Pelican Hill GR
Newport Coast, CA (1 hour south of L.A.)
Golf Magazine, 2/10 & 10/09
T&L Golf, Jan/Feb 2009, Mar/Apr 2008
#59 Top 100 You Can Play
Ocean North: 6,856 yards, par 71; Ocean South: 6,589 yards, par 70;
$250
Golf Magazine Top Newcomer Golf Resort, 2/10
by Travelin' Joe Passov, Senior Editor Courses & Rankings
The Resort at Pelican Hill
Newport Coast, Calif.
949-467-6800
www.pelicanhill.com 
So monumental was the scope and scale of this swank SoCal retreat that its developers shut down two of the nation's top public courses — for two years — in order to build it. Late in 2007, Tom Fazio's re-tooled, 14-year-old seaside designs, Ocean North and Ocean South re-opened. A year later, the Resort at Pelican Hill made its debut. Virtually everyone who has experienced Pelican Hill agrees it was worth the wait.
Distinctive touches are splattered across the property. With hotel rooms and villas etched into a hillside overlooking the Pacific, the effect is Tuscan countryside, but the striking Coliseum Pool, shaped in a gigantic circle and framed by columns and arches, evokes the spectacle of Rome in all its glory. On-call butler service for villa guests, fresh pasta made daily in a temperature-controlled room at Andrea Ristorante and locally produced spa ingredients that vary seasonally are other highlights. A sizeable bill awaits upon departure, but perfection has a price. The Newport Beach area delivers perhaps the nation's most perfect climate; the region finally has a golf resort to match.
Golf Magazine Course Spy, 10/09
Pelican Hill Golf Club (Ocean South course)
6,580 yards
par 70
green fees: $135-$235
877-735-4226
www.pelicanhill.com
SERVICE
Four pleasant, efficient young staffers greet you as you drive up. One immediately helps with the car, another grabs your clubs and sends you in the right direction. From pro shop to beverage cart, we're talking top-notch treatment.
PACE OF PLAY
Big-ticket green fees keep the crowds away, but the canyons and rough make five-hour rounds the norm. Still, with Pacific Ocean views, rangefinders on the carts and rangers bearing extra divot mix and bottled water, the slow pace is a lot more palatable.
QUALITY
It's classic Tom Fazio, so there's great shaping, especially the bunkers. Some of the tree-lined holes blur together, but the ocean and canyon holes rock. And don't let the short length fool you — a bunch of long par 4s will keep you on the bogey train.
VALUE
Guests at the incredible new hotel pay the same green fees as outsiders: $235. But this includes a forecaddie, perfect weather and back-to-back oceanside par 3s. It's hardly Fazio's most inspired design, but for really special occasions, we'd pay this price.
VERDICT
From the reception you get at check-in to the post-round beverage (complete with ocean views) at the great-looking Pelican Grill, this is top-drawer all the way. Few folks can afford a steady diet of these fees, but for a splurge, this Pelican soars.
Golf.com Review: Tom Fazio's dramatic duo at Pelican Hill, half an hour from the airport in Newport Coast, offer postcard scenery without a strip mall in sight. Both the Ocean North and Ocean South layouts feature forced carries over canyons and memorable -- some might say cruel -- finishing holes. The North has views of Catalina Island, plus a tricky, uphill 17th called "Gut Check." If you play only once at Pelican, opt for Ocean South with its gimmicky-but-fun 13th, "Double Trouble," a par-3 with a pair of greens -- the closest only 110 yards from the tips. Better yet is the 17th, which plays toward the ocean and has one of the best tee-to-green vistas on earth.
Paradise at Pelican Hill
Southern Cal’s new world-class retreat
From T&L Golf January - February 2009
by Tom Dellner
In striking fashion, Pelican Hill in Southern California has completed its transformation from a thirty-six-hole complex with no accommodations to a world-class golf resort. The first phase, Tom Fazio’s renovations to his two seaside courses, was unveiled in 2007. Now comes the exquisite new Resort at Pelican Hill.
The facility, about an hour south of Los Angeles, is modeled after an Italian hillside village, complete with fountains, terra-cotta-tiled roofs and century-old olive trees. There are two types of lodging: single-story bungalows terraced above the ocean, and larger villas perched higher up on a bluff. Gourmet dining is available in three restaurants (one of which specializes in Tuscan fare), a clubhouse and a poolside loggia. The Italian fantasy is complete.
The Resort at Pelican Hill
Suites
From $695.
Villas
From $1,450.
Contact
800-820-6800, www.pelicanhill.com
Pelican Takes A Mulligan
The second act for a seaside California resort
From T&L Golf March - April 2008
by Tom Dellner
Pelican Hill Golf Club used to be the type of place you’d happily play again and again—provided someone else was footing the bill. Sure, the Tom Fazio–designed Ocean North and Ocean South courses each offered a collection of superb holes and gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean. But inconsistent maintenance, a few nondescript holes and some substandard amenities kept Pelican Hill off most must-play lists, especially at $250 for a weekend round. Most galling was the fate awaiting anyone who wanted to hit a few balls to warm up: Not only did you have to drive a quarter mile to the practice tee from the clubhouse, but once you got there you’d find an attendant waiting to collect ten dollars more for a bag of striped rocks.
The club, in Newport Beach, California, reopened in November after a two-year renovation, and nearly every weakness has been corrected. Fazio recontoured the fairways to improve drainage and replaced their turf with a hybrid Bermuda that maintains its color during winter and requires no overseeding. Best of all, he cleared trees and other vegetation to reveal ocean views, transforming the look of many of the holes. The eleventh on the Ocean South, for example, formerly a forgettable par four that gave no glimpse of the sea, is now a drop-dead beauty. Also, both eighteens feature closely mown chipping areas that will have high-handicappers gratefully reaching for their putters and better players puzzling over which club to use. A new clubhouse has been built steps away from the range—which is stocked with pyramids of Nike One Platinums, included with the green fee.
The course improvements are the first step in the creation of what will be called the Resort at Pelican Hill. Scores of villas and a string of ocean-view bungalows are under construction and due to open this fall, along with an expansive spa. The resort’s centerpiece will be the perfectly round Coliseum Pool, surrounded by terraced decks that offer views of Santa Catalina Island. All of which should make Pelican Hill one of the finest golf resorts on the Pacific coast.
Best Bar Nearby: You read it above... "the post-round beverage (complete with ocean views) at the great-looking Pelican Grill."
If you're down in the O.C. (say, staying in Hollywood and driving to or from playing Pelican Hill), then hit The Green Girl Saloon in Westminster(http://web.me.com/thegreengirlsaloon1/The_Green_Girl_Saloon/The_Green_Girl_Saloon.html). Sure, it's part Irish pub, part sports bar, part cocktail lounge, part night club, part neighorhood bar, has Guiness on tap, with a New York loft feel, and has been repeatedly named Ocean County's best bar. But just one glance at the glamour shots of their hottie bartenders and waitresses on their website, and you'll put it on your Must Drink list.