The Courses: Rancho Santa Fe GC and La Jolla CC, San Diego

Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club
Undoubtedly, every golfer knows that the very essence of the game is a competition against nature. On every great golf course the adversaries the player must overcome are the natural terrain, water, trees, sand and wind. But to prevail over these challenges, one must first conquer the inner demons of nerves, fear and self-doubt. Whether a weekend duffer, a tour professional, or something in between, every golfer has felt that special thrill of hitting the perfect shot and watching the ball land safely at the target. It comes as no surprise then that the rewards of conquering the inner demons are most deeply felt when the natural setting is at its most dramatic.

North of San Diego, in the heart of Rancho Santa Fe, is just such a setting. Where quiet tree-lined streets and equestrian trails meander past graceful estates, there lies a golf course that nature endowed with spectacular fashion. A “natural” course, carved from the rolling terrain of a eucalyptus forest planted in 1907.

In the early 1900's Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company purchased 8,796 acres on which to cultivate more than one million Australian eucalyptus seedlings for the manufacture of railroad ties. Severe drought in 1912, followed by the worst freeze in 40 years killed approximately 70% of the trees. The railway company abandoned the project after new chemicals were produced to protect railway ties from decay.

The railway company then secured rights to a water supply and through its subsidiary, the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company, financed the development of a master planned community, which would be named Rancho Santa Fe.

In August of 1927, the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company donated 219.1 acres suitable for a golf course. The Rancho Santa Fe Country Club was incorporated September 26, 1927. Golf course architect Max Behr was hired to design and implement the construction of the golf course. Behr was an American contemporary and friend of the renowned Scots golf course designers, Dr. Alistair Mackenzie and Donald Ross. Behr took much of the philosophy of Ross and Mackenzie and incorporated it into the Rancho Santa Fe course design and layout. Behr molded the natural contours and beauty of the terrain into a 6,700 - yard, par-72 golf course (the course now stretches out to 7,035 yards). The golf course opened June 5, 1929.

Rancho Santa Fe was the last course Behr designed. He left behind a remarkable legacy of golf courses he designed or remodeled. The following list of courses is a lasting tribute to his talent: Montebello Golf Course, Montecito Country Club, Rancho Park Golf Club, Victoria Club (remodeled), Lakeside Golf Club, Oakmont Country Club, Brentwood Country Club (remodeled) and Olympic Club, Lake Course (remodel consultant).

In 1936, entertainer Bing Crosby, a resident and member of the club devised the first pro-am format combining the best professionals in the world with his friends from the business and entertainment community and presented the Bing Crosby Clambake in 1937. This colorful annual event was played at Rancho Santa Fe from 1937-1942 and survives to this day at Pebble Beach, as the AT&T National Pro-Am.
Bing Crosby felt at home in Rancho Santa Fe away from the glare of Hollywood. It was a place where he could unwind and just be one of the folks. Everyone in the community knew him well enough to say hello of strike up a conversation at Ashley’s the only grocery store in the small village. In 1943, after nine years in residence, Crosby sold his home in Rancho Santa Fe and purchased a home on the fourteenth fairway at Pebble Beach. The event was moved to that venue in 1947. Crosby played an integral part in this tournament until his death in 1977.

Other prestigious events held at the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club include the San Diego Open held in 1954 and won by 1953 California Amateur Champion, Gene Littler, the 101st edition of the SCGA Amateur held in 2000 and won by Scott McGihon and the 2006 U.S. Junior Amateur won by Phillip Francis.

Today the course retains that undeniable “feel” of history, from the towering 90-year old eucalyptus trees framing the picturesque fairways to the circa 1930’s sepia toned photographs lining the walls in the clubhouse and the original pairings sheets from the Bing Crosby Pro-Am Tournament hanging in the entrance to the locker rooms. If you have played Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club and, in the process have conquered your inner demons, then you have experienced the game of golf at its finest.

