Hanse Golf Design has renovated the Champions course at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. It will revert to its original name of North course and reopen for member play in June.
The North was originally designed by Dick Wilson in 1965 and has hosted the Mercedes Championships (originally called the Tournament of Champions) from 1969 to 1998, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on seven occasions, and in 2010 and 2012, the resort hosted the LPGA Tour’s Kia Classic. Following the renovation, the North will host the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship and Men’s Golf Championship in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Gil Hanse and his team implemented design changes to add more risk and reward to the course, especially with the NCAA’s match play format in mind. Changes include a new driveable par-four eleventh, a repositioned green on the par-three sixteenth similar in style to Augusta’s twelfth, and extending the par-five eighteenth to play over 600 yards from the back tee, with water on both sides of the fairway.
Other aspects of the project, which began in January 2023, include new tees, allowing the North to be played from 4,500 to 7,500 yards, new irrigation, the removal of man-made ponds, and the reintroduction of natural barrancas.
“The North course is now positioned to return to its stature as one of the top venues for championship golf in Southern California,” said Hanse. “We were able to combine a respect for the natural contours, landforms and vegetation with an emphasis on strategic design. This combination of beauty and interest should prove enjoyable for everyday play by members and resort guests, while asking compelling questions to be answered by the best players in the world during championship events.”
Craig Martin, managing director at the resort, said: “Working with the ‘best of the best’ course architects like Gil Hanse and his design team is a prime example of our continued commitment and investment to be in the highest echelons of US golf destinations. This transformation signals a full return to championship glory at Omni La Costa and joins the now completed renovation of the property as a whole resulting in an elevated experience for our members and resort guests to enjoy for decades to come.”
The resort’s practice facility has also been revamped by Beau Welling Design and has included the lengthening of the driving range, regrassing the range, new irrigation and installing Toptracer technology.