Eva played Gearhart Golf Links on the Oregon coast and loved it so much she went back for a second round. Meanwhile, Kurt headed to Oso Creek Golf Course in Mission Viejo for some tournament golf.

This week on Spillin' the Tee, we're bringing you two very different golf experiences.

Eva takes us to one of the most historic golf courses in the western United States, where Scottish-style links golf, beautiful conditions, and the U.S. Hickory Open made for a memorable vacation. Kurt brings us back to Southern California to talk tournament golf, competition, and his experience at Oso Creek.

We're talking course conditions, playability, value, and what makes a golf course worth playing again.

And of course, we're giving both courses our official rating: Worth the Tee Time, Play It Once, or Leave It in the Pro Shop.

COURSES FEATURED

Gearhart Golf Links — Gearhart, Oregon

https://www.gearhartgolflinks.com/

Oso Creek Golf Course — Mission Viejo, California

https://osocreekgolf.com/

MORE FROM THIS EPISODE

Gearhart Golf Links history:

https://www.gearhartgolflinks.com/course-history/

2026 U.S. Hickory Open:

https://www.gearhartgolflinks.com/2026-us-hickory-open/

Gearhart's 2013 restoration:

https://www.gearhartgolflinks.com/restoration-2013/

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort:

https://bandondunesgolf.com/

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Have you played Gearhart or Oso Creek? What's a golf course you enjoyed so much that you'd play it twice on the same trip?

Tell us in the comments.

Subscribe to Spillin' the Tee for honest golf course reviews, questionable golf decisions, and plenty of stories from two everyday golfers.

Play It. Rate It. Spill It.

#GolfCourseReview #OregonGolf #GolfPodcast

Season 2 starts at San Clemente Municipal Golf Course — one of Southern California’s most popular public golf courses and a muni with ocean views, serious history, and a price tag that feels increasingly rare in SoCal golf.

Eva and Kurt break down the full San Clemente Muni experience: the course, the layout, the views, the value, the overall vibe and, most importantly, whether it’s actually worth the tee time.

If you’re looking for public golf in Orange County, affordable Southern California golf, or wondering whether San Clemente Municipal Golf Course deserves a spot on your list, this one’s for you.

San Clemente Municipal Golf Course
Official course information, rates, scorecard and practice facilities:
San Clemente Golf Course — City of San Clemente

Built by William “Billy” Bell, San Clemente opened in 1930 and is known as the “Pride of the Pacific.” The city says the course now hosts roughly 90,000 rounds a year.

Listen through the end for Eva and Kurt’s final verdict: Worth the Tee Time, Play It Once, or Leave It in the Pro Shop.

Spillin’ the Tee
Play It. Rate It. Spill It.

We’re leaving the Orange County golf bubble for our Season 1 finale—and asking whether $100 gets you a better round outside Southern California.

Eva heads to Idaho’s Treasure Valley to play TimberStone, while Kurt returns to the Chicago area for a round at Makray Memorial. We’re spilling everything: pristine fairways, Midwest tree trouble, impressive practice facilities, a late start, two glorious ice machines, one brutal hangover—and the shocking discovery that Eva may love being an aunt more than golf.

Were these two out-of-state courses worth the tee time? Listen to find out.

Courses featured:

⛳ TimberStone Golf Course — Caldwell, Idaho

⛳ Makray Memorial Golf Club — Barrington, Illinois

Thank you for joining us for Season 1 of Spillin’ the Tee! We’ll be back Tuesday, October 6, for Season 2 and kicking things off at San Clemente Municipal Golf Course.

Like, subscribe, share, and send us your takes. Want to play a round with us? Hit us up. We’re always looking for playing partners.

Spillin’ the Tee — Play It. Rate It. Spill It.

David L. Baker is an executive course—but does shorter mean easier, or does it just create a completely different kind of trouble?

This week, Eva and Kurt head to Fountain Valley to play David L. Baker Golf Club, an 18-hole, par-62 course tucked inside Mile Square Park.

With six lakes, undulating greens and plenty of opportunities for a seemingly simple hole to go sideways, this is not just a throwaway practice round.

Kurt makes birdie on Hole 4. Eva questions whether executive courses get the respect they deserve. And together, we break down what everyday golfers actually need to know before booking: the price, pace, playability, conditions, personality and overall experience.

Is David L. Baker the perfect place for a quicker, more approachable round? A legitimate test of your accuracy and short game? Or is it the kind of course golfers dismiss because it does not have championship-length yardage?

We paid. We played. And, as always, we spilled everything.

Have you played David L. Baker? Tell us whether it belongs in the Orange County golf rotation—and what you would rate the full experience.

