Well last week Chuck and I decided to play one of the premier American Golf courses in the O.C., the Coyote Hills Golf Club, a semi-private course in North Orange County designed by Cal Olson and Payne Stewart and plays a longer then it looks 6510 yards from the tips and has a rating of 71.1 with a slope of 128. The golf course is built around some Fullerton oil fields in the foothills which feature some dramatic elevation levels on the front 9. The fairways are narrow and undulated and the lateral hazards are all environmentally protected, so don’t even think of trying to look for that wayward tee shot.
Much like every other country club in the OC the entrance has a bag drop and an attendant grabbed our equipment and set us up in our cart. The Pro Shop looks well equipped and the staff is friendly, Jonathan checked us in, and we were off to the range for some warm-up. The practice area is well marked, with good practice balls, and with two putting greens and a chipping area. Coyote Hills would be a great place to tune up your game, day or night as they have lights.
Now we are off to the first tee, and with the 2:00 p.m. tee time, we noticed that the wind was blowing and knew it would be a good test of golf. The gusts of wind around 25 to 30 mph, hitting the ball straight was going to be tough. Since it was our first time there, we decided to play the entire course, so we teed it up from the Coyote tees. Here is a hole by hole view of what we saw at Coyote Hills.
#1. Standing on the tee of this par 4, tucked back by the driving range, the tee shot looks to be very narrow. Once you get out of the shoot, the fairway opens up to the right. A nice little fade starting down the left side and working right should put you in good position to hit your approach shot to an elevated green. Anything left short will leave a tough up and down, better to be long on this hole.
#2. Now this short par 4 has a very intimidating tee shot, with bunkers left and hazard right, once again a left to right shot is required, if you’re lucky enough to put it in the fairway you should have just a little wedge in. Then green has a false front to where if you hit it short, or with too much spin, you might be chipping.
#3. A short but challenging par 3. This par 3 with a elevated tee makes your club choice very important, and with a hump in the center of the green, hitting it to the correct side is imperative.
#4. This par 4 with its elevated tee, you get a great view of the O.C. The hole is a dog leg right calling for a tee shot that moves left to right. The landing area is large between the two bunkers, but if you’re aggressive you can cut some length off this hole, but beware as the fairway slopes to the left where you can end up in an environmental area. From the wide landing area you will have about 150 to a big green that slopes right to left.
#5. This is the #1 handicap hole, with environmental hazard left and bunkers right, a challenging tee shot with the wind usually blowing right in your face. After hitting the fairway, you will have a challenging shot to a elevated green with a small creek in front and bunkers left and in back.
#6. This dog leg right par 4 is pretty open from the tee, a left to right shot should leave you in great shape to hit this green in 2. The elevated green is narrow but deep, and with the green sloping left to right, keeping the approach shot towards the left should keep you out of the bunker right of the green.
#7. This beautiful par 4 has you teeing it up from the highest point in Fullerton. If you are afraid of heights this will be a challenging tee shot. Hitting your tee shot while looking out towards L.A., this scenic view on a clear day lets you see the high rises in downtown L.A. Once on the fairway, your approach shot must carry the creek about 20 yards short of the green.
#8. This long par 3 is very challenging, with the wind in your face, you must hit a long iron or a fairway wood. There isn’t much room to miss it anywhere, with hazard left, and a ravine short and right, it calls for a perfectly placed shot to have a put at birdie.
#9. Once again teeing off from a elevated tee that has a beautiful view of the clubhouse, this par 4 calls for a well placed tee shot avoiding the bunkers and water left, and the hazard right. The approach shot to a well bunkered green makes it difficult to get close.
#10. A short par 4 that you should favor the right side as most tee shots end on the left side, your approach shot should land short to keep the ball from rolling off the back.
#11. Well, with 10 holes played you finally reach your first par 5. The tee shot favors a left to right shot with bunkers left and right, along with a water hazard right, favoring the left side is the way. The longer hitters will have a shot in two, or you can lay up and have a nice wedge in. The green is well bunkered and the green has many slopes. Even hitting it close will leave you with a put that has quite a bit of movement on it.
#12. This par 4 is by far the toughest on the back. It’s a straight up hill hole usually playing directly into the wind. A long tee shot followed by a uphill approach shot is required. A par on this hole is a good score.
#13. This downhill par 4 lets you really let one loose. With a good tee shot you should have a scoring iron in your hands to attack this green. There is a small creek that runs in front of the green, but that shouldn’t come into play.
#14. Again this is a very challenging par 3, playing from a elevated tee it does help cut some of the distance off this hole, but still requires a long iron or fairway wood. With bunkers surrounding this green, and water to the right any shot on the green would be a good shot.
#15. This par 5 has some teeth. It’s straight up hill, usually with the wind in your face. Two well struck shots will leave you with a scoring club to a large green that is well bunkered. You can try going for it in 2, but those bunkers are well placed just short of the green to gobble up any shots not hit perfect.
#16. This short par 4 requires a lay up tee shot, you will gain a little distance from this downhill shot. Once in the fairway you will need to carry the small creek in front to this elevated green. This is a hole that birdie is very obtainable.
#17. This par 3 from a elevated tee can be difficult, with a bunker in front of this green that isn’t very deep, but very wide. Any ball on the green doesn’t mean it’s a easy two putt. From the tee once again there is a beautiful view of this hole.
#18. This finishing par 4 requires a left to right tee shot, avoiding the bunkers on the right, once in the fairway, a mid iron should get you to the green that is protected with bunkers and a creek that runs from the back side all the way around the left and front of the green. This approach shot has a great view of the clubhouse behind it. Just for some added pressure, all the people in the bar have a great view of you approaching the green, so play well.
#19 So after a tough day playing Coyote Hills in the wind, Chuck and I headed to the 19th hole to lick our wounds. Danielle in the bar hooked Chuck and I up with a couple of very nice cocktails that hit the spot after a tough day on the course. We then sat outside the bar upstairs to enjoy the view of the 18th hole and watched the sun set.
#1.
