to finish my two weeks off, i headed down to escondido to play la costa legends. i had played champions before but not this particular track. i teed off early in the morning, the course was empty an... Continue »

to finish my two weeks off, i headed down to escondido to play la costa legends. i had played champions before but not this particular track. i teed off early in the morning, the course was empty and wide open. i love playing golf in the morning with no one else around as it's the most serene and peaceful, i don't have to wait on anyone, and the sun isn't beating down on me. free range balls if needed off mats. there was another range area with grass on the other side but there wasn't anyone hitting there so i didn't know if it was a members only thing. the course is in very good condition. The teeboxes were generally lush and level. The fairways were green, lush, a joy to hit off of. a few spotty areas but for the most part, it was like hitting of a nice green carpet. rough was hit or miss, some areas were grown up a few inches so the ball would sit down, some others were mown lower and much less penal. i wasn't in any fairway buinkers, but greenside bunkers had a good layer of sand, which was heavy and wet in the morning but easy to play splash shots out of. the greens were fairly quick and rolled true, mown very close. the one negative i would say is the amount of ballmarks on the greens. they were flat because i was one of the early ones out but a lot of small brown spots where you knew people didn't repair their marks or didn't fix them properly. i enjoyed the layout, though from the blues there are some demanding holes, due to the fact it's almost 6600 yards but 3 of the 4 par 5's are under 485 yards. that makes the par fours particularly long to compensate, including the monster 458yard uphill hole #3. finished in 2.5 hours by myself, enjoyed the round. a good golf experience and recommended, but probably not for their overinflated rack rate.

Played 11-13-15 afternoon teeing off at 1 pm and barely finishing with enough light to see. Tee boxes were in good shape, level with plenty of coverage. Fairways were in great shape, very lush with al... Continue »

Played 11-13-15 afternoon teeing off at 1 pm and barely finishing with enough light to see. Tee boxes were in good shape, level with plenty of coverage. Fairways were in great shape, very lush with almost perfect lies. Rough was a mix of some very long and lush areas and some just a little longer than the fairway, with both being in good shape. Went into two sandtraps, both of which had nice white sand. Greens were firm with medium/fast speed and a little bumpy with a lot of unrepaired divots. Overall I would expect the course to be in much better shape especially the greens. Costumer service is probably one of the best around from when you show up to when you leave.

Got out here the other day and the resort and facility are pretty top notch. You walk thru the lobby and down the stairs to get to the pro shop. It is kind of weird because there are all these shops... Continue »

Got out here the other day and the resort and facility are pretty top notch. You walk thru the lobby and down the stairs to get to the pro shop. It is kind of weird because there are all these shops outside and it doesn't feel like you're at a golf course but everything is real nice.

The course conditions I would sum up as being inconsistent. There were greens at were very firm and there were others that were super soft. So soft that I couldn't completely repair my ball mark, it just left that big of a divot. Conversely the greens on holes 9 and 18 were very firm. Also some of the greens had been damaged, we were told someone dumped soap on the green. A couple of greens on the back looked like they were punched but the holes were pretty far apart and didn't seem to affect the roll.

Fairways were pretty good to hit from decent lies and a couple of bad spots but considering the struggles of some courses it seems they have devoted attention to watering the fairways.

Rough is not overly penalizing but there are plenty of hazards that come into play here. Quite a few ob hazards to start and then the water that comes into play after about hole 6.

From a layout I think there are some good holes but the first 6 holes are pretty underwhelming. These holes start in the development area and are just short holes with the exception of hole 3. All these holes are considered ob because of the housing. After this the course is pretty nice. Holes 9 and 18 are pretty tough holes because they play into a pretty stiff wind.

Judging from other recent reviews it seems like there have been some good discounted fees, I really cannot see paying the rack rate here. This course may be a one and done for me.

