First time playing @ Willowick this past Sunday so unsure about what to expect- older reviews were middling to unfavorable. I shouldn't have worried. This place is fantastic! The practice greens are well cared for and reflected the greens' conditions out on the course. Their practice range lets you hit on grass! That's rare. A lot of holes are wide and adjacent to each other so errant tee shots don't automatically mean a blow-up hole. But trees line the border between each hole so bad lies are still very much a possibility. The fairways are grassy, with soft ground and mostly smooth; there are sections which are dry and hard but it looked like the grounds crew have been working to improve it. They now look nothing like the satellite maps on Google Earth or Apple Maps. The rough is challenging to put it mildly. The grass is grown longer so it hides the hard packed dirt and bumpiness of the ground. Be careful- the taller grass also hides squirrel and gopher holes. Be prepared for a bone-rattling cart ride! The greens are where the course is at its most challenging. They're almost always guarded by front sand traps and the surfaces are almost never flat. Great place to practice lag putts. All in all, a great place to play! I spoke with folks in the pro shops and they said more improvements are coming. Will definitely be back. read more

Awesome place for the money if your on a budget. Don't know what happened to the clubhouse like maybe short staffed and don't have a bartender. Every time try and go in and buy a soda and candy bar they're always closed. I always have a great experience here and like the adventure of seeing how the round turns out. Friendly people always working! read more

Willowick Golf Course - #1 Tee - Golf Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Hidden gem and decent price for range and golf! Practice area in good shape. Mid week not as busy

We had a tee time at 12:50 today. The starter was allow a group of 5 that had a tee time at 1:00 to go in front of us! Really?? Do you know how to do your job??!! Me and the guy I'm paired with got into an argument with these damn Asians, who have five in there group!! They said the starter told them they were next. Get somebody else to do a better job as a starter!! Damn! It busted started the round in a really bad note! Should have never come to that. Not going back!!! read more

Been playing here every week for a little over a year now and when I first started the course was just a good bang for your buck not very kept, but as of recently the course has taken a turn and I've seen great improvement, between the greens and the fairways improving and just overall quality has gone up and besides that social media presence and deals have also been really nice, the restaurant has been having fun deals for events and they've been doing great deals which they promote though their recent social media presence, met Kelly here who is Doing great with the promotion of it all and I think the the way she's taking with the media is great, love the improvement can only hope it feels getting better cause I love this course so much. read more

Great value for the price. The course is city-managed and generally clean, making it a good place for casual rounds and practice. Some holes cross each other which can be a bit risky, but it's manageable. One concern is safety on the course. There were homeless individuals inside the course area, especially near hole 16. One person shouted and swung a tree branch, which felt threatening, especially for female players. I tried to report it but couldn't reach the pro shop. Overall I still like this course a lot. With a little more attention to player safety and course conditions, it could be even better. read more

Willowick Golf Course - Golf Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I've played this course recently a couple times and have enjoyed playing both times. Grounds seem to be well kept, and we've been able to tee off timely both times. read more

Horrible in every aspect. $56 on a Sunday including a cart. Rock hard, dried out fairways. Tons of open dirt. Riding a cart is a back breaking adventure. This is a gopher hole riddled weed patch. 20 minutes late to start, no marshals, no beverage cart and horribly slow play. We quit at the 16th hole after 5 hours. This place can be so nice if they had a decent staffing level and if they watered the damn course. They do have nice greens. See?..... I can say something positive. read more

Played Willowick Golf Course for the first time, and I have to say--it's truly a hidden gem (just like Brian in the pro shop called it). Brian was super helpful during check-in and made the experience even better. The course itself was in great shape and fun to play. The pro shop was well-stocked with updated products at great prices, which was a nice surprise. Overall, I had a fantastic experience and will definitely be coming back! read more

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Went here with coworkers to practice our hitting after work. Brian was super helpful and friendly. It's a chill atmosphere, plenty of parking and decent facilities. Would go back read more

Terrible place of play and no one cares who's there. GOLF ETIQUETTE DOES NOT EXIST HERE Had a 630 tee time... the round took five hours because they let 6 to 7 carts go ahead of us. I don't understand how they let four or five groups go for the 610 tee time even started and went. The greens were really nice, but it was the worst experience I've had on a golf course and pace of play.. Pace of play does not matter here. People suck and they will hit 2 to 3 balls and take a bunch of practice shots just to shank one..... and you'll have people you're paired with on their fifth or sixth shot while you're on your second.... People who score 115 play here. So frustrating and unnecessary for a 6:30 AM start. Imagine getting there at 6:30 and thinking you're the third slot and there's eight carts ahead of you still that management let go ahead read more

