Los Angeles anyone?

[Rafcin]

going for a short business trip early Oct., thinking abut golf on Sat (2 rounds) - anybody has idea ? I played PGA West twice already, thinking about La Costa, but reviews on the golfcourse.com are really bad... Don't mind driving couple hours up or down (no, I can't afford Pebble Beach )
tia

[Donald MacKenzie]

La Costa isn't bad, but it isn't worth the money they want for non-resort-guest play. And the "tournament course" you see on TV is parts of both 18s (North and South), so you'll only play some of the familiar holes depending upon which side is open for public play that day.

Another 15 minutes south of that is Meadows Del Mar, a sweet Tom Fazio course. It's also pricey, but it is worth it. Very entertaining course, only a few years old. Worth the drive. If you decide to play there, let me know and I can suggest a second (cheaper) course in the area for your second 18.

Further up the coast toward LA, Pelican Hill in Newport Beach is supposed to be great. I haven't played it (yet), but it has great views. Also pricey, but probably worth it.

[Rafcin]

Thanks for the pointers.
I spoke to people at Torey Pines - their courses are under maintenance now, and it's quite severe, so it won't be too good of a shape in October :(
La Costa keeps only one of the course open to the public at the time, that kills the idea of 2 rounds on 2 nice courses. I heard from 3 different sources, that Pelican Hill is place to go, even though pricey - is as close as one can get to Pebble Beach. They'll also close down for 2 years in Novemeber for major reseeding/redesign - so it's a good opportunity to play it for a while.
I think I'll do that. Need a sponsor though, it will run me approx $400 to play 2 rounds :(

[Sando]

Check out Aviara http://www.golfsd.com/aviara.html . It's 5 min from La Costa. It's pricey also but I was there last week and had a great time. Nice layout in very good shape.

Industry Hills has two championship courses. I've never been there but it has a very good rep. Plus it's alot cheaper than the others.
http://www.ihgolfclub.com/courses.htm

[Sando]

Arroyo Trabuco is another place you should look into. http://www.arroyotrabuco.com/general/html/home.html

I played there last month on a Sunday afternoon. Two holes in front and two holes in back were wide open. Nobody there, which is a very rare around here. A brand new, beautiful course for $85 and well worth it.

[Rafcin]

Arroyo Trabuco is another place you should look into.

indeed looks good, however as a typical east coast golfer - I'm looking for that ocean experience (Pebble Beach like) - Pelican Hill even tho very pricey seems like it can offer it.

[Rafcin]

Did somebody try the Trump National in LA (former Ocean Trails) ? Is it re-open already? $300 sounds like a lot, but all 18 holes facing the ocean sounds hot
http://www.trumpgolf.com/trumplosangeles

Never mind:
"Singles reservations will NOT be accepted". I knew Trump is an greedy a%$ole. Like $300 a tee time is not enough. What is he doing with all that money? Can't even find a hairpiece that doesn't look like plastic.

[Donald MacKenzie]

If you're looking for the Pacific Ocean experience south of LA, Pelican Hill is one of your best bets. Torrey Pines is on the bluffs, but isn't as close to the water as Pebble Beach. You do get the winds off the water, though, which is part of the experience (though you mentioned the work they're doing on the courses, and the fact that it's almost impossible to get on without buying a package through a tee-time reseller).

A compromise in the north part of San Diego County would be Encinitas Ranch, a public 18-holer on the east side of the I-5 expressway. It has views of the water from something like 14 of the holes, and is close enough to get the ocean wind/breeze. I've played there several times, and it's a fun course. It can be kind of slow, though. It is easy to find, just off the I-5 only 10 mins. from the Carlsbad HQs of Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist/Cobra, Ashworth, etc. It would make a great two-fer with Meadows Del Mar for a 36-hole day.

Meadows Del Mar is more of a canyon course, with more of a target golf layout. Lots of elevation changes and cool views.

In four years of living out there I felt like there were more golf courses than out east, but fewer good ones. I can think of dozens of courses in Orange County and San Diego, but only a couple I'd suggest playing. Go figure.

[Rafcin]

darn, dude from Pelican Hill just called me - they've an event that day and both courses are closed to public
I guess I'll go with your tips Don... or drive again to PGA West - love it there

Hey Donald, ever heard of Oak Quarry? Pics look great and reviews are pretty good too... http://www.oakquarry.com/

[Donald MacKenzie]

darn, dude from Pelican Hill just called me - they've an event that day and both courses are closed to public

Nope, never heard of Oak Quarry. I've been gone from SoCal for almost years, so I'm not up on anything new (or much outside San Diego/OC).

If you go out to Palm Springs, a course I've always wanted to play was the La Quinta resort Mountain Course. It is right next door to PGA West (and was owned by the same company, or might still be). La Quinta's a nice resort that has a couple courses. I covered a tournament on the Mountain Course once and thought it was one of the coolest layouts I'd seen. Several of the holes play right up against and around the so-called mountains. There's a par-5 where you can try to cut the corner over the rock, a downhill par-3 where you hit from one plateau to another. Pretty nifty stuff. I'm pretty sure it's open to the public. If I was going out there, I'd try to play the Weiskopf Course at PGA West, then head over to La Quinta. The San Diego options are good, too. I like the LA-to-SD drive better than LA-to-Palm Springs. More water, easier driving. As for the golf, apples and oranges. Either way, it beats not playing at all!

[Donald MacKenzie]

Someone earlier mentioned Aviara. It is a 3-wood down the street from La Costa. Quite pricey, but always in immaculate shape and it has a few knockout holes. The restaurant in the golf clubhouse (Argyle Room) has the best ahi sandwich in the world. I only played there a few times while I was out there, but mainly because I had friends who were members at La Costa which made it a much cheaper option.

Aviara is also about 5 minutes away from Encinitas Ranch, which I mentioned before. And right by the water, so you can head up the Pacific Coast Highway into downtown Carlsbad and hit Cessy's taco shop for some greasy post-round grub. Ah, good times.

[Rafcin]

I'd try to play the Weiskopf Course at PGA West, then head over to La Quinta.

Weiskopf is private... TPC Stadium, Nicklaus and Norman are open to public. It's qute a hike and I've 9:55PM flight out of LA... I think I'll go with the Aviara / Eciwhatever combination. Thanks again !

[Rafcin]

Looks like I found a winner : http://www.lostcanyons.com/
Have to see if they'll book a single, but reviews and pictures both look great.

[Chris (Golf Dude)]

Trump National Golf Club.

[Rafcin]

Trump National Golf Club.

$300 and no reservations for a single...

[Chris (Golf Dude)]

Ouch.


Sorry if I did not know the price.......!

[cireyamel]

Are you the member of any national private athletic club or golf club? Just a thought. The concierge at my athletic club has hooked me up with some pretty cool golfing times on business trips over the years. As a single. But I don't remember paying more than $200 in that area at the private clubs.

[Rafcin]

Are you the member of any national private athletic club or golf club?...

Nah, a dog track semi-private course only. Nobody will do them a favor by getting me on a private course somewhere else