Omni La Costa Resort & Spa (Champions)

Omni La Costa Resort & Spa (Champions): Member Reviews

2100 Costa del Mar Road
Carlsbad, CA 92009 • (760) 931-7595

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Carlsbad, CA (92009)

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Fair

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Humidity: 22%
Wind: W at 3mph

Sunset: 7:04 pm
green Sunrise: 6:46 am

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Omni La Costa Resort & Spa Website

Omni La Costa Resort & Spa

ALERT: Remodel
Champions Course will be renamed the North Course and reopen 6/1/2024 following the NCAA Championship.
* Although Greenskeeper.org researches all alerts before posting, we ask that you please contact the golf course for confirmation.

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31. sparky14

Posted: 08/31/18 7:55a
Member Since: Mar 26, 2003
From: San Clemente

Played in the Guru outing with Johnny, Larry and Kevin, and what a fun day testing out the Phat Scooters and Golfboards. More on those later.

I've probably been to La Costa a dozen times over my 20 years here, and this was definitely the best experience I have had there. Course was in great condition, not suffering from the summer heat as many courses are right now. Staff was super, and really helpful getting us going on the newfangled golf transports, and were really interesting in hearing our feedback. Play was shockingly fast. We went out early, 7:30-7:40, and it was smooth sailing all the way around.

Specific condition notes: Greens are really fast, but really smooth except for old ball marks which can be found in abundance. Still, it was just a matter of a quick repair, and putts rolled smooth. Fairway and rough were in nice playable condition. Some repair areas here and there, but generally really nice. Sand traps were good, no issues there.

I started out on a Phat Scooter. Absolutely loved it. So much more mobility and freedom in a single scooter versus a golf cart. Very easy to use, although you do have to exercise caution with the speed at times. Big tires caused no issues on the grass, and I have to think two scooters would cause less grass damage than a single cart. The Phat Scooter had all the accessories you need - storage bin, scorecard holder, drink holder. And a headlight for illegal night golf is a nice add in.

JohnnyGK and I swapped Scooter/GolfBoard for several holes, so I got to try out the GolfBoard as well. While I had seen these before, I really had no desire to try one. I'm not a surfer or skateboarder at age 54, so these didn't really appeal to me. But, this was my chance, why not. It took a hole to get a feel for it, but once I did I really enjoyed it. It was harder to maneuver than the scooter, but I was getting much more comfortable within 15 minutes. However, I do have some aching muscles today that haven't been used i a while. The golfboard does use some different body motions and I am feeling the after-effects.

Many thanks to La Quinta for letting us out to test the Phat Scooters and GolfBoards. I must say, I hope both of these transports gain some market share - they are a fun alternative to the tired old golf carts.

Great course, great day.

All Reviews by sparky14

9 Likes.

Rated
7.8 Conditions

32. sixpez

Posted: 08/30/18 6:15p
Member Since: Oct 16, 2003
From: Rancho Mirage, CA

What a fun day out at La Costa. Thank you to the staff for having us out to experience the GolfBoards and Phat Scooters. I've done the GB before, so I signed on for the scooter. Was expecting to switc... Continue »

All Reviews by sixpez

9 Likes.

Rated
7.6 Conditions

33. 24hourgolf

Posted: 08/30/18 5:07p
Member Since: Jun 6, 2011
From: Monterey Park

Played today in the Guru event with Johnny, Kevin and Steve. A long way to drive (1.5 H down but 3.5 H back) but well worth it. Thanks John. So today we had 4 golf boards and 4 phat golf scooters. St... Continue »

All Reviews by 24hourgolf

9 Likes.

Rated
7.6 Conditions

34. Long4par

Posted: 08/30/18 2:01p
Member Since: Sep 19, 2013
From: San Diego

I got the chance to play the Champions course today thanks to Johnny for setting this up, what a great deal.

I was one of the four who used the Phat Golf Scooter. The scooter is great. I found it very easy to handle and lots of fun. I like the fact it comes with a seat unlike the golf board. This gives you a chance to sit while waiting to hit shots. It has everything you need on board including a score card holder, cup holder and small cooler. It also has a spot for a sand bottle. The phone holder is nice but I didn’t use it. The only thing I would add is a hook or spot for a towel. I usually have a wet towel with me and I found it hard to find a good place for it.

The performance of the scooter is great. It has three speeds and disc brakes. The high speed (bike) is great on straightaways and gets up to a good speed. The other speeds are good for maneuvering. The only downside I found was going uphill. It needed some help from me to make it up some of the hills. This may be because I am not a small guy and with the golf bag it was difficult to make it up the hill. I think the scooter really helped speed up play. We played in about 3:45 and waited on some holes. I will defiantly use the scooter again if it is available. I didn’t use the golf board and I am not much of a surfer / skater. It appeared it took some coordination to handle but it also looked like fun.

