Best Temecula Golf Courses
Temecula, in southern California, is a golfing Mecca for those who are snowbound for seven months of the year.
Temecula is about an hour’s drive or fifty-eight miles north of San Diego on I-15. The main attraction of this location is the proximity of so many excellent golf courses within a very short driving distance of each other.
Our annual tour, comprised of about thirty avid golfing couples, managed to squeeze in five different Temecula golf courses during the tour. Some of them, played twice. Of the dozen or so golf courses in this area, we managed to play the Temecula Creek Inn Golf Course, Cross Creek Golf Course, The SCGA Golf Course, Red Hawk Golf Course and Pala Mesa Golf Resort.
Why We Liked The Pala Mesa Golf Resort
The golf course that stood out in my mind was the Pala Mesa Golf Resort in Fallbrook, CA. Pala Mesa is just off I-15, existing onto Hwy 76 going west up to the Old Highway 395. Turn right and continue for two miles to the club house on the left.
The Chamber of Commerce states that Pala Mesa Golf Resort is rated one of the Top Ten Courses in San Diego County by PGA Professionals. The course plays to a challenging 6,502 yards, a par 72 layout with oaks, pines and sycamore trees lining the fairways. The golf course was in excellent condition when we played it. A bit narrow for some golfers who may spray his/her shot here and there. The greens were in excellent condition, well cut and manicured. There are many sand traps, well raked and looked after. The unique characteristic of this course, the reason it caught my attention, was that the front nine is situated on the mountain side and therefore creates some challenging holes. The back nine is on flat ground at highway level and is a lot easier to negotiate.
Great Hotels and Restaurants
Because of our large contingent, we stayed at the Embassy Suite Hotels off of Rancho California Street. The hotel is right next to Marie Callender’s Restaurant where, if you tire of the hotel food, you can dine in comfort there. Marie Callender’s is world renowned for its pies.
Of course, there are numerous other accommodations; such as the Hampton Inn, Best Western, Holiday Inn, Rodeway Inn, and the Fairfield Inn.
Other Activities
The Pechanga Resort and Casino is nearby, so during the evening after a hard day of golfing, you can lose yourself in the casino (as in lose a lot of money!). As like most casinos, the dining room provides a variety of excellent food at such reasonable prices that spending a few bucks at the casino is a good diversion. My recollection is that of gorging myself on the Alaska king crabs!
The Temecula Valley Wine Country Shuttle is another great diversion. Because we were a group, we did our own tasting and touring. However, the recommended method is to take the daily shuttle called the Grapeline. The guided tour will give you a fun-filled day, and by visiting the various wineries, you will experience a rich and unique experience like the various wines they produce.
Being in the San Diego area, we chartered a bus one evening and journeyed to the wharf where the U.S. Midway, aircraft carrier, is docked. Because it was in the evening, the carrier was not open for tourists, so we stood on the wharf with our mouth wide open, looking at the gigantic structure. We found out later that the vessel was 968 ft. long that would require a driver and a pitching iron for us! Heaven knows how many stories high it was. Days later, while we were in the vicinity, some of us took in the SeaWorld and thence the Wild Animal Park. Along the way, we stopped at a strawberry farm to pick our own berries and pay for what we picked.
Take A Pala Mesa Golf Resort Vacation – Highly Recommended
Depending on the time constraint, you may not be able to take in all of the foregoing; but if you are a true golfing aficionado, an excursion to the Pala Mesa Golf Resort in the Temecula area of southern California is a must destination in your near future.
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