Not sure who's in charge now but the course is in amazing shape! Greens are amazing and the tee boxes are now level and have short grass. I will definitely be coming back here with the boys ! Keep up the great work !!! read more

Only come here if you enjoy paying $56 for a round that gets interrupted by homeless people and their dogs. Terrible fairways that have dirt patches and are riddled with gopher holes. When your game is interrupted by homeless people it's impossible to reach the "Marshal". Even when a marshal comes out they allow the homeless to hang out in the rough to the right of hole 16. Despite this being a known issue they continue to let the homeless run rampant and expect all guests to pay premium prices for a round. Will not be coming back to this establishment. read more

Friendly and professional staff and starter. good green . value for money course , start on time ,busy sunday but finished 18 holes

Course was in pretty poor condition. One of the cheaper courses around so it's worth the money, but the fairways and tee boxes need desperate help. read more

The course is absolutely fantastic. The greens are the best in Orange County and the T boxes are also great. It really helps your game because you have to hit the ball in the fairway but if you hit it outside the fairway and you go into the rough then it becomes more challenging. I did look at prior reviews and I think there were a lot of complaints without any valid substance behind them. Looking forward to another round of golf at Willowick read more

Early bird 9 hole cheapskates golfers play twice clogging up the course for golfers playing 18 holes. No respect. Pay for 18 holes if you play 18. Are you pake? read more

Tee boxes were horrendous. Greens were average and fairways were below average. Friend invited me to play with his men's club event. Would not play there on my own. read more

OK this is an update...the course WAS a dog patch with terrible maintenance and homeless (unhoused people) everywhere. It now has pretty good greens, lumpy and sparse but improving fairways, bunkers with sand in them. All super positive. The layout is a William Bell design which means not great (simple, flat, bleh) if you know golf courses. Why can you get tee times easy? Because it still has homeless around, is close to not so safe neighborhoods and has "golfers" that have no golf etiquette or knowledge. I am not trying to be mean, the course just has a lot of "hey.. lets get some beers get high and play golf." people. Never repaired a ball mark or divot in their life. They still don't know why some people yell out the number 4 on the course (yes that's a joke). The amenities are old but ok, carts work ok, starters are nice, the course maintenance is actually pretty good now but this course is second to last place on my list. Because of the people around it and on it. Just does not feel safe at times. Oh, last place and the worst golf course? The Links at Victoria...hands down. read more

Played the front 9 in the afternoon and got finished very quick. From the tees, the holes are wide open and I was able to use my Driver without any worries. The fairways are decent, with some overgrowth and crabgrass on some holes. The greens are in pretty good shape and are challenging. I had a fun round at The Wick and the green fees are affordable. read more

Willowick Golf Course - Golf Near Me - Santa Ana, California

You get what you pay for here! First, the driving range is in terrible condition, they could invest in some hitting mats which would be a lot more beneficial than the destroyed grass that is not taken care of at all. The pace of play was decent, a lot of beginners out on the course which slows it down here and there. We had a few groups in front which were 2 groups of 5, that didn't help the pace of play and a few of them were hitting multiple balls. My biggest complaint was the restaurant/bar. The young lady at the bar was extremely rude, complained about "working" and was not accountable for the food we ordered( 4 hot dogs). It took 20 minutes for 4 hotdogs that should probably be ready anyway, her excuse was "oh, the cook didn't hear me yell at him" we had to ask what took so long as she was clearly not wanting to be there. The course is what it is, $55 one of the more affordable courses in OC but would only play it if I absolutely need too. read more

Ah... the Wick Here we go. The good, the bad and the ugly. First, the good. Prices are very reasonable and tee times are relatively easy to come by. Plenty of parking and always an adequate amount of golf carts available... The bad. No more 19th hole (major bummer) and the starter dude can often cop a major attitude with patrons, regardless of how nice you are with him. Then, there is the ugly. While this needs to be realized as the OC's oldest course, it way too often shows its age. Cart paths are too often like four wheeling in Cal City. Many times we have come across vagrants, homeless peeps, gang bangers etc., meandering on the course. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of irons to play wack-a-mo with if need be, but it sux to see the course go to Hell... Hearing it's soon to be "affordable housing" too... oh well :-( read more

Poorly maintained and overall not a very good place to play golf unless you are a hack golfer who takes the Mulligans like breakfast cereals with half and half milk. I was informed many times that this oldest existing public golf course in the Orange County is going out of business and the land sold for real estate development; however, the news is now different. Once again if you are a serious golfer, stay away. Most of the golfers are typically ill mannered and poorly trained in the art of golf and maintenance is non existent and no Marshall anywhere. Price is below the market reflecting the poor condition of the course and the poor users. Perfect for beginners like me. I like riding old golf cart with a big hole in the frame and shaking each time during the acceleration. They do provide a coffee shop but none of the holes have ball wash machine. read more

