THE COURSE
BOOK
A TEE
TIME
F
TIMELESS TREASURE
More than 40 years after it opened, the golf course at San Vicente Resort still has its charm and allure
ew people know San
Diego County golf as intimately as Doug McIntosh,
a 45-year resident of the area
and longtime publisher of the
San Diego County Golf Guide.
So when he says that
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the golf course at
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San Vicente Resort
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has aged like a fine
RATES
bottle of wine since its
opening in 1971, the words
carry weight.
"The first time I played it, it
felt like the course had been
there forever," said McIntosh,
who played in the course's first
tournament. "And when I visit
it now, that feeling is only
stronger. One of the things that
was so nice about it from day
one is that it gave you the sense
you were in the Carmel Valley,
because you had 100-year-old
oak trees and a real traditional,
rolling layout."
Because architect Ted Robinson Sr.'s traditional layout has
remained untouched, McIntosh
said, Southern California golfers
today have a chance to step onto
a course that feels authentic because it is authentic.
"Remember, this was built before the big boom in golf course
construction when so many developers only wanted courses
as centerpieces to help sell real
estate," he said. "And all these
developers wanted tricked-up
golf courses, like Pete Dye's
PGA West Stadium Course. But
what I liked about San Vicente
then, and what I love about it
now, is that it's like walking
onto Riviera or a Bel-Air because it has so much character
and such a nice, traditional feel."
While part of the resort includes a lodge and an equestrian center, and though it's
surrounded by upscale residences that are part of San
Diego Country Estates, McIntosh said the course has lost
none of it authenticity.
"It's very non-corporate, since
the club is owned by the homeowners, and they are just taking
care of their own," he said. "It's
not a corporate-managed property and you see that in everything from the friendly, laid-back
service to the course's ambience.
It's a unique course in the area,
and it always has been."
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