Outsiders Now on Par With Insiders

It is one of the oldest, most affordable and best-maintained public golf courses in Orange County. But you pretty much had to live inside the city limits if you wanted the best shot at playing San Clemente Municipal Golf Course.

For about a decade, San Clemente residents were given a 30-minute jump on preferred morning tee times -- leaving nonresidents scrambling for the leftovers. Rather than settling for undesirable afternoon tee times or taking their chances with a standby time, many frustrated outsiders decided to take their sticks and balls elsewhere.

But in July, the best course that many county golfers have never played became playable again. Facing a steady decline in the number of rounds per year and rising maintenance costs on the 76-year-old course, the San Clemente City Council voted to open the advance reservation system to everyone at the same time: 6 a.m.

One of several course policy changes approved by the council, the tee-time tweak brought little outcry from the thousands of San Clemente residents who regularly walk the wide fairways and putt on the spongy greens.

“I’ve heard no negative comments,” said LeAnn Payne, a starter at the course for 10 years. “I think they felt their time was coming. They knew this wasn’t going to be their own private country club forever.”

Chuck Coots, a 78-year-old Capistrano Beach resident who lives just a few hundred yards outside the San Clemente city limits, said the system needed to be changed. “I tried dozens of times to get a tee time. Finally, I just gave up and started playing with a group from San Clemente so I didn’t have to worry about it.”

But approval of the change wasn’t unanimous. Cal Sanders, former president of the men’s club at the course, said he hates to see San Clemente residents lose their clout.

“This course was developed for the citizens of San Clemente,” said Sanders, 78. “The new reservation structure takes away some of our benefits. But the city sees a cash cow with this course and they are going to milk it.”

Sanders has been at odds with the City Council before over its handling of the golf course. A few years ago, he was one of about 200 regulars who signed a petition protesting a council decision to spend $1.5 million upgrading the bunkers and greens and adding cart paths.

“They keep trying to change this place, to make it more desirable and to make more money,” he said. “I don’t think any of it is necessary.”

Harold Larson, chairman of San Clemente’s golf advisory committee, said the reservation system needed to be revamped so the course could remain competitive with newer, upscale courses in south Orange County and north San Diego County.

“The golf industry is kind of slow right now,” Larson said. “We need to update our facilities. And we can do that by generating more revenue with outside green fees.”

The golf committee voted to end the locals’ 30-minute advantage, 4 to 2. The council voted in the changes, 4 to 1, with Councilman Jim Dahl casting the dissenting vote. Dahl said he voted no because it also included cutting the number of walk-on tee times per hour from three to two.

“It sort of bums me out,” Dahl said. “I still think you should be able to say, ‘It’s a beautiful day, let’s go play golf.’ Reducing the walk-ons discourages casual golf.”

But Dahl and others agreed that golf attire had become much too casual at San Clemente. So tank tops and short shorts will no longer be tolerated.

A new $4-million Spanish colonial clubhouse should also add some class to San Clemente, which ties Willowick Municipal in Santa Ana as the county’s oldest course. The fairways and greens have held up, but the dilapidated clubhouse is an eyesore.

“If the termites stop holding hands, it’ll fall down tomorrow,” Dahl said.

Nonresident green fees -- $30 Monday through Friday, twice what it costs residents -- will help pay for the new clubhouse, which will include a banquet room. But it appears no amount of money will speed up play at San Clemente, which is known for its five-hour rounds. Even with a downturn in business, it is still one of the state’s busiest courses at 90,000 rounds a year.

“It’s ridiculous how long it can take play 18 holes,” Dahl said. “There needs to be more marshals out there, but I’m not sure that would help much. There’s just a lot of people who want to play this course.”