SPORTS & OUTDOORS
SUMMER OF GOLF
SC âMUNIâ IS HOTTEST LOCAL SPOT The Summer of Golf examines the sportâs post-pandemic popularity boom at local courses in South Orange County, and showcases the play of each course through the eyes of our resident normal, below-average new golfer BY ZACH CAVANAGH, THE CAPISTRANO DISPATCH
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ee times at the San Clemente Municipal Golf Course have always been a hot commodity. One trip to the course, and itâs easy to understand why. The âMuni,â as itâs affectionately known, offers a bit of everything, with several wide-open fairways, hills, valleys and several ocean views that are worth the greens fee alone. Those featuresâalong with that attractively low greens fee of $39 for regular adults on weekdaysâ made the 92-year-old âPride of the Pacificâ a favorite throughout Orange County, especially for San Clemente residents who get the perk of first dibs on tee times. âLocation, and for the value, the price is not a lot, and itâs a good golf course,â Head Golf Professional Vinnie Poncino said of the Muniâs popularity. âWhen you look at the cost of San Juan Hills or Talega, I have to argue the course is in better condition and a better value.â Now, in these high times that golf is experiencing, the Muni isnât just a hot commodity. Itâs the hottest ticket in Orange County golf. âItâs always been harder to get a time here, but it just seems like we have three or four times more people trying to get those times,â Poncino said.âThen, what weâre seeing is people buying resident cards that donât play golf but using their friends.â Poncino said that pre-pandemic, the Muni would host 76,000-80,000 rounds
The San Clemente Municipal Golf Course boasts 92 years of history and a position as one of the hottest tickets in town. Itâs competitive to grab the better tee times, but if youâre lucky enough to get one, the ocean views are worth every penny of the greens fee. Photos: Zach Cavanagh
in a year. Last year, the course hosted 89,000 rounds with anywhere from 320360 players every day on the current tee sheets. Looking at tee times on a Monday morning, the course was completely booked for the upcoming Wednesday until 5:30 p.m. Poncino said the twilight and super twilight rounds are becoming more popular, especially with newer or less experienced golfers. The Muni can play as a long course, as weâll note in detail later, and those twilight rounds will be shorter, as the course and driving range close at sunset. Those rounds are also more popular because theyâre usually the few times that are open. San Clemente residents and those with resident cards can book tee times up to 10 days in advance, and thatâs usually when the prime real estate is snatched up. The rest of the golfing public gets access to the times seven days in advance. Those times go live online at midnight of that 10th or seventh day, so if youâre looking to go to the Muni, youâve got to be ready to book. Another way to snag a time at the course is to play as a walk-up single. There may be a longer wait depending on how the tee sheets lay out for the day, but if you have the time and the desire to play the Muni, it may be the way to go. So, how did this vaunted and extremely popular course play?
THE ROUND This is an interesting case for the less-experienced/trying-to-improve golfer. On the scorecard, it was another tough one. I shot a 50-over-par 123, which were worse numbers than last weekâs round at Shorecliffs. While the Muni is definitely a tougher course than Shorecliffsâa 121 slope rating on the Muniâs 6,066-yard white tees compared to the 119 slope rating on Shorecliffsâ 5,012-yard white teesâI donât blame my score purely on a more difficult track. The Muni certainly throws more at you with its length, some fairway bunkers and undulating terrain that results in more than a handful of uphill shots at the green. However, in some ways, the Muni has several holes that are easier to play than Shorecliffs. The Muni boasts some sprawling fairways on the front nine that are pretty difficult not to hit. The ball wonât roll on these fairways as much, either, but thereâs plenty of room to play. Unfortunately, this weekâs score is all on my shoulders, but as I said, itâs also an interesting case. An important thing for all golfersâ rookies and old handsâis consistency and repetition. If youâre going to play this game, you canât come in and out every couple of months and expect to tear it up. You have to play or practice regularly to maintain your mechanics. My round at the Muni was my third round in a week, which is more than Iâve
ever played in that time. (My normal routine before this project was usually a round every two weeks, with a driving range session in between.) As a result, I was more confident with my driver than ever before. There were truly only two or three tee shots that I was unhappy with, and only one that was a total shank. I felt as if I got the mechanics down, and I even felt as if I was able to make slight tweaks over the rounds to increase the distance. I owe that to simply playing a lot recently. But where thereâs the good, there is also the bad, and, friends, my short game was atrocious. My chip shots either didnât pop up far enough to reach the green or were bladed and sent well past the target. My putts were too hard. My putts were too soft. It was a mess. Even with that being said, I still felt as if I was able to dial in bits of that short game on the back nine. I navigated the hills better and even hit the hole with a chip on No. 12. Again, that I owe to playing regularly, knowing what these swings are supposed to feel like and having the opportunities to correct them in real time. My score aside, if you can make your way through the system and get a round at the Muni, I couldnât recommend it more. Even with my notes on the courseâs length, the round still came in at a regular time of just over four hours. Itâs a track that will test you, but every swing will be worth the experience. CD
EDITORâS NOTE: Find all stories in the âSummer of Golfâ series, including last weekâs first round at Shorecliffs Golf Club, online each week at thecapistranodispatch.com.
The Capistrano Dispatch July 8-21, 2022
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