Southland Focus
A weekly look at golf courses open to the public in southern California.
CARMEL MOUNTAIN RANCH
Address: 14050 Carmel Ridge Rd., San Diego.
Phone: (619) 487-9224.
Green fees: $65-$75, including cart.
Tee times: Seven days in advance.
The facility: Twenty-five minutes from downtown San Diego, Carmel Mountain Ranch is one of the more demanding courses in San Diego County. It once hosted a U.S. Open qualifier. Lunch or dinner in the 22,000-square foot clubhouse is a nice way to end the day.
The good: Despite the difficulty of the course, one of the club’s rules is 4 1/2-hour rounds, so play isn’t too slow. The greens are tough, but fair. No. 5, a 435-yard par four, is a true test. Unless you hammer a drive, the stream in front of the green will gobble your approach shot. It’s probably wise for most golfers to play this as a par five.
The bad: Some of the trips between holes are a little long, but that’s not much of a problem since you’re riding in a cart anyway.
The score: If you can score here, you can score just about anywhere. Rolling fairways, pot bunkers, streams and a natural boulder formation in the middle of two fairways make this course a target-golfer’s delight and a high-handicapper’s nightmare. Two par threes are more than 215 yards from the tips. No. 15 is 222 yards, uphill with two traps in front of the green. This course isn’t cheap, but if you enjoy a challenge and a well-manicured course, it’s worth the price.
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Overall rating: 3 balls.
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* One ball: No-frills golf.
** Two balls: Worth an occasional round.
*** Three balls: Like shooting four strokes under your handicap.
**** Four balls: Where the golf gods play.
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Hole Back Tees Middle Tees Par Front Tees 1 553 524 5 461 2 158 139 3 98 3 217 201 3 93 4 319 295 4 258 5 435 410 4 341 6 503 482 5 437 7 395 362 4 286 8 301 296 4 248 9 180 160 3 130 Out 3,061 2,869 35 2,352 10 383 357 4 336 11 463 432 4 402 12 391 366 4 332 13 177 154 3 94 14 477 460 5 311 15 222 213 3 166 16 287 260 4 247 17 475 455 5 415 18 394 368 4 352 In 3,269 3,065 36 2,655 Total 6,330 5,934 71 5,007
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Rating/Slope: Black--71.9/131, Middle--69.7/123, Front--71.0/122