Golfing Public’s Turn to Do Battle at El Toro

Usually when a golf course opens it has a raw look and needs time to become the mature venue the architect had in mind.

But that’s not the case with El Toro Marine Memorial golf course, which became available to the general public on July 4.

The course, which first opened to the Marines in 1949, is mature and has large stands of trees to prove it.

Much has been made about the Marines turning the base over to Orange County, but what exactly did the golfing public get?

The course is generally flat, but there is a gully that runs through some holes, adding needed character to a layout that is 6,750 yards from the back tees and 6,468 from the regular tees.

The greens, which are soft, lush and subtle, are the course’s best selling point.

On one hand, the “soft spikes only” rule will help keep the greens from being completely trampled. On the other, golfers could wear baseball spikes and not do too much damage to several of the fairways, which seem as hard as the adjacent runways.

The best example of this is the 12th hole, a toothache of a par-five that is 520 yards long and seems almost as wide. A vacant runway and out-of-bounds markers serve as a left-side boarder, but the right side seems to go forever. The worst slicer in the world could keep the ball in play.

One other secret on the 12th: “The tee lines up [facing] out of bounds,” head pro Wally Bradley said. “Plus, you can hit the ball out of bounds on the second shot as well.”

But there are many solid holes to make up for the deficiencies of No. 12.

The 13th (a 143- or 127-yard par-three) has a deep depression in front of the green and eucalyptus trees on both sides. A long, narrow crescent-shaped bunker protects the green’s front.

The most challenging hole is the 14th, a par four, which is 421 yards from the championship tees and 397 from the regular tees. The hole is a sharp dogleg right and players can’t see the green from the tee.

The best play off the tee is to stay as close as possible to the pine tree that marks the right edge of the fairway. Tee shots that get over the hill tend to roll down to a flat area about 170-200 yards from the elevated green, which is fronted by another long, narrow trap.

El Toro offers no breaks on its closing hole, one of the more difficult in the area. The par four is 442 yards from the back tee. Drives should stay as close to the left side as possible to cut off some distance. The same depression that’s in front of the 13th is across the front of the 18th.

Course Information

Course: El Toro Marine Memorial Golf Course

Address: El Toro Marine Base, Sand Canyon Avenue and Trabuco Road

Phone: (949) 726-2577

Green fees: Mondays-Thursdays--6-8 a.m. $20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $24, after 2 p.m. $10; Fridays-Sundays--6-8 a.m. $30, 8 to 11 a.m. $32, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $30, 2-4 p.m. $25, 4-8 p.m. $15.

Carts: $10 per person

Par/Yardage: (Par 72)/Blue 6,750, White 6,468, Red 5,657

Rating/Slope: Blue 71.5/114, White 69.7/111, Red 71.8/117

Reservations: Up to seven days in advance, starting at 6:30 a.m.