There
are three Indian tribes owning casinos in east San Diego County.
Two own golf courses. The Sycuan Tribe owns Singing Hills and
the subject of this article, the Barona Tribe, own Barona Creek
Golf Club.
This top quality golf course, open to the public, is located
30 miles east of downtown San Diego. It is across the parking
lot from Barona's Lakeside-area casino, which too will be augmented
by a $225 million expansion slated for completion late next
year. Construction has begun on the project, which includes
a new casino, undercover parking facility, a conference center
and a "ranch-themed" 400-room hotel.
Opened in January 2001, this championship-caliber, $12 million
dollar, par-72 course, took leading golf course architect, Todd
Eckenrode of Gary Roger Baird Design International, three years
to design and construct. It was also designed to take advantage
of the natural beauty and contours of the surrounding terrain.
Boulders and more than 170 full-size oak trees that are native
to the Barona Indian Reservation, were incorporated into the
design. Hit an errant chip shot and your ball could ricochet
off a 10-ton boulder and bounce down a hillside.
The 7,088-yard course, with its five sets of tees, will challenge
golfers of every level - from professional to beginner. The
Black tees are for scratch golfers! The course offers golfers
an exhilarating experience with dramatic changes in elevation
and breathtaking views of the surrounding valley. It is a course
that is very much visually appealing and fundamentally very
challenging.
The Barona Indian Band in the development of this, the first
18-hole golf course on a California reservation, spared no expense.
Sod was used on all 18 fairways for an instant mature look and
making this course only the second golf course in San Diego
to do so. Nearly 100 Augusta White bunkers and a series of lakes
and ponds fed by natural streams add to the golfing experience.
The greens are spacious, firm and very fast.
A
really nice touch, incorporating the Tribe's heritage, are the
distinctive small rock monuments etched with a cattle-brand
symbol, at each hole. These markers serve as a tribute to the
tribe's founding members, who were forcibly moved to Barona
in 1932 from the nearby Capitan Grande reservation. The relocated
families were allotted one wagon, five cows and two horses apiece.
They used the brands to mark their livestock.
According to the course superintendent, Sandy Clark, the course
features a water-conscious design that, depending on rainfall,
the course will use 200 to 310 acre-feet of water per year,
much less than most courses. (There are 325,851 gallons in an
acre-foot).
Fifteen percent to twenty percent of Barona Creek's water is
recycled effluent from the casino's $3.5 million dollar waste-treatment
plant. The natural landscaping and a $1 million, high-technology
irrigation system also minimizes consumption.
The course's several lakes and man-made streams also recycle
water that is pumped from the lowest lake back up to the top.
The tribe's 13 wells -- six of them for monitoring only -- draw
from the Reservation's own bowl-shaped basin.
Barona Creek Golf Club has a superb 10-acre on-site practice
facility, which includes a 12,000-square-foot putting green,
6,000-square-foot chipping green and a 40-space, all grass,
driving range. Other classy touches are the complimentary range
balls, yardage books, tees and bag tags.
Each hole is an island of green between large expanses of rolling
hills, rock formations and native plants. To reach grass fairways
from grass tees, golfers shoot over streams and gullies.
The front nine offer a considerable challenge especially the
memorable Number 3. This is really a tough cookie of a par 3
if there ever was one. This is a strong hole set along native
rocks, with bunkering wedged between to serve as a savior of
sorts. The hole plays slightly downhill and downwind, measures
260 yards from the back tees and 200 even from the middle markers.
Together with the bunkering of the upcoming 5th hole serving
as a backdrop, this green appears to be absolutely surrounded
with bunker trouble. The true landing area is more generous
than it appears, however, as the entire left side of the green,
and chipping area above serve to work the ball onto this generously
sized green. Watch out for the ridge running through the middle
of the green. A par here will be quite admirable. A birdie will
be practically unforgettable.
The fifth hole is the number one handicap with a stream running
all along the left side, a series of bunkers and trees on the
right with a narrow green surrounded by more sand. The green
has a severe slope from back to front, so staying below the
hole on the approach is certainly the best play.
The par 4 ninth features a manmade lake on the left with a
small stream, which cuts right in front of the green with more
sand behind the hole.
The back nine is definitely the most challenging and aesthetically
pleasing of the eighteen holes
The eleventh is undoubtedly a memorable and unique par 3 especially
from the back tees (189 yards). Majestic oaks, dramatic bunkering
and truly artful rock formations surround the green. The back
right pin, partially obscured from sight, had best be played
conservatively. It's an all or nothing shot and par is a very
respectable score here, particularly in windy conditions.
The fourteenth is a magnificent short par 4. This hole drops
a 100 feet in elevation, is slightly over 300 yards and offers
a multitude of options from the tee. Bold players can give it
a go and drive the green, but must carry the ball approximately
280 yards over a boulder strewn bunker complex. Most players
will attempt to place their drives in one of a series of landing
areas surrounded by a dry creek, more bunkers and a very unusual
native boulder cluster. Certainly a chance for a birdie or better,
but nonetheless dangerous - this is a true thinking man's hole.
The sixteenth hole is the last of a great set of par 3's. This
is the shortest of the bunch, playing even shorter with the
predominant wind at your back. By no means is it the easiest,
however. The green is literally surrounded by bunkering, demanding
accurate iron play. The putting surface is quite complex, combining
swales, crowns and ridges to require accurate shot making. You
had better put it close here, or getting up and down will be
quite a challenge.
Both the par 5 seventeenth with its crossing stream and the
par 4 eighteenth, features a large lake all along the left,
bring water decidedly into play. On the par 5 seventeenth, a
boundary fence runs the length of the hole down the left side,
passing by a vintage windmill, which serves as the aiming point
off the tee. From here, play is very strategic. The second shot
offers numerous options, with a gorgeous creek splitting the
hole into two fairways, then wrapping around the left side and
back of the green. Lay-up shots placed close to the creek offer
the best angles with which to attack the pin on this small green.
The par 4 eighteenth has the creek continuing down the left
side of this very demanding finishing hole, spilling into a
series of ponds and lakes, which finish at the clubhouse. Playing
into the predominant wind, a strong drive is advised down this
very wide fairway. Those bold enough to play along the dangerous
left side will be rewarded with an easier angle to this green
set against the lakeshore. A large bail out area to the right
will see a lot of play, no doubt, and offers an opportunity
to save par for those with imaginative short games.
Great beverage cart service, welcoming attendants and a great
pro shop make Barona a truly pleasing experience. Remember though,
that playing in summer should begin as early as possible. It
does get rather warm and water should be consumed in great quantity
during a round.
As for the 19th Hole, the entertainment value of the casino
is hard to beat, and, with the proposed hotel, this complex
will definitely be "the place" to stay and play. One
does not need to go to Vegas, as Barona offers incredibly superior
service to the Las Vegas resorts and is much less expensive.
Their summer golf packages are simply unbeatable.
Simply stated, Barona Creek Golf Club is one of the very best
golf and entertainment values in San Diego.
The course is also the site of the SBC FUTURES Golf Tour's
$60,000 Barona Creek Women's Golf Classic
Barona Creek Golf Club
