The Crossings in Carlsbad

This month’s golf course review is The Crossings in Carlsbad. I had to opportunity to speak with general manager Jeff Perry about this new golf course that is already making a name for itself in the golfing community. Jeff informed me that in it’s first year of operation, it was selected by Golf Magazine as one of the "Top 10 Courses You Can Play" in 2007. With that kind of clout and recognition, I was eager to play this course.

The drive from Orange County to Carlsbad was relatively short (less than one hour). We were kindly greeted as our bags were checked in, and we were anxious to visit the clubhouse and take a look. As we walked in, we were a little blown away by how nice the clubhouse was. The first thing you notice as you walk in is the green fairways of the course in front of you. Just as you begin to take the view in, your attention is immediately drawn to The Canyons Restaurant and the spectacular view of the ocean. The restaurant boasts an open-beam ceiling with huge windows allowing you to take in the views of the coast. If I lived closer to the course, I would be taking my wife there for romantic dinner dates on a regular basis. I was told that over 90% of their restaurant business come from non-golfers with waits up to 30 minutes on most weekdays for lunch. They serve a sunset menu in the evening only when they are not catering an event. Their main dinning room hosts up to 300 guests with additional meeting rooms for corporate or other private events. It was all very stunning and well thought out.

After warming up, we made our way to the first hole. The first tee starts of with a view of the ocean to the right and a small ravine/arroyo to navigate over with your tee shot. The first 4 to 5 holes are really good ‘warm-up’ holes with rolling terrain and wider fairways that prepare you for the challenges ahead. The front nine boasts ocean views on every hole and gives you a rewarding sense that you are playing on a coastal course. You’ll notice that this course is a shot makers course. You need to be fairly accurate off of the tees. The course is very fair in its layout, but it does have plenty of out-of-bounds and environmentally safe areas.

As we made our way through the first few holes, we noticed how well the course and greens were manicured. The greens at The Crossings are tricky in the sense that many have slopes and elevation changes. The GPS on the golf carts gives hints where to hit your approach shots so pay attention to this useful information.

As we reached hole 5 we realized it was now time to get down to business. If you have difficulty with your drives then this is one hole where you need to focus. The tee shot carries over a large wildlife ravine and it is more intimidating than difficult. An accurate and long tee shot on this 572 yard par 5 will land on a downhill slope and will shorten the hole. Hole 7 is a par 5 measuring 556 yards, and is the golf course’s signature hole. If you drive this hole down the right side of the fairway (as most of our group did), you will shorten the length of this right dogleg. But with that you also lose sight of the green with a hillside on the right side of the hole. Laying up is probably wise as the green is not deep and is guarded by water in the front. A beautiful waterfall (pictured above) at the back of the green sets off this hole nicely.

As we approached the back nine, the first thing you notice is the vast layout of the course in the valley below. The golf course has tremendous elevation changes on certain holes and was developed and integrated nicely with the natural wildlife terrain.

Hole 10 for me was one of the more intimidating holes on the course. It is a short 339 yard par 4 that plays downhill from an elevated tee box. But the intimidating factor is the landing area. This hole has a narrow fairway and what appears to be a small landing area making a longer iron off the tee the best play. However, as I reached my ball in the fairway I noticed that it opened up more than it appeared to from the tee making a birdie more of a possibility. And just as I absorbed hole 10’s elevation change, hole 11 had an even greater drop of over 100 feet from the tee to the landing area. The saving grace of this hole is a very large landing area. As we made our way through the multiple elevation changes on the back nine, we were enjoying the quiet of the surrounds and the beauty of the canyons giving the back nine a more serine feeling compared with the coastal feeling of the front nine.

Costs for The Crossings vary depending on when you play and if you are a Carlsbad resident or not. Peak rates for the course are $110 on the weekend, $95 on Fridays, and $90 Monday-Thursday. Senior rates are $59 anytime. Carlsbad residents will see approximately a 30% reduced rate. Twilight times range from $40-$65, and junior rates are $30 with a paying adult.

Our group thoroughly enjoyed playing The Crossings as it was challenging and one of the nicer courses that we have played in quite a while. When speaking with Jeff Perry, he informed me that many golfers have even greater success returning to the course their second or third time because they now know where (or where not) to hit their shots. I am looking forward to returning soon and tackling some of the holes that got the best of me.

Go to www.TheCrossingsAtCarlsbad.com to make reservations or view the Canyons Restaurant’s menu online. You can also call them at 760-444-1800 to make reservations by phone.

Corey Bogardus received his B.A. degree in Graphic Design and Fine Arts from Azusa Pacific University. He is the Editor-In-Chief of the IPU. He also heads up a company known as Trinitas Creative (www.TrinitasCreative.com), a design firm which produces print and web graphics for companies such as the IPU. His love for sports includes college and professional football, golf, basketball, hockey...and the list goes on. He is an avid golfer, and understands the finer points of the game.