This is part of the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here.
In this report, I will cover:
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- San Diego, California
- Carlsbad, California
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Mexico City, Mexico
Getting There: Getting from San Diego to Carlsbad then to the golf course wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be. I took the COASTER from downtown to Carslbad. The cost was $5. From the course I took Uber to the airport for $45.
This was the first time that I was that guy at the airport dragging his golf clubs to the taxi stand. I never understood why anyone would deal with the hassle of lugging clubs for the silly game of golf. Times have changed: I still don’t care for the inconvenience of checking in a bag but I feel naked without my trusty clubs.
As a card-carrying member of Citi Prestige, I have 3 rounds of free golf all over the world. Like an uninformed wine enthusiast, I chose the course based on price not on practicality. The Legends Course goes for $175 on a Monday afternoon. This must mean it is the greatest ever right? Perhaps my golf palette has not reached the sophistication necessary to appreciate such a course, but I’m dumbfounded as to whom would shell out this much money for a basic, suburban course.
The Clubhouse
Golf in Carlsbad is what I imagine life to be like as a prince in Bel Air. From the Rolls Royce in the valet to the gossiping groups in the clubhouse, reality is different for this caste of society. It may be Monday in the office for most of us but it’s mimosas for these merry folk.
The Course
Living on a golf course must have been a status symbol in the 80’s. That’s the only way I can explain why these dated houses are situated literally right on the golf course. If teeing off didn’t create enough stress, imagine teeing off knowing that a shank right or left would land your Callaway through someone’s window. To that point, I hit a terrible shot off the fairway and from a distance heard a nice man yell, “Don’t worry, nobody saw that besides me and you.”
Apart from the housing nuisance, there was the strange sight of employees tending to the course in the middle of the round. I’m teeing off on a par 3 and there’s a guy manicuring the green with his headphones on. I’m not trying to sound like an old man, ‘get off my lawn’, but how am I supposed to swing when an unsuspecting man’s life is in danger.
And finally to add to the complaints, when the grass was cut, the trimmings were not discarded. I lost a ball on the fairway because it sunk into a pile of freshly cut grass. Try as I may I could not find it.
The Breakdown
Cost: $175 for 18, cart included. $0 using Citi Prestige
Cart: Completely electric. On board GPS included.
Beer: Affordable at $6 a can. Buy 5 get one free.
Ball Loss: None hit the houses, one fell into the water. Overall, pretty tame.
Score: Sad Smiley Face: TPOL came ready to keep score but it fell apart quickly. This was the first time I had played an elite course and it got the best of me.
Favorite Hole: Hole #9, Par 5
- Long drives and a nice stream to get over on the green. I ended an abysmal day having only played 9 of 18 since I was running late for the airport.
Worst Hole: The first hole. The golf course marshal is stationed on the first hole. Then the beer cart person was watching me chip. No bueno.
What makes it unique: It’s high society.
TPOL Grade: 2/5 Tees
I wouldn’t pay $175 for this course even if I was Uncle Phil rich. I will return to play the Park Hyatt Aviara course and stay there now that I am diamond.
