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During LPGA's Samsung, sing a Barona song
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Baronal Valley Ranch and its rockin' Barona Creek Golf Course are a SoCal must-visit.
Torrey Pines South in La Jolla, Calif., is once again the center of the golf universe this week, at least for women. The site of Tiger's rousing U.S. Open victory over Rocco Mediate in 2008 is now home to the LPGA's Samsung Championship, which is essentially its version of the PGA's Tour Championship. And it's a good choice, with those tasty Pacific views, plenty of sightlines for spectators and a proven high-level tournament pedigree. But if you're a golfer with a set of sticks along for the ride as you watch the best in women's golf face off, you're jonesing for some swings of your own. In that case, you've come to the right place. Not only is San Diego County blessed with America's best weather overall, it's rife with outstanding public and resort courses, from Coronado Island to the east county's mountainous region.
Barona Valley Ranch and its eight-year-old course, Barona Creek, is located near the inland burg of Lakeside, about halfway between the ocean and true desert, ensconced in a valley that's the ancestral home of the Barona Native American tribe. As with many like-minded tribal members, they opened a hotel and casino in 2001 and made golf a centerpiece of their well-wrought getaway experience. As for the course, it's worth the drive from downtown, La Jolla or anywhere in the county. Lead architect Todd Eckenrode — then working for Gary Roger Baird's design firm — conjured himself a fascinating blend of mountain, valley and links golf, yielding just the right balance of challenge and playability.
“The golf course challenges you, but it doesn’t wear you out,” Barona Valley Ranch General Manager Don King told FG Magazine a few years ago. “When you’re done, you’re not ready to give it up. You’re ready to give it another go. You want to try it again. It’s challenging because of the greens, the contours and 100 bunkers.”
Unlike some modern routings that sacrifice rhythm and sense to make room for a couple more shoehorned home lots, Barona Creek is blessedly free of residential impingement, meaning there ain't a bad hole out there. Its collection of par 4s are particularly good, from the 316-yard 14th — eminently drivable, but at one's peril if he or she is at all crooked off the tee, though full of reward if you find the fairway. The 5-pars are outstanding, too; risk-reward is a phrase that's in evidence at every turn here. On holes 17 and 18, you're having so much fun negotiating your way around wetlands, water hazards, bunkers and grassy knolls that the final putt is, in a strange way, a letdown. You want there to be more. Certainly the deer and other wildlife who probably comprise your gallery wouldn't mind a bit more open space, either.
Good thing a top-notch hotel, several excellent restaurants and all the Vegas-style gaming action you could want await just a few steps away from the 18th green. There's a swimming pool and other outdoor pursuits available, too. In short, it's a full-on resort that seems like a million miles away.
But is it affordable? Absolutely — with seasonal hotel packages for groups, couples and singles, Barona Creek and Barona Valley Ranch is one of the best golf bargains in the West, and certainly in the San Diego area.
For more on great golf travel throughout the West and beyond, visit Fairways + Greens Magazine.
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