La Costa Interactive Flyover.

Reinvigorating One of Golf’s Iconic Venues

As the host to over 35 PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events, La Costa had a strong connection to golf’s history.  Our goal was to take the original Dick Wilson/Joe Lee design elements and put them into a modern context.

The result is that the character of the greens and bunkers are similar to the original but each hole now has a distinctive visual composition and multiple playing strategies.   The entire north course was rebuilt and renamed The Champions Course.  In addition to reconstruction of the greens, tees and bunkers, all of the fairways have enhanced drainage and irrigation systems and have been sand capped prior to sodding with 419 bermuda grass. Planning and design for this project took 12 months and construction spanned 9 months.

Visit the La Costa website here.

Watch the Design Team discuss the project:  Part 1 Part 2

Take the interactive course tour here.

See the video here: The Next La Costa Pt. 1

See the video here: The Next La Costa  Pt.2

Posted January 17, 2012 at 4:31 p.m.

Steve Pate has had a love affair with the La Costa Resort for as long as the Westlake Village resident can remember.

La Costa was the place Pate saw his first professional golf tournament and where his dream of becoming a professional golfer started to take shape.

Pate had playing success at La Costa as an amateur and professional, including winning the 1988 Tournament of Champions.

Pate, who has become a golf architect, was thrilled to get the chance to help restore the luster to the La Costa’s famed golf course.

The Ventura native, along with his business partner Damian Pascuzzo, were hired to handle a $10 million renovation of 22 holes at the La Costa property. The golf course renovation was the key component of a major overhaul of the resort in Northern San Diego county.

“I felt like I was going home in doing this project,” Pate said. “I love everything about the place. It holds some great memories for me, and getting a chance to bring it back to its proper condition was really exciting.”

The most pressing issues Pate and his design partners were brought into correct were turf conditions and the course’s drainage problems that had wrecked the course over time.

“You can’t get $200 to play a golf course that is a mud puddle for four months a year and a dirt pile for seven more,” Pate said.

Pascuzzo said the project was technically complex, with a number of site, infrastructure and environmental issues that, when combined with the objectives of the client, had them scratching their heads.

“We spent a lot of time walking the course discussing different concepts and trying them out on paper before we completed the master plan,” Pascuzzo said. “Even then, we kept making refinements all the way through construction. We spent a lot of time on site during construction to get all of the details and nuances we wanted into the golf course.”

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So La Costa, which hosted the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions from 1969-98, pretty much shut down golf for more than a year for a renovation of 22 of its 36 holes, most notably the North Course. Now called the Champions Course, it reopened in the fall of 2011 not only with an updated design but also with better drainage, irrigation, turf and conditioning. It’s all part of an overall $50 million expansion and renovation of the resort, which also included new guestrooms, an expanded athletic center, a renovated events center and an all-new lobby bar.

There were many changes to the golf course, including some repositioning of greens and tees, but most notably bunkers and other hazards. While original architect Dick Wilson (and later Joe Lee) plotted bunkers symmetrically and in front of some greens, they are now staggered and set for the modern game.

“They realized the luster had worn off the course,” said Damian Pascuzzo, who teamed with former tour player Steve Pate as well as consulting architect Jeff Brauer on the redesign. “They wanted to bring it back to something that warrants its reputation.

Read the Entire Article Here

For many years, it was the epitome of PGA Tour luxury, hosting the season-opening Tournament of Champions (under various corporate sponsors) from 1969-98. An event only for winners, the TofC was a favorite with players and their families because of the resort’s other amenities, notably a world-renown spa. I remember back in the 1980s talking to Tour players who said they felt pressure to win so their wives could begin the new year with a few days of pampering. La Costa also hosted the PGA Tour’s Match Play Championships seven times between 1999 and 2006, and beginning in 2010 became the home of the LPGA Tour’s Kia Classic.

Having just indulged in a few days of La Costa pampering (with my wife, who didn’t want to leave), I’m happy to report that the resort is better than ever. Now owned by KSL and almost entirely renovated and refurbished during the past year at a cost of $50 million, it’s all brand new and as welcoming and refreshing an indulgence as you’ll find. Spa, tennis, salon, food, rooms… all great. But especially exciting is an upgrading of the two golf courses to a level exceeding the original 1965 Dick Wilson designs.

The Champions (formerly North) and South courses were reworked by the design team of Damian Pascuzzo and former Tour player Steve Pate (who won the TofC in 1988), with architect Jeff Brauer. All 18 holes on Champions were modified: Highlights include redesigned and repositioned bunkers, altered routing of fairways, new and expanded areas of native grasses, and subtle elevation changes. Four holes are entirely new, every green has been replaced, and more than 30 acres of turfgrass was eliminated. (The photograph above is of the 11th hole on Champions.)

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Large, undulating greens, with rolling approaches and large looming bunkers

Located 30 miles east of San Francisco, the course was built on a very challenging piece of land. The golf course had to weave its way across and through a series of valleys, from hillside to hillside. The resulting layout is a collection of golf holes that challenge the mettle of even the best players. Every shot must be evaluated and executed with resolve. Large, undulating greens, with rolling approaches and large looming bunkers present a variety of ways for the golfer to attack each green. The landscape plan is purposely void of trees except in the riparian corridor, which meanders gently through the valley floor. Large plantings of native shrubs were added along the hillsides to provide visual appeal and challenge.

Visit the Bridges Golf Club website

Rich in tradition

The La Quinta Country Club is a member-owned club, rich in tradition. Our design objective was to increase playability, add visual, and aesthetic appeal and improve the golfer’s overall experience while maintaining the traditional character of the course. All of the greens, tees, and bunkers were remodeled to improve functionality and playing strategy. Other significant alterations and additions include lake enhancements, new fairway contouring, and adding a set of tees for greater diversity. Despite all of the course modifications, it will retain its prized image as a course in the PGA Tour and The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Visit the La Quinta County Club website

Central Oregon golf in the mountains

Set on the edge of the Cascade Mountains in central Oregon, Black Butte Ranch has been a popular resort and second home community for years.  Our mission was to prepare a renovation master plan and guide the course through a phased reconstruction program.  Our primary focus was on tees and bunkers to make the course more strategic and relevant for modern players and equipment.  Tree thinning and cart path relocation also improved the playability and beauty of the course.

Actual construction took place over three years.  It was timed and managed to take place during the fall and spring seasons to avoid disruption to the peak playing period.

Visit the Black Butte Ranch Golf website

Steeped in tradition

This popular and family oriented traditional country club is located in Sandy, Utah in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains.  We were tasked with providing a thorough analysis of the golf course to identify those areas most in need of improvement.  Once the analysis was completed we worked with the Club’s leadership to prepare detailed cost estimates and communicate the scope of the project to the club members.  After gaining approval we prepared construction drawings and oversaw the renovation of the golf course.  The renovation featured all new tees and bunkers along with greatly enhanced water features.  Only two greens required rebuilding due to their being relocated.  All other greens were in fine shape and we thought it best to respect the character and patina these greens had developed over the years.  The course has proved to be very popular with the membership and is the proud host of the Utah Classic on the PGA Nationwide Tour.

Visit the Willow Creek Country Club website