Tiger Woods won here. Gary Adams tested some of TaylorMade’s first clubs here. Richard Nixon and Jackie Kennedy stayed here.
Omni La Costa Resort and Spa has packed a lot into its first 50 years, and, as it celebrates that milestone anniversary this year, the challenge is to balance a prestigious past with a progressive future.
The first steps were taken 10 years ago when La Costa embarked on a $50 million renovation that included a new spa, two new restaurants and layout tweaks to its two golf courses. The renovation was completed two years ago when the Legends (South) Course reopened.
“A lot of times new owners want to change things, but I give a lot of credit to past owners that so much has stayed the same,” said Pat Miller, the resort’s new director of golf. “La Costa has largely stood the test of time. There’s a nice balance now between what has worked in the past and what’s new.”
On the golf side, what’s most recently new is an experience weighted toward player/game development and improvement. Among other things, a Cobra Golf Tour truck is on the range to provide custom fittings, and La Costa has established The Golf Performance Institute to enhance the golf lifestyle.
“It’s now more of an overall experience here than just a place where you show up and tee off,” Miller said.
The experience after teeing off has evolved with the redesigns of both 18s, with tweaks on both layouts continuing as needed.
The Legends plays as the tougher of the two sides, especially when the ocean wind “can make as much as a two-club difference,” Miller said. The Champions side has wider fairways but puts a premium on approach shots.
“It’s easier to hit the fairways, but the greens are more protected with bunkers,” Miller said of the Champions Course. “You’ve got to make a lot of carries. Both courses are challenging in their own right.”
In its heyday, professionals from Snead and Nicklaus to Mickelson and Woods competed at La Costa, most notably in the PGA Tour’s annual match play event. That relationship ended in 2006, but the site is “always looking for ways to showcase the facility,” Miller said. Those include last year’s SCGA State Amateur and this fall’s Gifford Collegiate, a top-tier men’s event hosted by UCLA.
“We want outside guests, hotel guests and people traveling for business to see what La Costa has to offer,” Miller said about the facility that rotates its courses between member play and guest play on alternating days.
What golfers will find, Miller said, are two courses that have retained their classic charm but added new amenities to enhance the playing experience. Capitalizing on the nostalgia factor affiliated with La Costa during its 50th year makes sense on several fronts.
“I love the history of the game and hearing about the great stories of the past and seeing the old photos,” Miller said. “This is where a lot of golf history happened, and I want to do more with that. That’s part of what makes golf here meaningful and memorable.”
BY THE NUMBERS
1963 – Year two future owners and developers discovered the property while riding horses
1965 – Year La Costa opened as a golf, tennis and resort facility
1969 – Inaugural year of PGA Tour’s match play event at La Costa
2006 – Final year match play event was held there
$50 million – Cost of La Costa’s recent renovation project
$1.5 million – Cost to build the original golf course 50 years ago.
