Golf in Lake Forest

The family-owned Sun Valley Golf Course cultivates a welcoming atmosphere that sets nerves at ease so that youngsters and beginners can make a stress-free foray into the lifelong game. The par 27 excursion politely omits any tee shot longer than 145 yards, eliminating the trepidation felt on long tee shots over water or asteroid craters at larger venues. Nevertheless, small greens and quick changes in elevation keep even more experienced players on their toes and help them to hone short-game technique. The course's short layout ensures that players average less than 90 minutes for a nine-hole round, leaving plenty of time in the day to polish lucky golf balls.

Its simple course layout makes Sun Valley Golf Course a natural place for young club cadets to take up the game. Junior golf programs led by instructor Mike Cortes help kids to develop proper form at an early age through camps, clinics, and classes.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 27 course
• Total length of 1,057 yards from the back tees
• Two sets of tees per hole

Two large lakes glisten in the sunlight as they cast reflections of the towering trees. At Emerald Isle Golf's 18-hole executive course, the lakes form a nucleus that is surrounded by 16 par 3s and two par 4s. Players must blast soaring shots over the lakes on four separate occasions, unless they’re able to retrieve golf balls with golf-bag scuba tanks and 9-iron snorkels. Prior to a round, golfers can get a feel for putting speed on the practice green and warm up at the full-grass practice range.

Course at a Glance:

18-hole, par 56 course

Total length of 2,452 yards from the back tees

Course rating of 72 from the back tees

Course slope of 113 from the back tees

Three sets of tees per hole

Scorecard

Operating out of five courses throughout the greater San Diego area, JC Golf's Intro2Golf program fosters pin-hunting prowess with a shrewd blend of hands-on instruction, individual practice, and on-course experience designed to introduce the basics of golf to beginners. During the pressure-free sessions, JC Golf equips pupils with all the necessary equipment, saving neophytes the hassle of rustling up their own sets of clubs or graphite shaft bananas. Three additional buckets of range balls grant golfers the spherical tools necessary to implant newly learned concepts into muscle memory. The package also allows clubbers to loop the links at their chosen course twice after 4 p.m. for an additional $10 per round, allowing them to test their mettle amid the brambly hazards and sand-trap curmudgeons found on every real course.

Sculpted into the coastal foothills of San Diego County, Lake San Marcos Country Club’s North Course spans 6,426 yards of lush fairways and well-manicured greens. Throughout the course, mature trees await wayward orbs on the edges of fairways, and serpentine bodies of water crisscross fairways, punishing duffers for errant shots. Before taking to the links, golfers can prepare with a stint at the club’s full-length driving range, where all-grass hitting stations emulate on-course conditions as well as an opportunity to seek vengeance on Mother Earth for a lifetime of traumatizing grass stains. Casual eats at Gordon’s on the Green help restore energy after rounds that include the treacherous trek up the 12th hole—a 606-yard par 5 that runs almost entirely uphill. Those looking for a quick golf experience akin to reading the abridged version of Jack Nicklaus’s cookbook can take to the South Course, a par 58 executive layout.

Whether navigating Pebble Beach’s oceanside links or exploring the birthplace of golf at St. Andrews in Scotland, golfers know that a little rain can turn a trip of a lifetime into a water-logged disappointment. Players Club Golf removes sogginess from the equation; the center’s three full-screen golf simulators unlock instant access to more than 60 global courses without the hassles of commuting, fickle weather, and long round times. The facility smoothes the oft-difficult road toward better scores with practice configurations that allow players to immediately see a wealth of shot parameters on each swing, including launch angle, ball speed, and carry. The virtual driving range facilitates improvement through repetition and target practice, which also helps when trying to ring the doorbell of a neighbor across the street without getting off the couch.

When improvement reaches a plateau, players can enlist the expert instruction of teaching professional Brent Mann. Members also enjoy access to a facility gym stocked with $40,000 worth of equipment. Here, golfers improve their endurance on elliptical machines and strengthen postround handshake grips on a full complement of weight machines.

Jeff Stern grew up across the street from a country club, where he would hunt for lost golf balls and fish in the course's lakes. His passion for the game began when he first picked up a golf club at the tender age of 9, when most kids still believe that golf balls are filled with chocolate. With a whole lot of hard work and a dash of talent, Jeff developed into a serious competing amateur. His teaching career began in earnest under the tutelage of Bruce Hamilton, a top 100 golf professional, who groomed him to become a golf professional at prominent golf facilities including Cascades Golf Club and North Ranch Country Club.

Today, golfers can pick at his golf brain during one-on-one lessons at Lindero Country Club. Students can opt to stay on the range, where Jeff analyzes and critiques their swing mechanics, or head out on the course, where he can better teach course management and fly-swatting with a 9-iron.