I guess I will be the first so it should soon get buried, here we go. Always great to tee it up with the GK crowd! Thanks to Greg, Kevin and Wendy! Exceptional group of fun loving golfers! A special t... Continue »

I guess I will be the first so it should soon get buried, here we go. Always great to tee it up with the GK crowd! Thanks to Greg, Kevin and Wendy! Exceptional group of fun loving golfers! A special thanks to Wendy for reminding me that ice would be good for my injured hand that was threatening to ruin my round (I can do that all on my own), and of course thanks to Johnny for putting it all together! On to the course: Tees: mostly flat, good coverage and wide Fairways: some roll in spots, driver backed up in a couple of the softer ones, good to hit from Rough: short put rather sticky, definite factor in shot selection Traps: firm mud in most spots, playable but firm . . . gotta pick it just right Greens: I've played here before so had a feel for the speeds but still a couple got away from me, hit a few bumps here and there, rather firm on approach (front pins over bunkers were impossible) but overall rolled decent, didn't always look great, but playable Warm up areas: practice green is a severely sloped just good for a brief warm up and the range is nice, but the balls could use an update Customer service (on course): saw the snack cart often, there is a halfway house (with an ice machine! Thanks again Wendy, saved my day!) Customer service (around the course): this is a higher end resort course so pretty much all the bells and whistles with friendly/professional service all around. This being the higher end resort it is the menu is a pricey one, tasty food, but expensive. The tostadas I got reminded me of the Navy Federal Credit Union commercial where the guy says, "My sister likes making tiny food, and I'm OK with that!" Overall: A good experience, not a course I would play week in and week out mostly due to the layout (I prefer the Champions course), but recommended if you can get a good rate under rack. PS: I see my rating came out a bit lower than I would have wanted. I would think more like 6.5 would be about right

Little late posting this review but better late than not. Super time with fellow GK Gurus previewing Omni La Costa Legends Course on Wednesday 11/29 before our GK Plays this coming Saturday 12/9. Snap... Continue »

Little late posting this review but better late than not. Super time with fellow GK Gurus previewing Omni La Costa Legends Course on Wednesday 11/29 before our GK Plays this coming Saturday 12/9. Snapped a bunch of pics I just posted. As for the course, I was very pleased, thought it was in great shape. Good lush lies in the paspalum fairways all day, the majority of the greens running mostly smooth and fast, rough in good shape, not that long, bunkers with firm yet playable sand, tee boxes in great shape having been overseeded. I thought the Legends Course was in better shape than when we played the Champions Course back in early September. I do like the layout of the Champions Course better, more challenging and interesting, but I do like the Legends Course layout a lot. Different from the Champions Course in many regards such as less deep faced as well as less bunkers overall. More challenging greens in my mind than the Champions Course. More open off the tee but with more mature trees coming into play. Less hilly of a course than Champions Course. As mention in previous reviews, there is some remnants of new sod repairs on a few greens of the Legends Course but they are not large sections and minimally come into play.

Fast pace of play and exceptional service all day long. Great overall experience.

Again, check out the photos I posted!

Played 11-29-17 with the GK Gurus getting around the course in a little under 4 hours with no waiting. Tee boxes were in good shape , level with good coverage. Fairways were very nice and lush with go... Continue »

Played 11-29-17 with the GK Gurus getting around the course in a little under 4 hours with no waiting. Tee boxes were in good shape , level with good coverage. Fairways were very nice and lush with good coverage and great lies. Rough was in good shape, not to look and fairly easy to hit from. Was in two greenside bunkers that had medium/firm brown sand and were really nice to hit out of. Greens were in nice shape rolling mostly smooth and fast. Overall course was in pretty nice shape. Nice layout that is not to difficult.

Played with the GK Gurus on Wednesday, 11/29/17 – thanks to Steve, Bob, and Gary, a very relaxed group and enjoyable partners. We went out as the 2nd Guru group behind Johnny’s rabbits, and almost nev... Continue »

Played with the GK Gurus on Wednesday, 11/29/17 – thanks to Steve, Bob, and Gary, a very relaxed group and enjoyable partners. We went out as the 2nd Guru group behind Johnny’s rabbits, and almost never waited on them, and rarely even saw the group behind us, finishing in under 4 hours.