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Willowick, where you can hit a beautiful drive down the middle only to lose your ball in a gopher hole or deep tundra. The gopher population definitely out numbers the golfers. I didn't know the gophers at Willowick are a protected species. You need a four wheel jeep to navigate the fairways. Is there a grounds crew? I did see a couple folks riding lawn mowers. Couldn't have been mowing. The terrain would destroy the mowers. Sand traps with no rakes. And they had the nerve to charge me $42.00 for a green fee. Never again. Who ever owns the course, sell it to a developer!! Please!!! Funny they would give you divot repair mix. read more

Willowick Golf Course - Golf Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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I shredded this course about a year ago (deservedly so). I have to give credit where credit is due. I played there yesterday and you can tell that they have taken their terrible reviews to heart and are making an effort. The fairways are much better maintained, and the piles of garbage and homeless people that lived on the course weren't there anymore. The course is still incredibly bumpy - riding in a cart is like driving on a cobblestone street where the cobblestones are the size of boulders. The bunkers still have no sand in them. But overall the course conditions have improved to a point where I would play there again. Years and years of neglect are hard to overcome, but management seems to at least be trying. read more

Always a good time playing here with the boys! Been coming here for 10+ years and never had an issue with the course. Ryan that works the pro-shop in the evening is a great guy! Good customer service. Will continue to come back to here as long as I can play! read more

Hands down one of the worst golf courses in all of Orange County. Do yourself a favor and go right up the street to basically any other course. Pros: 1. Very flat and mostly straight fairways 2. Zero water hazards 3. Large parking lot so it is easy to get in and out of Cons: Well this will be a long list. 1. Fairways. Some of the fairways are great, but most of them are more like a rough. You won't know which you have until you try to find your ball on the fairway. You should not need to get a wedge out on a fairway when you still have 230+ till the pin. However if you swung a fairway wood, you probably would have broken your club. 2. So much trash! Every green, every fairway, every tee box had trash. From banana peels to empty snack bags. Legit unacceptable. 3. So much graffiti! Yes it is located in a area that has graffiti in the surrounding neighborhood. Now you can never judge the surrounding areas, I know. However when I saw multiple trees, fences, etc on this course with graffiti. That is when I have a problem because now it is the course not taking care of itself. 4. Tee box locations. On a few holes I would be teeing off and another group would be hitting on a different hole but in my direction. A few tee boxes are located directly behind the green. So if someone over shoots the green (which everyone has done). It will then land directly in your tee box while you are trying to tee off. 5. They have a net to protect the houses near this course from getting a golf ball in their yard. Yes that is great I know. However, this net is so worn down and broken that I saw multiple people miss the green and land in the yard of those houses. Overall this is a terrible course. I would never recommend this course. Even if you just wanted to practice. Orange County has plenty of courses that are better for the same price. read more

Golfers with no golf etiquette. Golfer will take their sweet time to tee off (twice if they felt their first shot was bad with no consideration of other people/parties waiting for their turn to as well). Everyone becomes backed up. The holes and tees are so close to each other. It's not a fun experience. I will not return. read more

They need to fix everything. There were a lot of gophers holes. We even saw a gopher pop up out of one of them. Whoever does their gopher's needs to do a better job. They also need better signage as well we got confused as to where to go between holes. read more

After 14 hole, the battery life was dead, Terrible maintenance. We had waited for more than 15 minutes. read more

Good, nice staff. Watch out this guy. He may or may not Customer of Willowick golf course. He try to jump up people play golf. He really bad attitude when he ask to join your team. Post pictures below read more

Willowick Golf Course - Golf Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Terrible conditions, slow golfers, the staff was very nice though. Overall just bad golf course, you weren't even safe in the middle of the fairway. read more

We booked some foursomes here for an early Saturday t-time. Let me start with the positive. I was able to book a t-time a couple of weeks in advance. The lady who helped me book was very nice and helpful, the attendant who registered us in was very helpful and nice. The place definitely has a cool old school vibe to it and you can definitely feel and see the history of old orange county here. Fellow players were nice and polite, everyone's pace was prefect. No hi brow formalities here. Here are my negatives. for the amount paid, 51.00, i expect the green to be a little more managed than they were. To start off, the putting greens look like ringworm infestations, plenty of gopher holes, trash, and trees that have been cut but not removed. The kicker and the reason that I probably will not come back here again was the homeless encampment on the golf course at hole 5. I think I counted at least 3 homeless encampments on the golf course. This course was to say the least, rough. read more

