SAN DIEGO – Dec. 21, 2004 – Christmas has arrived early for Barona Creek Golf Club with the announcement of America's Best 100 Resort Golf Courses by Golfweek Magazine.
Owned by the Barona Band of Mission Indians in San Diego, Barona Creek Golf Club was named the 18th best resort course in the United States and the 3rd best in California, only behind the legendary Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Club in California.
"This recognition from Golfweek Magazine is tremendous and flattering. When we designed this course, our goal was to develop a leading championship golf course that would not only convey our tradition of living in harmony with nature but also continue Barona's reputation for excellence," said Clifford LaChappa, Chairman of the Barona Band of Mission Indians. "To be in the company of so many world renowned golf resorts is a wonderful accomplishment for Barona Creek Golf Club. This award comes from hard work from our head golf professional Don King, Superintendent Sandy Clark and their entire staff and a tremendous golf design by Todd Eckenrode, project architect for Gary Roger Baird Design."
Hawaii leads the Golfweek rankings with 14 resorts on the Top 100, Florida is second with 11 resorts listed, and California and Nevada are tied for third with 8 resorts on the list of the nation's best.
Golfweek Magazine asked its team of 350 golf course raters to evaluate the courses according to a detailed set of design standards. "The one unifying theme is that all of these resorts acquire their greatness by an intimate sense of their surroundings," said Bradley S. Klein from Golfweek. "The best resorts envelope you in the local culture and landscape."
Listed below are the top 25 of America's Best 100 Resort Golf Courses as listed by Golfweek Magazine:
1. Pebble Beach Golf Links (Pebble Beach, CA)
2. Pinehurst No. 2 (Pinehurst, NC)
3. Pacific Dunes (Bandon, OR)
4. Straits Course at Whistling Straits (Kohler, WI)
5. Bandon Dunes (Bandon, OR)
6. TPC at Sawgrass (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL)
7. Spyglass Hill Golf Course (Pebble Beach, CA)
8. Ocean Course (Kiawah Island, GA)
9. Shadow Creek Golf Club (North Las Vegas, NV)
10. Blackwolf Run-River (Kohler, WI)
11. Harbour Town Golf Links (Hilton Head, SC)
12. Homestead Resort-Cascades Course (Hot Springs, VA)
13. Princeville-Prince Course (Kauai, HI)
14. Kapalua Golf Club-Plantation Course (Maui, HI)
15. Cascata (Henderson, NV)
16. Crosswater (Sunriver, OR)
17. Raven Course at Snowshoe Mountain (Snowshoe, NV)
18. BARONA CREEK GOLF CLUB (SAN DIEGO, CA)
19. Wolf Creek Golf Club (Mesquite, NV)
20. Pine Needles Country Club (Southern Pines, NC)
21. Barton Creek CC-Canyons (Austin, TX)
22. Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Golf Club (Kamuela, HI)
23. Manele Bay-Challenge (Lanai, HI)
24. Sea Island Golf Course (Seaside)
25. PGA West-Stadium Course (La Quinta, CA)
In just four years, the Barona Creek Golf Club has risen to prominence in Southern California, garnering rankings higher than some of the country's legendary golf courses. The latest ranking adds to Barona's growing list of accolades including recognition by Golfweek Magazine as a top 10 "best new courses to play in America." Tod Leonard, The Union-Tribune's prolific golf writer, ranked Barona Creek the 2nd best golf course in San Diego, right behind the legendary Torrey Pines Golf Course. Barona Creek was also awarded the Bronze Signature Sanctuary Certification by Audubon International.
Barona Creek Golf Club is a par 72 course that is 7,088 yards with nearly 100 multi-fingered bunkers and a series of lakes and ponds that are connected to the area's naturally fed streams. The golf course also has more than 170 mature native oak trees transplanted from other regions of the Barona Indian Reservation. Making use of the subtly undulating terrain, prominent rock outcroppings and gentle elevation changes preserve the land's unique characteristics. The combination of both natural and strategic elements of the design make Barona Creek Golf Club one of the most challenging and thought provoking golf courses in San Diego.
Barona Creek Golf Club is a centerpiece of the Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino consisting of 400 luxury rooms and suites, a 300,000 square foot casino, a lakefront wedding chapel and $5 million golf events center.
Barona Creek Golf Club is located at 1932 Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside. To schedule a tee time please call 619-387-7018. Additional course information is also available at www.barona.com
Contacts:
Benedetto Communications
Audrey Benedetto, 619-236-8397
