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 Lured by cheaper housing costs and a lack of urban sprawl, the once sleepy communities of Escondido, Temecula, Murrieta, Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana have doubled or tripled in size in the past decade — and golf is along for the ride. There are nearly 40 golf courses within a few miles of the I-15 corridor from Redlands to San Diego. And though the courses are as different from each other as the cities along the stretch — the high-tech city of Ontario is a world removed from the historic wine country of Temecula — collectively they represent a viable golf destination. Architects such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Robert Muir Graves, Gil Morgan, Schmidt-Curley Design, Arthur Hills and Ted Robinson Sr. have left their mark. And few charge more than $70 at peak times. “With green fees so high in Orange County and Los Angeles, and availability somewhat limited, it’s quite realistic to head out to I-15 and, depending on where you enter it, find any number of great courses that are affordable, well-conditioned and great places to play,” said Tom Williams, general manager of Eagle Crest Golf Club in Escondido. The southern end of the corridor actually becomes the 5 freeway, where San Diego-area courses include the Doubletree Golf Resort, Carlton Oaks Country Club and Lodge and Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club. A little farther north is Escondido, where 10 courses are either in the city or nearby. Courses range from Reidy Creek Golf Course, where green fees top out at $30, to Maderas Golf Club, where it costs non-county residents $175 to play on weekends. “You’ve got a pretty good run of courses in this area and most are public, daily-fee courses priced in the mid-range part,” Williams said. “We’re not the cheapest on the block, but we’re certainly not the most expensive. The courses down here also tend to be very, very playable. We’ve all mostly been here for at least 10 years and that means we’ve grown in and settled. We offer a real sense of calm playability.” A few of the courses, such as Castle Creek, which opened in 1956, and the Rancho Bernardo Inn, which opened in 1964, pre-date the golf explosion of the early 1990s, which mirrored the growth boom. In 1980, Escondido had 68,000 people. Today, the population has doubled, and courses such as Mount Woodson, the Vineyard and Eagle Crest have been added to the landscape in the past 14 years. North of Escondido is Fallbrook and a cluster of small communities in the San Luis Rey River Valley that tend to attract retirees. Public courses include Fallbrook Golf Club, which opened in 1962, and Pala Mesa Resort, one of the most affordable golf getaways in the region. No area of the I-15 corridor is growing as rapidly as the Temecula Valley, which for decades was known mostly for its wineries. Temecula nearly tripled in size from 1990 to 2004 and now has 80,000 people, slightly less than Murrieta, which is six miles north. The area is known for its temperate climate and fertile soil — ideal for growing grapes and grass. “Things just grow better here. We’re blessed by Mother Nature,” said Mike Carter, general manager of California Oaks Golf Course (formerly the Colony Country Club) in Murrieta. “The courses are always in great shape, which is important because we’re all competing for the same golfers, so we have to keep everything top-notch in order to not lose anyone.” CrossCreek Golf Club and Redhawk Golf Club are two of the region’s highest-ranked courses, and the Temecula Creek Inn Golf Course has been a favorite golf resort for Southern Californians for nearly 40 years. Bear Creek Golf Club and the SCGA Golf Course are two tough, yet terrific, courses in Murrieta that are the only chances to play in that area of the corridor until you arrive in Glen Ivy, about 30 miles away. The Corona suburb is home to Trilogy Golf Club, which has one the most dramatic holes in the area: the 18th and its 200-foot elevation drop from the tee box to the fairway. With green fees that top out around $60, this is one of the best values in the region. About five miles north is Eagle Glen Golf Club, which opened in 1999 and is managed by Troon Golf. The Retreat, the most exclusive private club in the Inland Empire, will open soon nearby. Turn west or east on the 91 freeway and you can play one of two of the most affordable courses in the Inland Empire: Mountain View Country Club, which opened in 1955, and Cresta Verde Golf Club, which opened in 1927 and was redesigned in 2002. It rarely costs more than $40 to play either course, cart included. A blend of old and new typify the courses north of the 91 freeway on the I-15 corridor. Norco’s target-style Hidden Valley and Mira Loma’s links-style Goose Creek opened in the late 1990s, while the older tracks of Paradise Knolls, Jurupa Hills County Club and Indian Hills Golf Club, all a few miles east on Limonite Avenue, were built before the I-15 ran through the area. Three of the best public facilities to open in the past 10 years are in the northern stretch of the corridor: Sierra Lakes in Fontana and Oak Quarry in Riverside (both in 2000); and Empire Lakes in Rancho Cucamonga (1996), which plays host to the Nationwide Tour’s Mark Christopher Charity Classic. n |
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