The champions course was in great shape. I played from the blue tees and found the course in great shape. All tee boxes were level and nice to play from. Fairways were in the process of being cut and had great coverage. I really don’t remember seeing any brown spots. Rough was 1-2 inches and made you think about your shot. Fairway bunkers were in better shape than the greenside bunkers. The greenside bunkers were wet and didn’t seem to have much depth to them. Greens were great. Ball rolled great. Some greens had a lot of repaired ball marks but it didn’t affect my putting.

All in all, I really enjoyed the course. That with the great rate by Johnny made for a great morning of golf. Thanks again to Johnny and the staff at La Costa for a great day.

All Reviews by Long4par

8 Likes.

Rated
7.9 Conditions

35. zjeska

Posted: 07/02/18 11:21p
Member Since: Sep 22, 2007
From: Leisure Village

Played 2 days ago......it's been awhile....maybe 8 yrs? Tougher than I remember. Cart dude said they recently played the PGA club Pro out there and didn't water the greens for a week....hmmmm i said. ... Continue »

All Reviews by zjeska

7 Likes.

Rated
7.3 Conditions

36. zgolfinman

Posted: 03/16/18 8:08p
Member Since: May 2, 2011
From: Oceanside

Had a morning T time under cloudy skies.

Excellent practice areas.

Greens: firm, smooth with medium speed.

Fairways: green and firm. A few too many divots.

Rough: not very penal.

Traps... Continue »

All Reviews by zgolfinman

13 Likes.

Rated
7.0 Conditions

37. hammer74

Posted: 10/01/17 7:11p
Member Since: Sep 9, 2007
From: Los Angeles

After the last GK event, we had to go back. Weather was very nice (mid 70s) and just perfect day for golf.

As usual, staff was outstanding in taking care of us. Bags were taken from our vehicle... Continue »

All Reviews by hammer74

9 Likes.

Rated
7.5 Conditions

38. Sent_In_From

Posted: 09/12/17 11:35a
Member Since: Sep 12, 2017
From: Oceanside

Review submitted by Andrew aka GK'er AndrewZ28:

I played in the GK Plays event at La Costa this past weekend on a crazy hot day for Carlsbad. I hadn’t played La Costa since they did the course renovations so I was really excited to get back. I’ve always thought La Costa was a really, really solid golf course but because the resort is so nice, they have the Tournament history and the overall feel is pretty luxurious that you’re expecting more of a “wow” factor. You don’t necessarily get that here, but what you do get is a really fun, challenging golf experience with fantastic service and facilities. I could definitely see myself giving this place a try more and more to have a better idea of how to play it.

There were a couple things I noticed about the layout that I think would go away or at least be mitigated with a few turns around the track. First, almost every green sits slightly elevated so there’s always that uneasiness when eye-balling distances and really feeling confident over the shots. Second, I felt almost the same off the tee but more so because of the superb bunkering and sight-lines. There’s something about this course that just keeps you a little off balance and adds to the challenge. I like that!

As for the conditions of the course, I thought they were really good. I never had a bad lie in the fairway even if they weren’t deep emerald green. Really fun to hit all shots from, although some of those tight fairway lies to the elevated green will make you tighten up a bit :). One thing that was really noticeable was the high amount of ball marks on the greens. That’s really not the courses fault but wow, poor greens took a beating. With that being said, I never had one putt bounce off-line so it didn’t affect performance too much.

**Side note: I always wonder why a course of this caliber (or any for that matter) doesn’t have the starter give out divot tools and make it a point to show each group how to use them (and let them know it’s expected). I mean, the cost can’t be that much and that one reminder before the round would make a HUGE difference in whether or not people fix their marks.

POP was right at 4 1/2 hours and I really appreciated the on course service/marshaling keeping things moving. Saw the staff quite a few times.

All in all, La Costa is really cool place to play golf. The resort was busy and had a fun vibe going. It’s fun to see and feel that energy at a course when so many are pretty stuffy and quiet. Definitely had a great time and will be heading back soon to see if multiple rounds make the difference I think they would in scoring.

All Reviews by Sent_In_From

9 Likes.

Not Rated
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39. JohnnyGK

Posted: 09/11/17 3:23p
Member Since: Dec 30, 2002
From: Westlake Village

Catching up on this review, was bad timing with GK down a few days last week as far as timing on posting this review but better than not at all.

This was my first time running an outing at Omni La Costa Resort, and it looks like I’ll be running another on Saturday, December 9th but playing the Legends Course instead. If I get the same exceptional service and experience as this last one on September 2nd on the Champions Course, I’ll be real happy.