Played here for the first time last Monday, 8/3 (Legends Course) on a spur of the moment GolfNow Hot Deal for $40 at 2:40pm. I couldn't believe the price so I had to try it @ 70% off. I read the last ... Continue »

Played here for the first time last Monday, 8/3 (Legends Course) on a spur of the moment GolfNow Hot Deal for $40 at 2:40pm. I couldn't believe the price so I had to try it @ 70% off. I read the last review here so I just followed signs to self-parking, which was really easy (veer left), then you have to walk back 150 yards to the resort entrance. It was a little confusing at first because there is a bunch of shops on the right and swimming pool/ water slide to the left and I had to ask a friendly staff member to guide me to the pro shop down some stairs. A guy loaded my bag, I checked in and proceeded to the range to hit free balls off mats. Then I quickly noticed there was a large chipping area w/ bunkers and a grass range on the far side so I got some practice in for about 45 mins before checking w/ the starter. He let me go out by myself an hour ahead of my scheduled tee time. Awesome. Course conditions were excellent. Layout was somewhat challenging w/ tight fairways on the front nine. The back nine was beautiful, more open, but still had lots of creek trouble/ trees/ bushes, hazards etc. I forget which holes but one par 5 played really short but a par 4 played like a par 5 into the wind. The halfway house had a ice/water machine so that was a huge bonus as it was near 90* so I filled up my Gatorade bottle and grabbed a couple beers. Friendly staff. Saw the cart girl at least twice on the back nine, Katie, and told her how great the course is and how stoked I was to find a very affordable price. She even bought me a beer on her last visit, thanking me for my business and I told her I'd definitely recommend LC Legends to all my friends and we'll try to get a similar rate next time. I checked for a weekend Hot Deal time and it was around $80, which is a little too steep. But a weekday foursome around $40 might be doable in the future (maybe just because it's been so hot lately?). I'd like to play the Champions course next time. Pace of play by myself was super fast. Didn't catch up to another group until the last three holes and still finished in under 4 hours. Be on the lookout for cheap rates here and jump on it!

Played: Monday afternoon, 7/27 at 2:40 for GN rate of $65.

Observations from first time playing La Costa Legends Course! I ran on a bit with my previous Coronado review so will try to trim this do... Continue »

Played: Monday afternoon, 7/27 at 2:40 for GN rate of $65.

Observations from first time playing La Costa Legends Course! I ran on a bit with my previous Coronado review so will try to trim this down a touch. Similar to that review however, this course is an absolute must play, especially for anyone looking to experience championship level golf at its best.

Course Type: I'd read that there was a redesign at both La Costa courses some years back and that areas of habitat/natural preservation had been added throughout, which in my mind meant that perhaps the course had been squeezed in a bit and made more difficult to find fairways and stay in play. Could not have been more wrong. This course invites the big driver swing and, even on holes with lateral hazards on both sides (which aren't many) gives the average golfer more than ample room to stay in play. At just under 7000 yards from the tips, this place will give you all you are willing to bite off, but ultimately there's a tee for every level. Legends winds through a gorgeous villa/condo property and delivers one of the best layout/designs i've ever personally played, requiring length skill and precision to score but allowing for less than perfect shots throughout with its spacious lines. I can't think of a single way I'd want to improve this course. It's simply inspiring. Every blade of grass seems to have a specific purpose and be in near perfect condition. The hole layouts turn in every direction and offer every type of challenge and shot making skill. If there is such a thing as a perfect balance between a fun course for the beginner/intermediate golfer to enjoy and one where an advanced golfer will experience championship level difficulty and shotmaking, this course has struck it IMO. I was blown away at how great this course was. While I thoroughly enjoyed my first ever Coronado round in the morning, the afternoon round at La Costa Legends quenched that thirst for a challenge only a pro level course could deliver.

Summary: There's a reason the PGA made this a tour stop for many years, it's an absolutely fantastic design and the aesthetics are just as impressive. The long and short is this: From tee to green to bunkers to practice facilities and everything in between, this course is ELITE. Sure the greens fee's are high, but find the best possible GN rate and make it happen, because short of some kind of serious change in conditions, IMO this is one of the best courses you will likely ever play.