Website: http://www.rsfgolfclub.com/club/scripts/public/public.asp

Hole by Hole Descriptions: http://www.rsfgolfclub.com/club/scripts/library/view_document.asp?GRP=6227&NS=PUBLIC&APP=80&DN=COURSE

La Jolla Country Club
Only if fairways and greens could talk would people learn the true magic of La Jolla Country Club. The course has seen its share of changes since architect William P. Bell put the first shovel in the ground in the late 1920’s, but the true character of the 6,685-yard layout has long been defined by its kikuyu grass, small and lighting fast greens, uneven lies, and an unpredictability that keeps members and guests clamoring for more.

Often referred to as the “course on the hill,” La Jolla Country Club officially was founded on November 4, 1927, beginning its standing as one of the finest country clubs in the nation. Famed architect of La Jolla, Billy Bell has been credited with more than fifty course designs in California alone. Bell’s authorship of La Jolla is one of several original designs in the San Diego region. The others are San Diego Country Club, Balboa Park Golf Club, Marine Memorial Golf Course at Camp Pendleton, Singing Hills Country Club (now Sycuan Resort) and Agua Caliente Resort in Tijuana. Bell collaborated with George C. Thomas on several projects, including Bel-Air Country Club, Los Angeles Country Club, Stanford Golf Club and the famed Riviera Country Club.

During the 1950s and 60s the club hosted The La Jolla Invitational, considered one of the top amateur events on the West Coast attracting the best known amateurs of their time, including, two-time U.S. Amateur champion Harvie Ward, two-time California Amateur champion Dr. Frank Taylor, and Annandale Golf Club’s Richard Davies, who won the 1962 British Amateur. What truly made the La Jolla Invitational special was the party atmosphere that accompanied it. After the first round, competitors would take a trip to the Del Mar Racetrack, where pari-mutuel betting was the play of the day. On Saturday night, entertainment acts featuring Kenny Rogers and big-band singers Margaret Whiting and Dickie Valentine would entertain for hours while partygoers celebrated into the wee hours of the morning. The awards reception late Sunday afternoon often generated the biggest buzz of the weekend, mainly because of the high-stakes raffle that was held. Five hundred $20 tickets were sold at the beginning of the event, and the payoff was a new car, worth about $8,000 in those days.

During this time developed the legacy of legendary professional Paul Runyan. When Runyan became the head professional at La Jolla in 1955, he was already a golf legend, having won twenty-nine times on the PGA Tour from 1930 to 1941. He won the PGA Championship twice, the most memorable coming in 1938 when he routed Sam Snead in the final, 8 and 7, an outcome that produced one of the game’s greatest David vs. Goliath stories. Runyan barely averaged 230 yards off the tees, but he made up ground with a spectacular short game, which many considered the greatest ever. Runyan’s ideologies and short-game prowess influenced the careers and enjoyment of many La Jolla members and professionals during his fifteen years at the club.

La Jolla is also the home of legendary golfers Gene Littler, Phil Rogers, Craig Stadler and Chuck Courtney. Littler was the winner of twenty-nine PGA Tour events, including the U.S. Open in 1961, and a member of seven Ryder Cup teams. Littler won the U.S. Amateur and California Amateur in 1953 and followed that up by winning the San Diego Open by four shots at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club. The victory marked the first time an amateur had won a pro tournament since Frank Stranahan won the Kansas City Open in 1948. It wouldn’t happen again until 1985 when Scott Verplank won the Western Open.

La Jolla has hosted a parade of prestigious events including the Trans-Mississippi Championship, the International PGA Team Matches (known as the Canada Cup) and two SCGA Amateur Championships. In 1977 18-year old La Jolla member Doug Clarke was one of the top juniors in the country and won the SCGA Amateur on his home course. In 2001, UCLA sophomore and now PGA Tour member, John Merrick won the 102nd SCGA Amateur Championship at La Jolla.

Phil Mickelson owns the course record shooting a 60 on July 31, 2004.

Website: http://www.lajollacountryclub.com/

Hole by Hole Descriptions: http://www.lajollacountryclub.com/Default.aspx?p=CourseTourDefault&ssid=73919&vnf=1