Castle Creek
#4 Ranked Course
In San Diego County

In an independent survey conducted by Greenskeeper.Org,.
Castle Creek was rated as the #4 daily fee course in San Diego County.  Castle Creek received a 8.14 rating, which is categorized as “Great,”  In addition, the club received a 5 out of 5 star rating in value.  General Manager, Larry Taylor, when informed of the news commented,  “This is a culmination of hard work by our entire staff, which is by far the best I have ever worked with.  Our goal is to continue to improve our facility to make the highest rated course in the entire region of Southern California.” 

Castle Creek Country Club
8797 Circle R Drive
Escondido, CA 92026
760-749-2877 * www.castlecreekcc.com

Located in a valley among the foothills of northeast San Diego, the Castle Creek Country Club Golf Course can be found just off the 15 freeway about 15-20 minutes north of the San Diego Wild Animal Park. The course was redesigned by Jack Daray, Jr. and Stephen Halsey back in 1983. While not very long at 6372 yards from the blue tees and 6688 yards from the black (Tiger) tees, the course boasts many, many oak and pine trees which makes for very narrow fairways and intimidating tee shots. Position off the tee and shot shaping are important necessities for success when playing at CCCC. (It is recommended by the staff that a player be an 11 handicap or better to play from the blacks.) There are also a number of holes that are bordered along one side by homes that are only a few strides from the short grass so if you have a tendency to hook the ball, be wary because the course staff passes the liability to the player.

As you may have guessed from the name of the course, there is a creek that flows throughout the course which can come into play on 11 of the 18 holes. The front 9 holes are relatively flat while the back 9 has quite a few more holes with significant elevation change. There are a number of forced carries over water, doglegs in both directions and uphill/downhill holes for those golfers who get bored with playing flat, straight-away courses. There are a number of holes that run very close together which can result in errant balls coming from the opposite direction so keep an eye out. If you happen to hit one of these wayward shots, do your fellow golfers a favor and yell "fore!" to give them ample warning to take cover.

Distance to a few of the holes can be optically deceiving so be sure to trust the yardage. The wind also tends to swirl at this course due to the amount of trees. This can play havoc with your mind when your perfectly struck tee shot to one of the short par 3s comes up short. The greens at CCCC tend to be more wide than deep and range from relatively flat to slightly undulating. Also, keep in mind that putts will tend toward the creek. There is a well stocked snack bar at the turn next to the clubhouse, but there is no food and beverage cart (at least not on the day of this survey). One major drawback to playing at CCCC is that there is no driving range to warm up at. The only place to practice your full swing is the lone hitting mat/net next to the first tee. Those all important mulligans can come in handy at the first hole if there aren't too many people watching and waiting to tee off.

There are two small putting greens - one next to the first tee and one next to the club house. There are no dedicated chipping or bunker practice areas. The proshop inside the clubhouse is a bit limited in their stock of retail goods, but sufficient nonetheless. There is a restaurant in the clubhouse which serves excellent meals. There are also stay-and-play packages so be sure to call and ask if that is something of interest to you. Be prepared for hot and muggy conditions at this course, especially during the summer months. The morning marine layer, if present, quickly burns off in this part of town.

Course conditions right now are very good. Castle Creek has gotten a bad rap for poor greens in the past, but they are now much improved and are currently in very good shape. All greens are smooth and firm at times soft, but medium/slow in speed. Putts will hold the line you start them in. The firm fairways are lush with no bare spots or severe divot damage. Only a few thin spots here and there. Same story with the rough which is cut 2-3 inches and isn't very penalizing. (I can only imagine this course with 4-6" rough. It would be tough.)

The bunkers here at CCCC are exceptional with good quality sand that is raked to near perfection. No pebbles or twigs to be found in these hazards which makes for predictable sand shots. The tee boxes are lush and level except for a few that had major divot damage. The pace of play on this Saturday morning was just under 4 hours which is hard to top in San Diego these days. Staff members are courteous and respectful. Overall, the course is in great shape right now and deserves to be played if you can forgive the lacking practice facilities.