First off I would like to thank Johnny for another fun outing. I love your format and look forward to playing with the group again. I would also like to thank Linksoul for all the great gear thay prov... Continue »

First off I would like to thank Johnny for another fun outing. I love your format and look forward to playing with the group again. I would also like to thank Linksoul for all the great gear thay provided not to mention to Golf Moose for the shirts. Congratulations to Dconnally for his victory 6 and 4 in our GK Cup match. I feel like the Champions course could use some TLC. I felt like I was playing my local city course not a resort. The biggest issues I had were the numbers of cart path only holes ( I belive 8 holes had some or all restricted) This is a big issue for the older gang. On the 18th green (the first time we saw a marshal) we were told that the carts could have been adjusted to let us play on more of the fairways. A little too late for Dave C and myself. The course itself is a great layout with good greens a few thin spots but ok for play. They were fair to read and pretty fast as well. The fairways were cut very short and had many ground under repair areas (some marked some just bare) Thay were fair and you had to try to get a really bad lie. I found lots of sand this fine Saturday with some being soft and some very firm. The bunkers all seemed to have pleanty of sand it was as if you would have a dry soft bunker than a wet firm one. This was a bit of a challange for me and others in my foursome. I would have to have a good reason to play the Champions course again. The GK outings are high on my list of golf activities. I would play here again with the GK events.

Played with the Gk event this past weekend and hag a fun time with them. Big shout out to Johnny for setting everything up along with Royal Links, Golfmoose and Linksoul for the awesome swag for the p... Continue »

Played with the Gk event this past weekend and hag a fun time with them. Big shout out to Johnny for setting everything up along with Royal Links, Golfmoose and Linksoul for the awesome swag for the prizes. I have played champions a few times and I regret to say this course has seen better days. Now it has never been a perfect conditioned course when I have played but Saturday it seemed like the course has been let go a bit. I will go into more detail below about that.

The major issue we had Saturday was the Cart Lady! She is a thief! Being stacked up my brothers group was behind us so Gregholla decided to buy them a shot as we were on the green them on the fairway. We let the cart lady know that these two drinks were for the group on the tee. She said no problem and drove over to them. We found out later at the Vue restaurant that she did not give them the drinks and charged them for the ones they ordered. We were pissed. I must say the GM or Restaurant manager was very apologetic and promptly brought out doubles to them so that was amazing for him to go above and beyond especially seeing how the restaurant is separate from the golf facility. That is the only reason we gave a three star. The rest of the staff was friendly so that was nice.

As for conditions of the course I mentioned that they were sub-par for this course. Starting with the driving range were its all mats and half of them were missing the tee holders. Also there are not enough stations for one course let alone two. Tee's were decent and offered adequate space to tee it up. Fairways were Ok with mostly grass but sometimes different types. A lot of holes were CPO for some reason and the carts didn't tell us until on the grass were we had to back up to the CP. Rough was a real mixed bag of grass switching to brush the farther off fairway. Sand was absolutely terrible, I was in 5 or 6 traps and none had sand I dont know why this is a problem as its not windy often and the course makes money with the high rack rates. As for the greens they were medium fast and a little bumpy (from play not courses fault) Also the pins were in some tough location which is becoming the norm for all GK events it seems.

Overall if it wasn't for a GK Plays or event I wont be back until they fix some issues.

Played in the "GK Plays" outing on Saturday and did a high quality job stinking it up out there... such is life.

Arrival and check-in: This was an interesting sort of situation when it comes to ov... Continue »

Played in the "GK Plays" outing on Saturday and did a high quality job stinking it up out there... such is life.

Arrival and check-in: This was an interesting sort of situation when it comes to overall rating for me as this location is about 47 miles from my home and it took about 3 hours to get there on a Saturday. This does play a bit into my desire to make another trek in this direction. I know one thing for certain: It will NOT be a summer Saturday if I can help it. Removing this absurd traffic situation, the golf course is part of a resort and not in the "resort" sense such as many others I have been to. There is no parking right by the clubhouse where golfers can park isolated from the rest of the resort guests. The layout is a bit confusing and self-parking is quite a hike from the course check-in. I drove past the self-parking lot (I wasn't certain that was the self-parking at the time) and used the valet service as this looked to save about 5-10 minutes in walking (and I was already late in getting to the course). After I made it down to the golf shop the staff were great in all ways, and this makes up for the parking headaches somewhat.

