Nick- I was up there to play the new course a couple of weeks ago. The old Ocean Trails was purchased by Trump after the 18th hole fell into the ocean and there are still hassles with the city of Palos Verdes which have prevented the opening. The finishing hole has been reconstructed and is probably the best hole on the golf course.
The ride up there and the views are breathtaking. It is on the old Marineland site and the ocean can be seen from every hole. The clubhouse is exquisite and the food is great. It's actually worth going up there just to check out the girls who work in the pro shop. Something about Trump and women- he always has great looking females in his places.
The golf course is pretty disappointing other than the views. It's pretty schizophrenic- only the first hole goes in a north/south direction straight up hill. Every hole then traverses down the slope and runs parallel with the ocean in a east/west direction ( the ocean runs that way on that part of the coast). The first hole will be very tough for the average executive foursome ($300 per man on the weekends)- it is uphill and has water hazards just in front and just behind the narrow green with a huge waterfall in the background. Let's hope they are still having fun after losing about 14 balls trying to get on the green. The course that follows is pretty average for the most part. There are several very average short par 4's and then there are 3 absolute brutes that go up to 500 or more and are all into a 1-2 club wind. Environmentally sensitive areas are everywhere and the fairways often narrow so that even a pretty good drive results in a lost ball. High handicappers will need a lot of ammo on this track. The greens are good and the complexes
interesting, but my feeling is that unless someone is treating you or it's some kind of special occasion and you want to splurge, don't make any extra efforts to go there.