I went to Carlsbad for golf. I came back wowed by the town and its many other attractions.
Carlsbad sits between San Diego and Los Angeles in the great weather epicenter of coastal Southern California. In the golf industry it’s known as the Silicon Valley of the sport, because so many of the big golf club manufactures are based here. For the traveling golf public it is home to two acclaimed destination resorts, the luxury Park Hyatt Aviara and the historic Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, host to many high-profile PGA tour events and other championships. There is also other great golf in the area.
But not having kids, I had no idea that Carlsbad was home to Legoland, perhaps its biggest attraction, and one of the first things I saw as I headed to the tee. I didn’t know it had a frozen in time beach town with great atmosphere. I did not know the area is acclaimed for its hiking trails and miles of stunning beaches. Surprises like these continued throughout my visit, and made me appreciate Carlsbad as much more than the high-profile golf destination I knew it would be.
Legoland has been a huge hit in the region for almost a quarter of a century and sprawls over more than 125 acres. The complex includes its namesake park, the Sea Life Aquarium, a water park, and two hotels. There are more than 60 rides, shows and attractions, many of them highly interactive. The facility is aimed at families with children between 2 and 12.
The entrance to Legoland sits almost immediately outside the Crossings at Carlsbad, the city’s surprisingly high quality municipal golf course. On a rolling piece of land with sweeping views, the Crossings takes full advantage of its setting from the dramatic first tee onward, and is both better and more affordable than most daily fee courses I have played in Southern California. The course enjoys an extremely generous 400-acre site, twice the typical land, and includes the five bridges that give it the distinctive name. Designed to connect the topography with minimal environmental impact, these made it one of the more expensive municipal courses ever built, but that’s not reflected in the green fees, which currently begin at $45 - when you cannot even play in much of the country. It’s the town’s hidden gem as far as golf since most visitors come for the famous resorts.
While it is not associated with either the theme park or golf course, the Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa is a located within walking distance of Legoland and just across the street for the entry drive to the Crossings, making it a great under the radar option for golfers not staying at one of the marquee golf resorts, especially for members of Bonvoy, the world’s largest frequent hotel program (Marriott).
But the main event for golf lovers is the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, a classic that is laid out like a village with extensive facilities: a whopping eight swimming pools, world-class tennis center with 17 courts, seven restaurants and bars and more than 600 guest rooms, suites and villas spread out in low rise fashion. For golf it is both a Golf Magazine Top 100 resort and a Golf Digest Editors Choice. The two 18-hole courses include the historic Champions, which is currently closed for an extensive enhancement by one of the world’s most acclaimed and sought after architects, Gil Hanse, who won the heated competition to design the Olympic Course for the Rio Games.
The original layout was by Dick Wilson, famous for other renowned courses including Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill, the Blue Monster at Doral, Royal Montreal, Dubsdread at Chicago’s Cog Hill, and one of the most legendary private clubs on earth, Seminole. The course opened in the Fifties and has been host to more than three dozen PGA Tour events. It is one of those places imbued with all the greats who have strolled its fairways, meaning you are truly playing in the footsteps of golf legends. It will soon reopen better than ever and from 2024-2026 will host three straight years of the NCAA Division One golf championships, with the men’s and women’s tournaments back to back.
Wilson also designed the second layout at La Costa, Legends, which was renovated last year and is also much improved. For some PGA Tour events here half of each course was used, in this case the back nine of Legends, so no matter which layout you choose (best to play both) you get a taste of that rich history.
The luxury Park Hyatt Aviara is the cream of the crop when it comes to accommodations, a Forbes 5-Star and AAA 5-Diamond winner. It sits very close to the beach on 200 beautiful acres, with amenities such as a first-rate fitness center and standout spa, and it is known for “Signature” Suites including the Palmer Suite, named for the legendary Hall of Fame golfer and golf course designer. The Palmer Suite has two large terraces, one of which is a putting green, something I haven’t seen elsewhere. There is a large pool complex with multiple features, recently renovated, one of the most beloved hiking trails in the region runs through the property, the Batiquitos Lagoon Trail, and when you are not out on the course, the resort has a TopGolf Swing Suite with state-of-the-art simulator. The tennis center is ranked in the nation’s Top 75, and the Park Hyatt Aviara is Conde Nast Traveler’s Number One Golf Resort in Southern California.
The Aviara Golf Club was designed by Palmer, and is all eye candy with excellent conditions, endless wildflowers, artful bunkers and multiple water hazards. The design isolates each hole and makes you feel like you have the place to yourself even when every tee time is taken, a rare privilege. It has hosted multiple LPGA Tour events, is rated among the best in California by Golf Digest and I had a blast playing it. The clubhouse is also home to the Park Hyatt’s standout Ember & Rye, a creative upscale steakhouse by Top Chef winner Richard Blais that is one of the top dining spots in the region.
But what I will remember most about Carlsbad is the town itself, the beach, the whole vibe of the place. The nearby areas of southern California I have visited previously are the kinds of places where older homes are torn down to make room for McMansions. Carlsbad has seven miles of almost uninterrupted stunning Pacific Ocean coastline, most of it lined with wide sandy beaches open to the public. Along this strip there is an Old School beach town feel, with people riding bikes equipped to carry surfboards, families walking to the beach with kids, chairs and dogs in tow, just a laid-back authenticity that is increasingly hard to come by. Vintage beachfront homes are well preserved, adding to the frozen in time Americana atmosphere, and coastal downtown Carlsbad has a kind of state fair feel with lots of local bars, restaurants and shops. It attracts tourists but maintains the sense of the people who actually live here, and that’s a good thing in my book.
Inland from the beach, Carlsbad has modern open air shopping centers with tons more dining options, including more chain eateries, so there is something for every taste and budget - sort of like the golf. For golfers it’s also close enough to easily play additional exceptional courses like the 36-hole Torrey Pines, a Major venue and host of last weekend’s PGA Tour event, and for lovers of classic racetracks, it’s just up the road from fabled Del Mar. The entire area is dotted with enough hiking trails, beaches and attractions, plus tons of watersports such as surfing lessons, to keep even the most avid golfer entertained off the course.
As an avid golf traveler, I have been to a lot of places where golf is everything, and pretty much the only reason for visiting. That can be fine, but it’s even better when there is more to do than just play golf - especially for families - and that’s what I was so pleasantly surprised to find in Carlsbad.
