Strawberry Farms Set For Opening

IRVINE — Strawberry Farms Golf Club joins the fight for the Orange County golfer’s dollar when the course, located in the hills of Irvine west of Interstate 405, opens Friday.

It’s another high-end facility--along the lines of Oak Creek, Tustin Ranch and Pelican Hill--designed to give players a country-club feeling for a day.

In this case, it will cost $85 Monday through Thursday and $125 Friday to Sunday. The par-71 course is 6,712 yards and designed by Jim Lipe, who normally works for Jack Nicklaus’ company. Tee times will be nine minutes apart and players will travel near wetlands above and below Sand Canyon Dam.

“We haven’t had one person say they are shocked about the price,” General Manager Scott Chaffin said. “It’s about what people expect. We want to create the atmosphere that you are on the course without delay.”

The clubhouse and cart building are designed to evoke the feel of an old farm. The most striking feature of the clubhouse is an authentic windmill, which was taken from a Nebraska field and reassembled in Irvine.

The cart barn is designed to look like an actual farm’s red barn. The building, which also can be cleared out for banquets, is worth a look inside just to check out the exposed wood beams.