5921 Valencia Circle, Rancho Santa Fe, California 92067, US
(858) 756-1123
Location Map

About Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa

The Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, inspired by a Spanish colonial hacienda, indulges guests with 49 private casitas with private patios and fireplaces. The Forbes five-star resort and spa aims to rejuvenate with wellness, fitness and pampering. Two signature restaurants, Veladora and The Pony Room, serve distinctive Coastal Ranch cuisines. Tennis is onsite, while the resort has relationships for special discounts for playing golf at Torrey Pines, Aviara and two local private clubs, The Farms Golf Club and Del Mar Country Club.

Facts

Price Range$$$$
Property Class★★★★★
Acres45
Year Opened1989
Number of UnitsLess than 100

Amenities

RestaurantsFine, Casual
TennisYes
Fitness CenterYes
Practice FacilityYes
Banquet SpaceYes
SpaYes

Services

Kids ProgramYes
Room ServiceYes
ConciergeYes

Rules

Is the resort pet friendly?Yes
Is resort stay required for a tee time?Yes

Golf courses at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa

Images from Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa

Reviews

4.3
284 Reviews (284)

Reviewer Photos

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

The total ocean.

A course worth playing, although expense. The Kia LPGA tournament is there next week so conditions were excellent. Staff is friendly, starter's joke not very funny though. Better course than Torrey Pines, but you cannot see the ocean

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Wet weather
Used cart

Just Ok!

Torrey Pines is a muni golf course at a resort price. I was disappointed that cart was not included in the price and no one bothered to tell us that. The cart was the bare minimum. No coolers and no GPS.

The layout was ok, but certainly enhanced by the scenic views of the Pacific Ocean. I thought the course was in fantastic condition. The outside staff was unimpressive and showed a lack of interest in the golfers. No one was present to help with clubs or clean them following the round.

Conditions Excellent
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 12/18/2019

Somewhat challenging, aye...did you play from the back tees where the rating is 78.1 on a par 72 track?

Played On
Reviews 14
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Decent but over hyped

Not worth what they charge. The course is in pretty poor condition for the amount of hype. It took us 5 hours and 20 minutes to play 18. The workers are all very kind and friendly. I play here about every six weeks simply because it’s close to my home. The greens are decent in Feb, March, and April only. It’s realky too bad. This could be a great place.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Gem

If you ever get a chance to play The Farms, go! And bring some extra golf balls with you!

Probably one of the most unique, challenging, and incredibly designed golf courses in the country.

No two holes or golf shots are alike here. Filled with tons of elevation changes, sloping and tight fairways, deep bunkers, elevated greens and plenty of hazards, you’ll be forced to hit every golf club in your bag. There is no way to fake your way around this course. Either you’re straight or not. The course gives you nothing, and if you are a serious golfer... look no further.

Great food and service. It’s said to be home to some of the best amateur golfers in the country.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 154
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 100 Contributor
San Francisco Advisor
Previously Played

Beautiful And Challanginging

Came back for a couple of pre Christmas rounds at one of my favorite courses. Customer service is still over the top excellent. Course is in great shape for the most part . Fairways were in excellent shape. Very green and lush throughout. Greens were rolling smooth but have a LOT more undulations than I remember. Basically the greens kicked my tail! Some Sand traps were a bit hard packed and a couple of tee boxes on the par 3's were full of divots.

Overall the course is still in really nice shape. The elevation changes mixed in with all the water features makes this track a winner in my book.

Aviara is a challenging course that eases the pain with its beauty.

Some miscellaneous info. Driving range (balls are included with green fees) is mat only so getting a correct tee height for your driver is challanging. Carts have GPS with numbers to the pins. Rounds are generally 4 1/2 hrs long. Beverage cart comes around on a regular basis.

The LPGA play here in March so can see how you measure up against the "girls" on one of their regular tour courses

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Awesome Course.

