Journey at Pechanga
Golf Course Review Journey at Pechanga Temecula California
Reviewed by: roarksown1, Playa del Rey
After years of hearing fairly mixed reviews of Journey at Pechanga, everything ranging from ‘spectacular’ to ‘gimmicky and unfair,’ I finally had the chance to find out for myself on Wednesday during a work scramble tournament while staying down in Valley Center at Harrah’s for the three-day event. And of course, now I have my own thoughts.
First off, the course is likely (from what I’ve seen at least), the best manicured course in the fine golfing Temecula area, with the only exception of one super dry and out of place 3rd hole fairway. The rest? Really nice, green and lush. I would even consider some of the holes pristine. Overall the place is in super nice condition. As for the layout, well, you really get it all here. If you hate elevations, long carries, or angling around a few lakes, this may not be the course for you. But I loved it. There’s just no escaping the variety of holes here and each one feels quite unique. Gimmicky? Maybe in some places, like a fairly blind green to finish on 18, or the trees that serve little purpose but to torment on holes like 7 and 9. Yes, you’re going to have to think you’re way through lots of this course. Fine with me but may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
As for conditions, the fairways once again were pretty fantastic all around. Tee boxes were great with a few just slightly uneven, but good coverage. The sand was in really nice shape as well from picking up wayward balls out of bunkers, but of course in a scramble we never ended up playing out of any of them (our team shot a bogey-free six-under 66). Rough could be very thick and penal in places but not terrible. Lots of OB areas or easy places to find yourself ball hunting.
The greens, or more precisely, the green complexes were very compelling and tough. Very nice condition overall – receptive to shots, true to their lines and all variety of tough-to-read breaks and slopes. There are some real doozies at Journey at Pechanga so you’ll have your work cut out for you to have a good round with the short stick. This is the kind of place where being able to keep the pin in will be a bonus for long lags or downhill putts. Some very intense slopes and tiers to deal with as well for added fun. They’re tough, but super fun.
POP is a useless observation thanks to the tournament but don’t worry about that too much as the great views and super golf will quickly make you forget about any time considerations. Full service snack bar at the turn and a massive clubhouse with all you need. We also had cart service running around at various points of the day so they did a great job with that.
Really looking forward to coming back and playing a proper round soon so I can test myself against this really unique course with a little knowledge of the layout. Hope I’m hitting the ball as well as I was yesterday though when I do go back.
