The arrival at the sumptuous and oh-so-chic Omni La Costa Resort & Spa quickly announces that you’ve stepped into the hub of California cool in the heart of the hills of Carlsbad, a short hop north from downtown San Diego and miles away from the cares of the outside world.
Its white stucco buildings, swaying palms, famous sprawling pool and the plaza of shops in its main court have made La Costa a haven for beautiful people and tourists from around the globe who want to experience the best of Southern California.
Since its opening in 1965, La Costa has been “THE” place to be and be seen. And given all that La Costa offers and its stunning setting, there has never been a question that the resort’s duo of golf courses has always been, and remains, its No. 1 its calling card.
La Costa’s original two Dick Wilson-designed golf courses have been renovated over the past four years by the dynamic design trio of Damian Pascuzzo, Steve Pate and Jeffrey Brauer. The refreshing has returned the tracks to national prominence and must-play status and recreated their fun factor, always an important aspect with resort courses.
“La Costa has been synonymous with elite championship golf for more than 40 years,” said Pate, the six-time PGA Tour winner and current Champions Tour player. “It is important to ensure the future of the golf courses, which are the heart and soul of La Costa.”
The North course renovation was completed in 2011 and is now called the Champions course. Pascuzzo, Pate and Brauer updated the design (which was originally a Wilson collaboration with Joe Lee) but also added length and playability elements as well as better drainage, irrigation and a change in turf and conditioning.
The South course work was finished in November 2013 and included complete reconstruction and redesign of all 18 greens, as well as a thorough resurfacing of tees, all-new bunkering and the planting of Paspalum turf in the fairways. It has been rebranded as the Legends course.
“The Legends Course gives golfers a completely different type of golf course to play at La Costa,” Pascuzzo said. “It’s fun and interesting, with different visuals and some subtle nuances, especially around the greens. Golfers are really challenged to use their imaginations.”
La Costa also offers golfers the opportunity to get in the best shape of their lives while learning or improving their skills via its comprehensive Golf & Fitness Program, which is available exclusively at the resort.
The program combines expert golf instruction with the fitness and wellness expertise of the award-winning Premier Fitness Camp (PFC). From start to finish, the name of the game is game improvement as La Costa’s certified instructors take the student’s golf game to the next level as PFC’s wide-ranging and life-changing exercise, nutrition and wellness program help them meet players’ weight-loss and fitness goals.
The personalized instruction is combined with state-of-the-art technology to help every golfer identify his or her strengths and improvement areas, learn ball-flight laws, correct mechanics and ensure proper club fitting.
La Costa offers just about everything to satisfy golfers of all talent levels. Then again, there’s certainly nothing wrong with just taking some time to relax, sit by the pool and soak in the sun and all the resort’s amazing atmosphere. Hey, it’s California cool, ya know?