The customer service Is great. The course itself is a top 3 in all of Southern California, conditions were fantastic. I would only play if you get the afternoon rates due to the cost of playing an Arnold Palmer design. But the signature 18th will be playing into the Sun in the afternoon so I may choose a cloudy day next time.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing

Outstanding views with poor conditions

Top line: expensive course with sub-par muni conditions

I, like most golfers, had the Torrey Pines as a ‘must play’ on my list. While I don’t regret playing it again, you need to lower your expectations for the conditions. If you are playing $200+ for a round of golf, one would expect for there not to be standing water in bunkers and tee boxes that were dirt patches... The layout was very cool that required lots of different shots, and the views were the absolute best.

Bottom line: while it was fun to play the course the Pros play, poor conditions made it less fun

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 16
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Fun Round at Aviara

The course and conditions were excellent. I really enjoyed the consistency of the greens.

Concerning price, this course is out of my budget. However, if I can find a way to play less than $130 of my own money, I’ll consider it. To bring the price down I suggest you do what I do and save up credits as a GolfNow frequent player and then apply the earned promo codes for discounted golf. I was able to get my $190 Hot Deal price down to $140 with $50 in promo codes. Furthermore, ask friends and family for GolfNow gift certificates for your birthday. Then redeem it for a round at Aviara.

I enjoyed the round. I’ll play at Aviara again next year.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Is this Heavenly

Yes I mean Heavenly as in the Ski Resort. Sorry Arnold but moguls are for ski hills not fairways.

The water features are fairly spectacular-I guess they should thank Northern Cal for all the water.

It's a pass for me but the LPGA can have it!

BTW My wife is a 15 HDCP and I love playing golf with her. She hated it.

Conditions Good
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
4.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Aviara

Nice course but overpriced. The price should be around $100 based on courses played in the Scottsdale area.

Conditions Average
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Great par 3s

On my previous visits my group was amazed at the course conditions. It seemed that every blade of grass was perfect. Fast forward to last week: Even though the layout is still great, we were all surprised that the course is no longer immaculately maintained. Not sure its is worth the $170 we paid. Great par 3s!

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 20
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Everything you should want

This course is everything you should want. Great weather, conditions, pace of play and staff. Play the tips and you'll be wounded. Play the proper tee and you'll be totally satisfied. Greens are huge. Plan some 3 putts. It's fabulous so enjoy.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Good
zmo
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Torrey Tough

It used to be you could play the North course and avoid a solid kick to the gunt like on the South. No mas. The new bent grass greens repel shots over 130yds unless struck with very precise contact and spin. You better play a tour ball as well. Green complexes were redesigned with a ton of movement and sometimes multiple tiers. Frustrating to hit a 160 yd 7 iron only to see it release off the back. But that's the new reality. Adjust your expectations and enjoy the views. Not a fan of the fact they removed so many trees....but the views are million dollar from most of the course. As mentioned, nines have been reversed. ...meh on that. Still one of the best deals anywhere for twilight. Get on it!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Used cart

Beautiful, pricey course.

While this is arguably one of San Diego's most beautiful courses with stunning landscaped layouts it's a little pricey for regular play. Pro shop staff a bit confused but Starter and Marshalls definitely make up for it. Treat yourself once!

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 17
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
First Time Playing
Windy weather

How does this course host an LPGA event?

For $250+ at peak times and $140 Twilight, Aviara leaves a lot to be desired, at least the way I found it in late June this year. The fairways and greens were both inconsistent, and a few were even plugged. I realize courses sometimes have to do this, but by June things should be in peak shape. The 3 or 4 greens that were plugged had so much sand on them that putting was quite difficult, and significantly slower than the other greens, which themselves rolled much slower than I expected.

I did enjoy the layout with the exception of the 10th hole, which is quite honestly one of the dumbest holes I've encountered in my life. Zero aiming point and a dogleg at about 220 yards - on a Par 5? The layup yardages on that hole on the cart were also inaccurate.

A course charging this much should be in nearly immaculate shape at all times, not simply when a professional tour event rolls through.

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

New North course layout

The redesign is epic, the front 9 is beautiful, but when you wind your way past the beautiful 14th, you get to the most beautiful hole in San Diego, 15 par 3 overlooking the ocean, with the beautiful pines. Just because it's not the tough south course, doesn't mean it's not tough. This course was super challenging, my short game and putting was great, other than that my second shot needs the most work. This is one very special golf course.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 16
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Now Reading