Challenges Come on All Levels at Fullerton Course

Fullerton golf professional Joey Adamo has heard the refrain all too often from first-time golfers playing his course.

It’s only a par 67. It’s soooooo short, it’s gotta be easy.

“Then they come off the 18th green and they’re frustrated,” Adamo said, “because it’s more difficult than they expected.”

Built in 1961, Fullerton Golf Course has seven par threes and two par fives. It measures 5,174 yards from the back tees and plays even shorter because of the hard, dry fairways.

But the links-style track keeps golfers’ attention with a tight, varied layout featuring plenty of doglegs, elevation changes and hazards, including Tonner Canyon Creek. Adamo said water comes into play on 14 of 18 holes.

The lush, soft greens--which roll nicely--affordable green fees and accessibility make Fullerton attractive, offering a solid value for the budget-conscious golfer.

With its inland location, the blistering sun keeps some players away, and the summer heat can also take a toll on the course’s overall condition. This week, brown spots and dirt patches dotted most fairways.

Adamo said new sprinkler and drainage systems should help. Those are being installed and should be completed in the next six to nine months. There is also construction going on for concrete cart paths behind the 11th tee box and 12th green.

That’s Fullerton’s current downside, but there are plenty of pluses.

Fullerton costs only $25 to walk on the weekends, though a cart makes the round more relaxing. The course is hilly and there are some lengthy hikes from greens to tees.

And it is fairly easy to get a tee time. On Tuesday morning, a Saturday tee time at 10:22 a.m. was available. Weekdays see even less traffic.

The rate of play was also good. A recent weekday twilight round, which costs just $12, was completed in 3 hours 10 minutes. Although the American Golf-managed course sends out some fivesomes on weekends, the speed of play for the course is pegged at 4:12.

And the layout keeps players coming back.

It begins with No. 1, a 368-yard par four that gives players a nice view from an elevated tee box, down to a fairway with Tonner Canyon Creek running down the left side. Four consecutive par threes (Nos. 5-8) also highlight the front nine.

No. 12, a 503-yard dogleg-left par five, is one of Adamo’s favorites, a classic risk-reward hole.

“Hook the corner over the trees and you might be able to go for the green in two,” Adamo said. “But it narrows up by the green, which is protected by two bunkers.”

The back nine also features some nice views (tees on Nos. 13 and 14), visually intimidating tee shots (No. 15’s narrow green guarded by a drainage ditch and a bunker) and quirky challenges, like No. 16.

The 16th is only a 344-yard par four, but Adamo suggests a 200-yard layup on the uphill, dogleg right. Out of bounds lurks right and a straight shot could run through the fairway into the neighboring houses. A good tee shot leaves 125-150 yards to another elevated green.

“The greens have a lot of undulation here,” said Adamo, who has been at Fullerton since 1989. “It’s not just your average flat course with trees on both sides of the fairway.”

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Course Information

* Course: Fullerton Golf Course

* Address: 2700 N. Harbor Blvd., Fullerton

* Phone: (714) 871-5141.

* Green fees (regular/twilight after 3 p.m.): Mon.-Thu.: $18/$12; Fri.: $19/$13; Sat.-Sun.: $25/$15

* Carts: $22, $13 single rider.

* Par/Yardage: Par 67/5,174 back, 5,059 forward. Par 68/5,059 women’s.

* Rating/Slope: 64.1/105 back, 69/118 women’s.

* Reservations: Seven days in advance, $1 reservation fee per player for Sat. or Sun.