Played in the GK Plays Saturday and had a great time. The whole event was well run at a really nice venue. Huge thanks to Johnny and all the sponsors, especially Linksoul and Golf Moose for my winning... Continue »

Played in the GK Plays Saturday and had a great time. The whole event was well run at a really nice venue. Huge thanks to Johnny and all the sponsors, especially Linksoul and Golf Moose for my winnings!

I agree with lots of what Sal wrote in his excellent review. The course conditions were good, even if this late in summer, the course doesn’t look super lush. There are varying shades of green throughout the course right now, mostly light green but playing really nicely. Greens were smooth and medium fast, but there was an abundance of ball mark damage on many greens that raise some questions I don’t have answers to: What’s a course supposed to do if people don’t fix their ballmarks? And why was it so prominent here? Otherwise, the greens were good and held full shots well, except the one green that really needed to, the par-3 16th. I know both myself and mpisarski landed short irons on the green and bounced right into the back bunker, and I heard tales of the same happening to several people in another group. This wouldn’t be worth mentioning except that my approach shots on nearly every other hole stopped immediately upon landing, and then the one hole that tucks the pin in an area of green only about 10 yards deep is rock hard. That’s unfortunate. Fairways provided great lies all day, some with more cushion than others. Rough was also in good condition and could be penal or easy depending on whether or not your ball settled down in or not. The tee box (combo tees) grass was a little long and puffy for my liking, but otherwise they were good. The bunkers I was in were pretty hard packed and could use some additional sand or a really deep raking.

I’m probably being a little more critical than normal in those comments above due to the typical rack rate out here. Some of those things I wouldn’t expect at a course with such a lofty price tag.

Layout-wise, it’s very solid but unremarkable. The course is not very captivating, especially relative to its price. I liked the 10th, 13th and 14th holes, but never did I step onto a tee box and think to myself, “Oh, what a cool hole.” All of this probably sounds like I didn’t enjoy myself, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I had a great time and would like to play the Legends course one day. The resort seemed quite busy and the service all around was very friendly and efficient.

I made a Flickr photo album of 35 photos that can be viewed here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsm49C3aS

Played here today as part of the GK Plays event along with fellow members Jon, Jim, and Shane. First time out and was pleasantly surprised with conditions considering how hot and punishing the sun has... Continue »

Played here today as part of the GK Plays event along with fellow members Jon, Jim, and Shane. First time out and was pleasantly surprised with conditions considering how hot and punishing the sun has been this week. As mentioned, the resort absolutely warrants high praise for its staff, services, offerings, and ambiance. The course, although wonderful and deserving of its ranking on Golf Digest's Best Public Courses list, perhaps isn't as glorious as its neighbor up the street. The layout has some serious challenges but as fellow GK member jpeairs said; you are paying top dollar (at its rack rate) for the resort, not so much the golf. On to the review:

Tee-boxes: Great condition. Played combo today so both the blues as well as the whites we played had ample coverage, level ground, and were generally clean. A good mix of tee box options.

Fairways: Very good condition. Green and cut to good length. Offered ample roll and I never once found a bad lie. Visually they were good to look at, functionality-wise a pleasure to hit from.

Rough: Penal! I saw plenty of shots today that had some Torrey Jr. to them; often grabbing clubs on tough shots, hiding bad shots, and generally creating a nuisance. Lots of different type of grasss for rough as well so play them smart.

Bunkers: Excellent condition. This course has a plethora of bunkers and I found them all. It was a pleasure to hit from them even if all the sand wasn't fluffy white Augusta sand, they were well maintained, had good sand for all types of shots, and ample rakes.

Greens: Varying degrees of good. Some were littered with divots in different stages of repair, others had some burned areas, but overall they rolled well and true. Found the speeds to vary too. Some were medium speed, a few were quick. No complaints in terms of putting though.

