The “hidden” part of being a hidden gem is true when it comes to CrossCreek Golf Club. Located west of Old Town Temecula and its mountain backdrop, visitors likely don’t expect to see a golf course on the other side – but one exists, and it’s a beauty.
The course occupies the lowlands between the mountains and provides a rolling prairie golf experience, akin to something you might see in the Midwest. The course winds in and out of a forest and provides a pleasant progression of holes.
While off the beaten path, it’s the type of course that often beckons golfers back after first discovering it.
“It’s a unique location and a very unique golf course,” said CrossCreek director of golf David Garner. “We get a lot of comments where people say they didn’t know we were out here, but they love it when they see it.”
The benefit of the remote location is a secluded and solitary golf experience. The drawback, from a marketing standpoint, is the need to constantly reach out to raise the course’s profile against a bevy of area courses just off the 15 Freeway.
“We try to drive home the message of no homes, no freeways, no noise; just pristine golf,” said Garner, adding that CrossCreek is “a great winter course” because of grass that doesn’t go dormant.
Garner said CrossCreek has been able to draw golfers from Orange County and San Diego seeking a different style of play for below-average prices in the region. The course also tries to garner attention by partnering with and promoting the thriving and evolving Temecula wine country. Just as the wineries have niches and specialties, so does CrossCreek, with its best asset being an Arthur Hills design unlike any other in the immediate market.
“You’re out in the wilderness and every hole is unique,” Garner said. “There are no copy-cat holes here.”
The layout opens with a pair of forested, mid-length par-4s before coming to a par-3 with a forest-framed green and creek carry. Other than the elevated par-3 eighth hole, the front nine is fairly flat before giving way to a more undulating back side.
The signature hole is the par-3 17th, another stylish design featuring a creek carry to a green in a woodsy amphitheater setting. From the blue tees, it’s a pitching wedge at most, but the yardage stretches to 170 yards from the tips.
“It’s probably the best shot on the course,” said Garner, adding that the hole is being aesthetically enhanced. “It’s a challenge because the green narrows as it moves to the right, but it’s the most beautiful backdrop on the course.”
There’s room to miss long, making it more forgiving than at first thought, but a birdie putt, of course, should be the preferred outcome when crossing the wooden bridge to the green. Besides, the hole provides a bit of a breather after a challenging pair of par-4s.
The trifecta in that group is No. 18, a closing par-4 that requires a precise tee shot to an elevated fairway that presents challenges with distance and line for course novices. But the view of the green when you get to your ball is pretty special.
“It frustrates first-timers because they don’t know where to place their tee shot,” Garner said of the round’s final tee shot. “And the last shot is over trees and brush. It’s a great hole to close with a little money on the line.”
BY THE NUMBERS
2001 – Year the course opened
14 – Miles from the course to Temecula wine country
219 – Distance of the longest par-3 (No. 8) from the tips
3 – Number of par-5s in the par-71 layout
73.5, 140 – Course rating and slope from the 6,780-yard tips
$59, $79 – Standard green fees for weekday and weekend rounds
