With their tribal land at the base of the hills in southern Temecula, Pechanga had a far different palette for a golf course. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) A minimum of dirt was bulldozed, no trees were planted, and the result is a stark, rugged, links-style layout that is arguably the finest in the county.įrom vantages at the course’s high points, you can see half the holes, which is unheard of from a building era in which getting as many houses as possible along the courses was priority one. Gary Roger Baird Design let loose a young, up-and-coming architect in Todd Eckenrode, and he created something totally unique to San Diego in that rock-strewn pasture. They didn’t want something that was just so-so, that you couldn’t remember. “As soon as they made a decision to build a golf course, they wanted it to be first-class. “Oh, definitely, here at Barona there’s a lot of pride about the golf course,” said Don King, the director of golf since Barona opened.

Seven years after Barona, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians in Temecula debuted their own spectacular course - Journey at Pechanga.īoth regularly make the top-20 lists of Indian casino courses in the country, and Barona Creek has enjoyed some particularly lofty distinctions, including hosting the 2007 Nationwide Tour Championship, the SCGA Amateur and U.S.

Barona casino golf course