I played the Champions course here for the first time at the GK event last September, and this was my first time on Legends since walking some of the holes watching the old PGA Tournament of Champions back in the 1980s (Watson, Trevino, etc.). This is a resort-style course, fairly flat with the opening holes on each nine playing downwind away from the clubhouse, and both nines finishing into the breeze, making the closing holes play tougher as the wind freshens. The course generally has small greens, and many have ridges and swales separating different portions of the greens, creating small target areas if you want to be aggressive with the pins. Blue pins were often found in small isolated areas of the greens and some were in red-light locations! The number and severity of the sand traps are less forbidding than at Champions, especially along the fairways. We played the Member tees (6,135/70.7/127) – there are no uncomfortable looks off the tees, and things are fairly wide open. Forced carries are generally only with short irons. The course was fairly wet to start; there was small-area watering going on in several fairways during the round and we had to drop away.

Some greens early in the round were very thin and had fairly large patched areas as well as a light dusting of sand, that looked worse than they played – greens were fairly firm but held shots, and all rolled at medium-fast speeds, and you had to be very careful of downhill runouts. We were also fooled several times by the amount of slope on some of the greens that affected lines and runouts; repeated plays would be beneficial to better know how to position shots and putting lines. Greens were badly holding spike marks on the front side; green turf improved on the back side and we didn’t have those problems.

Keeping with the resort vibe, fairways are fairly generous without as many confining traps and hazards as on the Champions course. Many holes have mature trees to be avoided, but options are easily available to avoid being blocked out. Rough was cut short and easily playable; there were some scattered wet/mushy areas to be avoided with carts or on foot, generally well off the playing line. Tees were all pretty level (we played White) with only a couple slightly crowned; there were no divot mix boxes on most par-3 tee boxes. Traps all had very good sand that was easy to play from; they were somewhat damp early in the morning.

There’s a nice interactive GPS on the carts, but distances are given to the middle of the green only, not the pin position; a yardage book is available. The course uses the entry/exit gate system for carts, which I think minimizes and better controls cart wear on the course margins. The range was on mats today; a large chipping area is also available. The practice green had a lot of slope – golfers be aware!

The course uses a red/white/blue pin rotation, but it’s not strictly followed. The “order” switched at #10, but the result was that the par-3 holes all had blue flags – the course needs to use their imagination to address this. There was no refill rack for divot sand; we finally cannibalized an infrequent sand box on the 14th tee to refill our bottles.

This is a nicely-conditioned course, and a relaxed fun play in good conditions. A stiff wind would make the finishing stretches on each nine much more beastly. The price we got for the Guru round was a great value – players would have to decide if rack rates are worth the cost.

Had an enjoyable day with the other GK's at the Legends course. Greens: first couple of greens had some maintenance issues but nothing major. Another 2 weeks or so should improve these greens. Back... Continue »

Had an enjoyable day with the other GK's at the Legends course. Greens: first couple of greens had some maintenance issues but nothing major. Another 2 weeks or so should improve these greens. Back nine greens very fast and smooth. Fairways: excellent, few to many unfilled divots. Rough: not very penal. Traps: in decent condition. Excellent practice area; range, short game area and a couple of practice greens. Great customer service! Can't wait to return in Dec.

Joined the Guru's today at La Costa Legends. Having played the Champions course on labor day weekend I had higher hopes for immaculate conditions. The course was in great shape but a little under what... Continue »

Joined the Guru's today at La Costa Legends. Having played the Champions course on labor day weekend I had higher hopes for immaculate conditions. The course was in great shape but a little under what I was expecting. I was thinking perfect greens and emerald fairways.

The Greens are showing signs of a needle punch and were not always smooth. They were however quick and firm. With the exception of the major issue on the first two greens, which has some major patch work, The greens were consistent all day.

Fairways were probably the highlight lush and the right thickness and great lies all day. The one down side is not a ton of roll due to the wetness which is a good thing considering the rough.

The rough was a nice mixture of grass the farther from the fairway the thicker and nastier it got. Around the greens were very penal as well there were a few chips where the club was grabbed by the rough and damaging my back nine scores.