⛳ David L. Baker Golf Club
https://arcisgolf.com/clubs/david_l_baker_golf_club/home

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Follow @spillintheteepodcast for golf-course reviews, questionable opinions, memorable holes and the moments that never make the scorecard.

Spillin’ the Tee — Play It. Rate It. Spill It.

Eva and Kurt went golfing without each other, so naturally, it’s time for another Spillin’ the Tee Side Piece.

Eva heads back to Marshall Canyon Golf Course in La Verne, California, for a family round—and discovers that the course she already loved may be one of Southern California’s best hidden gems. For around $70 on a Friday, she gets wildlife, rolling terrain, wildly undulating greens and the chance to see just how far her game has come. The last time she played Marshall Canyon, she shot a 124. This time? She shaved 19 strokes off her score.

Meanwhile, Kurt celebrates the Fourth of July in Wisconsin with family, late nights, lake days and a 9 a.m. tee time at Lake Wisconsin Country Club. The course delivers gorgeous lake views, a memorable par 3 over the water and plenty of trouble waiting for anyone whose swing didn’t survive the previous night’s festivities.

One round felt like coming home. The other only cost Kurt his dignity.

We’re breaking down the prices, conditions, layouts, greens, scenery and overall experiences—and deciding whether we need to return together for a full episode.

⛳ Marshall Canyon Golf Course

⛳ Lake Wisconsin Country Club

Have you played either course? Send us your review—and tell us whether a late night has ever completely destroyed your next morning’s round.

Spillin’ the Tee — Play It. Rate It. Spill It.

Tustin Ranch Golf Club has a reputation: beautiful, polished, and supposedly overpriced. But does that reputation survive an actual round?

This week, we’re spilling the tee on one of Orange County’s most talked-about public courses—and our experience may surprise the golfers who insist it costs too much. We break down what you actually get for the price, why the course feels elevated without being unapproachable, and whether Tustin Ranch delivers enough in playability, personality, and overall experience to justify its rate.

We loved the course, but that does not mean it escaped the review unscathed. We get into what stood out, what fell short, and why Tustin Ranch might be one of the most misunderstood golf values in Orange County.

Kurt also explains Nine Point, better known as 5-3-1, a three-player golf game that turns every hole into its own competition—and makes choosing your playing partners significantly more important.

Is Tustin Ranch actually overpriced, or have golfers been spilling the wrong tea? We have thoughts.

⛳ Tustin Ranch Golf Club
https://www.tustinranchgolf.com/

🎲 How to Play Nine Point, or 5-3-1
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/how-to-play-5-3-1-golf-betting-game

Have you played Tustin Ranch? Tell us whether the course deserves its reputation and what you would score the full experience.

Follow us at @spillintheteepodcast.

Spillin’ the Tee — Play It. Rate It. Spill It.

We REALLY liked Tijeras Creek… so we weren’t expecting Glen Ivy Golf Club to come along and top it.

This week on Spillin’ the Tee, Eva and Kurt head to Corona, California to take on Glen Ivy Golf Club—a course packed with elevation changes, water, dramatic views, blind shots and plenty of holes where you’re not quite sure what’s waiting for you on the other side.

We break down the course the only way we know how: price, playability, personality and the overall experience.We’re talking course conditions, some seriously fun downhill golf, food at the turn, the holes that gave us trouble, and one round that had us reconsidering our rankings.

By the end, Glen Ivy lands slightly ahead of Tijeras Creek for us—which we did NOT see coming.

So… is Glen Ivy one of the best public golf courses we’ve played in Southern California?

🎧 Listen and decide for yourself.

And if you’ve played Glen Ivy, we want to know: Is it better than Tijeras Creek?

Spillin’ the Tee — Play It. Rate It. Spill It.

Tijeras Creek has a special place in Eva’s heart—it’s where she first broke 100, back when she was still playing her “baby girl clubs” and had absolutely no business shooting under triple digits.

But would this round live up to the memory?

In this episode, Eva and Kurt review Tijeras Creek Golf Club in Rancho Santa Margarita, California—a course that feels like two completely different experiences. The front nine brings water, pressure, and plenty of opportunities to lose a golf ball. The back nine climbs into the hills for elevated tee shots, beautiful views, and what Eva describes as definite snake country.

They’re spilling everything: the different prices they paid, the best holes on the course, whether the famous signature hole actually deserves the title, the hot dog that may have saved Eva’s life, and the infamous TOMMY!

Is Tijeras Creek worth the premium price, or are golfers paying more for the scenery than the experience?

Play it. Rate it. Spill it.

Follow Spillin’ the Tee and tell us: Have you played Tijeras Creek?