thumbs way up for Barona Creek

[PThomas]

just finished looking at my notes from this course, which I think was a VERY good one...finding flaws with it is a pretty tough chore I think...do others agree?

[John Kavanaugh]

Paul,

Please take this with all the respect intended and from one guy who loves the game to another.  Can you please post your notes about the course?  I played Barona and really enjoyed myself to the extent I was sad to see it fall off the Golfweek top 100 list.  With Torrey Pines coming out this year Barona should be in line for some influential must sees.

[Eric Franzen]

Do others agree? Yes!

An earlier thread where I posted some pictures from Barona Creek, with accompanying discussion.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=23264;start=msg425774#msg425774

Cheers,

Eric

[Rich Goodale]

Ditto to Eric and you, Paul.

Barona is also GCAWorld-famous as the site of the inaugural Kings Putter, in 2002.  A great time was had by all, even John

[PThomas]

some highlights:

the first, a lot of room to drive the ball if needed but a very well-poistioned tree in the middle of the fairway which dictates strategy

#3, a long challenging par 3 with 3 bunkers around a good green

#4, a dogleg left where you get to bite off how much you want to chew

#5, where you get a better view if you challenge the fairway bunker on the right side

#12 - a blind tee shot, then a tough 2nd

13  a par 5 with a winding creek that cuts across/thru the fairway

14 - a driveable 4 with a well protected green

16 - a short par 3 where I couldn't see the bottom of the flag, and the green is well protected by several bunkers

when I played the greens had been recently aerated, but one could easily determine that they would normally provide quite a challenge

a nice quiet and setting against some hills/mountains?, nice vistas - there is a hotel and a VERY few homes, but that's it....all in all, a very good golf course that I would highly recommend to anyone...

[Pete Lavallee]

Paul,

Do you think it justifies the $90 weekday and $150 weekend rates?

[Kalen Braley]

Paul,

Do you think it justifies the $90 weekday and $150 weekend rates?

Pete,

I'm guessing this might be a function of the owners knowing that there aren't many other good options in the San Diego area.

Next time I get out there, I'll have to play it.  Based on the pics, looks like a good place to play.

[PThomas]

I, for one, would love to see a set of contemporanous notes taken at Barona Creek.  Time is a better disinfectant than sunlight.

I took my notes while I played there Shiv...it is a very impressive course imho

[PThomas]

Did you write down anything crappy?  I don't take notes.  But I think crappy thoughts sometimes.  That's why contemporaneous notes would be so interesting to me, sort of like a Contemporaneous Confidential Guide.

I do note both things I like and things I don't like Shiv....maybe I should publish them someday! ....maybe that's how I am supposed to get rich and famous!

on second thought, I'm sure it isn't

[Joe Hancock]

Paul,

Do you draw emoticons by hand when you're doing your notes?

 

Joe

[PThomas]

Paul,

Do you draw emoticons by hand when you're doing your notes?

 

Joe

no way Joe...my art work is even worse than my penmanship!

[Pete Lavallee]

Paul,

Do you think it justifies the $90 weekday and $150 weekend rates?

Paul,

You didn't answer my question.

[PThomas]

Pete  - I've always said suply and demand works Pete...

I don't know much about the San Diego Market, how many courses are around there, how good they are etc.....

put it this way:  compared to the prices some courses get in Chicago, yes, Barona is worth it

Dubsdread is about - this may be off somewhat - $125 a round

if I had 10 rounds to split between the two, I'd go for at least 8 at Barona

[Pete Lavallee]

Paul,

Let me ask you this, if your weekend group paid between $40-$50 for their average round, how often would you play at Barona over the course of a year?

[PThomas]

Paul,

Let me ask you this, if your weekend group paid between $40-$50 for their average round, how often would you play at Barona over the course of a year?

if that's the case Pete, then it sounds like I would only be able to afford Barona a few times a year, I guess

[Norbert P]

 I love the course, and will not go to San Diego without giving BC a lump o' cash, but am annoyed by the push for carts.  I asked for a yardage booklet, of which they used to publish, and the feller in the pro shop said "The golf carts have GPS, so we don't print the books anymore."  Plus, the carts were "complimentary" so you pay even if you don't use one. Not my definition of "complimentary".

 When I buy those books, I rarely use them on the course but I sure like to have 'em as souvenirs and they help me remember a course and its features.  

  It is a walkable course, though it needs more benches, and I think they're putting profits before purity. (duh, I'm such a hopeless rube.)

[Jordan Wall]

Norbert,

Did they have a beer cart lady at Barona?
Was she free?
 

[Norbert P]

  My dream girl . . .

[Pete Lavallee]

Slag,

I still have the book, which I have lamenated to help preserve it. And yes they look at you very quizically when you tell them you will walk. Next time your down this way give me a jingle and I'll be happy to share. Like you say the course is very walkable and some consesions have been made for the walkers: footpaths through the brush, a small bridge to ford the creek, water at various point, ect. This is all primarily to support the San Diego State Aztecs, who call Barona their home course. They must of course walk for their matches, but will all ride during practice rounds as do 95% of the customers there. It will be interesting to see how the Nationwide Tour Championship goes this fall.

Jordan,

She's only the beer cart girl on the front nine, since she can't sell you beer on the back; as required by their liquor license.

[Mike Sweeney]

Socal GCAers,

Assuming normal traffic, which is closer to Disneyland for a Labor Day weekend trip, Barona or Rustic Canyon?

Thanks

PS. Will be playing with son and fairly sane friend who may not want to travel long distances.

[Tom Huckaby]

Oh great Tall One:

I'm no longer a SoCaler, but I played one on TV, lived there for my first 18 years, still go back all the time, and on top of all of this did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

So I shall answer...

The mighty Yahoo Maps shows about about 20 minutes further to go to Barona.  But that being said, neither will be a happy drive... you will likely face pretty bad traffic either way.  But Maps says 1 hr 9 minutes to Rustic, 1 hr 41 minutes to Barona.  The former is all large freeways, the latter will be a small windy road for the last 1/2 hr at least.

My advice is to stay put at Disneyland.  But I really really hate traffic.

All this being said, however... Tommy must live somewhat near Disneyland, and apparently he goes to Rustic pretty often.  He'd be the man to say how long to expect for that drive... and for all of this.  But take my meager offerings until or if the Emperor arrives.

TH

[Joe Hancock]

Disney to BC is over 2 hours in traffic.....

Joe

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Barona is a wonderful course that is a must play for anyone in SD. I am curious if they have improved pace of play there for that was the one small negative I remember about the course.

[John Kavanaugh]

Tiger,

Did you get stuck behind me and Duran?  If you were to pick a best 18 holes between Barona and Rustic you would play 17 at Rustic and 1 hole at Barona with Barona getting first alternate.  A reasonable comparison architecturally is Oakmont vs Torrey Pines South.

[Steve Lang]

 

Humbrage re that barona negativity JK..  

RC is great, but not 94.44444% vs 5.55556% for BC.  

Pete.. do i remember correctly that there was no walking rate at barona?   We walked RC in 4 hours.. no great speed there, i.e., being limited by others like at any course..

I do remember being highly inspired to take a ground route on #2 at BC.. amongs others but felt that RC was much easier to see the ground routes than BC..