Rustic Canyon vs Barona...

[Steve Lang]

  Impressions..

- Access:  Rustic ..no contest

- Play: Ms Sheila & I walked Rustic in under 4 hours, rode at Barona with Pete L., the consumate host & guide.. under 4.5 hours with some waits that make carts fine seats for the views ..

- Counter guys: They quickly worked us in at Rustic, pairing us with Fireman Dave, they just took our money at Barona and said see the starter

- Greens:  Rustic's + collars better, but Barona's had challenge, not so obvious from afar

- Topography: variety better at Barona vs that just up or down valley thing at rustic

- Aestheics: No ugly nets at Barona, better views

- Eats: Rustic's snack bar and bathrooms needed a visit from health department the day we were there.. we didn't bother to eat.. BC no contest

- Fun Quotient: Rustic

- Game Development: I think one would have an overall better game develop from regular play at Barona .. more variety of shots

- Cost: Rustic wins easily

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RUSTIC

[Mike Benham]

- Aestheics: No ugly nets at Barona, better views

But Barona has views of the Barn ... I think both courses would do better without viewing of any structure ...

[Steve Lang]

 

I can accept the barn & resort much easier than the nets..

[David Stamm]

Just to add my 2 cents here, as I live about 50 minutes from Barona. Barona is really a good walking course. There are some failrly long jaunts from some greens to tees. The topo is probably better at Barona, but somehow Rustic beats it out in terms of enjoyability. Don't get me wrong, I really like Barona, but RC is the better overall expereince IMHO. The cost of Barona vs RC ceratinly plays into the equation as well. It's been a few months siince I've been there, but IMO Barona's greens are too firm. I'm a believer in F&F, but the greens every time I've been there are such that when you try to repair your ball marks it's a hopeless cause. The amenities are obviously better at Barona, but I've never felt I was missing something at RC. If pressed, they are both alot of fun to play for very different reasons, but I'd take RC.

[David Stamm]

David, very interesting. I'm in total agreement, I would much rather play Barona than Torrey Pines South any day. I would probably rather play it than Torrey North, but it would be a closer race. Barona is definitely the best public access course in San Diego and maybe best course period in San Diego. Rustic IMHO is the best public in all of So Cal. So here's a question, are these 2 the best public access Southern California has to offer? When you start breaking each region down, it's hard to come up with real legitimate contenders to compete with these two. I realize that there are many to choose from, but when you introduce the uniqueness that they both bring to the table, it's a pretty formidable duo.

[John Kavanaugh]

I'm sorry but I can't let this go.  I would never suggest anyone from out of town play Barona over Torrey Pines South.  Signing up as a single and playing with and around people from all over the world was one of the great golf days of my life.  Barona does not have a single hole on the course that matches either the 3rd or 14th at Torrey South.  It will only get better after the US Open memories are etched in history.

[ed_getka]

John,
   Torrey Pines is not usually the United Nations. I'm glad you enjoyed your day, but TP is just hard and not much fun to play. You just go there to test your game when you think you are playing well and it usually beats your brains in. Now if you consider that fun, then yes TP is good.
   At Barona Creek I would match #3, 4 and 14 against anything Torrey Pines has to offer. If you play the appropriate tees, those 3 holes are great tests of golf while still being playable for every golfer. The reason I say appropriate tees is that many golfers play tees that are too far forward at Barona and the course will play short for them because of the way the ball runs when it lands. I would say most golfers should be playing tees around 300 yards longer there than they normally play. The test is on #4, if you feel comfortable that you can easily carry the big fairway bunker complex then you have played tees that are too far forward. You should really be agonizing on #4 tee about taking the bold line vs. bailing out to the right and leaving a very difficult approach shot.
    I played Torrey Pines many times when I lived down there and I can barely remember more than a few holes and I certainly couldn't tell you what number they are other than #18. There are good solid golf holes there, but Torrey Pines will end up like Royal Troon, both will have an Open associated with their name and people will play them so they can tell their friends they played an Open course. JMO.
    I'm glad you enjoyed your trip, sorry I couldn't come down to say hi at Rustic.

[David Stamm]

John, I understand what you're saying, but maybe the reason you would suggest someone play Torrey over Barona is because it's by the ocean and it's on the tour, and will be an Open venue next year. Having said all that, that doesn't make Torrey a better course. Torrey was my home course for a long time and I think about Torrey South in it's older (and in my opinion, better) form. I would never suggest to someone visiting for the first time not to play it, but a similar experience can be found at Trump National or Sandpiper. Barona is so unique for this area that I would play it over Torrey because of that. Yes 3 and 14 are pretty good holes, but the course overall has become such a chore to play. You will not find a more adamant supporter of Torrey. I've spent many a night sleeping in my car to play at the crack of dawn. But in deciding between the 2 and played them both quite a few times, I'd pick Barona.


BTW, IMHO I think the North at Torrey is actually better and more fun.

[John Kavanaugh]

Ed,

What is so hard about Torey Pines when you play from the correct set of tees.  I thought it was wide and the greens border on boring.  The kik rough is interesting for the first time player...causes some bogeys here and there, but what doesn't.

[George Pazin]

I thought it was wide and the greens border on boring.

Hmmmm, I guessed this from watching the tourney on the tube a few years ago and got rather lambasted.

 

Jax, I'm sorry to hear your health isn't well - the last photo we saw on you on here, you were looking rather svelte.

[John Kavanaugh]

I'm fine now thank you.  I just need to lose 40 lbs that I gained in an ill gotten attempt to ward off the inevitable weight loss associated with illness.  Talk about contrarian.

note:  I don't believe I ever had cancer.

[ed_getka]

John,
    If you thought TP South was boring and relatively wide, you weren't playing the correct tees, or else the fairways have been widened dramatically since I played there years ago. They were never US Open width or anything, but the length paired with the width made for a stern test.

[John Kavanaugh]

Ed,

I only consider a fairway to end when I can no longer retrieve my ball.  I had always thought a knock on the place was that the barrancas were not enough in play..

[Norbert P]

Though differences are many, the end result is they both energize, titilate, and inspire me.  

It helps, for a rube like me, to have top notch narratives from the likes of D Moriarty and Tommy N, et al, giving the history, geologic nuances, and "forward-looking statements" of Rustic Canyon.  When I've played Barona, I've walked-on as a single and been exposed to the fates of the starter... though with no complaints of the golfing company, it paled to the luster of GCA agent-speak.

Rustic Canyon VERSUS Barona Creek?  
I'd rather be it . . . Rustic Canyon AND Barona Creek.

That said,  I like the tree groving at BC but I like the wild watermelons in the rough at RC. Also, the bbq smell of bygone field fires at RC adds a nice touch to its ambiance.

[David Stamm]

Ed,

I only consider a fairway to end when I can no longer retrieve my ball.  I had always thought a knock on the place was that the barrancas were not enough in play..

John, you're right. The barrancas never coming into play has been a knock there. Jones did pull them into play on 3 and 14, but the beef I think some players have is that course feels one dimensional. Granted, the right set of tees should be played relative to your ability, but even so, there is not much strategizing on holes like 4,9 and 12. It's just blast it and hope for the best. I guess that in of itself sometimes is not always bad if the challenge presents itself at the green, but as you said yourself, the greens border on boring.