a putt for eagle.

One of the unique features at Talega is the back-to-back par 3s on the seventh and eighth holes. The seventh is a 183-yarder with water on the left and bunkers guarding the back right side of the green, while the eighth plays 161 yards to an uphill green.

Take advantage of the front nine, because the back nine is a different beast altogether. It starts with the 423-yard, par-4 10th hole. There is trouble left and right off the tee. If you find trouble at No. 10, you can get a stroke back on the 11th hole — a 524-yard par 5 that plays all downhill.

The par-5 13th hole is a real test. It plays 613 yards on the scorecard, but for some players, a driver may not be a good option off the tee. Take out your hybrid or a fairway wood, whatever it takes to position your shot about 220 yards off the tee. That will be followed by a semi-blind shot across a gorge before playing an uphill approach to the green. It’s the pure definition of a three-shot hole.

The 439-yard, par-4 16th hole is rated the No. 1 handicap on the scorecard and the afternoon breezes serve to accentuate that point. The idea is to send your drive as far down the fairway as possible into the breeze, while flirting with the hazard that guards the right side of the fairway. The hole then doglegs to the right, where the cross wind attempts to blow your approach wide right of the green.

MOST MEMORABLE

The 18th hole is a great closer. At 408 yards, it doesn’t play as long as the scorecard says because you’re playing downhill. Water comes into play the farther you advance the ball down the fairway, and a large bunker beckons in the preferred landing area. Avoid the water and sand and you’re left with a short iron over a lake to the green.

LOCATION AND RATES

Talega Golf Club is located a few miles east of Interstate 5 off the Avenida Pico exit at 990 Avenida Talega in San Clemente. Green fees are $75 weekdays and $125 on weekends. There are reduced rates for early-bird play, and other discounts are available at talegagolfclub.com. For more details, call (949) 369-6226.