Off to the course ...
(Note: I was there too late to actually hit at the range, so I cannot comment on the practice facilities other than a "4 tier" putting green with very little in the way of intermediate slopes. It is either the big drops or relatively flat. The putting green was pretty beaten up and looked to be burned in some areas.)

Tee Boxes: In general the tees are in pretty good shape and are mostly flat. Not much I can say here but that I appreciate a course that does a good job keeping tee boxes useful (flat, mown, and not concrete dirt).

Fairways: I didn't see much of these other than heading into the weeds to find my ball. For the most part, the fairways looked to be in great shape and were not "spongy" or very slow. I would say these were medium speed fairways and would be neutral to most golfers. I would say that if you need to hit a flop shot from the fairway areas near the green you will have a pretty tough time getting under the ball. Tried once and ended up pinching it in an epically bad way... thank goodness for spin bringing it back a bit.

Rough: Spent plenty of time here and I can say there is a bit of a mixed bag situation going on. I understand the course was working on removing "rogue" grass from the course and this caused a bit of damage to areas. Generally speaking, the rough is playable and I had no issues hitting pretty much any club from the rough. HOWEVER, if you get into the "dried/died/sparce dustfield" that is beyond the rough (spent too much time here) your ability to recover will be a crap shoot. I had 3 good lies and one just terrible lie.

Bunkers: Found a fairway and 2 green side bunkers. The fairway bunker was playable, but I would like to see a little bit of softer sand in the bunkers. As for the 2 greenside bunkers, I will have to say I was depressed at the conditions. People who know me understand this is a major pet peeve for me, but green side bunkers, especially those with deep/sharp contours, NEED to have sand in them to be playable. The sand needs to be soft and have the "fluffy" characteristic in order to get up and out. Greenside bunker on 16 was playable enough, but the extremely deep front bunker on #1 while hitting to a front pin position was impossible without sand. Made an attempt at getting out of that bunker once and then ended up picking up and just walking off back to the cart. (Side note: #1 was our last hole of the day and I was done)

Greens: Generally speaking the greens are pretty good and are multi-tiered. There is some ball mark damage present on most greens from people who can't be bothered to repair the greens. Beyond that, the ball rolled pretty consistently at what I would consider a medium-slow speed (around 8-9 on the Stimpmeter would be my guess IF there was a truly flat area to check the value). I found the greens to be confusing and I misread everything I saw. The others in the group did not have the same issue, so I would say that is on me. I am normally a good reader of the green but I was over-reading break and misreading speed all round. If you are comfortable with "muni" green reading (i.e. it will break less than you think 90% of the time) you will do well here on the greens.

Overall: The course layout is NOT what I am used to seeing in a "Resort" course. Most resort courses are set up to be "fun" for the 20+ handicapper, so I tend to go brain dead and just hit balls instead of playing golf. I am a HUGE fan of the RTJ Trail in Alabama, the courses in Pinehurst, and pretty much any TRUE Pete Dye course... courses that make you think. That said, there is challenge out there with deep bunkers, swirling/changing winds, and some interesting pin positions on multi-tiered greens. The yardage on the card is a bit misleading as I would say it plays a bit longer than the card would suggest. Position is key on most holes and you do NOT want to short side yourself all day like I did. Bad-bad misses will end up with you in advanced wedge play purgatory having to work hard for par. Good-bad misses will give you plenty of green to work with and multiple possible options around the green. It can literally be better to really miss a shot and have plenty of green instead of having just missed and have to hit a flop shot over a bunker from a tight lie.

If I get the chance, I wouldn't mind playing this course again when the "rogue" grass and bunker issues are addressed. I would be curious to see the other course too, but this would be fun to give a second shot when my game returns and there is fluffy sand in the greenside bunkers.

