When it opened in 1964, Pala Mesa set the standard for golf in the area and along the I-15 corridor. More than 50 years later, its classic California layout remains untouched, but that’s about to change.
To offset the distance gains in club and ball technology, and to stay relevant on the tournament circuit, Pala Mesa is looking to extend the tees on eight holes of the 6,500-yard layout to push it past 7,000, a target distance that many tournament organizers seek.
It’s fortunate for Pala Mesa that the course has room to grow, said general manager Kevin Poorbaugh.
“We want to put in some tournament black tees. Like on 9, take that back about 50 yards (to 468 from the tips),” he said in reference to the straight-ahead par-4 adjacent to the driving range. “And we’ll build some new tees boxes on the other holes.”
Pala Mesa golf sales manager Mark Mittlehauser said the course is being proactive with the move to maintain a strong tournament business.
“The tournaments haven’t specifically asked for that, but we can broaden our opportunity if we do,” he said. “We’re going to stretch it as much as can. Every little bit will help.”
Four holes on each side have been targeted for extension on a course that has a mix of drivable par-4s and tight strategy holes. The added distance will add challenge to Pala Mesa, but the true challenge – its signature slippery greens – will be unchanged.
The day I played, my playing partner hit the ball flawlessly tee to green on the front nine … and didn’t make a birdie. Time and again, he watched short- and medium-range putts dodge the hole. That’s the classic Pala Mesa experience and one of two reasons people who judge the course by its scorecard underestimate it.
“The course isn’t super long, but it plays longer due to some uphill shots,” Mittlehauser said. “But the real test is on the greens, no doubt.”
The course’s strength is its par-3s, each of which proves that a layout’s shorter holes don’t have to be 200-yard behemoth to be challenging. The longest is only 166 yards from the tips, but finding the green off the tee on a par-3 at Pala Mesa is no guarantee of anything. Undulating greens and strategic pin placements have coaxed many 3-putts on the par-3s. But they are fun to play and can result in a par or birdie with solid iron play and a steady putter.
“It’s a very favorable course,” Poorbaugh said about the layout. “It rewards goods shots. But the ones that aren’t as good will penalize you.”
With the closing of San Luis Rey Downs in Bonsall, Pala Mesa is experiencing something of a renaissance by inheriting many of those players. Its weekly men’s league has more than doubled to 80 players.
A course that normally hosts around 47,000 rounds surpassed that mark in July. That patronage and the drilling of a second well bode well for the future of Pala Mesa, as does the opening of college residences at Palomar College in three years.
“It’ll be great because we’ll be able to introduce a bunch of college kids to golf,” Poorbaugh said.
That’s already happening on the junior level at Pala Mesa, which hosted the Future Champions Tour in July as part of Junior World. By the time the college students arrive, Pala Mesa should be finished with a management change and renovation to its course and resort, with the property becoming a Hilton Doubletree in the near future.
The resort has 133 rooms, which at 400 square feet are large by industry standards, but out of date. The rooms will be freshened, Poorbaugh said, which also could increase the lure of the property and boost its thriving wedding business, which is currently at up to 80 events a year.
Pala Mesa has also found additional ways to utilize its space and introduce people to the property through an annual vintage car show and a country music festival. And with golf and weddings thriving, Poorbaugh said the staff is constantly considering innovative ways to introduce people to the Pala Mesa experience.
“It all gives us exposure,” he said.
