SOUTHLAND FOCUS
A weekly look at golf courses open to the public in Southern California.
AVIARA GOLF CLUB
Address: 7447 Batiquitos Drive, Carlsbad.
Phone: 760-603-6900.
Green fees: $155, including cart.
Tee times: Seven days in advance.
The facility: Thirty-five minutes north of downtown San Diego, Aviara is located in the middle of golf country--minutes from golf manufacturers Callaway, Cobra and Taylor Made. The Arnold Palmer-designed course has always been top-notch since opening in 1991. But the project was not fully completed until last summer when the 331-room Four Seasons Resort opened. Facilities include four restaurants, a fitness center and spa and a golf academy. La Costa is the more famous resort in this area, but Aviara is making up ground quickly.
The good: The course is long--7,007 yards from the longest of four sets of tees--plays even longer when the afternoon breeze comes off the ocean. The meticulously groomed fairways are fairly wide open. The greens are large with some extreme undulation, but they are immaculate. Views of the Pacific Ocean and Batiquitos Lagoon, home to more than 130 species of birds, are spectacular.
The bad: The green fees and difficulty of the course will scare off the average player. That means most who shell out the money to play here are serious about their games.
The score: Nothing comes cheap on this course. Every score is earned, especially on No. 18, a dogleg par four. It plays into a stiff breeze with water on the right and out of bounds on the left. A par will feel like a birdie.
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Overall course rating: 4 balls.
* 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 1 351 298 4 260 2 391 348 4 310 3 147 122 3 107 4 362 343 4 294 5 508 473 5 430 6 188 169 3 133 7 393 367 4 291 8 519 489 5 417 9 348 333 4 284 Out 3,207 2,942 36 2,526 10 489 444 5 386 11 178 162 3 128 12 368 310 4 228 13 346 315 4 269 14 190 164 3 138 15 445 413 4 319 16 387 372 4 290 17 568 554 5 414 18 413 378 4 309 In 3,384 3,112 36 2,481 Total 6,591 6,054 72 5,007
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Rating/Slope: Black--71.8/130, Middle--68.9/121, Front--69.1/119