Of all the outings I’ve run, Omni La Costa Resort made it most easy for me in terms of having everything set up in advance. During outing I saw the staff regularly checking in on my group as well as the on-course service. I liked how they purposely had the on-course service parked at the first tee before our shotgun start to provide additional service in addition to restaurant. It was a jammed pack Labor Day resort weekend that also included terrible traffic that proved to make a few of our group late. Omni La Costa was kind enough to delay our shotgun start to accommodate.

As for the course, it was my second time playing the Champions layout and I liked it even more. This time I played the white tees instead of the combo tees. It’s a very challenging layout still that I thought was in great shape despite the greens having so many ball marks. I know they are moving quick to purchase some specialized ball mark fixing machines and will be doing much more on course reminders so I don’t see this as an ongoing issue. The bermunda fairways were beautiful lush and provided good run-out. The rough was lush, penalizing but not brutal. The bunkers were brutal, as I found out my first visit, you do not want to go in them as they are steep faced. They were firm but playable. The tee boxes in good shape being lush and level. POP was 4 1/2 hour, excellent for an outing on a Saturday.

After the round, we had our post golf prizes celebration in the Diversions Sports lounge, I understand next time we’ll likely be in their Bistro 65 patio dining. I was happy to actually be in the dark cool sports lounge given how unseasonably hot the weather was that day.

I still have not posted the GK Plays recap with photos due to the delay with the site being down a few days last week but I will this week. Want to THANK everyone that came out and lets have some fun again in December out there!

All Reviews by JohnnyGK

11 Likes.

Rated
7.2 Conditions

40. dconnally

Posted: 09/04/17 1:42a
Member Since: Oct 6, 2003
From: Mission Viejo, CA

Played in the GK Event on Saturday, 9/2/17, and had a great time. Thanks to zgolfinman, rudyclub, and Brady (what’s your screen name, man!?) for an enjoyable round. I’ve read the previous reviews and they’ve hit the high points on many comments I had.

Positives – course looked good in a pleasing setting. The surrounding homes are pleasingly eclectic and not intrusive. Since the course plays up and back a long narrow canyon, it makes sense design-wise and aesthetically to use the prevailing drainage structure for design and playability features like ponds, creeks, wetlands, etc., and I thought the redesign did this well. The course uses the entry/exit gate system for carts that I feel benefits the course by better controlling cart wear. The good GPS system is interactive and gives good graphics, although distances are only to COG, not pin position. It was a hot day but plenty of water was available, and we were able to get ice at the turn and from the cart girl, who we saw several times. The cart guys at the beginning and end were helpful and enthusiastic.

Not-so-Positives – Leading up to the coming aeration greens were pretty dry and very firm, and only well-struck shots held. With the usually-elevated greens this wasn’t a critical element except on #16, which others have mentioned. Three people in our group hit solid 8- or 9-irons to the left side of that green that landed on the green but released over the back, into the trap or collar. My shot landed only twelve inches past the front edge of the green but wound up in the back sand, despite leaving a large ballmark. A golf course has to reward you for a good strike or people will get discouraged. (At least that back trap had some good sand in it – probably because it gets so much use!) Unfortunately, we saw many old and new ballmarks on all greens, and most greens appeared to hold spikemarks pretty badly.

It was a hot day and the coastal breeze we hoped for to cool things off never fully materialized. We had some breeze on a few holes but it seemed to come and then go, especially as we played the first 6 holes on the front nine. (We started on hole #1.) Not a lot of elevation change, and greens and fairways generally moved toward the center of the canyon, with more slope up against the west side of the canyon. Fairways were wide and playable and lies were good, and I was able to stay away from the deep rough some others mentioned. Johnny warned us to stay out of the fairway traps, and he was right, but we were all in some and we all paid the price, as they are deep.

I was looking at Mark’s (Itslikeimsayin) Flickr page on course photos and thought “Why is my memory of the look of these holes so different from his very nice photos?” Then I saw the long shadows on his hole #3 photo, and realized that he had played those first 3 holes almost 4 hours after I had (he started on hole #4). That later afternoon lighting makes the course look much better in that lower-angle subdued light.

Great seeing everyone afterward and it’s amazing the amount of stuff Andrew keeps bringing for prizes – better not let that guy get away, Johnny! Good food (but expensive) in the lounge. I always enjoy seeing and playing with other GKers.

All Reviews by dconnally

12 Likes.

Rated
6.9 Conditions

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Playing Conditions
6.74
Good

Course Statistics
333 of 2,333 Overall Rank
- Not Rated - Value
- Not Rated - Layout
- Not Rated - Service

» More Detailed Ratings

Omni La Costa Resort & Spa

PRACTICE FACILITIES

- Driving Range (Grass)
- Practice Putting Green.