ORANGE COUNTY ALMANAC : James Irvine--Pioneer Golfer

The game of golf was introduced to Orange County by James Irvine, who organized the county’s first golf club in 1899. Originally called the Sunset Club Links, it was later incorporated as the Santiago Golf Club. The county’s first nine-hole golf course was on Irvine land near the edge of what is now Lower Peters Canyon Reservoir. Today there are dozens of golf courses in the county.