Carlsbad: The Silicon Valley of golf offers plenty of courses and diversions near San Diego
CARLSBAD, Calif. – It’s been dubbed the Silicon Valley of golf and compared to Detroit for the auto industry or to Akron, Ohio, the rubber capital of the world. Over the last 30 years, Carlsbad, this sleepy little beach town and agricultural community located 35 miles north of San Diego, has exploded into the golf equipment epicenter. And not surprisingly, a haven for golfers too.
Carlsbad rises from ocean to hills. A pioneering speculator dug a well there in 1883, discovered mineral water believed to restore health and earned the city its name after the spa town of Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad) in the Czech Republic. Health seekers and sun worshipers have been coming in droves ever since for the fine, uncrowded beaches, and, of course, the water.
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Omni La Costa's Champions Course in Carlsbad, California (Courtesy of Omni La Costa)
There’s something for everyone at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, a Spanish Mission-style property boasting more than 600 guest rooms, suites and villas. Some come to be pampered at its world-famous spa and wellness center – renowned for its facials, massages and herbal wraps and featuring its own expansive rose garden, pool and cafe, you might never want to leave – while others come to play. Its 4,000-acre campus is well equipped with 17 tennis courts, eight swimming pools, two golf courses, croquet and volleyball, cardiovascular classes and a network of jogging trails. It’s summer camp for grown-ups.
For decades, a composite course of La Costa’s two Dick Wilson-designed layouts between the Pacific Ocean and the coastal foothills hosted a PGA Tour event. The Champions Course (pictured atop this story) is a tight, tree-lined course best known for its closing stretch of four holes – three demanding par 4s and the lake-lined par-5 17th, dubbed Golf’s Longest Mile – and when played into the prevailing wind it’s the equivalent of hitting the wall in a marathon. Acclaimed golf course architect Gil Hanse is set to renovate the course in 2022, and it's already booked to be the host site for the 2024-2026 Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships.
The Legends Course winds up and down a picturesque coastal canyon. It may be more forgiving off the tee, but its multi-tiered greens are as treacherous as driving the 405 Freeway.
Park Hyatt Aviara Resort Golf Club and Spa
Park Hyatt Aviara Resort Golf Club and Spa (Courtesy of Park Hyatt Aviara Resort/Brian Oar)
Since 2013, the LPGA visits in March for the Kia Classic at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort Golf Club and Spa, a swanky 200-acre golf resort and luxury five-story Spanish colonial-style hotel. It recently became even swankier. Aviara wrapped up a $50 million resort-wide transformation in the fall, which included bringing the ocean view directly into the lobby by creating a Mediterranean “outdoor living room” and developing a new grand staircase that descends into outdoor event space. The Arnold Palmer-designed course opened in 1991 with views of Batiquitos Lagoon, a three-mile stretch of inland water ranked among the finest private wilderness preserves in the country. With its botanical garden setting, forest of eucalyptus trees, cascading waterfalls and large undulating greens, Aviara rolls and tumbles across coastal hills adjoining the lagoon and is considered one of the best Palmer designs.
The Crossings
The Crossings at Carlsbad is a standout municipal course worth checking out. It opened in 2007 and is named for the five bridges - or crossings - that were designed into the layout to meet existing environmental and topographic conditions. It is located less than a mile from the Pacific Ocean as well as the company headquarters of Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist and Cobra Puma, which are close enough together that the joke is they could share a parking lot. Here you can visit the likes of the TaylorMade Kingdom, Ely Callaway Performance Center, Titleist Performance Institute, Scotty Cameron Putting Studio and the newest resident on the block, the Honma House retail store.
19th holes and night golf
Don’t be surprise if you bump into equipment execs conducting business over meals at Vigilucci’s Seafood and Steakhouse, which overlooks the ocean and offers stunning sunset views, or craft brews and casual eats at Draft Republic. And if you haven’t settled your bets on the course, Dogleg Brewing Company has a golf simulator for hire. After all, Carlsbad didn’t get the nickname Titanium Alley for nothing.
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