This is the last of a five part series of articles about my summer trip to the western U.S.
The traffic I experienced on the drive from Trump National to the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, CA was tolerable for a Friday evening. Most of the drive was after sunset and although there was a good deal of bumper to bumper traffic, I had many stretches of open road. I arrived at the resort entrance a bit before 9:00 and as always, was anxious for a fast check-in experience followed by a shower and a good rest.
The traffic I experienced on the drive from Trump National to the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, CA was tolerable for a Friday evening. Most of the drive was after sunset and although there was a good deal of bumper to bumper traffic, I had many stretches of open road. I arrived at the resort entrance a bit before 9:00 and as always, was anxious for a fast check-in experience followed by a shower and a good rest.
Omni La Costa Resort
Omni La Costa Resort The Omni La Costa Resort recently underwent a $10 million restoration and as a result, is now ranked as one of three 2014 Golf Magazine Gold Medal Resorts in Southern California. The Spa at La Costa is still rated number one in the United States. The resort is expansive and caters to all age groups.
After quickly checking in, the bellman loaded my luggage onto a cart and I followed him in my vehicle to one of the self-parking lots. In the dark and around and around, I didn't pinpoint exactly where I parked my vehicle.
My room was called a Signature Room and as you would expect from a Gold Medal Resort, spacious and ultra-equipped with amenities. It's a shame I spent less than 10 hours there but for me, it's always about the golf. And I was at the resort for one reason: to play the Legends Course, formerly known as the South Course, in my Quest to play every course that has ever made an appearance on Golf Magazine's Top 100 You Can Play list. The Legends Course was 99th on the very first list in 1996 before it dropped off, never to make another appearance.
By 6:00 A.M. Saturday, I had loaded my luggage and began searching for my vehicle. Let's just say I looked for a long time before I discovered I could have seen it from the balcony of my room. As I made my way to the lobby, I followed Fred Lynn, former Major League Baseball player who would be playing the Legends Course that morning.
Friend Wayne Deloney had already checked in at the Pro Shop and was on the driving range while I enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast outside on the deck of The Bistro overlooking the back nines of both the Legends and Champions courses. From that vantage point, eight of the 36 holes at the resort can be seen. To the left of me as I looked out from the deck were several splash pools and hundreds of lounge chairs. As a result of the unseasonably warm weather of the day, I would find nearly every chair occupied at the end of my round.
Because of the way my trip was structured, I was not able to play both courses in one day. Like many resorts with multiple courses, one course is designated each day for public play while the other is reserved for members. So Wayne and I played the Champions Course Saturday morning and would return to play the Legends Course on Sunday morning.
Jacques Gladu was our starter for the day. A Canadian transplant, he now calls Southern California home. We were paired with Rich Bogen from the Boulder, CO area and George Zoffinger from New Jersey. We played the member tees at 6299 yards and I found the course to be extremely fair to first-timers. Generally, it was pretty easy to see what you needed to do from the tee. The bent greens were in outstanding shape with nothing out of the ordinary in the way of contour.
After quickly checking in, the bellman loaded my luggage onto a cart and I followed him in my vehicle to one of the self-parking lots. In the dark and around and around, I didn't pinpoint exactly where I parked my vehicle.
My room was called a Signature Room and as you would expect from a Gold Medal Resort, spacious and ultra-equipped with amenities. It's a shame I spent less than 10 hours there but for me, it's always about the golf. And I was at the resort for one reason: to play the Legends Course, formerly known as the South Course, in my Quest to play every course that has ever made an appearance on Golf Magazine's Top 100 You Can Play list. The Legends Course was 99th on the very first list in 1996 before it dropped off, never to make another appearance.
By 6:00 A.M. Saturday, I had loaded my luggage and began searching for my vehicle. Let's just say I looked for a long time before I discovered I could have seen it from the balcony of my room. As I made my way to the lobby, I followed Fred Lynn, former Major League Baseball player who would be playing the Legends Course that morning.
Friend Wayne Deloney had already checked in at the Pro Shop and was on the driving range while I enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast outside on the deck of The Bistro overlooking the back nines of both the Legends and Champions courses. From that vantage point, eight of the 36 holes at the resort can be seen. To the left of me as I looked out from the deck were several splash pools and hundreds of lounge chairs. As a result of the unseasonably warm weather of the day, I would find nearly every chair occupied at the end of my round.
Because of the way my trip was structured, I was not able to play both courses in one day. Like many resorts with multiple courses, one course is designated each day for public play while the other is reserved for members. So Wayne and I played the Champions Course Saturday morning and would return to play the Legends Course on Sunday morning.
Jacques Gladu was our starter for the day. A Canadian transplant, he now calls Southern California home. We were paired with Rich Bogen from the Boulder, CO area and George Zoffinger from New Jersey. We played the member tees at 6299 yards and I found the course to be extremely fair to first-timers. Generally, it was pretty easy to see what you needed to do from the tee. The bent greens were in outstanding shape with nothing out of the ordinary in the way of contour.
The Par 4 1st Hole at La Costa Champions Course
Like many of the courses I experienced on the trip, La Costa was a bit starved for moisture and there were dry areas on the course. I was surprised given the area's average elevation of six feet above sea level to find some good elevation change. The par 5 sixth hole is a dogleg left that plays significantly up hill.
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