ETC: Carts had good GPS on them. Saw the cart girl multiple times. Friendly and useful snack attendant at the turn. Marshals a plenty (though sometimes a bit overbearing in presence). Layout reminds me of Cottonwood on steroids and dressed up for a nice date; lots of waters, bunkers everywhere but flat overall abs the holes at times bunched together with only trees between you and the next hole. A good deal like the one Johnny got us today certainly merits a visit. The company like always is what makes GK.

OMG !!! What a day, what a course. I have so much fun at these outings but when prizes are involved, it is that much better.
Got to La Costa around noon to a nice warm day, friendly staff as well as ... Continue »

OMG !!! What a day, what a course. I have so much fun at these outings but when prizes are involved, it is that much better.
Got to La Costa around noon to a nice warm day, friendly staff as well as Guru's all around.
Staff was ready to take your clubs from the free valet drop off and pick up to the golf area and from there to the range where practice balls galore were ready to be hit.
Practice greens were in prime shape. Everything was in great shape.
We got off for our shotgun start right at 1pm finishing up at 4.5 hours at a nice pace with no one too far in front of us nor too close behind. Plus we stopped for a break after the first nine.
Tee boxes, fairways were plush. Nice and flat, cut nicely, no issues at all.
The rough was very deep in spots with the bunkers nice and tight if you like that. If you like fluffy sand then perhaps you would not have wanted to be in the traps.
I was in about half a dozen fairway and greenside bunkers finding no issues at all getting out of them however I can see where some lies would create major problems.
The course has plenty of water that comes into play, sometimes on the right, sometimes on the left, sometimes on both sides, over water. You get the point ?
I lost 3 balls with errant shots that are now part of the water landscape deep.
Greens were slower than I was expecting running at medium fast IMO.
There was quite a bit of divots in the greens too. Some were tough to read.
I played from the Members tee's which add up to 71.0/129 finding it comfortable enough for the 22 Hdcp. I am at the moment.
The par 3 contest was a big hit as far as I am concerned. I also got to play with some great guys.
Alan, Dale, Michael ( The last guy to get a spot) Thank You.
Johnny Thank You.
Linksoul Thank You.
I was lucky enough to be the 2nd name called in the raffle scoring a nice LinkSoul Golf Shirt to go along with my LinkSoul windbreaker/pullover which I love and wear often.
Thanks again to La Costa, My fellow Guru's, and of course Johnny.

Out with GK Gurus on Friday 8/18 and being it was my first time playing Omni La Costa Resort, this round also served as a preview for our coming GK Plays on September 2nd.

This is a very impressiv... Continue »

Out with GK Gurus on Friday 8/18 and being it was my first time playing Omni La Costa Resort, this round also served as a preview for our coming GK Plays on September 2nd.

This is a very impressive resort with some excellent golf. We played the Champions Course, which unlike it’s sister course that has paspalum fairways and overseeded rye grass tee boxes, rough, green surrounds in the winter/spring, the Champions Course is entirely bermunda grass with exception the poa greens. That said, it’s the course you want to play for better playing conditions in the Summer.

I was very pleased with the conditions. Greens ran mostly smooth, firm and moderately fast. Fairways lush, no thin spots and good coverage. Rough, lush and it seemed the further you got off-line from the fairways with tee shots, the thicker it got. Bunkers, diabolical faces and very challenging in the fairways and greenside. The sand was firm but playable. Tee boxes in good shape, lush and level.

We played the Combo tees 6481 yards and I found that a perfect yardage. You have to be smart off the tee and avoid the fairway bunkers at all costs. There are many doglegs and slight elevation changes. There’s water hazards and mature trees to deal with. You’ve got to be having a good ball striking day to have any chance to score well. The greens were challenging but not overly difficult (with exception to the 17th green) so once on the dance floor you’ll have many opportunities to make putts. It’s getting to the dance floor which is the big problem. I took a bunch of photos and posted them.

