Lake Elsinore golf: private Canyon Lake, the unclear Links at Summerly and what to play nearby

Lake Elsinore golf is thin right now. Canyon Lake Golf and Country Club is private, and The Links at Summerly has an unconfirmed reopening after flood closures. The playable options are California Oaks, Menifee Lakes and the Golf Club at Rancho California, 15 to 20 minutes from town.

This guide reflects what we found on November 6, 2026. Status of the Links at Summerly may change quickly, so call first. Everything open is on the Temecula golf map.

Quick facts

• Private: Canyon Lake, 32 minutes (21.4 mi) from Old Town Temecula.
• Unclear: The Links at Summerly, Lake Elsinore (Wildomar border). Not on the map.
• Nearest open courses: California Oaks, Menifee Lakes Palms, Golf Club at Rancho California.
• Valley courses from Lake Elsinore hotels: about 22 to 29 minutes.

Is The Links at Summerly open?

Treat it as closed until it posts tee times. The Links at Summerly, a Cal Olson design from 2008 at 29381 Village Pkwy, is a links-style course that floods in heavy rain. Greenskeeper.org carries an alert reading that it is closed and possibly reopening sometime in 2026. A Greenskeeper post dated April 2, 2026 mentions new owners and a rumoured April soft opening, and Canyon Lake Insider reported on March 18, 2026 that Matt Blackburn and family had acquired it with a soft opening anticipated in April.

GolfPass reviews report flooding closures in 2024 and 2025: the back nine shut, then a 13-hole routing, then closed. We found no source confirming it is playable in October or November 2026. Status unclear, call first. Our verdict: leave it off the itinerary until it posts tee times.

Can you play Canyon Lake Golf and Country Club?

Not by booking a tee time. Canyon Lake is a member club run by the Canyon Lake property owners' association, open since 1969, at 32001 Railroad Canyon Rd. Annual memberships are open to residents and non-residents, and members can buy rounds for guests; the association page limits non-residents to three guests a day. Directories call it private or invitation only, and GolfPass labels it semi-private. We found no public tee times. Google rates it 4.4 across 366 reviews.

The route in is a member invitation. Call the golf shop on 951-246-1782 if you know one. For the full picture see private golf clubs near Temecula.

What golf can you play near Lake Elsinore?

These times are from the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lake Elsinore, free-flow estimates.

Bear Creek in Murrieta is private too, 13 minutes from the Holiday Inn Express by the course's own near-hotel figure. See Murrieta golf courses and Menifee golf courses for details on each.

Where to stay for Lake Elsinore golf

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lake Elsinore and the Best Western Plus Lake Elsinore Inn & Suites are 22 to 29 minutes from the Temecula valley courses. Playland RV Resort is the RV option, 23 minutes from California Oaks. Rates were not captured, so check your dates. For a trip centred on Temecula, a Murrieta or valley hotel puts you closer to the better courses: see cheap hotels in Temecula for golf.

How does Lake Elsinore golf fit a Temecula golf trip?

Lake Elsinore is a northern gateway rather than a golf town. The better plan is a Murrieta or Temecula base and a day for Murrieta golf. For ranges of courses see Temecula golf courses, and for ranked picks the best golf courses in Temecula. The California Oaks course guide and Golf Club at Rancho California course guide have tees and booking. Also read golf near Temecula wine country.

What should you do about the Links at Summerly?

Check before you drive. The best signal is a live tee sheet: if the course posts bookable times on GolfNow or its own site, it is open. If not, assume it is not. The new owners announced in March 2026 are the reason a reopening is plausible, but none of the sources we found confirm a date, and the course has a history of flooding after heavy rain, which matters between December and March, the wettest months at the nearest weather station.

If it does reopen, it will sit in the Lake Elsinore and Wildomar border area. Until then, plan around California Oaks, Menifee Lakes and the Golf Club at Rancho California, and keep a backup round in mind.

Is Lake Elsinore a good base for golf?

Only for a budget or RV trip. The Lake Elsinore hotels are 15 to 20 minutes from the northern courses but 22 to 29 minutes from the valley courses. A Murrieta or Temecula base puts you closer to Journey, Redhawk and the Legends. If you want the lake setting for non-golf time, note that Lake Elsinore is known for boating, fishing and skydiving, though water levels vary and were not checked.

Plan it on the map

Open the Temecula golf map to see Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake and the open courses together. The $49 plan builds a day-by-day schedule from the stay you choose and leaves out courses that are private or closed.