Jumped on a 2:40 hot deal from GN, $52. Self-parking is a bit of a hike from the clubhouse, a clubhouse that seems to be hidden away underneath the resort. Check -in was a breeze (didn't get the uppit... Continue »

Jumped on a 2:40 hot deal from GN, $52. Self-parking is a bit of a hike from the clubhouse, a clubhouse that seems to be hidden away underneath the resort. Check -in was a breeze (didn't get the uppity attitude from the guy at the desk like I did last time I played here), hit some putts, hit the range (no charge, comes with your green fees), saw a guy about to go off solo so went over to "check-in early" and was sent off with him at 1:50, thank you very much!
Much like sixpez has written, after playing Champions and being underwhelmed (expected better playing conditions knowing the usual rates), my expectations weren't as high this time and the conditions seemed OK, very playable, but still not great. The layout, much like The Champions course is decently interesting, fairways are pretty forgiving, but the green areas are the teeth of the course. At least today, as this course is due for aeration on Monday (and it needs it!), the greens were as hard as can be. I found my ball over the green quite often. Yet the approach areas are sticky and you can't play bump and run shots in as they just stop . . . hard, non-receptive greens with sticky approach areas, not a good combo.
I liked the course for the price I paid and might pay a bit more if only the place was in better condition.

Played Christmas morning with my lovely wife. First time at the resort and was very pleased with everything. Decent matts at the driving range. Carts were "ok"; no GPS or cooler. Fairways were better ... Continue »

Played Christmas morning with my lovely wife. First time at the resort and was very pleased with everything. Decent matts at the driving range. Carts were "ok"; no GPS or cooler. Fairways were better than average, rough was thick but not overly taxing to get out of. Bunkers were pretty good from my limited experience in them today. Wife hit a ton of them and said they were very good....fluffy and soft. Green were in really good condition despite the occasional ball mark left unrepaired. We had a pretty good deal on GN for $105 each at a 9:45am tee time. I would say it was pretty much worth that. Saw cart gal a few times....they have plenty of clean restrooms on the course as well. All in all, a very nice experience. I would recommend this course to play if you can find a deal at $105 or less....definitely not worth the rack rate. lunch outside at their bistro was also nice

Played La Costa Legends for the first time. Disappointed after seeing the high rating. Great bunkers and lush fairways. But average greens and muni quality areas around the greens. Apparently the ... Continue »

Played La Costa Legends for the first time. Disappointed after seeing the high rating. Great bunkers and lush fairways. But average greens and muni quality areas around the greens. Apparently the over-seeding is not coming in well with the lack of water. I expected much better conditions for the price.

My second round today was here on the newly reopened "Legends" course (formerly South). According to the starter, the renovation was much less extensive on this course compared to North/Champions. The... Continue »

My second round today was here on the newly reopened "Legends" course (formerly South). According to the starter, the renovation was much less extensive on this course compared to North/Champions. They made some minor design alterations, but mainly they redid the fairways and the greens (bent grass). I saw an OK deal on EZLinks that was $94 for a 1:20 tee time, but booked it because I used a 20% promo code. All told it was about $77 with the booking fee, so that's about as good a price as you'll find at La Costa. I checked in with the starter early. Though the course was steady with foursomes ahead, there were some open times after 12:30 and he gave me the choice to wait until later to play with a group or just play on my own. I waited until about 12:50 to give myself as much gap as possible and then went off as a single. I caught the groups ahead after a few holes and then a foursome behind me ultimately caught up, so I was stuck in no man's land—hurry up and wait all day. It seemed slow for me, but I finished 18 in about 4:20, so nothing to complain about. Either way, I appreciate the starter giving me some options and letting me decide what I wanted to do. The course was in very nice shape overall. It will take some time for all the new turf to mature, but it's looking and playing great right now. Tee boxes excellent. Fairways good. Still seems like some tufts of different grass trying to fight through the new sod, but nothing that affects play. Always had great fairway lies. Rough is mostly quite lush and thick. Definitely penal with the ball sinking down most of the time. Sand traps are gorgeous soft white sand. Greens are very firm right now with the new surfaces, but they sure are nice on top with smooth, pure bent grass rolling at medium speeds. I found myself enjoying the layout and visual "look" of Legends more than Champions, especially the front nine playing through a nice residential area with some minor changes in elevation. Kind of has a Bay Area/Monterey feel at times on the front nine. None of the par-3s on this course really excited me much (#6 is probably the best), so that seems like a wasted opportunity given the nice resort setting. Overall, it's an enjoyable course, but it won't blow you away. Friendly staff and great facilities other than the self-parking situation, which sucks. Take advantage of the valet here. The regular prices at La Costa are way too much, but it was worth what I paid today.