As other GK Gurus mentioned, we were moving through the course pretty fast until the 7th hole. It was a beautiful Friday afternoon and the resort seemed jumping so I think that had something to do with it. I very much doubt slow play is the norm at this course. It was a slow go to finish the round but in the end it took us 4hrs 30min to play so I was happy. As for customer service, outside of not seeing a marshal out on the course, what I experienced was excellent. Friendly proshop, bag service, starter, on-course refreshments and snack bar between 9 and 10. This course will be ready to host our GK Plays outing in a couple weeks and I’m very excited about it! Highly recommended.

I also played with the GK Gurus on 8/18. Another fun day with the Gurus!

I've played La Costa Champions several times before. I'll admit it, in the past I have been quite underwhelmed.

This time... Continue »

I also played with the GK Gurus on 8/18. Another fun day with the Gurus!

I've played La Costa Champions several times before. I'll admit it, in the past I have been quite underwhelmed.

This time, the course lived up to it's historical status. It is a tough layout, and this time the conditions were as you'd expect for a high end resort that had hosted top pro tournaments in the past.

As others have stated, the pace of play was great for 6 holes. Then we ground to a halt. On the back 9, we watched two groups behind us call it a day before #13. We never did see a marshall to ask about the slow play. First 6 holes took our foursome just over an hour. The next 9 took close to 3 hours. By #15, I had enough, and I packed it in (knowing that I still had an insane walk to the parking lot from the clubhouse).

The course was the best I have ever seen it. But as I think back, except for the person in the clubhouse saying "good afternoon" and the starter, I did not see or talk to another staff member. When several people are quitting without playing a full round on a top course, you know something is amiss. The service part left a lot to be desired.

I do think La Costa could be a fantastic place again. They are closer, but not there yet.

Played The Champions course with the GK Guru’s on 8/18 and it was a real thrill to play here. Thanks to JohnnyGK for getting such a great deal. Played the blues which made the course a real challeng... Continue »

Played The Champions course with the GK Guru’s on 8/18 and it was a real thrill to play here. Thanks to JohnnyGK for getting such a great deal. Played the blues which made the course a real challenge for me at over 6,700 yards. What a beautiful and well laid out golf course. Fairways were in real nice shape, bermuda and not kikuyu for a change!! :-) Some tight lies but for the most part, fairways had some cushion. The first cut of rough was not super thick but you definitely had to power through it. A little more off the fairways and near some of the hazards, it was very thick. Sand was what I expected from a course like this – good, firm sand. Greens were nice. They didn’t roll very quick but did roll true. Many un-repaired, ball marks which was disappointing to see. I fixed my own pitch mark as well two others on just about every hole. Pace of play was disappointing. We were moving very well, probably at about a 3½ hour pace until we hit hole #6. At that point we came to a screeching halt and waited several minutes on every shot. The two foursomes just ahead of us were part of a group together it seems but they fell way behind. They were having fun which was nice to see but they needed to keep up. We finished just short of 5 hours. Overall, the course played as I expected it to. Some holes are not real difficult but no cakewalk either. Some holes are just brutally long. From the tees I played at, # 12 is a 244 par 3 and #14 is a 472 yard par 4!! Crazy! Par 5’s are pretty long also and # 18 has a drive of about 230 yard carry over water. Still was so glad I played here and definitely recommend.

Played Friday with the GK Gurus. Thanks to JohnnyGK for setting up this little get together of GK Gurus.

Course is in pretty good shape. Fairways were lush with nice padding underneath. Rough ... Continue »

Played Friday with the GK Gurus. Thanks to JohnnyGK for setting up this little get together of GK Gurus.

Course is in pretty good shape. Fairways were lush with nice padding underneath. Rough was thick and sticky. Careful to watch you ball though; it will sink to the bottom of the rough. Traps both along the fairway and around the green complexes had plenty of sand with just enough sand to get through the ball. Greens had subtle breaks. For me it was hard to read but the ball rolled relatively true; just had to hit it firm enough to stay online.

Pace of Play (POP) was fine up until hole 6 when it ground to a halt. Not the course's fault just remember it's a resort so you will get hardcore golfers mixed with novices. Service was a step beyond.

