Links at Terranea Golf Review

The Links at Terranea is a enigma for Southern California golfers. They hear about this course nestled right up against the cliffs in Palos Verdes that is one of the top ranked par 3 courses in the world. Yet almost no one I've know has played the course, due in part to it rack rate. Is it worthy of the hype?

In a word, yes.

Terranea with the sea breezes, the fescue, the crazy bunkers makes it truly a relaxing golf experience. The course starts off with a nice and short par 3 that gives you a taste of things to come.

1/2 the holes are uphill, 1/2 the holes are downhill but all have bunkers strategically placed and with the winds severally helping or hurting like a proper links course.

What I liked most about the course was that the greens offer you many options to play your tee shot. There are backboards, there are sidehill undulations, all of which are laid out for you from the tee box. Despite the short nature of the course, you could hit several different shots into the same green making the course playable on repeat for sure.

The true high point of the course comes on the highest parts of the course that afford you unbroken views of the Pacific.

When the holes stretch out to 170+ yards, you get both difficult greens and a testing tee shot making the course even more interesting. The eighth hole is 172, into the wind and a full test of your golfing prowess.

The final highlight of the course is the ninth hole requiring a short iron over a ravine to a fescue-surrounded green framed by the Pacific.

There were only two disappointing things about my time on the Links. The first was that the tees were moved up to let the "tips" rest and I would've liked to have played the course full out. The second was the pace of play. Even though I played on a Sunday morning, the pace was 2 hours which is disappointing for a course under 1,500 yards.

The rack rate is influenced by the resort and the proximity to the Pacific. There are deals out there for golfer willing to find them and if you do, I highly recommend playing the course.

For more info on the Links, check it out here: http://www.terranea.com/southern-california-golf-courses