A Guide to California Golf Resorts

Although California does not have a golf resort the size of Pinehurst, with its six courses, there are a number of excellent facilities for golfers who like the luxury of being able to fall out of bed in a resort lodge and find themselves on the first tee with a minimum of time and effort. They range in price from the $100 a round (including cart) at Pebble Beach, everyone’s choice as one of the top 10 courses in the country, and home of the annual Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, to the $10 weekday fees at Carlton Oaks, just outside San Diego in Santee, and San Luis Bay, in Avila Beach, south of San Luis Obispo.

Here are some of California’s finest, with greens fees and cart rental prices (cart prices for two riders):

Pebble Beach Golf Links (18 holes), Pebble Beach. Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson say, if they had only one golf course to play the rest of their life, it would be Pebble Beach. Built in 1919 by Jack Neville, it was the site of the 1982 and 1972 U.S. Open and the 1977 PGA championship and has played host to the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am and the California State Amateur since 1947. It was a par 72 but is rated 73 from the middle tees (6,357 yards) and 75 from the back tees (6,799 yards). For guests of The Inn at Pebble Beach, greens fees are $75, including cart. Non-guests $100, including cart. Also available to lodge guests are starting times at Spyglass Hill, another of the Crosby courses: $50 for public, $40 for lodge guests. Carts $20 extra. Spyglass is the home course for the California Golf Assn. and the Northern California Golf Assn.

La Costa Country Club (36 holes), Carlsbad. Rated one of America’s 100 greatest golf courses by Golf Digest, it is the site of the annual Tournament of Champions, a unique event that brings together only winners of PGA and Senior PGA tournaments the previous 12 months. La Costa accepts no outside play, limiting tee reservations to hotel guests and club members. Hotel guests, $25, plus cart, $20.

Industry Hills Golf Club (36 holes), City of Industry. When the late Bill Bryant set out to create Industry Hills, he told course architect Billy Bell that he wanted a public course that will not take a back seat to any country club facility. He got it. Two courses, the Ike for Dwight Eisenhower and the Babe for Babe Zaharias offer players a variety of play. It has been rated in the Top 25 public courses in the United States and has been the site of two Ladies Professional Golf Assn. tournaments and the California Open. It is open to the public Monday through Friday, $17; Saturday, Sunday and holidays, $22. Carts $14. No rate for guests of the Sheraton Industry Hills hotel which sets atop the clubhouse.

La Quinta Hotel Golf & Tennis Resort (36 holes), La Quinta. Eventually, the La Quinta complex will challenge North Carolina’s Pinehurst as five courses are planned in this desert oasis 25 miles east of Palm Springs. For guests of the La Quinta Hotel, which was a favorite hideout for motion picture stars in the ‘30s and ‘40s, play on the Dunes course is $40. For non-guests it is $75, including cart.

Singing Hills Country Club and Lodge (54 holes), El Cajon. A number of holes were washed away in a spring flood several years ago, but owner Steve Horrell has the courses--two full size and one executive 18--rebuilt and in even better condition than before. Singing Hills is built in a wooded valley east of San Diego that gives the setting a flavor of New England. Weekdays $12, weekends and holidays $15. Carts $13. Lodge guests receive starting time privileges.

Ojai Valley Inn and Country Club (18 holes), Ojai. The village of Ojai, inland between Ventura and Santa Barbara, is better known for its annual tennis tournament, but a visit to the Ojai Valley course is worth it if only to walk among the giant oak trees that give an added challenge to the fairways. Monday through Thursday $12, Friday through Sunday $15. Non-guests: Mon.-Thu. $20, Fri.-Sun. $25. Carts $16.

Carlton Oaks Lodge and Country Club (18 holes), Santee. As its name implies, it is a wooded course with a meandering stream that can be tournament-tough at 6,900 yards. Weekdays $10, weekends and holidays $13. Carts $15.

San Luis Bay Inn and Country Club (18 holes), Avila Beach. An unusual layout that includes holes in a thick forest and others on the beach. It is an ideal stop for a round of golf between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Weekdays $10, weekends and holidays $14. Carts $12.

Pala Mesa Golf and Tennis Resort (18 holes), Fallbrook. Playing Pala Mesa is like being on two distinctly different 9-hole courses, one in a desert-like setting and one in a wooded glen. It is located alongside I-15, between Riverside and San Diego. Weekdays $13, weekends and holidays $15. Carts $14.

Indian Palms Country Club (27 holes), Indio. Indian Palms is only a couple of miles from the La Quinta and Indian Wells courses that tend to attach themselves to the aura of Palm Springs, but in atmosphere it is light years away. Weekdays $25, weekends and holidays $28, including carts. Lodge guests, $10 on weekdays, including carts. No special rate on weekends.