Attended the GK event this weekend. As always, great fun to attend and it was an enjoyable round playing with Matt and Robert. I love the design and routing of the course and consider this one of ... Continue »

Attended the GK event this weekend. As always, great fun to attend and it was an enjoyable round playing with Matt and Robert. I love the design and routing of the course and consider this one of the most fun places to play in San Diego. However, the course was in the worst shape I have ever seen at La Costa. Really wanted to write a good review as this is usually a fun destination for our family summer vacations. But given the conditions the golf course is in right now, I'm quite honestly disappointed and could not recommend this course at this time at their regular price point. Maybe my expectations are too high. But I've seen the course in much better shape. And we have played this quite often the past few years. Most greens were in good shape but there were a few that had a lot of bare spots, something you should never ever see in a high end course. Lots of GUR with some fairways torn up pretty bad. And to top it off, there were a lot of holes that were CPO which have attributed to the increase in pace of play. I think our GPS showed we were 40 mins over? On the positive side, the staff were all excellent and very helpful, from the valet/bag drop to the pro shop and the cart guys. I hope the maintenance of the course gets better. I really do as this is one of our favorite destinations for some R&R.

Played the Champions course today as part of a tournament. This was my first time playing the champions course which is supposedly the premier track of the two. Course was in very nice condition bu... Continue »

Played the Champions course today as part of a tournament. This was my first time playing the champions course which is supposedly the premier track of the two. Course was in very nice condition but I have to say that it's about the same as the legends course. Both are in nice shape.

The champions course has a number of water features which make the track fun, challenging and appealing to the eyes on what otherwise would be a boring layout. Condition wise the course was in very nice shape tee to green. Greens rolled smooth at a medium-slow pace. Greens were very receptive to holding approach shots and getting pitch shots to check up.

Fairways were rated at an 8. Not super lush like Maderas but certainly enjoyable to hit off of.
Tee boxes were level and lush. No issues. Sand in the bunkers in the morning was damp but other than that bunkers were fine.

La Costa Champions track is another quality San Diego course worth playing.

Played Champions on 12/19/18 as I found a nice deal on GolfNow. Booked as a single joining two others at 12:16, but I went to the starter at 11:45 and he said go ahead, so I went off as a single.

B... Continue »

Played Champions on 12/19/18 as I found a nice deal on GolfNow. Booked as a single joining two others at 12:16, but I went to the starter at 11:45 and he said go ahead, so I went off as a single.

Beautiful day in Carlsbad. Teed off at 11:50. 10 minutes later as I addressed my birdie putt, somebody in the clubhouse must have been watching me as they started ringing the bells in the bell tower as my putt found the bottom of the cup. The celebratory 12 bells were appreciated! I guess they must do that for everyone that birdies #1, as I usually bogey that hole. For that alone, the staff gets a perfect rating!

The course is in great winter shape. Greens are almost perfect. Good coverage in the fairways and rough. Minor negatives - I did find thin spots in a couple of bunkers, and there are quite a few areas marked off as under repair. Quite a few cart path only spots as well. Still, very very little to complain about here, the course is in great shape.

Raced around 12 holes as a single, finally catching and joining a twosome on #13. Still finished the round in just over 3 hours.

Highly recommended.

Perhaps the most rare, amazing and incredible thing happened though. Even rarer than a Hole-In-One. I successfully used a GolfNow $10 Rewards coupon! Shocking! If you haven't tried to use one of these, there are a few caveats:
1. Must be booked at least 24 hours in advance
2. Can only be used on Hot Deal tee times after 12:00pm
3. Cannot be used on most Hot Deal tee times that anyone would want
4. Can only be used on the 3rd Wednesday of the month
5. Cannot be used by people named Johnny, Gary, Matt, or Bud. Or anyone from Kansas.
6. "Purchase Tee Time" button must be clicked while lifting your left foot off the ground.
7. Hot Deal times are subject to random "deal no longer available" message
Amazingly enough, everything worked for me this time. Who needs a stupid hole-in-one anyway?

Played 36 on the Champions course using the UNDERPAR deal. Not bad for $100 a golfer. Course wasn't busy so we got both rounds in before dark.

The course is in very good to great shape. Tee boxe... Continue »

Played 36 on the Champions course using the UNDERPAR deal. Not bad for $100 a golfer. Course wasn't busy so we got both rounds in before dark.

