New owner, manager put Castle Creek on road to respectability

By: MARC FIGUEROA - Staff Writer | Tuesday, November 9, 2004 11:16 PM PST ∞

For the past decade or so, it has been called Castle Creek. But to a number of people who often criticized the golf course for its bumpy and slow greens, muddy bunkers and run-of-the-mill fairways, the historic track on the far northeast side of Escondido has been called much, much worse. Any four-letter word will do.

It was a shame considering the storied history of its surroundings ---- tales of American Indian settlements and later the Wild West are legendary.

The course itself has a colorful past, dating to 1949, when it opened to the public as a nine-hole track under its original name, Circle R. Because of an ownership group that wasn't willing to commit to proper caretaking of the course, Castle Creek began a steady decline in the 1990s.

"This place has a great history, but the last 15 years it's been robbed of its dignity," said general manager Larry Taylor, who recently came to Castle Creek from Chevy Chase Country Club in Glendale.

Enter P.C. Han, a retired accountant from Korea,. He purchased the 6,638-yard layout back in March and is eager to bring Castle Creek back to respectability.

Through his company, Josephine Development, Han has made Castle Creek his debut in the golf property business. And it's tough to question his commitment: He has spent more than $100,000 in course improvements.

"We know we have a great product. We just have to get it cleaned up," Taylor said.

That's exactly what's been happening the past seven months, particularly on the greens.

Castle Creek, like many courses in San Diego County, features rolling surfaces made up mostly of Poa annua grass. Because of its shallow root structure, Poa annua greens can go bad in a hurry if they're not handled with care.

That's where Castle Creek's problems started. The well water used by maintenance crews had developed a high alkaline content over time from nearby citrus groves. It was water that could be likened to sea water, an unfriendly foe of golf grass.

"It was like pouring gasoline on a fire, and they were trying to treat that," Taylor said. "All that time, they were treating the symptoms and not getting to the root of the problem."

A little farming technology was the answer they needed. And it came in the form of a sulphur burner, which is used to moderate the pH balance in water.

According to Taylor, it has completely changed the dynamic of the course.

"We had to undo 15 years of bad watering techniques, and you can see the changes," he said. "Most courses are judged by the greens, so we knew what we had to do."

Bentgrass also has been added to the seeding mixture, Taylor said, and is giving Castle Creek's green true rolls because of its deep root structure. The greens used to roll at 7 or 8 on the Stimpmeter, but now they're at 11.

The bunkers have been filled with higher-quality silica sand, and the fairways are being treated to provide more definition to the golf course.

Add all that up, and Taylor thinks he has a winner in Castle Creek and is confident golfers who used to shy away from this place because of its neglect will give it another shot.

"We know we have to overcome a bad reputation, but we feel like we now have a product that people will like," Taylor said.

CASTLE CREEK COUNTRY CLUB

8797 Circle R Drive, Escondido (760) 749-2422

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