The down side of the course I would say is the sand. I was in two traps and both were firm The other guys had better results but for some reason the two traps I was in were just mediocre.

In all the staff is amazing and the practice facilities are nice. I cant wait for the gk event in a couple weeks I only hope that they fix greens 1 and 2.

Played in the 11/29 Guru outing with Bob, Gary & David. First off, don't let the first 4 greens scare you. They have obviously had some issues, and the sod replacement is not quite ready for prime tim... Continue »

Played in the 11/29 Guru outing with Bob, Gary & David. First off, don't let the first 4 greens scare you. They have obviously had some issues, and the sod replacement is not quite ready for prime time. Those first 4 greens putt pretty well though. Once you get into 5-9, and especially the back 9 the greens improve greatly. The back 9 greens are lush, smooth, and brutally fast.

Fairways are green and lush, rough is also lush but not to difficult. Tee boxes are good, with the occasional spot of overplay. Practice areas are very nice. The main range was hitting off mats today (boo), but if you go past the nice chipping area, there is another leg to the range hitting off grass.

This was my first time on the Legends track, having played Champions 5-6 times. I really like the Legends layout. Some room to miss, several trouble spots, tiny greens.

I have been critical of La Costa in the past for poor conditions and super slow play. This time, conditions were very good and the POP came in under 4 hours. This time, for the first time here, I felt like La Costa earned its lofty historical status.

Played here with the Guru's today (11/29) on a perfect day. A huge thanks to Johnny for organizing this outing for us, it was a real steal! Like its sister course, the Legends layout is a wonderful mi... Continue »

Played here with the Guru's today (11/29) on a perfect day. A huge thanks to Johnny for organizing this outing for us, it was a real steal! Like its sister course, the Legends layout is a wonderful mix of holes that really make you think about shot selection and the greens today (outside of 1) did not disappoint. On to the review: Tee boxes: Good shape overall. I never really had any issues today with a single box playing the Combo (blue/white) tees. Flat ground and lots of areas to drive the tee into the ground, which again presented no issues. Fairways: Green and in pretty good shape. Not a ton of roll today, but never landed in a bad lie. The carts came with sand and everyone did a great job filling their divots. Rough: Thick in certain places. I distinctly remember a few shots from the sticky stuff that really gripped my club and shots flew at about 80% of their usual flight. Lots of areas that could cause trouble at this course. Bunkers: I was only in two of them today but I felt they were in good shape. My playing partner did comment that one he was in was "like clay", but the one I was in had good sand. The sand consistency was throwing more towards the brown damp beach sand instead of the white fluff, but I was able to get out with one swing. Greens: The highlight for me today. The first two holes had some repair issues, but after that the greens dried up and were firm and fast. Our foursome had plenty of putts go well past the hole with simple taps. Divot damage was minimal, coot feces was prevalent. Regardless, the greens were a joy to putt on today. ETC: Staff was very friendly (and not just "resort friendly"). From valet to cart girl, everyone had a genuine smile and warm demeanor. Facilities here are excellent and offer just about everything. Complimentary valet parking is great. Carts had plenty of juice and color GPS. Pace of play was awesome at a shade under 4 hours. Playing partners were awesome. Thanks to all.

11/29 guru outing playing with Steve David and Bob really good golfing partners for a rather quick 345 POP. Course layout is generally flat in a park-like setting and is similar in appearance to many... Continue »

11/29 guru outing playing with Steve David and Bob really good golfing partners for a rather quick 345 POP. Course layout is generally flat in a park-like setting and is similar in appearance to many north county/Escondido area courses with mature trees well maintained fairways and and abundance of bunkers. Fairways are generously wide for the most part and quite lush--excellent lies all day--firm enough for a little roll out and soft enough to give good cushion. Such a shame that so many can not find the sand bottle and fill divots--maybe that is the downside of resort play.
Rough is short but thick and quick to stop forward progress--not too penal for extraction. Tees level with good cover. Bunkers well groomed with a fine grained but nicely compacted sand.
Greens looked a little thin and some had evidence of prior patching--quite firm and fast--rolled smoothly in spite of the aesthetics.
Staff members are friendly and welcoming.