Tee Time at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club: What to Expect

It’s not often I’m invited to play golf at a private country club, especially one that sits on the grounds of an Olympic Equestrian competition. So, when I was asked to play a round at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, I jumped at the chance. 

Sweeping fairways, massive bunkers and generous greens were always part of the plan for this Rancho Santa Fe farmland. But Prince Charles was on the equestrian committee for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and he loved Rancho Santa Fe, so horses galloped and jumped before Ted Robinson Sr. began designing one of the premier private golf courses in San Diego County. 

Fairbanks Ranch Country Club has 27 striking holes that are easily walkable. Pick between the Valley Nine, the Lakes Nine, or the Ocean Nine, or even better, play them all.

Palm trees and sparkling lakes frame the sweeping fairways and undulating greens. But there are still reminders of the past. Forty years after the 1984 Olympics, some of the wooden horse jumping structures are still visible from the course.

TEEING IT UP AT FAIRBANKS

After playing Ted Robinson-designed tracks in San Diego, Riverwalk, Singing Hills, and Twin Oaks, I figured there would be his signature railroad ties around the water’s edges and wide-open fairways.

Ocean Nine

So, I was a little confused when I couldn’t find my second shot on the 500-yard par 5-second hole on the Ocean course. It was slightly off line, but there’s no way it could be out of play?

Well, I later learned that Robinson had nothing to do with the Ocean course, which opened in 2005, 21 years after Robinson carved out the Valley and Lakes nine. Golf architect John Harbottle was the culprit.

“The Ocean is much more technical,” said Cody Layton, Senior Vice President of golf course operations for the Bay Club, which manages Fairbanks Ranch. “Shots need to be placed a little better, especially approach shots need to be in right spot or you can get yourself in trouble.”

Beyond the tighter fairways and narrow landing areas on approach shots, I was struggling with distance on my drives. The wind didn’t seem that blustery, but my 220-yard drives were barely going 200 yards. My son and I started out playing the blue tees, but we switched to the shorter white tees after three holes.

“The ocean course is long, the wind is always in your face no matter which direction you’re going, and the air is heavy, being lower than the sea level,” Layton said. “Long irons and hybrids come into play depending on which tees you’re playing.”

My favorite part of the ocean course were the greens–large, very receptive to well-struck iron shots and not lighting quick.

“We want people to enjoy themselves, so we’re not going to be rolling 13 on the stimpmeter [device used to measure the speed of putts],” Layton said.  “If people can make some putts, it’s going to speed up play. We do as much as we can to keep moving and enjoying themselves.”

Valley Nine

The Valley course was much more forgiving. It played like a resort course with wide-open fairways, no blind shots, and receptive greens. Not surprisingly, my score was three shots better on the Valley with four pars on the scorecard.  The Lakes course, which we didn’t play, features an island fairway on the ninth hole. 

A FAIRBANKS RANCH MEMBERSHIP

Initiation fees for Fairbanks Ranch golf memberships are $25,000, monthly dues are about $1,600. So what sets Fairbanks Ranch apart from the other private country clubs in Rancho Santa Fe, The Bridges, Rancho Santa Fe, The Farms, Santa Luz, Del Mar Country Club, and La Valle Coastal Club?

“We are fully family-oriented, and we operate by the campus model, pairing the golf course with an athletic facility,” Layton said. 

Golf members enjoy access to Bay Club Carmel Valley. This club has three swimming pools, 11 tennis courts, a basketball court, a 15,000-square-foot fitness center, and on-site childcare. Near the golf clubhouse, there is a thriving pickleball scene with ten courts that will soon have fences between courts.

“Where other clubs are going to be focused on just golf, we want families to be on the property having a good time,” Layton said. “We’re also going to have parties and throw big events.”

Golf membership comes with exclusive access to Troon golf courses around the country and three other Bay Club courses in Northern California, Stonetree Golf Club in Novato, Crow Canyon in Danville and Boulder Ridge in San Jose. Fairbanks Ranch has 450 golf memberships, but Layton said there is plenty of room for growth.

FAIRBANKS RANCH HISTORY

The enclave, now known as Fairbanks Ranch, was part of the original 89,000-acre Rancho San Dieguito Mexican land grant. Actors Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Mary Pickford bought more than 3,000 acres in 1926 with dreams of building a retreat. They planted citrus trees, beans, and tomatoes, as well as grain to feed cattle.

While the couple often camped in the area, they divorced before their house was built. The land was eventually sold and developed into a gated community named Fairbanks Ranch after the actor. Most of Fairbanks Ranch’s homes, which have become larger over the years, were built in the 1980s. The community has strict building and landscaping rules.

There is also a bit of folklore at Fairbanks Ranch. Michael Jordan, the famous basketball player and notorious golf gambler, once came to play the course. Layton said Jordan was turned away at the Fairbanks gate. “He told the gate guard ‘I’m Mr. Jordan.’ The pro shop employee said they didn’t have a Mr. Jordan on our list, and they made him turn around. That was a big deal at the time.”

If you are looking for a course with a lot of variety and different level challenges, add Fairbanks Ranch Golf Course to your list of greens to play in San Diego!

Disclaimer: Dave McKibben wrote this post for San Diego Explorer. As customary in the travel writing industry, the writer was hosted to experience the golf course to research this article. This has not influenced the author’s opinion of these experiences.