He was a regular for the Wednesday night prime rib night at the Barona Casino, but would always mention to his nephew that the surrounding land would be prime property for a golf course. Davison's uncle lived in the small nearby town of Lakeside, which adjoins the property. The story behind the course opening is almost as interesting as the course itself.

'A lot of people (architects) talk about taking what the land gives them, but we really work very hard at doing that on this course and I think it shows.'Ĭonsider it mission accomplished, as the course was laid on a gently rolling piece of land which rises and falls a few hundred feet during its 18-hole journey, but looks as if it has been there for years instead of just opening in January of this year. 'We like to do minimalistic architecture and our style fits perfectly with the Indians' respect for the land and nature,' architect Charles Davison said. That means there is no business reason to squeeze in an average course as an excuse to sell pricey real estate. While it was built to complement the nearby Barona Casino and a 400-room resort hotel, which will open early next year, the course is good enough to merit a solo trip, even if you never put a quarter in the always hungry casino trough or spend a night in the hotel.īarona Creek is an outstanding example of what happens when good architecture meets good course topography with good space and a lack of restrictions. The par 72 course is laid out over 255 acres of Barona Indian Reservation land some 35 minutes northwest of downtown San Diego. In fact, Barona Creek, which bills itself as a, 'Course of Nature,' is a wonderful golf layout that actually features golf and only golf as its main attraction. In fact, the only sounds on this public access course are the native wildlife, the water rushing through the namesake creek and the sounds of pleasure or displeasure over a recently hit shot. There is no noise from passing traffic, no hammering or sawing or radios from nearby home construction sites. Not total silence, just a lack of sounds golfers don't want to hear on a golf course. When you play the recently-opened Barona Creek Golf Club just outside San Diego, one of the first positive impressions you get is the silence surrounding the course. LAKESIDE, CA - The musical hit, 'The Sounds of Silence,' sold millions of copies when it was released in the 1960s, but recently the hit has been re-released, not as a song, but as a golf course.

Barona casino golf course