Dozens of PGA Tour events have been held on the Club at La Costa’s Champions course down the years. Comprising nine holes designed by Dick Wilson in 1965 and nine from his associate Joe Lee eight years later...
Overall rating




Dozens of PGA Tour events have been held on the Club at La Costa’s Champions course down the years. Comprising nine holes designed by Dick Wilson in 1965 and nine from his associate Joe Lee eight years later...
La Costa (Champions)
The Club at La Costa in Carlsbad, thirty miles north of San Diego, has been soothing the nerves and tightening the tummies of harried executives, overvexed celebrities, and ageless matrons since 1965. The ingredients for relaxation at this sumptuous decompression chamber are as appealing as one of its spa cuisine entrées: two fine golf courses, a composite of which was played when the Tournament of Champions was played here for thirty years before moving to Hawaii in 1999.
Bordered on three sides by haystack-shaped hills studded with expensive homes, La Costa’s 400-acre spread is centred on its golf courses, the most significant sections of each were designed by Dick Wilson, with later additions and modifications by Joe Lee. There is little to choose between them. Each is an excellent, beautifully conditioned layout with enough water and sand in play to keep the most skilful players alert.
The above passage is an edited extract from Golf Resorts of the World – The best places to stay and play by Brian McCallan.
La Costa also hosted the inaugural WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in 1999 and this event was held at the resort for seven out of eight years before moving to Arizona in 2007. The LPGA Tour’s Kia Classic tournament was also played here in 2010 and 2012.
In more recent times, the layout has been renovated by Damian Pascuzzo, along with Steve Pate and Jeff Brauer.
World Top 100 Golf Courses
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
Cypress Point Club
California, United States
Pine Valley Golf Club
New Jersey, United States
Royal County Down (Championship)
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
New York, United States
National Golf Links of America
New York, United States