My personal thoughts were I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Course was in decent to very good shape. GPS was spot on and the laser friendly flag sticks were great for my little range finder. Recommended for their stay and play deals. There is a little bit of everything for everyone especially families with younger kids. The little water park on site looked fun.

Easily a recommended place to play when down in San Diego.

Played the Combo tees (6481/72.0/132) with GK Guru's Rudyclub, Ringworld and JohnnyGK in 4H, 45M Friday afternoon. The course was crowded, we let one 2some play through and waited on most holes. The w... Continue »

Played the Combo tees (6481/72.0/132) with GK Guru's Rudyclub, Ringworld and JohnnyGK in 4H, 45M Friday afternoon. The course was crowded, we let one 2some play through and waited on most holes. The weather was clear and breezy, fairly hot but still nice. My 1st time playing here. From a design standpoint, numerous holes that could be considered "signature holes". Tough but fair course, good mixture of par 3's, some risk/reward par 4's. Plenty of water and sand traps. No holes were super tight, but there were also few shots where I felt like I could grip it and rip it either. The Bermuda tees had very nice, consistent coverage and were good to play from. The Bermuda fairways were not super lush and green, but they played well. Not a big cushion, but not tight lies either. The mostly Bermuda rough was thick in spots and could be penal. Taller fescue grass was around many of the hazards that was lost ball thick/tall. Speaking of hazards, they are plentiful. More holes than not had a creek, marsh or lake they you had to go over or around. And some of these you could not see from the tee. The traps were good overall. Fairway bunkers more hard packed and good to play from. Sand around the greens was softer but had inconsistent depths. The well bunkered greens putted medium to medium fast speed and held irons well. They had alot of subtle break, you can see why this place has hosted numerous professional tournaments. Speed these up a bit and they would be almost unmanageable for the recreational player. Excellent customer service from all encountered. Our carts were set up & ready to go beforehand. Saw the cart gal 3-4 times. Very fun course to play, really enjoyed the experience. I can see why it makes numerous top 100 lists. Definitely recommended.

I played 36 today with a buddy on a two-for-one, with a replay. I think it was $105 each. They have two courses here that rotate between the public and members, and today the public played the Champ... Continue »

I played 36 today with a buddy on a two-for-one, with a replay. I think it was $105 each. They have two courses here that rotate between the public and members, and today the public played the Champions course. My buddy played a similar deal with his wife last week, and he said the Legends course is a much nicer course. We played the combo tees with a slope of 132 and had all we could handle. It's been a long time since I've hit so many hybrid second shots, so I didn't get many GIR.

La Costa markets itself as an upscale resort course. Condition-wise, I don't think it measures up to other course in the area that I've played recently in its price range: Monarch Beach and Maderas. Tee boxes were generally good, fairways were OK, but there were spots where it was a little worn, dirt showed, and a few places of standing water . The greens were in great shape, very fast, and rolled true. Most of the bunkers I was in--and I was in a lot of them--had nice fluffy sand that was easy to hit out of. The rough for the most part was fine, but there were some areas where it could use some attention. All in all, not bad, but for the prices charged, well, it was only OK.

I don't usually play in the morning so I don't have to deal with maintenance. But the leaf blowers are really loud, and it takes some of the luster off the tranquility. And I don't quite understand why they need to cut the grass when you have to struggle to grab a blade or two to check the wind. It seems that they'd have been better off tending to other areas of the course than mowing grass that was already short.

Service was top notch. You no longer have to park a long way away and hoof it--self park is only a few hundred yards away. After the round the cart guy drove me and my clubs out to the car, which was appreciated after two rounds. The snack cart came around regularly, as did the marshal, although he wasn't needed as it wasn't crowded and POP was fine. The Italian sausage at the turn was very good--some of the best food I've ever had out on the course. All in all, it was a good day, and with the coupon fairly priced, but I wouldn't play at the rack rate.