Golf SD – Eagle Crest Golf Club in Escondido

Photo courtesy Eagle Crest GC

Ed. – This is the first installment of our “Golf SD” series, where we will profile various golf courses in San Diego County. The goal of this series is to bring some more attention to the great golfing we have in our backyard, in addition to informing readers about where to get a good deal on your round, what holes you probably should avoid issuing a friendly wager on, whether the cart girl will be around on the 7th hole for your refill, whether you’ll lose more than a few sleeves of balls in the woods, and if the 19th hole stacks up to the first 18. Our first installment takes us out to the beautiful San Pasqual Valley and Eagle Crest GC.

Location: The San Pasqual Valley, in eastern Escondido.

Difficulty: 3.5*

• Narrow fairways make this course hell for anyone with even the mildest slice or hook.

• This course is mostly fun for me (I shoot in the mid to high 80’s) but it is sometimes very frustrating because of those thin, unforgiving fairways.

*Scale of 1-10 where 1=Miniature golf and 10=Augusta National

Pricing:

• Mon-Thurs – $55
  • After 1pm – $30
  • After 4pm – $25
  • Seniors – $32
  • Juniors – $26
• Friday – $60
  • After 1pm – $35
  • After 4pm – $25
  • Seniors – $37
  • Juniors – $26
• Weekends/Holidays – $75
  • After 1pm – $45
  • After 4pm – $30
  • Seniors – N/A
  • Juniors – $26

Staff:

• Eagle Crest employs a lot of high school students. Most of them are really nice and courteous.

• They’ve never been rude to me and have always been helpful, though apathetic. But which high school student isn’t?

Amenities:

• The course has a driving range (mats only) and a large putting green. The clubhouse offers food, a wide selection of beer, mixed drinks and other beverages, cigars and a big, covered back porch on which to enjoy all of these things.
• There’s a beverage cart that goes around the course fairly consistently. It might not be there if you go out later in the day.

Tips/Advice:

• Because of the tight fairways, I tend to use either a long iron or a hybrid off the tee on a lot of holes.
• Beware of poison ivy and stinging nettles at the edges of the fairways.
• If you go out for the twilight rate, don’t expect the greens to be in good condition. Eagle Crest packs their course pretty full, especially on the weekends, and it wreaks hell on the putting surface.
• Hole #8 is deceiving (at least for me it was). It’s a dog-leg left and looks like you should be able to grab your driver, whack one straight into the fairway and be all set to attack the green. What’s not readily apparent is the fact that the fairway is short. I connected really well with the driver and launched the ball past the end of the fairway. My ball ended up down a steep hill behind some tall pine trees.

Conclusion:

• If you’re looking to save some cash, this is a fun course to play. It’s a great deal and the scenery is beautiful. Definitely don’t pay $75. Bring extra balls.

Eagle Crest Golf Club
2492 Old Ranch Road
Escondido
760.737.9762
www.eaglecrestgc.com