Just got back from "man-cation" 2010 edition, to San Diego, where we played four vastly different courses in 48 hours. We hacked just north of San Diego in Carlsbad/Oceanside. By the last round, golf had lost some of it's appeal for this 13.2 handicapper.
We played: Oceanside, The Crossings at Carlsbad, Arrowood and La Costa Golf Resort (south course). Arrowood was my favorite, for a combination of value, fun, experience, etc. I would have appreciated La Costa more but my lats were going to fall off and I just couldn't muster the passion to care about golf. Even the Mad Golfer has his limits.
The rounds ranged from $19 at Oceanside to $100 at La Costa, after we stayed a night on a freebie. (La Costa would cost about $500 with a stay and play, I guess.) Oceanside/Carlsbad is 30 minutes north of San Diego airport. Arrowood was $30 and The Crossings was $75. The cheap rounds at Oceanside and Arrowood were twilight deals and we finished each in about three and half hours with a cart.
The action began at Oceanside, pulling up in our under-powered, gas guzzling PT Cruiser rental. Classic muni-golf. Flat except for two hilly holes. Course is a little ratty but that's part of the charm. You know, one of those places where the range balls come onto the course to utterly confuse you when you look for your ball. A lot of dog-legs. Fresh energy fueled us to come in each a little under 90. Not bad for playing from the blue tees on a new track. (We bunked at the baby-shit yellow La Quinta in C-Bad, which included a boffo breakfast.)
We hit the local Ocean's 11 Casino post-round, where I met a couple guys who had just golfed La Costa. I cornered them. "What's the Crossings like, what's La Costa like and where else would you play," I badgered them. One of the dudes was a cross between Drew Carey and the old SNL androgynous skit character Pat. "I hate the crossings, that place has all blind shots," he moaned, nursing about his 11th Corona of the evening. They recommended Arrowood and said that we had better play the south course at La Costa because the north side's greens had just been punched. The other dude said that the rough at La Costa was incredibly thick....Word.
The Crossings has mind-blowing layout and blind shots, jets, wires, water in front of greens, etc. The problem is that you would have to play it about seven times to get a clue about the layout, green contours, etc. The place apparently had a budget of $13 million when it was finished five years ago but came in at $70 million from all the permit snags. From a physical engineering perspective it's like the Great Wall of China or The Great Pyramids. No lie.
On the third tee-box the jet roared 1,000 feet above my back swing. What inner voice? Duffer 40 yards in front of me. Effing jet.
This place takes up like 12 square miles. One hole you have to take a bridge to and from it. We finished in 5 hours but 30 minutes of that was drive time, 20 minutes was driving to look at your next shot and 20 was looking for your ball. We joined a retired couple, with the 60-something "dragon" wife sporting tight white pants.
Two of the toughest back to back par 5s were on the back nine. The really dumb thing about the course is that they took up butt-loads of land and yet they have about three 115-yard par 3s--it was as if they tried to cram them into the course design. I had a huge meltdown on the last three holes as my partner had a pretty amazing 88. The greens were really inconsistent.
We hit Arrowood after the Crossings and a quick In and Out Burger. Peckerwood had the best fairways, broad with texture. The front proved fair, what-you-see, what-you-get-golf with the back bringing the wood. The signature hole is 16, out of a chute off a hill, downhill to an island green. Eighteen also finishes over water, and I watched a great back nine disappear with an approach into the water. I went 48, 41 and should have cracked 40 on the back.
Arrowood features rolling hills and just a comfortable, family friendly vibe. We finished in 3.5 hours and never had to wait.
La Costa has a simple, classic layout but the rough munches your ass and balls like no other (that was dirty!). If you go off the fairway forget about making a great shot--just punch out. Narrow openings to the greens and it's all heavily bunkered. It's flat.
They host PGA tournaments and have bizarre cement monuments up --like where Tom Watson was called for a penalty for giving Lee Trevino some helpful swing advice, where Tiger thumped Steven Ames after Ames talked shit about his drives, and where Phil Mickelson drove pin high on a dog leg 330-yard hole. (It's as if they are equating moments in golf with the battle of Gettysburg or something.)
La Costa south had slow greens and fun par 3s. My mind turned to every thing butt golf on the back nine. My friend whipped me. I was down $20 going into 18 and pressed double or nothing. We both hit miracle third shots to bogey the hole. I finished with maybe just under 100.
La Costa is one of those places that are good to visit once. Oh. Hit the resort's pool area, also known as "Milf Island."
