THE GRAND DEL MAR HOTEL (now a Fairmont property) opened in 2007 — a challenging moment to debut a luxury resort — but it persevered and established itself as one of Southern California’s premier destinations, featuring an outstanding golf course. The Grand Del Mar Golf Course, designed by Tom Fazio, originally opened in 1999 as part of the Meadows Del Mar. Located in the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve just north of San Diego, the course eventually became part of the Grand Del Mar Hotel. While the private course traditionally limits play to members and hotel guests, it has recently begun accepting group bookings.
One of the course’s standout features is its forecaddie program. Every group that includes non-members is required to have a forecaddie to guide players, read greens, and provide encouragement. Our forecaddie, David Brew, was professional and upbeat—eying putts, advising from tee boxes and fairways, and raking bunkers. His steady presence and positive comments, even after missed putts, added noticeably to our round.
I played alongside Vladimir Velasco and Bill Noonan, both former Malaysia Airlines executives, and Steve White, a GT Globility board member. The three had driven down from Los Angeles for a day of competitive golf.
HOLE 1 | 383 yards, par 4
Before teeing off I made sure to photograph the Bobby Jones statue behind the tees—an homage to one of golf’s greats and the only player to win the true grand slam. We opted for the white tees and set out to score. Playing with Vlad’s older Nike irons and an offset driver that felt awkward, I skyed my first tee shot, which landed just beyond the ladies’ tees, while the others hit strong drives. Under a bit of pressure, I recovered with a 3-wood into 80 yards. Bill’s second shot found a cart path and was lost, eliminating him from that hole. I chipped and two-putted for a bogey, joining Vlad; Steve carded par, the first of many consistent scores that day.
HOLE 5 | 378 yards, par 4
This narrow hole is intimidating from the tee, with a fairway that slopes noticeably right to left. Still getting used to the offset driver, I aimed right but fortunately cleared the left bunker, leaving a clean second shot. Bill shanked his drive left, where it bounced off a tree into bushes and required a comedic recovery back into play. The hole produced bogeys for Steve and me.
HOLE 8 | 454 yards, par 4
A tricky dogleg left, this hole punishes poorly positioned drives. Vlad found himself too far left and short, blocked by tall grass lining that side. Steve and Bill powered theirs near the right fairway bunker, while my drive landed just short of that bunker and rolled favorably, leaving a solid second shot. With just over 200 yards remaining, I used Vlad’s 3-wood Big Bertha to reach the front of the green and stop short of the pin. Bill encountered a string of mishaps that took him out of contention on the hole; Steve and I both managed pars with Brew giving precise reads on the putts.
HOLE 11 | 212 yards, par 3
This picturesque par 3 was in bloom the day we played, though our first attempts all came up short. Brew recommended a redo, and our second shots were much improved. Vlad and I both landed left of the hole where Brew noted there was room to putt. Steve hit a solid shot to the center of the green, while Bill’s ball found the right bunker. Approaching the green, Steve got his ball playable and settled for a bogey. I chipped to within 15 feet and two-putted for a bogey on the redo. Vlad and Bill had tougher days, carding a double and a triple bogey respectively.
HOLE 15 | 416 yards, par 4
As the back nine drew toward its close, Brew led us up to the Grand Tee for spectacular vistas. We decided to play a “fun ball” from the tips to see what we could manage. To clear the brush and reach the rough before the fairway requires an aerial carry of about 220 yards, a challenge for many players. Steve and Bill came up short; Vlad hit one of his finest drives of the day, clearing the brush into the rough. Seeing a chance, I used Vlad’s better driver and delivered a strong, centered drive that landed on the fairway below. Back at the whites, Vlad and I continued to play our fun balls while the others re-teed. My second was a low 3-wood that barely made contact but flew about 180 yards to the left side of the green, knocking out the guarding bunker. A wedge left me in scoring position, but a missed par putt cost me a bogey. Bill also recorded a bogey; I reminded him mine came from the tips.
HOLE 17 | 242 yards, par 3
After teeing from the whites, Brew escorted us to the back tees to take in the full perspective. At 242 yards from the tips, the hole demands length and accuracy that few players can comfortably reach. From the forward tee the hole is more manageable, but Vlad struggled, finding the water twice. Bill and I landed below the hole for long, uphill putts. With Brew’s green read, my putt nearly dropped for birdie. Bill matched me while Steve carded one of his few bogeys of the day.
HOLE 18 | 421 yards, par 4
The finishing hole is a classic: a long downhill tee shot sets up an approach to an elevated green protected by a creek and bunkers. We struck three fine drives, and I borrowed Vlad’s Callaway driver for one final strong hit that rolled down toward the fairway and settled just right of the left bunker. Steve and I ended up about equal for distance off the tee. From there my approach, aided by the wind, flew roughly 160 yards but hooked into the lip of the left bunker and then bounced in. Steve hit a precise iron to the green, leaving himself a nine-foot birdie opportunity. Vlad and Bill struggled with the hazards. My bunker shot landed just past the pin and Brew cheered the recovery, but a two-putt left me with a bogey. Steve, guided by Brew, finished the round with a birdie on 18.
The Grand Golf Club
Fairmont Grand Del Mar
5200 Grand Del Mar Way
San Diego, CA 92130
tel 858 314 1930
thegrandgolfclub.com