The course is in very good to great shape. Tee boxes were level some had a good number of divots but I was able to find a place for the tee and they were all level. Fairways were nice and lush green with good coverage. I saw a couple of thin spots and areas under repair but nothing that affected my shoots. Sand was a mixed bag, it was heavy and wet in the morning and in the afternoon seemed thin and hard to get out of? Greens were very fast and in great shape. Some showed repaired ball marks but nothing which affected the roll of the ball.

Fun course and if you can find a good deal I would definitely go out and play. Side note: Legends is about a week away from coming out of over seeding. Talked to some staff and they said the rough is very thick and the course is cart path only right now.

Played 8-30-18 in a Guru outing, going out in the second group with Keith, Jim, and Sal teeing off around 7:40 and finishing a little before 11:30. The whole course was in pretty good shape. Tee boxes... Continue »

Played 8-30-18 in a Guru outing, going out in the second group with Keith, Jim, and Sal teeing off around 7:40 and finishing a little before 11:30. The whole course was in pretty good shape. Tee boxes were in great shape, level with good coverage and cut tight. Fairways were very nice, great lies with descent roll out. Rough was not that long but the ball would sit down a little in the healthy Bermuda. Was not in any bunkers, but playing partners said the were a little inconsistent in depth and firmness. Greens were really nice rolling very smooth at medium/fast pace and semi-firm. I played on one of the golf boards which I have used before and always have a lot of fun on them. For me the golf boards let me get a better feel of the course, close to as if I'm walking. For some they might take a little getting used too with having to use more of your body to turn them instead of just steering it. But once you get used to it,it is just a blast surfing the contours of the fairways. Thanks to John and La Costa for setting up such a fun day.

Last Thursday was a unique fun golf experience with fellow GK’ers at La Costa. The Champions Course was in the best shape I’ve ever seen it…of course starting Monday 9/4 – 9/7 they aerate the greens a... Continue »

Last Thursday was a unique fun golf experience with fellow GK’ers at La Costa. The Champions Course was in the best shape I’ve ever seen it…of course starting Monday 9/4 – 9/7 they aerate the greens and do their Fall maintenance. What I found out although is they have a new superintendent that immediately addressed the issue of the greens being too soft and susceptible to ball mark damage. On Thursday they rolled smooth, ran medium fast and were mostly firm. I loved them. The rest of the golf course was mostly lush bermunda turf. Ball was sitting up great in the fairways. Rough was thankfully cut lower but still posed some challenges if you found it. Only conditions knock, and to me not that much so, are the bunker not containing quality sand you would expect from a high end resort. They were certainly playable, as found many and played well from them, but not up to Omni La Costa standards.

As much I love this golf course, the real fun for me was riding a GolfBoard and Phat Scooter for the first time. I was very eager to finally ride a GolfBoard so jumped on one for the front 9. Man, they are a blast. I was not much of skateboarder or surfer as a kid, I liked to JetSki (the standing up kind) so I immediately took up that posture on the GolfBoard. Well, not the same machine! – LOL – I needed to adapt and eventually got into a groove around the 5th hole. Still even during the learning process of riding I was having fun. I also have to say I like very much how it slowed/stopped automatically allowing me to simply step off as I approached my ball or ever felt a little out of control. I felt very safe on it. Cons were it works out muscles my arms and legs not normally used so I was experiencing a little bit of soreness after my round. Also it’s not good at tight turns. On a JetSki you can dig into the water or slide out the back – not the case with a GolfBoard obviously.

On the back nine, I tried the Phat Scooter. That was a blast also but let’s be very clear, this is a two wheeled motor vehicle and with it comes many of the same risks as if you were riding a motorcycle or street scooter. It’s my understanding a 3-wheeled version of the Phat Scooter is coming out which I think would help the safety of this ride a lot. To the Phat Scooter’s credit, it’s pretty safe IMO. Not as safe as a GolfBoard but safe. And although I enjoyed the GolfBoard much better, most of our group enjoyed the Phat Scooter much better. The Phat Scooter is easy to get the hang off, handles well and is a smooth ride. It’s got a place to hold your drink and extra golf gear. Your bag fits well on the back. It’s even got a USB port to keep your phone charged but please don’t text while riding – lol.

I highly recommend playing Omni La Costa Resort and now even more so with the additions of the GolfBoards and Phat Scooters. This place is fun. Thanks to everyone that came out to enjoy it with me!