A buddy and I made a last minute tee time at "the Wick" due to not being able to book anywhere else, as well as wanting to be in some decent weather. Arrived at the course about 45 minutes prior to tee time. The range was grass, which would be good if there was grass, unfortunately a lot of dirt and sand due to being used a lot. No biggie. $45 w a cart on a weekend. Fine. Got through about 4-5 holes and realized that as I looked around the course, many if not most of the players, were hitting from the wrong fairway most of the time. Like shots going sideways off the tee, massive slices, and snap hooks. On the 6th or 7th hole a guy playing up our fairway (his tee shot was literally 100 yards off line) decided he could aim at the green instead of just playing to his fairway. He again sliced the $hit out of the ball directly at us. Luckily we were able to dodge the incoming projectile. For the next 3 hours we basically felt like we were at a shooting range with rounds coming at us from every direction. FORE! Thwack! Crack! Felt kinda PRSD traumatized after a while! Now let's get to the fairways. If you're using a cart you have to drive at about 1/3 speed otherwise your fillings will get rattled out of your mouth. The combination of grass, weeds, hard pan, and muddy water made for a situation where every lie on the course is ground under repair. The greens were in good condition compared to everything else. Service was good in the pro shop and restaurant. Next time, if there is a next time, I'll be wearing a helmet and flak jacket. read more

This is a place I play a couple to a few times a week, if it's anyone else than Jimmy, it's a good experience! I've been coming to the wick for at least 10 years . Today was a game changer! Guy told me my card was a Fing piece of shit, guy is so damn bi-polar it's a joke! I pay my fair share to golf there, I don't need lip from a guy who can't handle his own issues! Shawn and Jonathan are top notch though! Just Jimmy that kills the vibe! read more

Look, it's a muni in the middle of Santa Ana. So with expectations managed, I went in and expecting the worst. So booked a time mid day on a Saturday expecting a 5 hour plus round. Results? First the positive: clubhouse was welcoming and provided a throwback feeling of when club houses were guys drinking beers watching football...check. Starter was extremely courteous and friendly and said " we are running ahead, cone see me when your ready after hitting balls...check. Out 10 minutes early and for the whole round, pace of play was good (started at 1pm- finished 5:20pm). Greens were in great shape but long and slow. Fairways were decent with a few spaces where you might have to move your ball from dirt. Heard lots of hoots and Hollars and music and felt like everyone out was enjoying themselves. Price on weekend was $50.... Really with cart? ( and a new cart at that!) Negatives- two. Drive in can be tough with traffic trying to get to the middle of Santa Ana on a Saturday. Other issue, hole 16 which two of us drove as a par 4, is a great hole except in the back corner there was a small homeless encampment on golf course grounds. Weird? Overall we will be back, great muni for the price! read more

Not a great looking place. There is junk thrown there in the parking lot (old sinks and mattresses). Customer service is just rude. The driving range is all dirt. Don't waste your time or money here. read more

The course is not maintained very well and isn't really worth the green fees. Come here if you don't want to spend a lot of money and need to get a round done for practice. read more

I walk up to the pay window. Me: Can I get a bucket of range balls? Them: we don't have any. Me: How about the restaurant? I wanna grab a quick snack before my tee time. What time does it open? Them: it doesn't. Me: ok cool how about the pro shop? Them: closed. Me: Alrighty... I'll just get some stuff when the beverage cart comes around... Them: no beverage cart today.... You should prob drive to a 7-11 or something before you start. Me: ok I see behind you there's a commercial beverage fridge and it seems like there might be some items you're interested in selling to your customers... Them: we have some Doritos and candy... Me: I guess I'll take some breakfast candy. 15 minutes later I take a bite to find out the peanut m&ms I purchased are long expired. So this course is the absolute worst I've ever been to. It's absolutely beyond neglected. The fairways are all crab grass. The cart paths are full of pot holes. The greens are mushy. The bunkers are as hard as concrete. There's graffiti everywhere. There's a random abandoned house in the parking lot. And they have the audacity to change $50+ for a round of golf. There are zero redeemable qualities about this course and it will go down as the absolute worst course I've ever played. read more

My son and I recently golfed here at this golf course, it has improved a lot. Roughs are high but fairways and greens are in great condition. Course pace is decent and the service is excellent. Kudos to Brian from the pro shop was great with customer service, he took our tee time over the call. I drop my phone in the pro shop and he brought it to us from the cart. This is my new home course. read more